Page 70 of A Touch Charmed

“Then we make them.” Wes kept his voice firm. Not to be a hard-ass, but because he was right. We needed everyone off this island.

“I’ll talk to my dad tonight,” I said. “I think he’ll go if it means keeping my mom safe.”

Wes nodded. “We need to get more people on board. If enough agree, we can announce that we’re shutting down for the rest of the summer at the next town hall meeting.”

We only had two weeks. There went my fishing-and-margaritas trip with Thora.

“My stepfather will fight you on a shutdown.” Thora cleared her throat. “He’ll use it as a campaign point, but there’s a lot of people who will agree with him.”

“Let him fight.” Wes clenched his fist. “I’m looking forward to it.”

People looked to Wes as a leader. If he laid out the details with brutal honesty, there wouldn’t be much the mayor could do to stop it.

That didn’t mean this would be easy. The four of us had a lot of work to do if we were going to convince an entire town to give up their paychecks for a year. But the next phase was coming. Our island wasn’t safe as long as the curse was active, and it would only be a matter of time before it began to be a problem for more than those of us who had magic.

“Okay. We’re in,” I said. “What do you need from us?”

The four of us stayed up talking well into the night. We had a solid plan for how to approach some of the more influential business owners while Audrey would work on Gretchen, Janessa, and everyone else who had a shop on her side of town. Wes would get Donovan onboard easily enough. It would be them versus Cole, but Wes was confident his parents would see past the short-term headache.

As the first rays of dawn touched the island, I yawned and stretched my arms over my head. It had been a long night. I pulled Thora against me and headed for the guest room. She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow, but I stayed awake. Thinking.

The residents of this town believed in and understood the legend, but they’d still want to stay. I had no doubt the Lathams would be able to turn this into a good PR opportunity for the island, but it would be a long, bitter winter. People would be looking for someone to blame.

I had to wonder if that’s what the curse intended all along.

Epilogue

Thora

Finnwrappedhisarmsaround me from behind as we stood on the pier and watched the waves roll in from the ocean. Moonlight shimmered on the midnight blue water. Above us, the light from our ancestors shone on. Did they look down here and check on us every now and again? Or had we already been abandoned to passing time?

Did Ophiuchus know what became of his son? Maybe he didn’t care. Maybe he had lots of children on far-flung distant worlds and we were no more significant to him than ants. I couldn’t pretend to know what went on in the mind of an eternal god.

We hadn’t gotten a chance to go fishing, but this was the next best thing. We’d been busy the past two days, having quiet underground meetings with several business owners in town. Some seemed onboard. Others, not so much.

I’d tried talking to Kenna. That hadn’t gone well. Violet said she would need more time, and I had to respect that, even if time wasn’t a luxury we could afford right now.

I turned my head to the side and rested my cheek on Finn’s bare chest. We’d started our walk on the beach at sunset and backed off our speed power to get a little alone time.

Living with Wes and Audrey turned out to be a lot of fun, but I missed our place on the cliffs. I couldn’t wait until this was all over and we could get back to building our life together out there at the edge of the world. Maybe add a room or two to the house.

“This almost beats fishing,” I said.

He turned me around, eyebrows raised. “Blasphemy.”

“We’ll have plenty of time to rent that boat after this is all over.” I stood on my toes and kissed him. His lips were soft, yet firm at the same time.

I ran my fingers through his silky hair, pulling him down to me. His tongue stroked mine with expert skill. Every kiss from him felt like he was fucking my mouth. How was I supposed to stop here? I never could get enough of him.

I pressed my body against his, loving the way his cock hardened against my stomach. He lifted me up and set me on the wooden rail. I wrapped my legs around him, dragging him against my core as he continued to kiss me breathless. His shoulders trembled as I dug my nails into them. He ran his hand under my skirt.

His fingers teased me as he brushed them over the damp fabric of my silk underwear. He pushed them to the side and pressed his thumb against my clit. A flood of heat rushed through me. He pulled back, searching my eyes. “Tell me what you want.”

“You.” I let out a gasp as he rubbed his thumb in a circle. “All I’ve ever wanted is you.”

His kisses turned hard and hungry, as if he could barely hold himself back. I loved it when he lost control like that. Loved that I was the one who could drive him to that point of need. The fire within me began to build. I thrust forward and whimpered his name as he thrust two fingers deep into me, hitting that spot only he could touch.

“I need you inside me.” My hips moved against his fingers, but I wanted more.

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