Read Do You Believe in Magic? for Free Online

Tamara would think: Francie had driven away the perfect man. She cast about for a valid reason to refuse him, but could come up with nothing. She had agreed to this scheme, after all. She gave a great sigh and took a step back. “All right, we’ll go to the play.”
    “Good, I’ll pick you up at seven.”
    They went back into the living room, where Clay shrugged into his coat and turned to her. He pulled one of his business cards out of his jacket pocket and laid it on the table by her purse. “Here’s my address and phone numbers if you need them.”
    “You must show me how you managed the upload and the programming on your capture application,” she said, trying to think of anything but the man in front of her, trying not to stand too close, but attracted to him just the same.
    As he looked into her eyes, Clay suddenly wanted to tell her everything—exactly how he had used his spells to create those programs and place them on the computers, how wizardry was an integral part of him, how he could show her the great magic between the two of them.
    Wait a minute. Great magic? Explain himself? What was going on in his head? He certainly never told anyone about practitioners or their talents. No practitioner did. So, he gave her an honest, if misleading, answer.
    “Magic,” he murmured as he put his hands on her shoulders and drew her closer. He dipped his head and kissed her.
    He meant it to be a small, first-date kind of kiss, but her eyes closed just as he glimpsed a flame in the smoky brown. Then her mouth opened, and he was lost. She tasted of chocolate and herself as he explored her mouth, delving deeper. He couldn’t help it, his kiss became possessive, and he claimed her as gently as he could, while his body demanded full satisfaction, the relief to be found inside her. It was all he could do to keep his hands on her shoulders and not wrap his arms around her and pull her closer.
    Magic, indeed , echoed in Francie’s mind before desire took over and the heat from his lips shot through her body. She had the distinct impression multicolored lights were sparkling on the backs of her eyelids.
    Where had her resistance to him gone? She hadn’t meant to let this kiss happen, had forgotten the possibility in the computer demonstration and talk of their next date. But once his mouth touched hers, all her intentions, all her resolve, flew from her body. She raised a hand to his face and felt him shudder when she touched him. When he thrust deep, tasting all of her, she dueled with his tongue and heard him groan.
    He kissed like the man he was—confident, expert, decisive, and at the same time charming, seductive, spell-binding. A kiss had never been like this before; she had never even imagined a kiss like this, one that caused her breasts to swell, her womb to ache, her whole being to demand more. It was . . . truly magical.
    No , the last vestiges of her rational mind asserted themselves. It couldn’t be magical; it shouldn’t be this arousing. She shouldn’t be here like this. She couldn’t be succumbing again to the charms of a handsome man.
    From deep in her mind she grasped for the power to resist. Forcing her body to go along wasn’t easy, but she managed to pull her hand from his face to his chest and push, a slight nudge, hardly any pressure, but all she could bring to bear.
    He raised his mouth from hers immediately but kept his hands on her shoulders until she took a deep breath and stepped back. Separation helped her gain control again. When she looked him in the face, he seemed more stunned than angry or frustrated at her action.
    “This isn’t part of the deal, Clay,” she said, shaking her head from side to side. “We’re only pretending to be involved. There’s enough deception and complication in this scheme as it is. Please don’t do that again.”
    He took his own deep breath before nodding. “I’ll make you a deal, Francie.”
    “What kind of deal?” she asked, telling herself to