Page 64 of Kiss and Spell

“Ursula?” His voice was tentative.

She paused. “Yes.”

He tweaked his glasses. “I was waiting until midnight to kiss you.”

“I think it’s time,” she whispered. Even if it wasn’t midnight yet, Ursula was done waiting to taste him.

Xavier moved in close enough that he could have stolen a kiss, but he hesitated a hair’s breadth away. She nodded quietly, not wanting to startle him with a single sound. Her body felt heavy and warm as his hand cupped her cheek. It smelled of caramel and vanilla flowers, leftover from his drink on his breath. His other arm was firmly on her waist; she felt the weight of his hand through her dress. He pressed his lips to hers, testing more than kissing. He was as stiff as a two-day-old bagel.

Ursula smothered a groan. It was as if he were taking sips of a hot drink that he was worried would burn him. She leaned back and met his questioning stare. Well, that happened.

She sighed roughly. “I mean—”

“That was a disaster.” Xavier rubbed his forehead. He sounded miserable. “It was like an asteroid hitting the Earth and wiping out all the dinosaurs.”

“Your Highness,” she said. “It’s just nerves.”

He continued as if he didn’t hear her, clearly caught up in his own head. “It was so bad you probably could see it from space,” he bemoaned.

“Xavier.” Ursula gripped him by the shoulders. He quieted and looked at her, embarrassment shining in those eyes she’d dreamed about for days. For weeks. For too long. Her mind flashed back to the garden. A rush of anticipation filled her from the inside out. She’d been, like now, eager for him to touch her. To caress. To hold.

“I wish you’d kiss me again,” Ursula demanded. Sheer need bled into her voice, and frightening awareness filled her. She meant it. She wanted this wish more than she desired her next breath. Something clicked in his eyes. The shyness went away and was replaced with resolve.

“As you wish,” he said.

He moved in slowly; she felt his soft hand brush the nape of her neck. She raised her face to meet his, her body trembling with impatience.

Their lips touched and… that’s when it got surreal. This kiss was heartbreakingly gentle, as if he were a locksmith trying to carefully find the right moves and combination to unlock her. A desperate sigh escaped her lips, and he took her breath. Bliss burst from underneath the surface like wildflower seeds and bloomed all over her body. His beard scratched her skin deliciously, setting her ablaze. He tasted and savored her, unhurriedly. This kiss broke curses and saved princesses from towers. Kissing him felt hot and expectant, like volcanic lightning hitting the ground before her and electrifying everything.

This. Was. It.

Ursula clutched him for dear life, her legs went wobbly, and she couldn’t collect her thoughts. What the what? That kiss came from space. It was out of this world.

He lifted his lips, lingering inches away from her mouth. “So?”

“I—” Her body arched forward, closing the space between them. Excitement swelled in her body. Something amazing just happened after midnight in Freya Grove.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and stared up at him.

“I wasn’t paying attention. Do that again.”

Chapter Eighteen

I wasn’t paying attention. Do that again.”

Xavier did what the lady requested and reclaimed her mouth. He kissed her harder this time, with an edge of want that bordered on obsession. Her mouth tasted of scorched cherries and whiskey that took over his senses. She wound herself around him, so tightly that nothing on Earth could get between them. Ursula caressed his ears, sending a burst of fire through his body and setting him ablaze. He licked her lips and nipped at the corner of her mouth, and she let out a soft moan. Make that noise again, sweet angel.

His hands traveled down the small of her back, squeezing her round ass and holding her close. She squealed at his playful, roaming touch. His head told him to break off the kiss, but everything else from his hands to his heart refused to obey.

This kiss was not just perfect, it also felt like it was his last. A voice in his head ruthlessly mocked him. You’ll never seek another woman’s kiss after tonight.

Those words rattled his nerve and yanked him out this precious moment. Xavier wrenched away from her and leaned against the wall to catch his breath. Ursula pressed a trembling hand to her lips. They were deliciously wet and raw. Half of him wanted to keep going until she was boneless in his arms; the other half wanted to flee and hide from his aching desire. His thoughts spun. He felt jubilant standing there with her, as if he’d discovered another world and tasted the wonders that lay before him. This feeling was short-lived when Ursula stumbled backward. A strange sound like a whine left her mouth and her skin paled.

Her face went blank, and it seemed like the light in her eyes dimmed as if she was in a trance. He called her name twice. No response. Panic threw his heartbeat into high speed. It was your kiss. You did this to her. If he’d accidentally hurt her with his magic, then he’d never forgive himself. His mind raced. How fast could Whitney get here? No, he needed to see what he could do for Ursula right now.

Xavier placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Sula, are you okay?”

She jerked once he touched her. Her eyes fluttered rapidly, as if she had been roused from a nap.