Tricky Magic (Tricky Magic #1)

by L.L. Campbell

He was in front of her in an instant. Ros leaned down and his breath tickled her ear, “I let you kick my ass. I would have done anything just to have your hands on me. Hurting me, caressing me. You could have done whatever you wanted and I would have thanked you for it.”

“Someone is quick to submit,” he said as his tongue grazed the sensitive skin behind her ear. Her hands moved through the thick hair at the nape of his neck. Fingers tangled in the wet strands and she yanked hard. He hissed out but still smiled down at her. “Are you ever going to not fight me?”

“I don’t think any type of pain could stop me from enjoying the sight of you kneeling before me,” he said in such a husky voice. She suppressed the shiver that ran across her skin. “But yes, I’ve always enjoyed a little bit of pain.”

Ros’ eyes followed the butterflies as they circled a head framed by long, loose curls. Their glow set off her freckles and Ros forgot how to breathe. She wore a loose cropped sweater over a black paneled dress. She had on her black flat boots and she looked...perfect.

Once he was satisfied, he slid down next to her, putting his arm under her head and the pillow she clung to. Then grabbed her hip and moved her so she was pressed against him. He pulled a thin quilt over both their bodies and settled into his own pillow. “Just give me five more minutes and I will head home,” she mumbled to him. “You aren’t going anywhere tonight,” he said, kissing her shoulder, her neck, and the back of her head. “Just five more minutes,” she whispered. “Sure, Princess,” he said and Ellea felt a curl of a smile against her neck before the heaviness of sleep pulled her closer to its depths. “Whatever you say.”

“I’m sorry, does my partner count bother you?” she said with a scowl. “You’re a billion years old and I am sure you have slept with more people than me.” “It’s not the count,” he said with a soft expression before it turned aggressive. “It’s the thought of someone else touching you.”

“First,” he paused to wipe dirt from her leggings. “I would pay a lot of money to see you with two swords in your hands.” She grinned slyly at him, wishing she had the energy to do so. “Second, I don’t know what the future holds,” he said solemnly. He placed her long braid over her shoulder and ran his callused across her jaw. “All I know is I want you to be prepared.”