Close Contact Read online

  She agreed readily. She was more than ready to get away from that growing list of people before it began to seem even more futile. They left and Geneva stared out of the window in silence. She thought about the future. Getting the spell off her wouldn’t be the end of it. The witch or wizard could easily put another more lethal spell on her. Whoever it was didn’t seem to have any respect for the Witch’s Council or the law. Geneva didn’t think going another step farther would faze them. Until that man or woman was found, she’d be in danger. She just wished she had some idea of why the person had put the spell on her. Was it revenge for something she’d done? Was the person trying to right some perceived wrong?

  “You’re thinking about this too much.” Evan’s voice sounded, drawing her eyes away from the passing buildings.

  “Sorry. I can’t think too many happy thoughts when someone’s trying to make my life hell at the very least.” She clenched her hands as she thought about the pain she’d be in if she wasn’t near Evan. If he hadn’t been close, she probably would have been put into a coma or the magical equivalent.

  “Haven’t I told you that we’ll get the spell off you and catch them?” His attention remained on the road, but she saw the smile on his face and heard it in his voice.

  She shook her head. “You haven’t even managed to find out who did this much less get close to catching him.”

  “Or her. This could very well be a woman. You’ve gathered some information on some very powerful witches. It’s going to take some searching to find out if one has a grudge against you,” he said easily.

  Geneva frowned. He didn’t seem to be taking this at all seriously. She knew he did, but he was too relaxed, too confident. She honestly didn’t think it would be easy to find the person. They had put the spell on her, wanted her to suffer and now she wasn’t. She could only hope that if the person tried to get at her in another way, it would lead to some clue about who he or she was.

  He pulled into the driveway slowly. His eyes moved over the area before he pushed the button to open the garage door. It rose smoothly. Once it was open and he’d confirmed that the garage was empty, he drove into the shelter. He got out and waited until she’d followed him across the seat. Lifting her down, he slipped his arms around her in a quick hug.

  “Come on. You can help me make dinner. What do you want? I have some chicken and some lean steak.” He led her into the house.

  “Chicken sounds good. What else do you have? A salad would be good.” Her mouth watered at the thought of food.

  “We’ll go see what we can find to go with the chicken.” His fingers laced with hers and they walked slowly into the kitchen.

  The kitchen was large and light green with light wood cabinets. They worked companionably. He started preparing the chicken and she put water on for some herbed noodles and began chopping veggies for a salad on the gray granite countertop. Just as he put the chicken on, she dropped noodles into the boiling water. While she waited, she sat at the round table near the window in the kitchen. There was a long wooden table in the dining room, but she wanted the intimacy of the smaller table. The scent of grilling chicken filled the room. She drained the noodles and mixed in the herbs and parmesan.

  “Everything looks great and the noodles smell wonderful. I have a nice wine that will complement this.” Evan took the platter of chicken and carried it over to the table. Geneva stayed close enough to him to stop the pain as she put the dish of noodles on the table. He got the salad and wine as she found two wineglasses. Sitting down at the table across from him, she was amazed at how well they’d worked together. It felt good, relaxing in a way. After they finished eating, they dropped the dishes into the dishwasher. As they left the kitchen, he clicked off the light. His arm curved around her shoulders just before urging her up the stairs.

  “I think we both deserve a restful night after a day of going through those names,” Evan said. “I’ve got a huge tub up there and I want to see you in it.”

  She almost moaned at the thought. It sounded like absolute bliss. Her mind automatically supplied visions of a warm sudsy bath and the scent of her favorite oil.

  Evan stopped and she heard him sniff. Turning her head, she saw him looking around the room. She had no idea what was wrong. He looked a little confused, a small frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. At least, he didn’t look worried or have that aggressive angry look he had when danger was close.

  “Do you smell almonds and vanilla?” He glanced over at her and sniffed again. “It’s definitely there and it wasn’t earlier.”

  She frowned and inhaled. Yes, she did smell almonds and vanilla. The smell was instantly recognizable. It was her favorite bath oil. She hadn’t used it since she’d last been at her home. That strong smell couldn’t come from her body heat.

  “Yes, I smell it. It smells like my almond vanilla bath scent.” She looked around trying to think of some answer. The bottle of oil hadn’t been among the things that had been brought from her apartment. Whoever had packed her things hadn’t grabbed it.

  He leaned his hip against the stair rail. His face relaxed and he smiled. “Does this happen around you a lot?”

  “What? You’re the one who smelled it first.” She frowned, not understanding what he meant.

  “Do you ever want something and it just happens? You were thinking about taking a bath with your favorite bath scent, weren’t you?” He tugged her closer, but maintained eye contact.

  “Yes, I was thinking how great a bath would be and about the scent, but what difference does that make? And everyone sometimes gets what they want unexpectedly.” She shrugged, taking the opportunity to move closer to him. She didn’t even try to deny the urge to feel the warmth and hardness of his body.

  “Not everyone, not like that. What just happened was the most basic kind of magic. If you’d been trained, you’d have been taught to control it,” he said as he began to lead her up the stairs again.

  “So I do magic without knowing it. I don’t see a bottle of my bath oil. What exactly did I do?” She walked slowly up the stairs beside him.

  “Your power isn’t focused enough to make the actual bottle appear. It made the scent. If we’d been in the water, we might have come out smelling lightly of it. It’s a sort of wish fulfillment. You’ve probably been at a restaurant. Maybe you thought that something would be good and your waiter brought it to you without any explanation.” Evan looked over at her. His words came out as if he was trying to find a way to make her understand.

  “Well, yes, that’s happened. It’s happened all of my life.” She grinned. Mostly with dessert and almost anything chocolate. She’d never really thought about why it happened. It had just been part of her life.

  “You’re a strong witch. When you’re trained, you’ll be formidable.” He opened the door to his bedroom and tugged her inside the room.

  The master bath was attached to his room. She went to get some clothes and walked with him into the spacious room. The entire room was done in blue and gray and trimmed in white. He’d insisted she unpack her suitcase. It was too much too soon for her. The man wanted a commitment and he wanted it now. She didn’t know what to do. If she could run, she would have. The “you’re mine” thing would have sent her into panic mode if she didn’t have bigger problems. She wasn’t ready for any kind of commitment. On top of that, she wasn’t sure she wanted to do anything about her magic.

  He bent down and started the water in the bath. Water rushed into the large gray tub. Evan unbuttoned his shirt. Geneva began working on her clothes although her eyes stayed on him. His chest gleamed in the light. She let her blue shirt drop to the floor and unfastened her bra absently. Just as she unbuttoned her jeans, Evan stepped forward. His hands slipped around her waist. His hips pressed into hers.

  His lips closed over hers. He sucked the full lower lip between his. His tongue stroked over the curve. Prickles of sensation flowed from her lips and down her body. She moaned, curling an arm around his neck and her
mouth opened beneath his. She stroked her tongue across his lips wanting to deepen the kiss. He chuckled and his tongue thrust deep into her mouth. Her arm tightened, pulling him closer as she sank into the kiss. Lord, he knew how to kiss.

  His thumbs brushed across her nipples once and then again with a bit more pressure. Her back arched and she moaned. She could see and feel how much he wanted her. His cock pressed against her, the hard ridge evident even through the fabric of his jeans.

  “I love how quickly your body responds to my touch. We have to go back into the bedroom. I forgot to grab a condom as we went through.” His teeth nipped at her neck.

  She shivered. He seemed to know just where to touch. She stroked her hand up his side, wanting to arouse him as much as he did her. Her hand found the flat hard disk of his nipple. His breath hissed between his lips.

  “You’re a little tease,” he whispered against her lips, but there wasn’t accusation in his voice, just sensual promise.

  “No teasing. I just don’t want to play any games.” She let her hand slide slowly down his stomach.

  A grimace twisted his lips as he caught her hand pulled it away from him. “Not quite yet. I want to get in the water and we still have to get that condom.”

  His fingers moved to her wrist. She let him lead her out of the bathroom. He grabbed the square packet. She smiled as he hurriedly urged her back into the bathroom. He turned off the water and then finished undressing. He was naked and stepping into the water.

  She laughed and skinned the jeans down her hips. Slipping out of them, she took the final paces to join him. A smile curved her lips as she stopped at the rim of the tub.

  “You could have helped me. I wouldn’t have objected if you did.” She joined him in the water and slowly sat. She felt his legs slide along hers.

  He moved forward, water rippling softly. “If I’d helped you, I would have had you on that counter. I want you too much to play very long. Get on the edge of the tub. Let’s see how much you want me.”

  “I can already tell you. I’m more than ready for you.” She didn’t move.

  He rose to his knees. His tongue swept slowly over her lips. His hands closed around her waist.

  “I’ll judge for myself if you’re ready. Am I going to have to lift you up there?” He raised an eyebrow.

  She shook her head as she slowly rose to sit on the edge of the tub. He was so fond of giving orders. She might have to do something about that sometime, but right now, all she wanted was to feel his hands and mouth touching her.

  His hands slid down to her knees and pressed them open wider. She eagerly leaned back, bracing her hands on the tile floor. He leaned forward and his finger stroked over her clit just before his tongue lapped at her pussy. She moaned and bit her lip. She felt her inner muscles clench. Sharp sensation speared through her. She gasped as his fingers lifted and his mouth replaced it. When he started sucking, she nearly came off the edge of the tub. His hands moved to her hips, holding her in place. He feasted on her, his tongue lapping and swirling over her clit. Pleasure built, tightening in her stomach. His fingers circled her entrance before pushing into her. If he didn’t stop soon, she was going to come even before he got inside her. She was going to be mad if that happened, she wanted his cock inside her when she came. She reached down and cupped the back of his head. His hair was too short otherwise she’d have grabbed a handful of it.

  “Evan, please, come inside me. I want to be with you.” She gasped, her voice sounded strained even to her.

  His head rose and he licked his lips. Without a word, he tugged her back into the water. She sighed as the warm water closed around her. Her legs tightened around his waist. His shaft pressed against her pussy briefly as her buttocks settled against his thighs. She rose a little. As she reached between them, he rolled a condom onto his cock. He moaned as she grasped his shaft. She guided it to her entrance and slowly lowered onto it. She shivered and her head fell back. Rocking her hips, she enjoyed the sensation of his shaft, sliding deep into her.

  “Ride me.” His fingers flexed on her buttocks, lifting her up until only the rounded head of his cock remained inside her.

  She shivered as he slowly lowered her. She drew in a hissing breath. Her hands rose to his shoulders and she gripped the thick muscled mass. She tensed and tried to rise. His hands held her still.

  Leaning down, she kissed him because she couldn’t resist. She wanted to touch him any way she could, even though her body was burning with need.

  “I have to move,” she whispered against his lips. She sucked on the full lower curve. “Stop trying to control everything.”

  He laughed softly, but it sounded strained. “Remember who you’re talking to here. Move.”

  His hands on her hips controlled her movements. She couldn’t move as fast as she wanted. The slow controlled strokes were pushing her to the brink, but she couldn’t go over the edge. Her muscles had coiled tight and her breath came in gasping pants, striving for the pleasure, but it remained just out of reach.

  “God, Evan let me…” She shivered and her head tipped back.

  “You need this?” His hands moved her hips in a circle as he pressed her down onto him.

  Geneva couldn’t say a word. Her clit rubbed against his pelvis and she felt electricity shoot through her body. She shook and even her fingers tingled. She gasped and moaned. His hands guided her hips up and down his shaft. Her muscles clenched, gripping and pulling at him. Burning sensation burst through her, spreading through her in waves.

  He tensed, his hips lifting even as he pulled her down onto his cock one last time. His lips pressed against her neck and she felt the scrape of sharp teeth. She tensed, freezing, immediately pulled out of the haze of pleasure. She had the feeling he was only a breath away from biting her. She didn’t say a word. She didn’t want to push him into doing it, because he saw her pulling back or objecting as a rejection of his claim. Drawing in a slow breath, she tried to relax. That was yet another thing she’d need to talk to him about. He kept coming close to doing it and he’d said he didn’t want begin the change in her just yet.

  Eventually, his body relaxed and his lips lifted away from her neck. His hands stroked up her back. He lifted his head and kissed her softly. She slowly rose off him. Her pussy clenched around his shaft as if to hold onto him for a little longer. Moving to the end of the tub, she leaned back against the slightly angled edge. Puddles of water pooled at either end of it. She tapped her fingers on the tile surround as she thought of a way to bring the subject of his near biting her into conversation. Subtle probably wouldn’t work. He’d get the reference, but he probably wouldn’t see how serious she was about it.

  “Evan, this biting thing. I felt your teeth again. I know it’s not something you can really control, but it keeps getting closer to happening.” She bit her lip. Knowing what to say and how to say it was difficult. She knew how he reacted when he thought she was denying his claim. This wasn’t about that so she didn’t want to deal with his stubbornness in that area right now.

  “I want to make you my true mate. I can’t deny that. The wolf inside me hates that you’re in danger.” He grimaced. “I will hold back until we get the spell off you.”

  “I can get something to make sure you don’t bite me. The protectorate has some chain mail garments. Some just cover the neck and shoulders rather than a full shirt,” she offered.

  He frowned. “It could make things worse. I know you only want to help, but the wolf could see it as you trying to keep him away from you, denying him.”

  She sighed and ran a hand through her hair in frustration. It seemed like everything could be seen as denying the claim. If she wasn’t under the spell, she’d show him what denying the wolf and that arrogant claim actually was.

  “All right, I can see your point even if I don’t completely understand it. What are we going to do about your other issues.” She picked up a bar of soap, a sponge and began washing.

  “What other issues?”


  “Well, there’s your tendency to control. Even when you told me to ride you, you controlled everything. The force and pace, even the depth of the stroke.” She raised her leg and trailed the sponge down her thigh.

  His palm cupped her heel and his lips curved upward. He didn’t seem even a bit offended. She’d expected more of a reaction to what she’d said.

  “I’m always going to be a bit on the bossy side. I won’t always control our pleasure. In fact, I look forward to seeing you become assertive at times.” His fingers traced the back of her calf.

  “So what’s your excuse this time?” She couldn’t help returning his smile.

  “No excuse. I’m just getting to know you. If you’d pushed or teased, I’m not certain I could have held back if you’d gone too far. Which I know you’ll probably do at some point. Finding out who put the spell on you is too important. I won’t have you living in fear for the rest of your life.” Evan took the sponge from her and drew it over the curve of her calf.

  She pulled her leg free of his loose grip. “Now let me wash you and then we can go to bed.”

  A thrill of anticipation curled through her. The surge of feeling startled her a bit. She was beginning to like his touch too much, crave it. That couldn’t happen. She wasn’t going to buy into his mate beliefs. Most of all, when that spell was off her, when the danger was gone, she intended to put some distance between them. At least two or three states.

  Chapter Five

  “I don’t like this.” Evan turned the SUV onto a side street in a mostly residential area.

  “You’ve said that before, but you know as well as I do that to find out who put the spell on me we’ll need more witches see the spell. You even thought it was a good idea before you found out to get more opinions we’d need to go to the witches not the other way around.” Geneva folded her arms across her chest and glared at him.

  She didn’t know what he thought would happen. The witch had put a spell on her and then committed an act of vandalism or had it done. She or he hadn’t made any move for a physical attack. Evan seemed convinced the witch would attack the moment they got near any witches or wizards. He’d actually snarled at her when she’d walked to the door just in front of him. He clearly didn’t like meeting with the Witch’s Council.