Page 73 of Best Hex Ever
“What happened?”
“A cyclist ran into me as I was crossing the road. I don’t think they saw the stop sign. The bike knocked me over, hence the mud, but I’m fine, Dina, I promise. It looks way worse than it is.”
Her hands were shaking as she peeled him out of his coat. No, this wasn’t happening. Not yet, please not yet. Her eyes welled with tears and she couldn’t stop them from overflowing.
“Hey, hey, I’m okay. I’m okay, sweetheart,” Scott said, pulling her into his arms.
“I just—Idon’t want anything to happen to you,” she cried, her face falling into the crook of his neck.
“It’s just a shock. I know, I’m sorry,” Scott said, smoothing his hands over Dina’s back. “Come on, I have an idea,” he said, and scooped up her legs so she was wrapped around his torso.
He carried her through his bedroom into the en-suite shower, only detaching Dina from him to tug her clothes over her head.
“We won’t be needing these,” he said.
She stared at him blearily through her tears. What if she’d lost him, this man who she’d come to care about so deeply? This man who made her happier than anyone ever had, who knew every inch of her body and loved it so well.
The hiss of the shower turning on broke her out of her anxious spiraling, and she watched with a growing hunger as Scott stripped off his own clothing. Would she ever get tired of seeing the dense muscles of his chest, or the dark trail of hair that led down to his, quite frankly, magnificent cock? That seemed unlikely.
“Get in with me,” Scott said, and she stepped into the shower. Scott leaned back under the stream of water, running a hand through his hair until it was slicked back to the nape of his neck. Something blipped in Dina’s chest. All of this was feeling too real.
She buried her face against the wet hair on his chest, not caring about her hair or her makeup; she was at home in his arms.
Nothing could ruin this moment.
“Dina.” Scott kissed her head, his voice muffled by the running water.
“Mmm?”
“Look at me.” There was something so raw in his voice that she couldn’t help but look up. Scott brushed the hair out of her face, and Dina blinked away the water. He was here, and he was everything.
“I need to tell you something,” he began, then closed his mouth.
“Should I be worried?”
Scott cracked a smile. “No, you shouldn’t. I just don’t know how to say this without scaring you, because it scares me too. Iknow it’s only been a couple of weeks, butgod,it’s been the best weeks of my life.”
Dina wanted to respond with something light-hearted likeI’m flattered,orThat’s sweet of you,but those words felt too empty. Her heart thundered in her ears; she couldn’t speak.
“And I want this to continue, I want us to continue. Because I’m falling in love with you, Dina. Sometimes it doesn’t even feel real, like I’ve conjured you from my dreams.”
She thought her head would be swimming, but everything was quiet. Only the same thought on repeat:He loves me, he loves me, he lovesme.
Tears spilled down her cheeks. Scott wiped them away.
He couldn’t love her. He shouldn’t. She suddenly felt disheveled, makeup running down her face, hair a total mess. She was too loud, too clumsy, her magic too strange. She didn’t deserve his love. The intrusive thoughts were infectious, attacking her mind with ferocity.
But that small, quiet voice inside her piped up:You love him too. You love Scott, and you can make this work. You can make sure the hex doesn’t hurt him. You’ll fight for him. He’s worthit.
“I love you, Scott. I’m scared, I’m really fucking scared, but I love you.” The words tumbled out of her lips but felt right, felt truthful. They held each other, and each kiss saidI love you,each pull of their lips saidYou’re mine.
They had each other again in the shower, their bodies steaming—the need to be closer, closer. Dina’s arms wound around Scott, never leaving him for a second. He held her to him, like he would never letgo.
“I love you, I love you,” he whispered as the world crumbled around her.
Chapter 30
The text came in from Eric just as Scott entered the Reading Room, and even though his phone was on vibrate, the librarian still sent a glare his way.
