Page 59 of Enchant the Dawn

Chapter 24

When Maddy rose in the morning, she found Dominic asleep on the sofa. For a moment she simply stood there, watching him. She had read somewhere that vampires looked like corpses when they slept, but he looked wonderful, his dark hair tousled, his eyelashes like dark fans on his cheeks, his lips firm and well-shaped. She was sorely tempted to bend down and kiss him. Would he wake if she did? How would she explain it if he woke up?

Shrugging off the impulse, she tiptoed into the kitchen and put the coffee on, then sat at the table. The words, I’m a witch, whispered through her mind. Concentrating, she stared at the cupboard and summoned her favorite mug.

The door opened and the mug floated toward her and landed on the table in front of her. Maybe being a witch wasn’t so bad, she thought, as she directed the pot to fill her cup.

“I could get used to this,” she muttered as a whispered word added sugar to her coffee.

She glanced at the bread box and silently summoned a blueberry muffin. Unable to help herself, she laughed with pleasure when it instantly came to her hand. “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice has nothing on you, Maddy Bainbridge,” she said with a grin. “Move over, Glinda. Out of the way, Samantha. Maddy is here.”

She flushed when she heard laughter behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw Dominic standing in the doorway, grinning at her.

“Feeling pretty good this morning, aren’t we?” Sauntering into the room, he took the chair across from her.

“I was just, ah, practicing.”

“And doing a fine job from what I could see.”

“How long have you been standing there?” she asked, feeling her cheeks grow hotter.

“Not long. Think you could magic a muffin for me?”

“Sorry, this is the last one, but if you stop grinning at me, I’ll give you half of mine.”

Dominic laughed. “I’m just kidding. I don’t usually eat breakfast.”

“Why not?”

“The hunting is better at night.”

She blinked at him, wondering how she could have forgotten, even for a moment, that he wasn’t like other men.

“I should probably go home,” he said. “Ava must be wondering where the devil I am.” Or maybe not, he thought, because she always seemed to know where he was. And what he was doing. Not necessarily a good thing.

“Oh.”

He paused at the note of disappointment in her voice. “I can stay if you want.”

“I wish you would. I don’t know why I’m so reluctant to be alone.”

“Big change in your life. I can understand it.” Rising, he kissed her on the forehead. “I need to rest a little longer. Okay if I use one of the bedrooms?”

“Sure,” she said, wondering why he hadn’t done so last night. “Take any one you like.”

He kissed her again, then headed up the stairs.

She listened for his footsteps and frowned when she didn’t hear anything. That was odd, she thought, because the fourth step always creaked. He must be incredibly light on his feet.

Leaning back in her chair, she sipped her coffee. A vampire upstairs. A witch in the kitchen. What a couple they made.

She smiled as she imagined asking Dominic to move in with her. Not here, in her parents’ house, of course, but in a new apartment after her folks got home. Living with a vampire would be like living with a man who worked nights and slept days, she mused. He wasn’t so different from other men, except for the blood thing. Oddly enough, it didn’t bother her as much as it should have. Or as much as she thought it should.

Of course, he was only here on vacation. He’d told her he was in business with his father, which meant that, at some point, he would have to go back to Hungary. That might be a deal breaker, she thought, and then shook her head. What was she thinking? As crazy about him as she was, she still hardly knew him. Certainly not well enough to be thinking of sharing an apartment with him.

Rising, she tucked her cup in the dishwasher and made her way upstairs to dress. When she reached the guest room, she stopped. And backed up. Surrendering to her curiosity, she opened the door a crack and peeked inside. The curtains were closed, the room dim.

Dominic had removed his shirt, boots, and socks. He lay on his back on top of the covers, one arm draped across his hard, flat belly.

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