Page 83 of Kiss and Spell

Ursula clicked the button and started the film. They laughed at the adventures of a down-on-her-luck showgirl pretending to be a wealthy woman and falling in love with a kindhearted cabdriver, but the evening carried an undercurrent of anticipation. Their fingers brushed up against each other over the snack bowl. Her legging-clad legs accidentally bumped into his when she turned up the volume button. His arm draped over the back of the couch and his hand touched her neck. Shivers of delight filled her at his light stroke. Oh yes. She nestled next to him and kept watching the movie.

By the time the credits rolled, Xavier had drifted asleep with the half-empty bowl on his lap. Ursula put the bowl on the table. She watched him for a long moment. He looked like he belonged on her couch and in her space. Ursula found herself suddenly yawning. It was getting late. Get a quick nap, then send him home to get some real sleep.

She curled up next to Xavier and closed her eyes for just a moment. Fifteen minutes.

When Ursula opened them again, it was morning. The screen saver displayed collegiate words and their definitions across her laptop screen. She rubbed her eyes and let out a small yawn. Birds chirped outside her window. Ursula reached out to touch him but paused. Let him rest.

Xavier let out a soft sigh and bent his body toward her, as if he was trying to warm himself with her heat. Here she was, a witch who had stumbled upon a sleeping prince. This moment right here was what the stories had promised her if she believed enough.

If she loved enough. How many times had she dreamed of finding a man like Xavier?

A smile flashed over his slumbering face, then disappeared. What dream left him untroubled? Maybe he dreamed of his castle, of his family and glittering court. Maybe he dreamed of the royal gardens he mentioned over their many conversations.

What if you just held on to him? Her heart dropped to her knees at the thought.

He wasn’t staying. He was going home at midsummer. She hovered over him. Xavier drew in a deep breath and awoke, blinking rapidly. He looked at Ursula, and his hand cupped her face. She gasped at the gentle contact.

His brows drew together in an amazed expression. “You were in my dreams.”

Slowly, yearning took possession of her senses and eased her into his arms.

Ursula captured his mouth in a silent, tender kiss. Xavier kissed her back and pulled her flush against him. He tasted of tart pomegranate and raw sugar. Ursula felt his hands move up her body and slid underneath her shirt. His fingers dug into her flesh and held her close.

“Why are we still dressed?” he asked.

“Working on it.” Ursula yanked her shirt off and tossed it away. She slid out of her leggings and underwear. Xavier undressed and tossed his clothes in a heap. The air felt cool as Xavier nipped at her bare skin. She straddled Xavier, pinning him to the couch. A moan escaped her as he pressed a trail of kisses over her chest and licked her budding nipple.

“Tell me what you want,” he whispered against her breast.

“I want you,” Ursula said. She reached down between them and stroked him. He shuddered and throbbed. The feel of his skin was smooth against the palm of her hand. Ursula then clutched his shoulders and brushed herself against his growing bulge. A strained sigh left his lips as she moved her hips and ground for what seemed forever. By the time they took a break, she was dizzy with need.

“I’m not going to last,” he said. “We need protection. Now.”

Ursula agreed with a quick nod. She was aroused, but she needed to keep her head on through the haze of pleasure. The nightstand felt so far away but there had to be something else. Ursula knocked over her purse on the floor, jumped off Xavier, and searched the pile.

“Yes.” She found the electric-blue foil and joined him back on the couch. She carefully tore it open.

“Allow me,” she said.

She took Xavier into her hand again, stroked him a few times, and then covered him. He let out a sharp breath. Ursula straddled him; he was practically pulsating. She desired every inch.

“This is all for you,” he said gravely. He placed a hand on her waist and eased himself inside of her. Ursula gasped as he rocked back and forth, until they joined together.

“Do you know that?” he asked. He thrust with a gentle, urgent rhythm that stole her words. He reached between and fondled her sex, eliciting a peal of satisfaction from her. Sparks shot off within her like small exploding galaxies. She shook dazedly as he kept speaking, kept tasting her lips. He rocked his hips until she came in a long, trembling whimper.

“All my kisses belong to you now,” he said.

Ursula, overcome with ecstasy, couldn’t speak. She leaned forward and embraced Xavier. His words didn’t sound like a simple promise; they sounded like a pledge of fidelity. Ursula pressed her face into his shoulder so he wouldn’t see the tears. She found his heartbeat with her hand and felt its steady rhythm.

Resolution hammered in her bones.

If his kisses were hers, then hers would be his from now on.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Xavier didn’t have much experience sneaking into a house at dawn, but he was going to try his best not to get caught. At the Alder Castle, he could come and go as he pleased, but at Whitney’s house he always had to check in with her and have breakfast. But over the last two weeks, he had avoided his godmother. Whitney would know that he’d broken his enchantment once she took a single glance at him, and he didn’t want to put her in the awkward position of lying for him to Father. So Xavier used whatever spells and magic he had on hand to avoid a conversation with her. He borrowed an invisibility stone from a goblin and slipped in and out of the mansion. He slipped off his shoes by the door and tiptoed through the foyer.

The instant his foot hit the first stair, though, he heard her crystalline voice ring out. “Hello, stranger. You’re up early.”