Page 22 of Dottie's Forbidden Wizard
"Maddox?" she asks hesitantly. She pushes up on her elbow, gazing into my eyes. "Do you have a virgin fetish? Are you done with me now?"
I chuckle, pulling her closer and planting a kiss on her temple. Done with Dottie? Never. If she thought everything I said before was in the heat of the moment, she's about to have her mind blown when I ask her to be my wife.
"Doyou?Are you done withmenow?" I turn the question on her.
Dottie stares at me in confusion. Then her lips part as she realizes what I'm saying. "This was your first time?"
"With something other than my hand, yes." I grin. "I've waited for you my entire life, Dottie."
"Holy shit," she breathes. "You’rereallygood at it."
"Maybe it helps that neither of us knows if it can be any better," I joke.
She shakes her head. "If it's better than that, I don't need it. I think I'd die of pure ecstasy."
I grin, linking our fingers so our palms touch. I place our hands over my heart, flashing back to the emotions that coursed through me when I touched her all those years ago. A simple brush of our knuckles in the hallway. It was like finding warmth for the first time in my cold, dark life. And I vowed never to go near her again. Because in my world, the moment you cherish something is the moment it’s taken away from you.
I noticed her, of course. Even ten years ago, she was a bombshell—delicious curves wrapped in innocence and wide-eyed curiosity as she adjusted to this world. Griselda hated her immediately and made her life miserable. When I found out the wicked witches had burned Dottie's perfect skin, I slipped a potion into their lattes that gave them hemorrhoids and made them belch sulphur for weeks. It wasn't much, but Gigi had putmy powers on lockdown until I could control them. We had to keep my abilities hidden from my father.
There was also the time I had to threaten a guy in our class to stay away from Dottie. Hayes, a Quadling way out of his league, had the nerve to take her out on a date. Everyone knew not to mess with her, but he didn’t get the memo. I wasn't responsible for his black eye. Not really. He fell when I approached him, hitting his nose on a rock. Still, it was enough to scare the shit out of him, so I went with it.
"Maddox, why was everybody at the party saying it was your first time home in years?"
"I left Oz when you did, Dottie."
"Why?" she asks, staring at me. Not an ounce of magical ability, but this woman has no idea of the power she has over me.
"One time, in Philosophy with Professor Gandour, you said it wasn't enough to pick a path. We all had to choose a path worth following." I gaze down at her as her lips part in surprise. "It was the most profound advice of my entire life." I glance at her mouth, momentarily distracted by her heart-shaped lips, swollen from my kisses. "Dottie, I left Oz because I didn't want to follow the Ozella path anymore. And from the second I walked back through my father's door, I'm convinced that you saved my life."
Dottie leans forward, sealing her lips to mine. I pull her down on top of me, and her soft curves mold to my body. We fit together like two puzzle pieces.
"As much as I don't want to, I should get back," Dottie says ruefully.
But I'm not ready for tonight to be over. "You can't leave now. A snowstorm hit while we were busy." I flick my fingers, conjuring up a blizzard in seconds.
"What?" Dottie looks out the window in disbelief. "Oh, my god, it's coming down so hard.”
Another flick of my fingers, and the lights go out.
"Power's out," she whispers, her eyes meeting mine. "The fire is nice, though." She leans forward to kiss me. It's not like our earlier kisses. It's soft and lingering, like we have all the time in the world. I plan to kiss her like this for the rest of our lives.
But our situation is not settled. My father won’t accept my falling in love as a viable reason to marry Dottie. He’ll see her as a complication, and that man only knows one way to handle anything that threatens his plans. He’ll brush her off like dirt clinging to his shoe. Or worse. I'm worried about her safety. It will all be my fault if something happens to her because I couldn't leave her alone.
"Dottie." I pull back as she wriggles against me in a way that makes me want to go for round two. But I need to talk to her first. "Why were you snooping in my father's office?"
Dottie drops her gaze, tracing little circles on my chest with her finger. "I wanted to find something on him. I need to stop the rezoning project."
"He doesn't keep anything at home. You took a huge risk.” I look at the woman who owns my heart, and the idea of her hurt or in danger makes my stomach clench. "I need you to trust me to handle my father. Can you do that?"
Dottie looks at me sadly. "Will you have to marry Griselda?"
"No," I say firmly. "I am not marrying Griselda."
"But your father wants you to marry someone, right? Someone magical?"
I wish I could tell her everything. But the truth is, I don't know what the future holds with my father. So much hinges on luck and circumstances. I refuse to put Dottie at risk, even if it means I can't be completely honest with her right now.
"I don't want you in danger, so you have to promise me you will not go anywhere near him. Leave my father to me." I grip her arms, begging her with my eyes as much as my words.
