Page 7 of Charmed, I'm Sure
Her eyes narrowed, and just as she opened her mouth to respond, a large man came up behind her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Everything alright here, Mags?”
Something like shock crossed her face before she leaned into the embrace. “Yeah, Ray. Everything’s fine. Taylor here was just leaving.”
“Taylor?” Ray asked, not moving from Magnolia’s side.
“Taylor Hallows,” I offered, extending my hand.
Ray simply looked me up and down, sucking on his teeth. “Right. Well, let me know if you need anything, or if pretty boy here gives you any trouble, alright?”
Pretty boy?Good lord, did everyone in this town hate me?
“Don’t worry. He won’t.”
Ray nodded and returned to the bar.
“So, about that dance,” I said, extending my hand again before she could walk away.
Magnolia narrowed her eyes and stepped forward, holding a finger in front of my face. “One dance. One. And then you leave me be. Got it?”
A full-fledged smile spread across my face—the kind that made your cheeks hurt if you held it too long. “Deal.”
She slipped her hand into mine, and I wrapped my arm around her back, making sure to keep it loose. It had been a while since I two-stepped, but I still knew my stuff.
Guiding her across the floor was easy as we let the previous song play out. But when it shifted toLovin’ On Youby Luke Combs, a grin spread across my face. The faster pace of the tune gave me just what I needed to twirl her, and after the second spin, even she couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at her lips.
We moved together like a well-oiled machine. She followed my every lead, never missing a beat, gliding with me like water across a smooth surface.
“Done this before?” she asked after I spun her back into my hold.
“Maybe once or twice.” I winked, and her eyes crinkled at the corners as if she was fighting back a laugh.
As the song came to an end, her icy exterior seemed to have thawed, and I was about to ask for another dance. But before I could, Kyle slipped in behind her and wrapped his hands around her waist.
Kyle LeBlanc, the guy who used to be my best friend, was now nothing more than a parasite who peaked in high school and never learned to take no for an answer. Not that he ever had to, with his daddy being the mayor of Bellevue.
“Damn, Maggie. When did you turn into such a fine piece of ass? Why don’t you give Taylor here a break and let me take you for a spin?” Kyle flashed me a grin over her shoulder that said he wanted more than to dance, and the possessive way he held her made my stomach churn.
Magnolia’s face pinched in rage, but she took a deep breath, then plastered a fake smile on her face as she turned in Kyle’s embrace. “Kyle,” she said through clenched teeth, resting her hands on his shoulders, “back. The. Fuck. Off.” Each word was clear, and then she moved so fast, I barely registered she’d kneed him in the balls.
Kyle dropped his hands, clutching himself as he doubled over. “You’ll pay for that, bitch,” he spat as Magnolia turned back to me.
Her eyes scanned down my body before settling on my face. “Seems he’s not the only one who hasn’t changed.” A look of disgust crossed her features as she shook her head and sidestepped around me. Jaelyn and Madison, who’d seen the whole thing, weren’t far behind her.
Fuck.
By the time I pulled my head out of my ass and turned around, she was gone. Whipping back toward Kyle, I shoved his shoulder. “What the fuck, dude?!”
“What’s your problem? She’s a freak.”
Grabbing Kyle by his tacky-as-hell shirt—I mean, really, who still wore Ed Hardy?—I pulled him upright. “You need to grow the fuck up, Ky. This isn’t high school anymore; you can’t just walk all overpeople.” I shoved him away and turned to leave, but his voice stopped me.
“You didn’t seem to have a problem with it back then.”
I sighed, turning to face him again. “You’re right. I didn’t say anything in high school. But I should have. And unlike you, I’ve learned from my mistakes. Grow up.”
As I walked away, Kyle placed a hand on my shoulder. “You’re going to regret walking away from me, Hallows.”
Shrugging him off, I headed to the bar to pay my tab and left.
