Page 3 of Love’s a Witch (The Scottish Charms #1)

CHAPTER TWO Sloane

You can’t stay here.”

His rumbly voice sent shivers across my skin as I skidded to a stop at the side of our hastily purchased car that had seen better days. I looked up, up, up, until frowning arctic-blue eyes speared mine.

Of course, he was also unbearably tall. It was unfair, really, how some people, like Lyra, hit the genetic jackpot. Granted, beauty was subjective and all, but I suspected I would be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t find this man attractive.

“Excuse me? I can do whatever I want, thank you very much.” I blinked up at him, snatching my suitcase from the trunk, and forced myself to break the hypnosis thing that beautiful people unintentionally seemed to do to others.

They couldn’t help it, which was something that I’d learned with having Lyra as a sister.

But if you wanted to get through a meaningful conversation, it was best not to look directly at them. Like the sun.

“But you see, you really can’t. You have to get out of Briarhaven.” Prince Charming himself here. I gaped as he tugged the suitcase from my hand and once again lifted it back into the car.

Here’s the thing about having a curse that plagues your bloodline and forces you to move frequently—I’d learned that I didn’t tolerate bad behavior from people well.

I didn’t have to tolerate it. In small towns, people needed to, for the most part, make nice with their neighbors even if they held differing viewpoints or were unlikable.

But I didn’t have to do the same. We never lived somewhere long enough to have to work things out with a neighbor or rely on them during a town catastrophe or whatever, so when people were being assholes, well, I could just call them out on it with little thought to what damage that might do to my reputation.

Just like I did now with my new least favorite person in the world.

“Perhaps you didn’t hear me the first time? I can do whatever I like. Touch grass, Charming.” I yanked my suitcase from the car and barreled up toward the house.

“You think I’m charming?” I turned to see a corner of his mouth quirked in a sexy half smile, freezing me in place as I tried to ignore the tug of lust.

I squeaked as he brushed in front of me, stopping me steps from the door, and grabbed the handle of my bag.

Jerking it from my grip, he proceeded back toward the car, waving me away like I was a gnat.

Fury filled me. I lunged and took hold of the other side of the bag, forcing him to slow his forward momentum. A look of confusion crossed his face.

“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?” I asked, tugging harder.

Charming pulled the luggage forward, as though it was a foregone conclusion that he would get his way, and I slipped in the snow that was already accumulating at our feet.

“Watch it, buddy. I’m going to—”

My feet went out from under me and air whooshed from my body as I flung my arms out, trying to catch myself before I landed in the snow.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending how one looked at it, the thing I happened to catch hold of was none other than Charming’s crown jewels. He gasped in surprise, somehow managing to still catch me with one arm before I hit the pavement, while also reaching for his goods with the other.

And let me tell you, from a completely objective standpoint, they were good .

No man should be blessed with this many positive physical attributes.

Which meant there must be serious issues in other areas.

Likely his personality. Or his apparent expectation that everyone should follow his orders.

Focusing on the negative so I could ignore the desire that fluttered in my chest like a butterfly trying to escape, I glared up at his perfect face.

His arm was still wrapped around my waist, and I couldn’t help but notice he was basically made of muscle.

Because of course he was.

Charming subtly adjusted himself, wincing lightly, and I steeled my gaze.

“I’m not going to apologize for that. You brought this upon yourself.”

“Noted.” A faint wisp of the Highlands hovered in his voice, and my insides curled at the soft burr.

The man had the gall to turn and move toward my suitcase again, and I almost drop-kicked him off the pavement.

Almost, because, well, I’d likely break my foot against all that muscle.

Nevertheless, maybe I could sneak a karate chop into his collarbone to deter him.

Sighing, I placed myself between him and the bag and waved my hand in front of his face.

“Hello? Sir? Is there anyone in there?”

He raised an eyebrow at me but said nothing.

“No? Nothing? You’re just the strong and silent type, eh? I’m sure that works for you on most of the women around here, but that shite doesn’t fly with us. Whatever this is you’re doing, just stop. This is our grandmother’s house, and we have every right to visit her.”

“I know exactly who you are, Sloane.”

Why, why , did my name sound so good on this man’s lips? I wanted to arch my back like a cat and nuzzle in for a cuddle. This was ridiculous.

“Then you have me at a disadvantage. And you are?” A shiver ran across my skin as the wind gusted, snow melting against my cheeks.

“Knox Douglas.”

“Knox?” My mouth fell open. The last time I’d seen Knox Douglas, he’d been a scrawny private school boy, but even then, all the girls in town had crushed hard on him.

It was unfair, really, the glow-up this man had enjoyed since I’d last seen him.

The only thing about me that glowed was the sweat on my face after Lyra dragged me to the seventh circle of hell—her Pilates class—and I came out gasping for air and promising my firstborn if I never had to attend another session.

Before I could do much more than blink, he’d grabbed hold of the luggage once more. Blocking him, I rammed a hand into his stomach, pushing him back from the luggage.

“You’re one of those people nobody says no to, aren’t you?” I asked.

A bewildered look crossed Knox’s face as though he’d never really considered the option of someone refusing to do what he wanted before.

“Och, lass. I reckon not. I am the provost, after all.”

“Run unopposed, have you?” I gave him a sarcastic smile as I heaved the luggage from his hands and dragged it inside, where everyone hovered a few feet back and away from the snow that gusted through the open door.

“Aye, largely.” Knox filled our doorway.

“Shocking.” Men like him annoyed women like me. They didn’t annoy Lyra, as those two spoke the same language where doors opened unaided, presents showed up on doorsteps, and dinner bills were always miraculously paid. But for me? Life didn’t run so seamlessly.

“Well, if it isn’t wee Knox Douglas, all grown-up. It’s been ages since I’ve seen you.” Broca came as close to a sashay as she could with a walker, and Knox grinned at her.

It was the grin that did me in.

Coherent thoughts scattered from my brain.

“If it isn’t the notorious MacGregor witches back in Briarhaven. It’s good to see you, Broca, even if you’ve taken a bit of a tumble, it seems.”

“Och, it’s just a wee bruise. Nothing much to fuss over.” Broca flirted up at Knox, and I raised an eyebrow. A hip replacement was certainly not a wee bruise.

“If it’s good to see her, why are you trying to kick us out, then?”

Knox turned back to me, the smile sliding neatly off his face, and I silently applauded my ability to annoy even the most handsome of men.

“It’s good to see you all are doing well,” Knox amended. “But, since you aren’t good for Briarhaven, I really must insist that you go.”

“Who says we’re not good for Briarhaven?” This from Nova, who, with her sullen glare and tattooed arms, looked every inch the badass she was. She could have followed it up with You want a piece of me? and actually pulled it off.

I would have looked like a cranky librarian scolding someone for returning a book late.

“Yeah, what she said.” Yup, didn’t quite land that.

Knox’s gaze drifted back to me, my breath caught, and I found myself leaning, honestly leaning, forward, as though his very nearness somehow was pulling me into his gravitational force.

Was this some kind of magickal charm he was using on me to sway me in his favor?

If so, I was even more deeply annoyed because I didn’t take well to people using magick, or coercion of any sort, on me.

Knox turned and pointed out the front door, where snow swirled wildly behind him.

“Exhibit A.”

“Hardly unusual for Scotland,” Nova scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Or is a little snow enough to send you scurrying back to your drafty castle?”

“I don’t scurry, and my castle is cozy as can be on a snowy winter’s night.”

I’d forgotten he lived in the castle. Now I was even more annoyed.

“Ladies, while I can appreciate you want to be home to help Broca, having you here is bad for tourism. It’s been a while since the MacGregors have lived in town, and things have changed since your family left.

We’ve worked tirelessly to build up our reputation, to design a careful, thoughtful, and well-planned town with a theme that allows people like us to live here safely as well as to entice humans to spend tourist money.

It’s a win-win for everyone that has been hard fought for.

The last thing I need, or want, is a trio of messy witches screwing things up for us. ”

“Messy?” I arched a brow at him, pushing Lyra out of the way and getting in his face. Vaguely recalling something from childhood, I poked Knox in the chest. “You’re no longer welcome in this home.”

To my absolute delight, the magick in the old house held strong. Knox was sucked backward onto the front porch, and the door slammed resoundingly in his face.

“Well, now, that’s a neat little party trick,” Nova decided.

“Is he a vampire? Doesn’t that only work on vampires?” Lyra turned to me, shock on her pretty face.

“It’s a protection spell,” Broca said, waddling forward. “I recharged the wards when I returned, and I have to admit I’m quite chuffed with myself. That worked nicely. Well done, Sloane.”

A knock sounded at the door.

“Go away!” we all shouted at once.

“Ladies, we have to talk about this. Your curse is going to destroy this town. I can’t allow that to happen. How much will it cost?”

At that we looked at each other.

“He’s trying to buy us off?” I gasped.

“I wonder how much. I did have my eye on a new stand mixer.” Lyra tapped a manicured nail against her lips. A natural-born influencer, her talents lay in the kitchen, and she ran a successful cooking YouTube channel that could more than pay for as many stand mixers as she’d like.

“Enough to open a tattoo shop?” Nova considered.

“We don’t need his money,” Broca reminded them.

Being a witch had its benefits, and one was that our family had been incredibly good with timing particular investments through the years.

I wouldn’t say they dealt in insider trading specifically .

But I also wouldn’t say their investments didn’t have an added boost of a magickal inclination here and there.

The knocking continued.

“I’m not leaving.”

I pictured him, sitting on our porch and getting covered in snow, and my heart thawed slightly. Sighing, I cracked the door open and looked out. The snowfall continued, fat fluffy flakes dancing in the light from the streetlamp, dusting across Knox’s perfect jawline.

“One would surmise that it would be stupid of you to sit on a porch and freeze to death in a snowstorm, so I would like to think that you have enough self-preservation to see yourself home.”

“I’ll leave once you leave.” Knox lifted his chin, a stubborn look in his eyes.

“What are you, twelve? I’ll go if you go ?” I threw up my hands. “It’s true, isn’t it? People never tell you no, do they?”

Knox blinked at me as frustration flashed in his eyes.

“As I believe I mentioned, it is not a common practice around here.”

“Consider this a lesson in growth, then.” I had the gall to reach through the door and pat Knox’s cheek in the most condescending manner I could.

Frustration shifted to annoyance on his handsome face, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with myself.

“For your information, we’re here to break the curse.

We’ll get it sorted soon enough, and your precious town will be none the worse.

In the meantime, might I suggest you pull out your ice skates and enjoy an early winter? ”

His eyes narrowed. “Cute.” The word dripped with sarcasm. “Though I much prefer the easier solution—you leaving.”

“We can’t always get what we want, can we?”

“Again, not a problem I usually have.”

“Arrogant, aren’t you?” Was he seriously not going to leave us alone? This was moving past annoying to infuriating.

“No, I don’t think so.” Knox crossed his arms, considering my words. Like, actually considering them, not just pretending to in order to blow me off. “Things just usually go my way.”

I didn’t doubt it, what with his charm and good looks.

“I totally get that,” Lyra agreed from behind me.

“Listen, Knox. We’ve been in Briarhaven for about three seconds.

In that time frame, I’ve barely been able to hug my grandmother, let alone figure out how or when to break the curse.

So, may I kindly suggest you back the hell off and give us a moment to breathe?

Legally, you have no right to evict us, and if you’re going to insist on being a nuisance, I’ll call the police. ”

At that, Knox grinned, a dimple forming on one side, and I sighed, banging my head lightly against the doorframe.

“Please don’t tell me you are also the police?”

“There’s not much call for a police force here, Sloane.”

Ugh, there it was again: my name on his lips. Why did it just sound so good?

“Please, just leave. I’m begging you. We’ve been traveling for ages. I’ll update you on the curse-breaking as soon as possible. But you know what won’t help break the curse?”

“What’s that?” Knox crossed his arms over his chest.

“You. Being here. Interrupting us.” With that, I closed the door, and when silence followed, I let out a shaky breath. A dull ache pounded at my forehead, and I realized I wanted nothing more than to go face-first into a pillow for ten straight hours.

“I’m going up to bed. I’d politely request everyone leave me the hell alone.”

I stomped up the stairs, automatically following the way to my childhood bedroom, Nova’s voice trailing after me.

“Don’t mind Sloane, Broca. She’s in one of her moods. And, in fairness, she has been driving for hours. She’ll be better after a good sleep.”

“I suspect that’s not what has her in a mood.”