Page 22 of Unmarked Magic

I stormed over to her until our faces were inches apart. Her chest rose and fell with every breath, but I didn’t dare drop my gaze to appreciate it.

The beat of the music hammered in time with the thudding of my pulse. The blood in my veins grew hotter, and her scent suddenly blossomed through my nostrils. Pure fucking desire. Hers. Wild berries lashed at my senses.

She wanted me.

I slammed my eyes shut, willing it to stop. That kiss had messed with my head, and possibly hers. Opening them again, I pressed my palm against the wall beside her shoulder. The opposite of what I should do, which was walk away from this situation.

Drawing my gaze to hers, wild vines dug their thorns in further. Berries infiltrated every inch of my mind. Intoxicating me.

“I mean it,” I murmured, snatching her gaze with mine. “I need that to never happen again.”

My fingers clawed the wall beside her, scenting the quickening rush of her blood. She didn’t say a word, and each second held a weight about it, thick and heavy with unexpected lust. My voice lowered, the husk in my tone surprising me. “Fuck, I need to stay away from you,” I rasped, choking on the words.

I refrained from tucking a stray wisp of hair behind her ears.

Do. Not. Touch. Her.

Time dragged. Still, she remained silent, holding my gaze.

Then. suddenly, Red’s eyes lowered to my mouth. “Good luck with that.”

I wasn’t expecting more banter, but her words landed perfectly, loaded with eyes that wanted to fuck me, from a mouth I wanted to devour.

I needed to leave. Right now.

I did, but not before my eyes dropped to her dark red lips, where teeth dove into them at that very second, and I realized something.

For one impossible second, I’d kissed her back.

Fuck.

Scarlet

Later that evening, after the kiss that should never have happened, the group spilled out into the night. Cool air wrapped around my ankles as my boots clunked against the footpath, and I rubbed my arms to warm them. “Holy crap, it’s cold.” I tugged my wool poncho tighter around me, rearranging my hair to cover my ears. Ducking into the back seat of Reid’s wagon, I scurried into the middle after Skye.

After our moment in the back corner of the bar, Reid had drunk more than his share of the profits for the evening, and Colt had offered to drive us home.

Skye’s cold breath curled in front of her, and she captured it in her hands, rubbing them together. “They predicted snow. It sure feels like it’s cold enough for it.”

“Fuck that, my balls are blue enough,” Reid muttered as he slid into the seat beside me.

“Get laid already,” said Wes from the front passenger seat. His green eyes licked with mischief as he dared a look behind him.

I realized he had no clue about the kiss. Awkward.

Reid rearranged himself beside me, and the movement forced his thigh firmly against mine. If our proximity affected him, he didn’t let on, but the brush of his fully-panted leg made me aware of the lean muscle parked against me.

Colt steered the wagon down the familiar streets of Cutters Cove, taking the corners like an untamed animal gnawing at a leash. He was a serious guy, but, lately, he seemed on edge.

“Whoa!” I cried out as he veered around another corner faster than needed.

“Easy on the tread,” hissed Reid, leaning forward between the seats. “Those tires only went on last week.” Slumping back into his seat, he cursed under his breath.

“Fun police,” I murmured, and it earned me a dark look.

Back in the bar, every part of me had wanted him. That kiss, although short, had left me craving more, and, if my intuition was correct, it did the same to him. Even when he wouldn’t admit it. Ever since, I’d been on edge, and the tension between us had been off the chart. I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of the car.

The wagon veered to the left as Colt rounded another corner, catching us off guard again, and the motion caused me to press hard against Reid this time. I instinctively reached out to stop me falling on him completely, one hand plastered on the window, the other sinking into his thigh. His hand closed around my wrist before I could pull away, steadying me, though the sudden motion left me stretched across him.