Spellbound Falls [5] For the Love of Magic Read Online Free Page A

water ruffled his crown of wavy white hair as he bent to pick up his helmet, forcing her to lean forward to hear when he muttered, “You likely would have died in a crooked hovel giving birth to some toothless bastard’s child.”
    Rana straightened with a gasp. “Well, fine,” she said as she spun away. “Angry and resentful it will be, then.”
    He gave a deep-bellied laugh and caught her before she’d taken two steps. “Ah, little one, but you love firing my blood.” He suddenly sobered, his eyes searching hers for several heartbeats before he looked toward Bottomless and blew out a heavy sigh. “At least you had the good sense to live within reach of the sea creatures.”
    “Contrary to popular belief, I haven’t taken leave of all my senses.”
    “Am I permitted to call on you?” He held up his hand. “If I phone first?”
    She hesitated and then nodded. “Of course. In fact, you may even invite me to go for a ride on your motorcycle.” She brushed at the front of his jacket. “Say . . . down to Turtleback Station some evening for dinner and maybe dancing?”
    She looked up when he didn’t respond to see his jaw had slackened—that is until his eyes narrowed. “Do you mean for us to have a modern
date
?”
    “If that’s what you wish to call it.” She canted her head. “When was the last time you did anything for the sheer fun of it?”
    His eyes closed on another heavy sigh.
    Her
sigh was one of relief when he suddenly strode off—that is, until she realized he was heading for the porch. “Wait,” she said, running after him. “Where do you think you’re going?”
    “To see the inside of your hovel,” he said without breaking stride.
    “No!” She pulled him to a halt. “I mean, not today,” she said calmly. “Some other time. Soon. After I— Once I’ve settled in.”
    He looked at her home and slowly tilted his head to match the lopsided roofline. “Would your reluctance to let me inside mean the exterior is its . . . best quality?”
    “I told you that’s an illusion.” She slipped her arm through his and guided him toward the side of the house. “The interior walls and floors are perfectly plumb and the structure is sound, which you will see when I invite you to dinner. Once I’ve settled in.”
    She managed to get him all the way to his motorcycle before he made one last attempt to talk some sense into her. How he went about it, however, was so typically
Titus
that it might have been comical if it weren’t so sad.
    He set his helmet on the seat, then turned and palmed her face to hold her looking at him—apparently not wanting her to miss the tender concern in his vivid green eyes. “I have a worry you’re not looking after yourself properly. Please don’t feel that you can’t come to Nova Mare, as I know how much you enjoy swimming in the outdoor heated pool and horseback riding on the trails.”
    The blackguard; she couldn’t decide if he was concerned about her expanding posterior or wanted to remind her of all that she’d walked away from.
    He slid a thumb to her lips when she tried to speak. “Just because you’re no longer living at the resort doesn’t mean we can’t continue our morning swims together.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Or by yourself, if you prefer.”
    Well, she did miss that heated pool. Titus and their two children, Maximilian and Carolina, had no problem swimming in the Bottomless Sea—or any of the world’s oceans, for that matter—but since she was a mere mortal and didn’t have command of the magic, she’d never been able to handle frigid water.
    “Are you eating well?
Healthy
foods?” he clarified when he leaned away just enough to look down at her, his eyes stopping on her bosom before snapping back to her eyes in surprise. “Or a steady diet of cinnamon buns?”
    Well, the man did know her body rather intimately.
    Rana stepped free of his hands on her cheeks before he felt her blush. “I’ve only dined at the