A Touch of Magick (16 page)

“What the hell?” Ryland cursed as he fumbled to the wall and hit the light switch.

Rhiannon blinked as the harsh overhead light hit her eyes. Setting the candle on the window ledge, she grabbed the comforter and wrapped it around her chilled body. She couldn’t face him naked. Not now.

Determined to get this finished, she turned and faced him. “It’s done. You’re free to go.”

He took a step toward her, but she held her hand up. “No. You wanted to be free and now you are. I’m sorry for any harm I might have caused you.” Tears pricked her eyes. She blinked hard to keep them from falling. She would not cry in front of him. “I assure you it wasn’t intentional.”

“Rhiannon,” he began. She could see the uncertainty in his eyes as he took another step in her direction. Now he was staring at her as if he was thinking about calling the men in the white coats to take her away.

“I’m not crazy, Ryland. I’m a sane, responsible businesswoman who also happens to be a witch. If that doesn’t fit with your world-view, I’m sorry, but I can’t and won’t change for anyone.” She’d learned long ago that trying to change to please others only brought her heartache.

“We need to talk about this.” His jaw was tight, his shoulders tense.

“Not now. I can’t.” Her emotions were volatile, her body still humming from the potent combination of her last orgasm and the release of her magick. She felt vulnerable and out of sorts. She’d exposed herself physically and emotionally to him and it hurt that he couldn’t accept her. Not that she truly blamed him. It was a lot to take in for anyone, but especially for someone so pragmatic and in control as Ryland.

Still, she couldn’t deal with it any longer. Not now. Maybe not ever. He’d gotten too close, too fast. It was time to regroup. “I want you to leave.”

She could tell he didn’t like it, but he nodded. “We’re not done.”

She shook her head. “Yes, we are. I am who I am, and unless you can accept that, we are done.”

“Rhiannon,” he began, but broke off. “I’ll call you in a day or two.”

“Sure.” She didn’t really expect to hear from him. She started to worry about the repercussions of tonight. What if he told his friends about what had happened? She could have bigger problems than graffiti artists if word of her being a witch got out. As soon as the thought occurred to her, it vanished. She knew with a certainty that surprised her that he would never betray her secret to another soul.

Ryland strode to her, wrapped his arm around her waist and yanked her to him. Pulling her up on her toes, he leaned down and kissed her. Hard. Her lips parted and he claimed her mouth in a hot, carnal kiss. Tongues twined and lips merged until she couldn’t take a breath. Her hands climbed to his shoulders, her nails digging into him.

He jerked back and stared at her, both of them gasping for breath. “I don’t know who or what you are, Rhiannon Sparks, but this isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”

With that, he turned on his heel and strode from the room. The sound of the front door slamming shook her out of her stupor. Abigail trotted into the room and circled around Rhiannon’s ankles. Without thought, she bent down and scooped her cat into her arms. “What am I going to do?”

Chapter Ten

Rhiannon awoke the next morning with her head pounding and her stomach aching. She lay in bed and fought the urge to just turn, pull the covers over her head and not bother to get out of bed. She felt like she had a hangover. The problem with that was she hadn’t had so much as a sip of the wine Ryland had brought with him last night.

Ryland. Just the mere mention of his name made her heart hurt. She’d indulged in a bout of tears after he’d left. The tears had eventually dried up, leaving her with a huge empty hole in her heart. She absently rubbed her chest, wondering how Ryland was feeling this morning.

Was he confused? Angry? Hurt?

Sighing, she pushed herself up in bed and squinted at the clock. It was just shy of six o’clock. She’d managed to get about three hours sleep. Propping herself against the headboard, she grabbed her spare pillow and hugged it to her chest. It smelled like Ryland. Spicy and male.

Tears pricked her eyes, but she blinked them back. She wouldn’t cry. She was done with that. It wasn’t Ryland’s fault he couldn’t seem to accept what she was. Not many could. Especially when it was sprung on them in such a dramatic fashion.

She curled her knees into her chest and rested her head on the pillow she was holding. It was still hard to believe Ryland had released her magick. No matter what her sister might have read in their Grammy’s library, Rhiannon knew it had taken more than sex to release her pent-up magick. It had taken love as well.

Ryland Stone was stubborn, pragmatic and practical. And she loved him. She’d laugh if it weren’t so tragic. She was a witch and he was vehemently opposed to the idea such a thing even existed. There had to be something in his life, in his past, that had hardened his ideas on the subject. She’d found him to be open-minded about most things when they’d talked over dinner.

Or maybe it was just her. Maybe he didn’t feel any of the deeper emotions that had taken her by storm. He’d told her he only wanted a physical relationship. Nothing deeper. She couldn’t say he hadn’t been honest with her.

Only she wanted more, had felt more than simply the sexual attraction that sizzled whenever they were in the same room together. Deep in her bones, Rhiannon knew Ryland was special and that he could be a very important part of her life if he’d only let himself.

Abigail trotted into the bedroom and gracefully leapt onto the bed. She meowed and butted her head against Rhiannon’s knee. “It’s not his fault,” she told the cat.

Abigail stared at her owner, her green eyes unblinking.

“It’s not,” she repeated. “All he wanted was a date and some hot sex. He wasn’t expecting to be the catalyst to unleashing a witch’s magick.” She really believed that, but it didn’t keep her from wishing things were different.

Sighing, she tossed the pillow away and stared blindly around her room. In a few short hours, he’d invaded her home as surely as if he’d lived there for years. She could see him everywhere.

By the side of the bed was where he’d stripped off his clothing. In the center of the room was where he’d stood when he’d dismissed the truth of her magick. She glanced at her bed and looked away. Memories of Ryland would forever wrap themselves around her when she went to bed.

Maybe she needed a new mattress. Perhaps some paint and new drapes. At the very least, she had to change the sheets. The scent of sex and man was driving her crazy. One minute she was comforted by it, the next it almost brought her to tears.

Her life had spun out of control in the last two days. She’d cast a spell that had actually worked, had the most amazing sex with a man who she’d just met and unleashed her magick.

For once in her life, her magick took a backseat to her feelings for a man. She couldn’t stop thinking about Ryland, reliving every moment of their time together, wondering if she could have said or done anything differently. And thinking about it so much was beginning to drive her crazy.

Shaking her head, she rubbed behind Abigail’s ears. “Time to get up.” Thankfully, she didn’t have to work today. There was no way she wanted to face the eagle-eyed Ada Briars or have to deal with customers. No, today was all about her. She was going to indulge herself in a long, hot bath. Then she was going to change the sheets and start a load of laundry before cooking herself a pancake breakfast.

The thought of food made her stomach turn. She swallowed hard. “You can do this,” she told herself. Abigail blinked in agreement. “It hurts, but you’ve been hurt before.” And she had. Only it had never cut quite this deep before.

She tossed the covers aside and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the phone. She supposed she should call Gwen before her sister called her. As if on cue, the phone rang. Giving into the inevitable, Rhiannon reached for the phone.

“Good morning, Gwen.”

“It happened, didn’t it? I could feel it last night. So did Momma and Grammy. They made me wait until this morning before I called.” Excitement tinged her sister’s voice and she laughed. “Your magick was released. It was sex, wasn’t it? I was right, wasn’t I? Who is he?”

Rhiannon spoke when her sister paused to take a breath. “Yes, it happened.” A flutter of excitement welled up inside her. “You were right. Sex with the right man did release it.” What had happened with Ryland had been amazing and scary and exhilarating.

“Rhi?” She could hear the concern in her sister’s voice now and it made tears well up in her eyes.

Rhiannon had to know the truth. “Tell me you didn’t cast a spell.”

“I didn’t cast a spell.” She could hear the sincerity in Gwen’s voice. “Honestly, I might joke about it, but you know I’d never do anything like that without your permission.”

Rhiannon’s grip on the receiver loosened. Okay, if her sister hadn’t cast a spell, then it was the one she and her friends had cast that had drawn Ryland. Now that she’d done her best to reverse it, things should return to normal.

Right
, she thought, shaking her head. Her life would never be the same again.

Her sister paused. “Why don’t you sound happier?”

She bit her bottom lip and sniffed. She would not cry. This was a happy time for her and her family. She’d waited for this moment her entire life, despairing of it ever happening.

“Rhi?”

“I’m fine, Gwen. Just sad.”

“It’s the guy, isn’t it?”

She gave a watery laugh. “You could say that. Oh, Gwen, we lit every single candle in the room. The thing is, he’s the most pragmatic man I’ve ever met. Something like magick has no place in his belief system or his life.”

“Screw him.” Gwen’s voice was fierce now. “If he can’t accept you for the wonderful woman you are then he doesn’t deserve you.”

“It’s not his fault, Gwen,” she said softly. And it wasn’t. He was a product of his upbringing, just as she was. Maybe when he had time to think about it, he’d open himself up to the possibility that what she’d told him was true and not just the delusions of a crazy woman.

He’d said they weren’t done yet. Maybe he truly meant that. And maybe she was grasping at straws. “Not every man is as open as Gavin.” Gavin was Gwen’s adoring husband. He’d had no trouble accepting the fact that she was a witch. Maybe it was because of his gypsy heritage. Either way, he adored and accepted Gwen. His love for her was palpable.

She didn’t begrudge her sister and brother-in-law their happiness. She just wanted the same thing for herself.

“Maybe,” Gwen conceded. Rhiannon could hear a male voice in the background. “Gavin says to give him time.”

There wasn’t anything else she could do. The ball was firmly in Ryland’s court. She’d told him he was free and he was. If he wanted to have anything more to do with her, he’d have to come to her.

“Are you okay?” The concern in her sister’s voice warmed her. “I can jump on a plane and fly out there if you need me. I’ll bring Gavin and he can beat up the guy who hurt you. What’s his name anyway?”

“Ryland. His name is Ryland Stone. And no, you don’t need to come out here. And as much as I appreciate the offer, Gavin doesn’t need to beat him up for me.” She couldn’t help but smile. Gavin would do just that if he felt it was necessary. It was good to be loved. “It will take a while, but I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. But in the meantime, celebrate your magick. It’s finally free. Use it. Experiment with it. If you have any problems, call any of us, day or night.”

“I will,” she promised. “Love you both.” She hung up when her sister said goodbye.

Abigail was sitting at the end of the bed watching. “I guess you want breakfast.” The cat regally inclined her head.

“Just let me get these sheets off the bed. I can start a load of laundry, get your breakfast and start a pot of coffee before I get a bath.” It was then it hit her. The dishes from last night’s dinner were still on the table. The pots were still in the sink. Groaning, she pushed off the bed, grabbed a corner of the sheet and yanked. She couldn’t wait to soak in a hot tub of water.

An hour later, she was leaning back against the rim of the tub, letting the hot water soothe her stiff muscles. The smell of lavender perfumed the air as steam rose from the water. The handful of homemade lavender salts was doing a good job of relaxing her.

The bed was remade, the window open to air out any lingering smells from last night. The dishes were in the dishwasher, the table and counters cleaned. A large pot of coffee was brewing and Abigail was fed.

Closing her eyes, Rhiannon replayed everything they’d both said and done last night. Well, not quite everything. She tried not to think of the incredible sex they had or the blistering orgasms he’d given her.

Her nipples tightened and her core clenched. She moaned and buried her face in her hands. This had to stop. She could barely think about the man without becoming hot and bothered. What would she do when she came face-to-face with him in town? With her luck, it would happen all the time now even though they’d managed to live in the same town for a year without meeting.

Grabbing her loofah sponge, she poured a generous dollop of liquid body wash onto it and started to scrub. The rough sponge left her skin tingling. She avoided her breasts and between her thighs, opting to use a soft washcloth instead. It was still torture.

Knowing that staying in the tub longer wasn’t going to help her relax, she pulled the plug and climbed out. She dried herself off and wrapped the towel around her before padding into her bedroom. Today was definitely about comfort.

With that in mind, she pulled her oldest pair of jeans out of the closet and dropped them on the end of the bed. The denim was faded, almost white, around the pockets and at the knees. She dropped the towel and pulled on a pair of plain white cotton panties before sliding on the jeans. They were as comfortable as a pair of old sweats, but they made her feel better. Sexier.

She started to put on a bra, but the brush of the fabric against her peaked nipples was too much to bear. Shoving it back into the lingerie drawer, she thought about her options and settled on a soft cotton cardigan in a violet-blue color that matched her eyes.