Page 2 of A Touch Enchanted

“Fuck.” He kicked the wall. “If you let me in, I swear to God I won’t smile this time. I was just so happy to see your beautiful face, I couldn’t help myself.”

I flung open the door and crossed my arms over my chest to hide the evidence of what his touch did to me. “You don’t get to say stuff like that to me, Beanie. I’m still mad at you.”

His eyes lit up at my use of the nickname I’d given him in elementary school. That didnotmean I forgave him. It was just habit.

When his brother Seth had tried to embarrass him by bringing one of his Beanie Babies to school when we were in kindergarten, I told everyone it was mine. He thanked me by putting a cricket on my skirt. A bunch of kids laughed at me, which in turn made me cry. A situation that shouldn’t have made us friends, especially after Audrey kicked his ass in front of everyone on the playground, but we became inseparable nonetheless. A bond forever forged by our mutual humiliations.

“Sorry, Cricket.” He gave me a crooked grin, barely visible through his thick beard. “I can’t help it if I’m happy to see you, any more than I can help that you’re beautiful.”

“Stop it.” I hugged myself tighter, conscious of the flush that spread over my heated skin.

It wasn’t the magic alone doing this. Before we’d touched by the park that day and I’d sprouted gills on the side of my neck, he’d been making a few comments here and there—not many, but enough—thatjusttripped over the friend line we’d been toeing for so many years. Harmless little compliments that rolled off his tongue like water.

If I’d let myself overthink it, it would’ve been so easy, too easy, to make it mean something. But Donovan was a Latham. All of them—with the exception of Cole—were sweet talkers. I didn’t want to give him any illusions that he could lay that charm on me like I was a random girl he’d picked up at Leo’s. We were friends. We’d never be more than that.

“Why are you here?” I asked.

“Finn seems to think the curse is coming for us next.”

I rolled my eyes. “Since when do you take life advice from Finn Wilder?”

“He’s a lot smarter than he looks.”

I studied the way Donovan stood just inside the entrance to my apartment—his stance wide, his expression guarded—as if he expected me to toss him out at any moment and was prepared to fight it if I tried. My nipples tightened to the point of near pain. Without him even touching me. My attraction to him had always been present, but I’d learned how to push it down, put it in sleep mode, for the sake of our friendship and my sanity. Bringing all of that to the surface was so not what I needed right now.

I shook myself out of my temporary trance. “I’m sure Finn is plenty smart, but what could he have possibly said that Wes and Audrey haven’t been saying for weeks? I know for a fact that both of them have tried knocking sense into you.”

Guilt had him tucking his full bottom lip between his teeth. “It’s not important.” When I raised an eyebrow, he let out a deep sigh. “What Finn said doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m here, and as much as it’s going to pain me, we need to start working together.”

As much as it’s going to painhim? Asshole, asshole, asshole.

“As tempting as that offer is”—I pursed my lips, my voice dripping with sarcasm—“I’m going to pass.” I licked my spoon again. “But feel free to keep bringing ice cream.”

His expression turned thunderous. It shouldn’t have delighted me as much as it did. “You have every right to be as pissed as you want to be at me, but our home and everyone we love are at risk if we can’t figure out how to work through those damn side effects.”

Again with the lecture. As if I’d been the one who’d acted like a coward the moment our magic lit up feelings inside us that weren’t really ours. The nerve of him to think he was the only one who struggled. Like I could jump right into practicing with him as if I didn’t have reservations of my own. But he would’ve had to talk to me sometime in the last few weeks to know what I was going through, and he hadn’t bothered.

“Did it ever occur to you that those side effects were hard for me, too?” Anger made my voice breathier, softer, but I was anything but weak. I set my ice cream on the counter and shoved him back a step, my hands lingering on his hard chest. “I’m sorry your stupid magic boner freaked you out, but you were supposed to be my best friend. You could’ve talked to me like an adult.”

“You’re right.” He gripped my bare shoulders. The heat of his palms seeped into my skin as his hands began to glow a deep sapphire blue. “I fucked up, Cricket.”

I glanced at my hands, pressed against his chest, pulsing with aqua light, the space separating us growing smaller as heat and moisture pooled between my legs. The skin along my neck split open. Gills that would allow me to breathe underwater, if ever I got the chance to test them. I licked my lips, and his pupils dilated.

“Are you going to run from me this time?” My voice was barely above a whisper.

My fingers trailed lower down his stomach. Each ridge of his abs sent tingles of pleasure dancing up my arms. He sucked in a sharp breath.

“What are you doing?” A deep groan rumbled from his chest. The vibration of it fed my magic, lit up my power. The skin between my toes stretched and webbed together. No doubt making it easier for me to swim against the ocean’s currents.

“Experimenting.” If he really wanted to work with me, he’d have to get used to my touch and what happened to my physical appearance, no matter how much it freaked him out. “If this bothers you, we have no hope of working together.”

I trailed my fingers lower, running them along the top seam of his pants.

He gripped my wrist. “You’ve made your point.”

His tight hold on me sent a shiver of anticipation racing down my spine. Clawing desperation to have him pin my wrist against the wall and fuck me until I couldn’t breathe overwhelmed me. I didn’t care if it was the magic doing this. I needed him.

My inner walls fluttered, aching to be filled in a way I was certain only he could. I closed the gap between us, letting out a shuddering moan when his erection pressed against my stomach. He wanted this too. It wasn’t just me.

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