A Witch's Love Read Online Free

gaze to his bare arms, rippling with muscles, the kind she didn’t even know existed and swallowed. He wore a white Hanes shirt with a lose pair of Nike shorts. The way his clothes fit him he could have been the newest fashion model for men’s sports attire.
    “How?” She glanced around. “Where’s your car?”
    He pressed off the tree and stopped only about a foot from her. “At the inn. I thought running here would be a good warm up,” he said with a grin.
    Her heart began to beat faster at his voice. “It’s like two miles to the inn from here. You call two miles a warm up?”
    “Sometimes.”
    “Since you’re ready, shall we go?” She twisted from him and began to jog at a steady pace into the forest behind her home. He positioned himself next to her, matching her stride. As she got into her groove, she glanced at him. He hadn’t even broken a sweat. She increased her speed. Over the next forty-five minutes, she continued to up the ante hoping that she could at least get him to be out of breath.
    A quick glance proved that theory wrong. He looked like some of the bears she’d seen ambling along a highway, instead of racing her through the woods. They came to her favorite spot, a stream that cut through their property, and decided to take a break. She plopped down next to the water.
    “Do you usually run at that pace?” He sat down next to her with an animal’s grace.
    “Why? Too much for you?”
    “Actually, I was just getting started.”
    “Oh really!”
    He sounded serious, but she couldn’t see his face. So maybe he was kidding.
    Laughing, he twisted to look at her. “No, it was a perfect run.”
    She slapped his arm. “You had me worried. I’m the best runner I know, and you almost dusted me. I thought I might be losing my edge.”
    He smiled. “Not cocky, are we?”
    She looked back to the stream. “It’s not cocky if it’s the truth.”
    At that, he burst out laughing. “Whose truth?”
    She went to slap his arm again but this time he caught her wrist.
    Their eyes locked, for a moment, a second . . . an eternity, she didn’t know. His eyes searched hers, for what? She wished she knew what lay behind those dark amber eyes, what secrets would they reveal—who was this man captivating her so?
    His hand was upon her, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. A shudder swept through her. “This could get complicated.”
    A half smile played on his lips as he leaned forward and whispered, “You have no idea how complicated.”
    She let out a long breath she hadn’t known she was holding, then blurted, “I d-don’t want to be late for work. We should probably start heading back.”
    She leapt to her feet then, as if on cue, tripped over a rock. As she readied herself for the perfect swan dive into the earth, she felt his arms about her, steadying her until she found her footing. How did he get to her so fast?
    Only a moment before, he had been seated on the ground and now he was on his feet holding her in the upright position. His grip was gentle, yet firm. She looked to his hands holding her steady at the shoulders and her mouth went dry. He smelled of spices and pine, natural, and oh-so-masculine.
    She tried not to meet his gaze as she cleared her throat. “Thanks.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him nod. She felt his hands release her as she turned from him. She made her way into the forest, walking back toward her home and hoped that was the last time she made a fool out of herself.
    Lucas had seen a lot of things in his lifetime but never had he seen anything as perfect as Ava. When he gazed upon her this morning, he knew she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her clothing left little to the imagination and if they were anywhere else, he would have tried to cover her up.
    He could see her tight full breast through the sheer fabric of her shirt, and damn him to hell if he didn’t notice the way her hip curved out from her slim waist, revealing a plump,