Removing the candle, she said, “Return this home to its rightful way.” When she snapped the candle in half, a boom erupted around her, reminding her of explosive fireworks.
A white charge sparked from the edges of her fingertips. She loved when that happened. It left her insides renewed and fresh, as if she’d just emerged from a chilled shower. She spared a quick glance at the window, but the mistletoe outside wasn’t shifting. Heaviness pressed down on her shoulders. Yep, she had to find soil.
Movement from farther down the hall drew her attention.
Gunn emerged from the living room, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his jeans, his boots pounding the floorboards. His black, long-sleeve T-shirt clung to his broad chest, showing the layers of his muscles. Dark hair shone beneath the light in a shade of cocoa, and his stubble seemed darker against his tanned skin. With his full lips pressed together in an unsettled expression, she still pictured him kissing her, losing herself in his arms. God, she was completely lost. How could she have fallen for him so hard?
She climbed to her feet and closed the circle by moving to each corner, thanking the elements.
“What happens now?” he asked, standing a few feet away.
“Now comes the tricky part.” She picked up the bowl of water with the candle and returned to the kitchen, placing them on the counter.
When she turned, Gunn leaned against the frame, staring her way with those spectacular green eyes, reminding her of a tranquil river in a dark forest.
Was he considering kissing her again? Yeah, she’d never had sex with anyone else because she hadn’t met a guy who she liked enough. Until now.
“You going to just stand there checking me out, or are you going to tell me what’s going on?” he asked with a serious tone she didn’t quite understand. Was that sarcasm?
She narrowed her eyes on purpose and turned away to hide the heat crawling up her neck. Universe, help me control myself in his company.
To busy herself, she took the broken candle out of the bowl and poured the water down the drain. The enchantment now lay in the candle, and she placed it into the other bowl on the countertop with the spell contents. They needed to get buried together.
Facing him again, she gasped, as he had his shirt pulled up over his eight pack. “What are you doing?”
He lifted his head as he scratched his stomach. “Could swear something crawled under my shirt.”
She moved closer and inspected his perfect, muscular chest, running a hand across his warm flesh. Soft, yet rock hard. Yep, this wasn’t helping her maintain control one bit. Not when her breath hitched, and she clenched her thighs from the inferno intensifying down there.
“Seems you’re clean of creepy crawlies then.” Darn her choked voice. Breaking away from him, she stepped to the counter and leaned a hip into it, crossing her arms.
Gunn lowered his top. Had he been lying about something crawling on him so he could flaunt himself and she’d fall like a fly to a zapper?
A quick look at the bowl reminded her what she was doing. “Well, for me to complete this spell, I must bury the hex contents in the ground.”
He rubbed his jawline, the sound reminding her of sandpaper. “Would a potted plant work?”
“No idea, but have you seen one in the house?” It was a possibility that she could use any soil to activate the reversal spell.
“Nope. Only fresh flowers in a vase in the hallway.”
“Then why suggest a potted plant?” She studied the two pieces of broken candle, their possible escape so close, yet so far.
“Figured you might have seen one. The house is big enough.”
Racking her brain, she didn’t recall seeing a plant anywhere. In her tiny studio apartment, tiny pots of herbs lined her windows. Back at the farm, she’d loved staring at the garden in full bloom.
With Gunn not moving, she couldn’t stand in the kitchen for eternity gawking at him, as tempting at it sounded. She strode past him, figuring she might as well ask Nora if she had any potted plants, but when her elbow brushed against Gunn, he stepped into her path.
“What are we going to do about us?” he asked while pushing aside a loose piece of hair that had caught on the corner of her mouth. His touch left her buzzing. How was she supposed to stay focused when the slightest touch stole her concentration?
Seemed her libido didn’t give a hoot about the dangers of a demon in the house. “Nothing right now.”
He frowned. “That’s not what I mean.”
“I don’t know what you mean then. But you’re in my way.”
He licked his lips. “I’m terrified of losing you.”
His words took a while to sink in. “Why would you lose me?”
“Baby girl, you’re too perfect for me, too innocent, and you have a whole life ahead of you. Me…” His hold slackened, and he dropped his hand by his side. “I don’t want you tainted by my past. Plus, your brother would chop off my balls.”
A surge of anger shot through her. She’d had this conversation with Chase too many times. The time he’d told her she couldn’t have a motorbike because it was too dangerous. When she’d intended to travel overseas for a few months to study abroad, but he’d insisted she’d get kidnapped. Now every “no” she received was like gasoline in her veins, firing her up. “Fuck my brother and screw you. I’m sick of everyone making decisions for me, so don’t you dare stand there and tell me what’s good for me. I’m the only person who can do that.”
Shadows danced beneath his gaze, and he paused for a long moment, as if calculating his exact words. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
She should have shut her mouth, should have walked away, should have closed the door to
