Page 70 of Kiss and Spell
She murmured a thank-you and took the rose from him. Yellow roses meant friendship and joy. A warm glow filled her from the inside out, making her feel a sense of excitement.
She tucked it behind her ear automatically. It felt right to wear flowers in her hair.
Xavier offered his arm to her. “Shall we?”
Ursula took it. She was going to party hard for the next seventy-nine minutes.
Downtown Grove was alive with activity. Eateries set out tables for customers to dine outside. Twilight allowed them to be anonymous, to blend in with the springtime crowd. She brushed her pinky against Xavier’s hand. The desire to touch her burbled in his chest like molten rock flowing from the ground. Ursula spread her fingers and laced them between his.
Contentment eased inside his chest.
Xavier reflected on tonight’s event. He watched while Ursula had nothing but kind smiles and welcoming hugs at Lincoln’s birthday party. This woman, covered in flowers and magic, carried herself with grace in what could’ve been an uncomfortable situation. She helped Gwen keep the food platters full and spoke to every person who saw her. People kept promising to vote for her for Smitten Sweetheart, but she insisted that they consider all the nominees. The mayor gave her a card and insisted that she call her to schedule a lunch one day. Lincoln and Zoe even hugged them goodbye when they left the party. All night he wanted to pull her to his side and cover her face with kisses.
They walked hand in hand down the street.
Xavier gestured back to the bistro. “We didn’t have to go. We could’ve stayed longer.”
“No,” Ursula drawled out. “It’s fine.”
“Okay, if you have to go home—”
Ursula held his hand tighter. “We have time.”
Of all the places in the world he could’ve found his perfect kiss, he never expected it to be in New Jersey. The mere thought of kissing another woman appealed to him as much as drinking a milkweed smoothie. He gave a full-body shudder. Milkweed was nasty. Xavier glanced over to Ursula. She was pure honeysuckle; he wanted to taste her on his lips.
“I want to kiss you again,” he blurted out.
Her left eyebrow lifted as if inviting him. “Where? Here?”
Everywhere.
He cleared his throat. “I’d like to make my intentions known, Madame,” Xavier said. “I want to court you. Woo you.”
Ursula regarded him for a long second. “You’re still enchanted.”
Xavier stopped walking. “I don’t have to worry about it anymore. I’m free to leave.”
Ursula opened and closed her mouth, then spoke in a soft voice. “How do you know it’s broken? Are you sure?”
He broke into a wide, open smile. “I’m sure. I was late tonight because I saw a faery door.”
Ursula gasped. “Was it made of stone or glass?”
“It was glass,” he said.
Faery doors are exactly what the name suggests, passageways that connected the Realm to the human world. Some doors were made of stone, others were etched into trees, but a few were made of handblown glass. Tonight, Xavier had seen the door, pressed his palms to the frame, and relished the glow of fae magic. He gripped the cool doorknob, but he didn’t turn it open. Xavier stepped away. He knew she was waiting for him, so he left the door alone.
“I’d like to court you too but… you belong to the Realm,” Ursula said slowly. “You’ll walk through that door eventually.”
Panic crackled through him like a lightning bolt across a stormy sky. He schooled his face into a calm expression. “Yes, but not right now. We don’t know what the future holds.”
Suddenly her face went grim. “I have to be real with you, Your Highness.”
Ursula’s use of his formal title caused his heart to jump nervously. Did the news of the door upset her? She toyed with the flower behind her ear with her free hand. “Our kiss sparked something in me.”
He listened as she explained what a leap was and her plans to recall it. From what Xavier understood, Ursula had no way of knowing if a positive or negative experience waited for her. He felt her hand tremble in his as she spoke.
Once she finished talking, Xavier squeezed her hand. “No matter what you see in the future, call me. Day or night. I’m here for you.”