Sylvia Day - Magic & Mayhem

He climbed from the chair and moved to the edge of the bed. “I’m watching you sleep, the same way I have for the last year.” Warm fingers touched her face. “I’m Xander, A.K.A. Max.”

Sweet mother of God. Understanding dawned in small increments. Her voice rose an octave. “It is you!”

He nodded.

Shocked, her mouth opened and closed. She pressed her hand to her forehead. “Dear Lord, what have I done?”

He pressed his finger to her lips. “Shh…it’s okay, Brianna.”

Her limbs felt shaky, her head heavy. She fought to think straight. “I still don’t understand. How did my incantation turn you back into a man?” She drew the sheets up to her neck, puzzled.

“You wanted a man who knew you better than you knew yourself. One who could fulfill your deepest, darkest desires. I’m the only man who fits that description, my sweet.”

She paused, recalling how she’d whispered all her secrets to her cat Max. To Xander, playboy of all playboys. “Oh hell.” Thoroughly embarrassed, color stained her face.

“Don’t be embarrassed, Brianna.”

She swallowed. “Why are you still here? You were supposed to disappear at midnight.”

A warm, genuine smile touched his mouth. He squared his shoulders and puffed his chest out. “Because you love me, and because you kissed me, during a full moon, on Halloween. The three elements I needed in place to break the spell Council had placed on me.”

Her mind whirred, recalling how the previous evening her cat had flipped open the book of spells, to a love incantation. “So you knew you had to get me to fall in love with you last night; otherwise it would take decades for all those elements to be in place again.” And what were the chances that another witch would summon a love spell such as she had, one that would bring forth Xander, the only man who knew her better than she knew herself and could satisfy her deepest, darkest desires? On Halloween. During a full moon.

Slim to none.

Her throat tightened, her stomach knotted to the point of pain.

“Yes,” he said with such honesty. “I needed you to fall in love with me.”

She scrambled backwards and tightened the sheets around her chest. How could she have been so stupid to allow herself to have sex…to fall in love…with a man whose reputation preceded him? A man who would undoubtedly return to his wild, wanton ways first chance.

As though he read her thoughts, he said, “I have no desire to return to that lifestyle. I love you, Brianna. And only you. And I want to spend the rest of my life taking care of you the way you’ve taken care of me for the last year.”

Brianna swallowed, unsure.

“Don’t you see, I could easily have fled last night after you fell asleep. But I wanted to be here when you woke up, to prove how much I love you, that there is nowhere else I’d rather be and no one else I’d rather be with.”

The emotions in his eyes spoke volumes. He touched her, and she could feel his love reaching out to her, seeping under her skin.

He sidled closer and planted a warm kiss on her mouth. Good Lord, no man could kiss like that without feeling a deeper emotional connection.

“You’re serious,” she said, her eyes opening wide. “Ohmygod, you’re serious.”

He chuckled. “I’ve never been more serious in my life. Human or feline form,” he added with a grin. “You’ve opened my eyes to what’s important in this world, sweetheart.”

Her heart leapt with joy, and suddenly it occurred to her that with Xander, she could have the relationship she’d always wanted but never thought she could have. One where she could be herself, even if her temper got the better of her. Xander knew what she was. No longer would she have to worry about hiding her identity for fear a man, a man who got her panties in a twist, that is, would discover her magic.

He gathered her into his arms. Gaze riveted, he said, “You’ve spent the last year taking care of me, catering to my every whim, my every need. Now it’s my turn to take care of you.”

Brianna nodded, unable to find her voice to reply.

Xander lightened the mood. “Loved the belly rubs by the way.” He winked. “Just not the baths.”

She grinned and ran her nails over his stomach, tickling him. Xander purred, then his gorgeous green eyes turned serious.

“Now it’s my turn to take care of you,” he said, his voice full of hope. “If you’ll let me.”

Teasing, Brianna rolled one shoulder. “Well if you insist,” she said breezily. Her thoughts wandered to the forbidden love spell that had started this amazing chain of events. She furrowed her brow in worry. Xander must have read her unease.

“What is it?”

“What if Council finds out about the spell? What if it falls into the wrong hands? Can you imagine the mayhem that would take place in our town?” Brianna placed her palm on his cheek. “I’d hate to go before Council.” She widened her eyes and screwed up her face. “What if they turn me into an animal, and I’m lost to roam the earth for decades. Now that I found you, I don’t ever want to lose you.”

He closed his hand over hers and squeezed. “No worries, my sweet. It takes a hell of a lot more than one little love spell before Council steps in and reprimands. Trust me, I know.”

She worried her lip. “Still…”

“Come here.” He eased her onto her back and addressed her worries. His smile was slow, inviting. A warm palm cupped her face. “If you go down, Brianna I’m going with you. I promise you that.”

Her heart thudded in her chest. God, she loved him so much it hurt. “Really, you’d do that for me?”

“Of course.” A wicked grin curved his gorgeous lips. “But if we’re going to go down together, maybe we should practice.”

She crinkled her nose, perplexed. “Practice?”

He touched his mouth to hers and then slowly slid down her body. His lashes fluttered against her flesh, his tongue did mysterious things to her nerve endings. “Yes, practice. I’ll go first.” He spread her legs. Wide.

When his tongue connected with her nether lips, she let out a little sigh. Her head rolled to the side. “Ah yes, practice. It is good to practice.”

Going down had never felt so good.

“And maybe,” he murmured from deep between her legs, “I should also practice being a cop, a fireman, a warrior and even a pirate again, because you never know what Council will turn me into if we ever find ourselves in trouble.”

A bubble of laughter welled up from her throat as her heart reached out to him. Love sang through her veins and filled her with happiness. When he said he was going to spend the rest of his days catering to her every whim, her every desire, he certainly meant it.

Xander slipped a finger inside her, stirring her heat, her desires. “I love how wet you get for me,” he murmured, his warm breath caressing her sensitive skin. Her clit tightened and puckered in response.

He glanced up at her, his eyes filled with pure adoration.

SIN AND SEX ON A STICK, THAT WAS SHANE MARKHAM.

Abigail Garvey watched the county’s “Most Eligible Bachelor” from her bedroom balcony and wondered if it would be rude to ask him to move. The driving force behind Markham Estates Master Planned housing community, Shane could have any of the unsold homes in the neighborhood, but he’d chosen the one next to hers. He was single; surely he didn’t have all that much furniture to move? And Lord knows, all of the women who’d flocked to buy a house here in an attempt to catch him wouldn’t mind having him next door.

She did, though. A lot.

Why, out of all of the homes he could have picked, did he have to move into the one that shared a yard with hers? How was a woman expected to go about her business when she had eye candy like that just a few feet away? There was no way for her to look outside her windows and not see him. Shane met with all new residents personally, and showed them around the pool, tennis courts, and gym. And in the summer…

Abby swallowed hard. In the summer, he’d be out front in shorts and bare feet washing his classic El Camino. His skin would be tanned and slick with a fine sheen of perspiration, the beautifully defined muscles of his back and arms brought into stark relief by his exertions.

He’d caught her ogling him more than a few times, his head turning as he sensed her perusal, his teeth white as he grinned and waved.

Like he was doing right now.

Wincing, and offering a pained smile, Abby lifted her hand and waved back. Shane was standing beside another tall, buxom Mrs. Markham-wannabe. He was dressed in loose-fitting jeans and a cream-colored sweater, looking like a GQ advertisement. With his slightly too-long black hair and dark eyes, he made a striking complement to the new resident, who wore a lipstick red pantsuit.

Why couldn’t he move next to her? The way she was staring at him raptly, the woman looked like she’d love the proximity to such “prime husband material.”

Shane had laughed it off when Abby congratulated him on the magazine’s illustrious designation for him, his eyes bright with amusement.

“Don’t believe everything you read,” he’d said, brushing back the thick lock of hair that was always falling over his brow.

“What’s the false part?” she’d asked, genuinely curious. “You have a secret wife somewhere? A girlfriend? Are you in debt up to your ears? Or maybe you’re a criminal hiding under a secret identity?”

“None of the above.”

“Hmm. That’s what I thought.”

Shaking her head at how ridiculous it was to have a crush at her age, Abby stepped back into the warmth of her bedroom and closed the sliding glass door behind her. She really had to stop thinking about Shane. Five months now they’d been neighbors, and he had never once tried to hit on her or ask her out. Which meant he wasn’t going to.

Not that she didn’t understand why, because she did. She was ordinary, he was extraordinary. Like oil and water, they just didn’t mix.

Descending the stairs to the first floor, Abby tightened her customary ponytail, then collected the supersize zip ties and witch decoration she’d bought for her Halloween bash, and headed outside.

Throwing a costume party had been an annual tradition for her when she lived in California, and she was determined to stick to it here in Massachusetts. She didn’t have near as many friends here yet, just her coworkers and Kayla, who lived up the street, but Abby was an optimist. She was hopeful that the flyers she’d posted on the store e-bulletin and the community center here at Markham Estates would be enough to attract at least a small crowd.

As she opened the front door, Abby was hit by a blast of chilly autumn air. Shivering, she reached back inside to grab her favorite multicolored scarf from the carved wooden coatrack.

She was still becoming accustomed to having four seasons after years of living in California’s temperate climate. Even dressed as she was, with sheepskin boots, lined pants, and a sweater jacket, she was cold. But this was what she’d wanted, a change of scene. When she had been offered the position of regional director-a big bump up from department store manager-she’d leapt at the opportunity, considering it a perk of being single that she could move across the country on a whim.

A quick glance across the street showed that Shane and the lady in red had moved on, so Abby hopped down the short steps to the yellowed lawn and set to work attaching the “witch smashing into a tree” decoration to the sapling in her yard. It was obviously meant for a larger trunk, but she’d always wanted one, and this was the first time she had ever owned a tree, so she was going to make the darn thing work whether it liked it or not.

“Here, let me help with that.”

Abby nearly jumped out her skin at the deep rumble of Shane’s voice behind her. She spun around quickly, her heart racing. “Jeez! You scared me half to death.”

“Sorry.” He looked shameless with that sinful grin she loved. “If you hold Witchy up where you want her to hang, I’ll secure it with the ties.”

“Thanks.” She hoped she wasn’t drooling. It was the rare occasion when they stood this close to each other. She preferred to lust after him from afar. Less embarrassing that way.

Facing the tree, Abby watched Shane round the other side.

“I saw your party flyer,” he said, shooting a glance at her as he tugged on a tie. “Mind if I stop by with a friend?”

Great. Just how I want to spend Halloween, coveting Shane Markham while he hangs out with a date.

“Not at all,” she lied with mock cheerfulness. “Though I’m not sure how lively it’ll be. I don’t know that many people around here yet.”