Page 39 of Sweets and Sycamores

When she made no move to lower the fire, Dominic inched closer to her, closer to the fire. Allie shifted it away from him, but the Mage moved closer still. At this rhythm, they would end up turning in circles.

“Down.”

“Fine!” she ceded.

Allie crouched down, and Dominic followed, never letting go of her hand.

You won’t burn the forest, you won’t burn the forest, you won’t burn the forest.

The chant went on and on in Allie’s mind as she spilled the fire onto the ground like it was liquid. She resisted the urge to shut her eyes and wait for Dom to put it out before it spread.

But the flame crunched and sparkled in a still dance, not extending more than they had in her hand. Allie laughed.

“How?”

“Your power is your will, Allie. Unless you sic it on this earth intentionally, it won’t hurt anything or anyone.

It’s an extension of you. It answers to you.

” Dominic’s words were slow and gentle, and so doubtless that Allie believed him.

It was easy to believe him, with the proof that she willed her fire not to burn the place to the ground, and it worked.

She was awestruck. Her life had gone from fearing a simple sneeze to being able to summon fire and mold it as she wished.

All due to the man still holding her hand.

“One more thing,” Dominic said, pulling them to their feet. Allie regarded him curiously; what else was there? “Step into it.”

“Excuse me?” Allie looked between the fire and Dominic, huffing with disbelief. Touching it was one thing, setting it down was another, but…stepping into it with her entire body? Allie wasn’t that comfortable with her power yet. “No, thank you.”

“You already know it won’t hurt you,” Dominic argued.

“My brain cannot conceive stepping into a burning fire, Mr. Ranford.” Allie bristled.

“Yet that fire is an extension of you, Miss Wells,” Dominic countered her banter, and her heart quivered. “You are stepping into yourself.”

“If you put it like that…” Allie eyed the flickering flame and changed her internal chanting to “You won’t burn me.”

You won’t burn me. You won’t burn me. You won’t burn me.

Her breath hitched, and the anticipation of stepping into a live fire made her feel like she’d swallowed glass. The flames were still, yet daring her to come close.

See what happens.

“Eyes on me.”

Dominic tugged at her hand until she was close enough to brush her nose against his chin. He wrapped their clasped hands into a vortex of air and said, “So it doesn’t burn me.”

“I thought you said it was my will.” Allie raised one brow. “I would never want to hurt you.”

“You don’t look like I’m your favorite person right now,” he said, and then he did something that Allie had given up thinking was possible.

He smiled.

Widely.

Not just half of a smile, or a withering smirk.

A full-on, stunning, blinding grin that crinkled the skin around the corners of his eyes, stretching up to his cheekbones. A different type of light shimmered in his eyes, one that came from within, from his soul.

Allie was a goner. Her crush exploded into a cascade of feelings that she’d bottled up because “he was her boss,” and “she would leave soon,” and “he wasn’t interested in her.

” None of these mattered anymore in front of the force that was Dominic Ranford smiling.

And Allie didn’t think too much before she squeezed his hand and opened her mouth.

“You might just be my favorite person, Dom.”

Then she stepped into the fire.

Dominic would spend the rest of his life trying to find something more beautiful than this woman coming into her power, and he already knew he’d fall short.

Watching Allie conquer her fears and take charge of the fire inside her filled him with inexplicable joy.

Maybe the reason was that she had trusted him implicitly, blindly, to guide her through this.

Maybe it was because he knew firsthand how hard it was to come to terms with the magic inside you for the first time.

Or maybe it was because…because he felt something for her.

Because she was dear to him, and her smile lit up every room despite all odds being against her.

Because she was beautiful, and she didn’t give up on herself, even when she hadn’t known it was a seal messing with her power.

Having someone like Allie in his corner was a glorious victory. She’d lodged herself into his heart, despite all the thorns and ice covering the organ.

Dom watched her step into the fire and stand there before she moved her free hand around, testing the flame with her fingers. She smiled brightly at him and stepped out, fisting her hand and snuffing the fire out.

He wanted to kiss that smile of hers. Her cheeks. Her jaw. Her neck. Her everything.

He wanted to kiss her so badly that his knees might give out, and he would fall at her feet.

Selfishly, he wanted to at least pull her into his arms.

But when Allie jumped up and down with delight about what she’d just done, when she looked at him as if this win was as much his as it was hers, Dom bit his tongue and nodded his encouragement.

He didn’t want to take this moment away from her.

So he watched her, mesmerized by the pure happiness she exuded, and thought…

Maybe next time.