Page 51 of Ruled By Wizard

“I’m sure you have half a dozen women at the club who’ll make sure you don’t feel that way for long.”

“Just not you?”

Her embarrassment faded, replaced by anger. “What do you want me to do, Wizard? Beg for your dick? Isn’t that what you’re used to?”

His eyes flashed. “Would you have stopped so quickly if the stuck-up snob from the coffee shop hadn’t been able to get in your tight pussy?” he asked crudely.

Clutching her clothes tightly, Natalia opened the front door, making sure she stayed out of sight. “Get out.”

Thankfully, Wizard left without another word. She shut and locked the door behind him, turned off the lights, and headed upstairs. She tossed her clothes in the hamper, stripped, and stepped into the shower.

At least she wouldn’t have to go out with Wizard for their last date. There was no way he would want to see her again after the fiasco downstairs. She should have been elated, but instead, she felt strangely let down.

It took several minutes of ice-cold water to put out the fire Wizard had ignited in her body.

Lying in bed later, staring at the ceiling in the dark, she finally admitted the truth to herself: she hadn’t stopped Wizard because of any pain—if anything, that had only made her hotter. It wasn’t the number of women he’d been with, either.

What had made her pull back was fear. If he could make her feel like this now, how much better—or how much more dangerous—would it be if she actually let him in?

Some things, a girl was better off never finding out.

CHAPTER 20

RULES OF THE GAME

“Please tell me you aren’t going.” Arden looked at her anxiously.

Natalia continued shaping the garlic knots, despite her trembling fingers barely cooperating.

“I’m going,” she said, trying to hide the misgivings she’d had even before Arden voiced her own.

“You’ve lost your mind. I’ll look out for Lucia. There’s no need for you to go,” Arden argued.

Natalia shook her head. “Lucia won’t listen to you, or me. She’s decided to walk on the wild side, and there’s nothing we can do to stop her from making a mistake that could get her disowned if her family finds out.”

“Then why are you going if you think it will be useless?”

“I don’t know. Maybe, if her family finds out, I can say she was there to protect me.”

From Arden’s expression, the plan was every bit as insane as Natalia feared.

Waving her dough-covered hands dramatically, she blew a stray tendril of hair out of her eyes. “Maybe I can prevent her from making a mistake she can’t take back.”

“You’re going to interfere if she decides to get up close and personal with someone?” Arden didn’t appear any more enthusiastic about that approach. “Wizard won’t let you cause trouble. He’ll throw you out of the club.”

Realizing she was still holding a knot of dough, Natalia slammed it onto the baking sheet, clenching her jaw and wishing it were Wizard’s face. “I’d like to see him try.”

Ignoring Arden’s eye roll, she picked up the baking sheet and carried it to the oven.

“I don’t care how many trays of food you take. Wizard won’t let you sabotage the party tonight.”

Wiping her hands on her apron, Natalia gave her friend a careless shrug. “I wasn’t planning to take any food.”

Arden’s expression grew even more anxious.

“I didn’t know bringing food was a requirement for getting into their parties.”

“It isn’t,” Arden assured her unconvincingly.