Page 29 of Love’s a Witch (The Scottish Charms #1)

“Truly. It’s kind of like a wild mushroom trip.

” Not that I knew anything about exotic mushrooms, I’d just heard that certain kinds could make you see colors and whatnot, and this place looked like someone had kicked a palette of paint cans at the walls while under the influence.

It didn’t help that the owner, Marcie, wore tie-dye, and had neon-pink braids that reached to her bum.

Broca had told me those braids hid tiny nubs, the barest hint of horns, as Marcie’s father was of an elven clan specific to the fields. Hence the name Mystic Munchies, I supposed, as I studied all the unique and natural ingredients in the baked goods, like lavender, honey, hibiscus, and rose.

The door opened, and Knox walked in, looking effortlessly handsome in a fitted tartan shirt and tweed newsboy cap. His eyes found mine, and my breath left me.

A gasp went through the crowd of people, but I couldn’t tear my eyes from Knox. It felt like my heart had slowed, its beat irregular in my chest, and I rubbed at my solar plexus, where something felt tight, like I’d sucked down a glass of champagne too fast and the bubbles had lodged.

“Sloane,” Lyra hissed, yanking on my arm, and I broke eye contact with Knox as he strode toward me, an unreadable look on his face. Glancing over at the glass-lined cabinets of the bakery, I froze.

Where there had once been trays piled high with every baked good imaginable, scrumptious scones, decadent brownies, glistening glazed doughnuts, there now lay piles upon piles of mushrooms.

Hundreds of mushrooms, in every color and size.

My mouth dropped open just as Knox reached us and scooped an arm through mine, dragging me across the room and through a door. Slamming it closed behind us, I blinked at the sudden darkness.

“What the hell?”

A dim light flicked on, and I looked around, realizing that Knox had pulled me into a supply closet.

“What are you doing?” I slammed my hand against his chest, only to instantly be reminded just how strong he was. Reaching up, he wrapped a hand around my wrist and pulled it to my side, forcing me a step closer to him.

“I could ask the same of you, Sloane.” Knox’s voice was low, barely restrained fury behind it, and his eyes heated in the soft light. “There’s tourists out there.”

“I didn’t plan to do that. Why would I possibly do such a thing?”

“You have to be more careful. You can’t just go around town without some command of your magick. There’s only so much we can do to hide the tourists from what is really going on here. Now Marcie is going to have a hard time explaining away that little trick you just pulled.”

“It wasn’t a trick. It wasn’t intentional,” I seethed, fury making me punch his chest lightly.

“Walk me through what happened,” Knox grit out, a tic in his jaw showcasing his annoyance.

“I don’t know. I swear I don’t know. We were just talking about how the place reminded us of a wild mushroom trip, and then you walked through the door.”

“Ahhhhh.” Knox’s expression changed, the heat of anger in his eyes turning to that of hunger, and a corner of his mouth ticked up in a smirk. “That explains it.”

“Explains what?” Was it warm in here? I suddenly felt like my skin was inflamed, and I tried to take a step back, only to bump into a bucket with a mop in it. Knox caught me at the waist before I could topple over and pulled me against him.

Exactly where I didn’t need to be.

I didn’t need the reminder of just how solid his body felt against mine.

Or how great his muscular arms felt wrapped around me, like I was some helpless damsel that needed rescuing.

Or how his lips felt, hovering close to mine, just like they were now.

Now? Oh, hell no . I made to pull back, but he held me against him.

“A witch new to her powers will often have a few stumbles in her magick. Particularly with heightened feelings.” Knox hovered his mouth over mine, close enough that his breath tickled my lips, and my pulse stuttered.

“I’m sure the only heightened emotion I have is deep-rooted annoyance.” I swallowed against the lie, my throat dry, as Knox’s lips turned up in that devastating smile that made all rational thought leave my mind. My resolve to hate this man was weakening, and weakening fast.

“Shall we test that theory?”

“Go ahead.” Wait, what? I’d meant to say no.

Where had that come from? Before I could say anything else, Knox’s mouth was on mine, and oh my goddess .

It was even better than the kiss at the Halloween dance.

Maybe it was the secrecy of, quite literally, hiding in the closet, or the dim light, or the idea that we might get caught soon, but need took over, and I reached up to thread my hands through his hair, knocking his cap to the floor.

Knox growled and angled his head, deepening the kiss.

I gasped against his mouth, rocking against him, wanting to feel everything that he was making me feel.

Long, languid licks of desire unspooled inside of me, making my body loose in his arms, my hips bumping gently against his, subconsciously wanting more.

His hands stroked my sides and, so very slowly, came down and cupped my bum.

Then, in one strong go, he pulled me tight against his hard length, and I moaned into his mouth.

His tongue found mine, slick and hot, the outside world forgotten.

Knox traced a hand at my waistband, and I shuddered in a breath when his fingers met skin, and he trailed them up my side beneath my jumper. Cupping my breast with one hand, he thumbed a nipple, laughing softly against my lips as he caught another moan with his kiss.

“By the goddess, Sloane, you’ll be the death of me. All fire and brimstone one moment, and molten lava the next. I want to make you melt under my touch. I want to watch you come undone again, because of me. Because of the pleasure that only I can bring to your body.”

I sucked in a breath, shocked at how much my body seemed to want the same, and then I arched my back to press my breast farther into his palm.

“Tell me you want this too. Tell me that I’m not absolutely out of my mind with lust for you and you don’t feel the same.

Say it.” Knox bit at a sensitive spot behind my ear, tweaking my nipple slightly, and I gasped at the light bit of pain spiking through my lust. Bloody hell, but I wanted him. Consequences be damned.

A sobering hammering at the door brought us back to reality.

Knox swiftly stepped back, smoothing my shirt and pulling his jacket over where he very obviously still showed signs of wanting me.

“I don’t mean to break this up, guys, but we have a problem.” Lyra poked her head in the door, her eyes gleaming in the light of the closet.

“Could Marcie not get the mushrooms fixed?” Knox blew out a breath and picked up his cap from the floor from where I’d knocked it off.

“She can. But something, ahem, keeps changing them back. The tourists are starting to take videos, so I’m guessing it has to do with what’s going on in here.”

“Just getting a few things to help clean up,” Knox said loudly, grabbing the mop and bucket and pushing past Lyra into the store. “Sorry, folks, the bakery will be closed for the rest of the morning. Our spell machine is a bit out of whack. We need to fix the projector.”

“See? I told you it was all fake.” A man elbowed his wife as Knox pushed the tourists from the room, promising them a free muffin if they came back later. Once they were all gone, I crept outside into the room and gave Marcie a small smile.

“I’m so sorry, Marcie. I didn’t mean to run your business away. I’m still figuring out my magick.”

“Well, get it sorted, then.” Marcie glared at me, a terrifying woman almost six feet tall, with muscular arms from kneading dough. “It’s bad enough we have to deal with the snow. We don’t need you terrorizing our businesses too.”

“She said she was sorry, all right?” Lyra said, striding forward to get in Marcie’s face. Typical Lyra. She could pick on me, but nobody else could.

“No, she’s right, Lyra. She’s right. I’d be upset too. I truly am sorry, Marcie. I’m new to all this and struggling. I’ll do better, I promise.”

Somewhat mollified, Marcie nodded briskly at me as Knox swept his hand over the glass cases and the baked goods reappeared.

“Here.” Marcie put a few lemon poppy seed scones in a bag. “Poppy seed for protection.”

“Thank you.” We accepted the bag gratefully and hurried from the store. Knox caught me just on the way out, as Lyra was already at the street.

“Do you know what else poppy seed is for?” Knox asked, a glint in his eye.

“Actually, I don’t.” I didn’t know anything about anything, it seemed, at least when it came to magick.

“Love and attraction.” Knox winked at me as my mouth dropped open, and before I could stop him, he dropped a quick kiss on my lips.

In full daylight.

In front of the entire town.

I could have killed him.

“Absolutely not. I’m not doing this.”

“You say no now, but you were the one climbing me like a tree two minutes ago.”

“Climbing you like… I most certainly was not,” I began, and Lyra shouted up at me from where she stood shivering by the car.

“Come on, Sloane. It’s freezing out. You two can have your love squabbles later.”

“This is not a thing.” I pointed between him and me before turning and storming down the street to the car. “And can you please stop shouting ‘love squabble’ across the entire town?”

“Why not? The whole place could hear you moaning from the closet.”

“Shut up,” I gasped, horrified, and Lyra fell back into her seat, laughing.

“Okay, maybe not that bad. But you should see your face right now.”

“Again, not my favorite sister. The worst, actually.”

“You might be my favorite. You definitely are keeping things interesting.” Lyra dug in the bag and ripped off a piece of scone. “Scone?”

“Fine.” I grabbed it from her and took a bite, before remembering Knox’s predication about poppy seeds being good for love.

But it was a really good scone. Sighing, I held out my hand for another piece and prayed that he’d just been messing with me.

Love was not something I could deal with on top of the rest of the chaos in my life.

Not in the slightest.