Read The Wicked and the Wondrous for Free Online Page B

expressions on their faces. He had been so busy staring at Kate he hadn’t even noticed them. His hands closed over the heavy globe, his fingers brushing Kate’s. A tingle of electricity sparked its way up his arm. Almost at once the snowglobe grew warm in his hands. “Afternoon, ladies.”
    “Hi, Matt,” Hannah greeted. Abbey nodded to him.
    Although he’d made every effort to clean up after work, scrubbing his hands for a good half hour to get the dirt out from under his fingernails, he noticed with dismay that he hadn’t been successful. His nails seemed to be spotlighted from the strange glow coming from inside the glass of the globe. The lights of the tree blazed unexpectedly inside the glass, while an eerie white fog began to swirl. Fascinated, he held the globe at every angle, trying to see how he had turned it on, but he couldn’t find a battery or a switch anywhere. Peering closer he noticed a strange dark shadow taking shape at the base of the tree and creeping up the path toward the steps of the house. His body reacted, going on alert as he watched the shadow move stealthily.
    “This thing is spooky.” He handed the snowglobe to Hannah and took Kate’s elbow in a deliberate, proprietary action. Staking his claim. Declaring his intentions. His fingers settled around her slender arm, and his heart actually jumped in his chest. She was wearing some lacy white shirt that clung to the shape of her rounded breasts and left her lower arms bare. The pad of his thumb slid over her petal-soft skin just to feel the texture. She shivered, and he moved his body closer to block the breeze coming in off the ocean. They said good-bye to her sisters and headed for his car.
    Kate cleared her throat. “I appreciate your coming to pick me up, Matthew. I could have met you there.”
    “That’s silly, Kate, since we’re both going to the same place, and you’re on my way. I thought we might discuss the plans for the renovation over dinner when we’re finished inspecting the mill.” He pulled open the door to his Mustang convertible. The top was securely up. “What were you doing with the globe?”
    She smiled up at him and just that easily took his breath away. “We’re still putting out our decorations. Hannah just brought the globe down from the attic and was cleaning the glass. It’s a Christmas tradition in our family to wish on it.”
    “What was that strange dark shadow moving in the globe?”
    Kate abruptly turned back toward the house. Matt was standing close to her, holding the door open to the Mustang, and she bumped his chest with her nose. For a second she stood there with her eyes closed, then she inhaled deeply. He felt that breath right through his skin, all the way down to his bones. The tips of her breasts brushed his rib cage, sending fire racing through his bloodstream and pooling into a thick heat low in his belly. She smelled of cinnamon and spice. He wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her right there. Right in front of her sisters.
    “Matthew.” For the first time that he could remember, Kate sounded breathless. “What are you doing?”
    He realized his arms were around her. He was holding her captive against him, and his body was growing hard and making urgent demands. He cursed silently and let her go, turning away from her. “I thought you were getting into the car.” His voice was rough, even to his own ears. He had never wanted a woman the way he wanted Kate. He didn’t feel gentle when he wanted to be gentle. He didn’t feel nice and charming when it was usually so easy for him to be charming. He felt edgy and restless and achy as hell. He had a mad desire to scoop her up and lock her in his vehicle, a primitive, out-of-character urge when she looked on the verge of flight.
    “You really saw a shadow in the globe?” she asked. “What was it doing?”
    It was the last thing he expected her to say, and it sent a chill skittering down his spine. “I couldn’t tell what it