Bewitch Me - A Halloween Collection (15 page)

I should say no. But he didn’t tell me. He ASKED.

She wanted to try, working by his side all day, and then holding him close at night.

He kissed her, and kissed her, and kissed her, and in no time she was under him on the couch, her legs winding up around his hips. His smile was smug.

“I haven’t said yes yet,” she said, warningly.

Kirk grinned.

“You can say yes in the morning, after I’ve tried to persuade you a few more times.”

His cock nudged her, hot and hard and ready for another round.

“Do your worst, warlock,” she murmured.

“Yes, ma’am.”

He kissed the tip of her nose, and then set out to convince her that no matter what lay ahead, she really,
really
couldn’t do without him.

And the next morning, over coffee, she said yes.

THE END

HER SISTER REALLY KNEW how to ruin a good time, thought Felicia as she pushed her way through the crowded ballroom, searching for a man she did
not
actually want to find. If it weren’t for her sibling’s ability to fuck up any given situation, Felicia Dawes would be off with her girlfriends, getting high on magically spiked punch and drunk-texting old beaus with the rest of her witchy brethren. Instead, she was ignoring the raucous Halloween ball around her in an attempt to keep the beloved little brat out of hot water.

Serious hot water.

As in,
potentially banished from the coven
hot water.

Felicia caught a glimpse of herself in one of the ornate mirrors that lined the walls of the lavish hotel ballroom, and reflected wistfully that all of her careful prep had gone to waste. Halloween was a big deal in the witchy world, and she’d spent months picking out the midnight blue dress that clung to her like a second skin and twinkled with magically enhanced stars. She’d even managed to do something with her hair – a supernatural silver that humans shrugged off as an aesthetic choice – it had a life of its own, resisting her attempts to confine it, curl it, or make it behave. Her hair had a tendency to reflect her emotional state, which was why she’d laid out a small fortune for a pair of magical jeweled hair clips, guaranteed to tame her rebellious mane into submission.

Because the last thing I need is my hair giving me away.

Felicia maneuvered her way past a group of satyrs trying to persuade a giggling group of nymphs to join them in one of the back rooms for a private party. It didn’t look like they’d require much convincing, and the satyrs preened, rubbing their horns suggestively. Most of the year, they did their best to blend in, and the humans had no idea that a powerful, magical world coexisted with their own. On Halloween, however, everyone let their inner beast out for the night, and Felicia couldn’t believe she was missing the chance to let her witchy side come out and play.

The trouble had started when Fae decided that she belonged on the coven Council, the ruling body that governed the several thousand witches in the city and the outlying areas. She had campaigned vigorously, despite Felicia’s reservations – Fae was flighty and easy to anger, and though she was a popular little witch, she lacked the maturity that she would achieve in a few hundred years or so. Felicia was shocked when her sister came up with the votes. It would have been better if she’d fallen short – far less humiliating than being vetoed by the Council Head, who had slashed her dreams of power and responsibility with one little word.

No.

Gavin Harcourt said
no.

And that was it.

He was right, of course – Fae was far from ready for a Council position.

Fae didn’t care. She was enraged, calling the handsome, brooding warlock all sorts of names not suitable for polite company and vowing revenge. Felicia tried to talk her out of it. Gavin was not a man to be crossed. She’d worked alongside him for years, her coven PR department working with the Council witches to ensure harmony in the city. He was gruff, closed off, and inspired terror in even his closest coworkers.

And Felicia wanted to lick every inch of his stubborn, difficult, phenomenal body.

It was humiliating, but she couldn’t help it.

Ignoring the fact that the man was built like a warrior of old, with broad shoulders, lean hips, and
muscles
Felicia had been shocked to notice at the Council gym one afternoon, under the sternness in his black eyes and the impeccably tailored suits, Felicia could sense a good heart, a need to help his fellow witches, intelligence and character. She caught the flashes of his wicked sense of humor and a melancholy that hinted at loneliness. Everything about him called to her, which was insane. It made her lose interest in other, more receptive and eligible warlocks, which was just plain stupid.

And so, since Felicia’s hair went a little nuts whenever Gavin walked into the room, she’d taken to constricting it with her magical clips, in hopes that her out-of-control crush wouldn’t lead to a heartbreaking rejection that she and her rebellious locks might never recover from. She’d been avoiding him as much as possible recently, but with Fae’s latest stunt, that was about to come to an end. Felicia felt a little dizzy at the thought of what she might have to resort to if Gavin wouldn’t listen to reason.

Fae was young, she was impulsive. She was occasionally very, very stupid.

This was one of those times.

She had
challenged
Gavin, threatening to have him removed or take him down herself.

Felicia shuddered, considering the bloody outcome that would no doubt ensue if she allowed that to happen. Gavin hadn’t responded yet, but Felicia knew it was only a matter of time. She hadn’t seen her sister tonight, but knew she had to get to Gavin first, to persuade him or blackmail him or stall him long enough to figure out how to resolve this mess without Gavin losing face or Fae losing her head.

Literally.

Captured. Punished. Banished. Oh God, I have to find her.

Felicia leaned over the bar and got the attention of Minos, the tall half-demon bartender who smoothly filled drink orders for the thirsty crowd. He was unruffled, but Felicia supposed having all those extra arms came in handy from time to time.

“Looking hot, Felicia! Save me a dance?”

Felicia smiled noncommittally. Minos was a nice guy, but some of those hands had a tendency to get a little…handsy… on the dance floor. She wondered absently how much control he actually had over all those extra appendages.

“Have you seen Gavin?”

If anyone would know, it was Minos. Human or not, the bartender always knew everything.

“Went up to the roof to get some fresh air. He looked even grumpier than usual, if that’s possible.”

“Thanks.”

“What’s up?”

“Nothing. Council stuff.”

“What do you think he’s going to do to Fae?”

Felicia tensed. Her loudmouth sister was the talk of the community, and she knew the magical underworld was placing its bets on the outcome of her little challenge.

“It’ll blow over,” she murmured, and hurried toward the service elevator.

GAVIN HARCOURT looked out over the city, wondering what the hell he was going to do. The air up here was chilly, the scent of fireplaces mingling with the cold and the slight spice of magic that came from thousands of magical city folk stretching their wings, feelers, or other in holiday revelry. He had a feeling the community security forces had their hands full on Halloween. Downstairs, most of the coven was living it up with friends and other friendly factions from around the city, and he should be there, too, having at least a modicum of fun – nothing too crazy, of course – a drink, some non-work conversation.

Maybe a dance with Felicia Dawes.

The unwelcome heat that arrowed straight to his dick came with a harsh reminder that his current predicament ensured that a flirtation with the beautiful PR witch was never going to happen. Not that he had made an effort to approach her in the past. For all of Gavin’s ability to mete out just and carefully considered rulings, there was something about the silver-haired witch that drove all semblance of good sense from his head. Even in casual conversation, she saw too much, too far into his sad, solitary world, and that was unnerving. That didn’t mean he didn’t want to ravage her on every available surface, winding her glorious glimmering locks around his hand as he filled her, watching her green eyes darken in pleasure. It just meant he wasn’t going to act on it.

Inappropriate,
he reminded his libido,
She’s a colleague.

She doesn’t technically work for you
, his cock responded.

And after he dealt with brash, young Fae Dawes, Felicia would probably never speak to him again. The thought was beyond depressing, but the young witch had issued a blood challenge – if he backed off, he’d look weak, and if he incinerated her, he’d look like a monster. Gavin had to make a decision and make it soon.

He groaned, rubbing his temples. Being in charge kind of sucked, but it was all he’d ever wanted since he was a boy, and he was good at it. Serious and solitary, he intimidated his fellow warlocks even back then, and though many witches looked at his brooding as a challenge, they eventually got bored trying to turn him into the life of the party. To be fair, Gavin had never met anyone other than Felicia that he wanted to spend more than a few nights with, letting off steam and satisfying his extensive carnal urges. He’d learned long ago that his best bet was to conduct his affairs discreetly, keep them physical, and end them before either party got too involved.

It was incredibly depressing.

The creak of the rooftop door had Gavin turning, and his heart dropped even as greedy hunger tightened his body. Felicia looked stunning, like a piece of the night sky had stepped down from the heavens to grace him with her presence. Her hair was twisted back and up, the customary jeweled hair clips firmly in place. Gavin had had some pretty serious fantasies about slowly pulling those clips down and watching her hair tumble around all those sweet, perfectly-shaped curves. She glowed with power and elegant female beauty.

Except for the worried frown.

Because of Fae.

Which was why she was here.

Gavin suppressed a sigh and schooled his features, advising his cock to cool it.

“Where’s your coat? It’s cold up here.”

He shrugged off his suit jacket and tucked it around her shoulders.

“I have to talk to you, Gavin.”

“We can’t talk about Fae, Felicia.”

“But –”

“No!”

He scowled at her, feeling frustration churning in his stomach.

Felicia crossed her arms around her middle for warmth, and the move lifted her breasts, giving him a hint of the black lace under her bodice. Gavin’s mouth dried. Felicia had the sweetest tits, not huge, but a perfect handful, and right now, the cold had tight little nipples pressing hard against the thin material. It took no effort at all to imagine tugging her dress down to explore the soft mounds with his mouth, to pull her soft sighs of pleasure as he played and nipped. Were her nipples pink? Or darker? Could he make her beg for him if he sucked them long enough?

Gavin suddenly realized he was staring.

And Felicia was blushing.

The warning bells that kept him wary around her went off in his head. For years now, he wondered if she was secretly interested in him. Gavin had steered clear – reputation was everything in his world, and he did
not
fuck coven employees – but the thought that his desire for her might be returned was heady. Dangerous.

“Please don’t kill her,” whispered Felicia miserably.

Fuck.

Gavin turned away, unable to face the fear in her eyes.

“I have to do something, Felicia. She issued the challenge, not me. If she decides to go through with it…”

He left the statement unfinished, because they both knew what would happen. If Fae followed through with her magical threat, he’d have no choice but to defend himself. Though she was young, she was powerful, and the chance that one or both of them might get seriously hurt was high.

“If she backs off…maybe banishment.”

Felicia gasped, and Gavin winced, glad she couldn’t see his face. Banishment was as bad as a death sentence to a witch. Fae would be stripped of her powers and sent to live outside the magical community for the rest of her long, long life. No friends or family, no magical means of support. She’d live as a mortal without being one. Her entire existence as a witch would be wiped out.

“Please, no. Fae would never survive. She can barely figure out how to use her cell phone without magic. And all alone out there? She’s my sister, Gavin.”

He felt soft fingers touch his back and whirled around.

When did she get so close?

He grabbed her wrist, tugging her even closer as her green eyes widened.

“This is
not
my fault,” he growled.

Gavin had never been this close to her, close enough to feel her elevated pulse under satin smooth skin, close enough that the lilac and winter scent of her wove through his senses, making him dizzy with want. He was hard as a rock in seconds, desperate for everything he couldn’t ask for from her.

“No, it’s not your fault,” agreed Felicia, “but she’s young and stupid and full of magic dying to get out, while you’re – ”

“Old.”

“Mature,” she corrected, “Don’t you remember when your powers started to reach maturity? You feel like you can take on the world, and every little success and slight is amplified by a million.”

Gavin remembered all too well. Take adolescent hormones, add a dose of magical oomph, and stand back. Every witch went crazy for about six months, and Fae was just at the end of the cycle.

“She knew what she was doing,” he said, but the words lacked heat.

He sighed, his thumb absently rubbing the soft skin of her inner wrist. Felicia’s lips dropped open just a fraction, her breath hitching in surprise.