Page 6 of Untraced Magic (Cutters Cove Witches #1)

Morgan

In the spare room, dust settled on boxes, and I ran my hand through it, the pads of my trembling fingers collecting its remanence. They cut trails over a large box that held memories I couldn’t yet swallow or bring myself to face.

It held my easel and brushes, the smaller boxes full of colors waiting for a new identity on paper.

I had a special love of painting. When I was three, my father set a paintbrush and bucket in front of me.

I remembered it so clearly, like it was only yesterday.

I never knew I was only painting the fence with water, but the paintbrush stoked my imagination, and I painted in lines, splotches, and swirls until there was no more water in my bucket.

Retracing my steps, I shut the door behind me, resting my head against the timber frame. My eyes lazed shut as I let out a deep breath, trying to lull my aching heart.

Two long years, and I still couldn’t bring myself to indulge in the thing I loved most. The one thing my father and I shared a love of.

I needed this door to disappear. Out of sight, out of mind .

My gaze landed on the bookcase down the hall, and I strode towards its towering height that stretched almost to the ceiling.

It would fit perfectly.

Precious tales filled my palms as I emptied the bookcase of epic love stories that allowed me to escape from my world and into their pages.

When it stood empty, I gripped its sides, heaving it down the hall until it filled the door frame. Full of books once more, I could no longer see the door. Memories smothered by books, better than a daily slap in the face.

I sank against the wall until I rested on the floor, long breaths leaving me as I collected myself, my chest rapidly rising and falling.

I badly needed to get out. To go somewhere, do something.

It had been four days since the party, and I had surprisingly enjoyed it. For a bunch of strangers, they’d made me feel very welcome. Well, most of them.

I recalled how freaking hot it was watching Tyler spar with Reid, wearing only a pair of jeans.

The way his muscles had moved, carving shapes over his back as they wrestled, was a piece of art alone.

I’d thought he was a total jerk, another guy with a big head.

But another part of me felt like I'd been too quick to judge.

The part that was still thinking about the ‘you have me all figured out’ remark.

Call it a hunch, but I had a feeling I had him all wrong and couldn’t place my reason for it. Even when he had dismissed me so suddenly after asking if it was him at the gas station, like he wanted to avoid the topic completely. I was certain it was him.

He spent the rest of the night putting as much space between us as possible, but his eyes however, had found mine, again and again.

More times than I could count.

Like an itch I needed to scratch, something about Tyler intrigued me. But despite the unusual way I found myself attracted to him, I was almost happy for his rudeness.

Because I had one rule.

Don’t get close to anyone.

And for a good reason.

Getting close to someone meant they got to know you well . And that I couldn’t afford.

I sighed. Skye had invited me to the opening night of a new bar in town tonight, and I’d told her I would go. Something in the back of my mind willed me to say yes.

One night out with her didn’t mean we had to be besties, and it had been so long since I’d let my hair down.

I pulled myself up from the floor, then quickly showered and dressed.

“Where the hell are my shoes?” I muttered, scanning the bedroom floor. How I lost stuff in this house was beyond me.

I finally spotted them poking out from beneath my bed before shoving them on my feet.

Skye wanted me to get ready at her place, so I skimmed the clothes in my wardrobe and picked out two outfits, packing them into my bag.

Shrugging on my jacket, I slung my bag over my shoulder, bounding out the front door and down the steps .

Thick clouds coated the sky in its usual spread of gray. It didn’t surprise me. I swore this town was cursed, never to see the sun.

Tyler’s van turned into his driveway as I walked past, and he swiftly cut the motor, jumping out. I instantly recognized the oil-smudged coveralls, confirming it was definitely him I saw at the gas station.

I didn’t understand his need to avoid the conversation the way he had. Why didn’t he just say it was him?

There was no avoiding him.

Our eyes locked with an intensity that stole the breath from my lungs, and I willed myself to speak, but nothing came out.

“Hey,” he finally said as he locked his van, veins from underneath his pushed-up sleeves straining with the movement.

“Hey,” I managed.

My fingers clenched around the strap on my shoulder like it was my lifeline out of this awkward moment, a cool breeze licking the nape of my neck causing me to gather my hoodie under my chin.

I took a deep breath. “Thanks for the invite, and introducing me to your friends. It was… interesting.”

Leaning against the van, he adjusted his sleeve.

“About Wes, he can be a little touchy feely sometimes, but he means well.”

I folded my arms around myself. “That’s okay.” I shrugged. “it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

He chuckled, and the way his head tipped in my direction made me think he was enjoying some private joke .

Tyler’s gaze traveled over my body, and I felt every inch of it, warmth melting into certain parts of me I chose to ignore.

“You look like you’re heading somewhere.” he said pointedly.

My fingertips skimmed the length of the chain over my collarbone.

“I am. Skye invited me to the opening night at Jinxed. Are you going?”

I inwardly groaned. Crap. Why did I even ask that?

His stare was heavy, and I felt like the weight of it could sink me to the bottom of the ocean. “Yeah, I might. Reid owns the bar, so I probably should.”

I adjusted the strap on my shoulder, keen for any distraction from the way his stare bore into me. “Well, I might see you there.” I motioned further up the street. “I should get going.”

Tyler nodded, grazing his palm over the stubble sanding his jaw. “Enjoy your walk.”

His features remained impassive as I left.

My brows creased as I walked away. I couldn’t figure him out.

Tyler was the walking definition of hot in a rough around the edges type of way. As rude as he had been at the party, I couldn’t ignore the way I found myself drawn to him, and it irritated the hell out of me.

Climbing the rise to Skye’s house on the far edge of town, wind whipped through my hair, fierce and untamed as it unleashed its fury on the only part of the cove exposed to the elements.

Below me, the ocean lashed against the shoreline, carving its name into the rocks, and I stilled for a moment, admiring the raw beauty .

Someone once told me to never turn my back on the ocean, and I never had.

It was wild and unpredictable.

It was everything I was not.

Walking up the drive, the house stood two levels high, framed in aged timber, a large balcony wrapping around its second story. It was a beauty surrounded by trees that yawned toward the property.

With a start, I jumped back as the front door flew open before I could knock. Skye wore a silver sequin dress cut just above the knee, orbs of light reflecting in every direction as she moved.

“Skye, wow, you’re sparkling!” I exclaimed in surprise. “You look amazing.”

She spun in a circle, the orbs following her. “What, this old thing?”

I grimaced, remembering the clothes I had packed that were plain in comparison. “I’m going to be so underdressed.”

Skye tutted, “Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.”

She grabbed my hand, dragging me through the door and upstairs into her bedroom, disappearing into her wardrobe. My gaze floated around her room, neat and tidy, with an armchair perched in the corner.

I walked over to the large sliding door where the ocean melted into the horizon.

“Here try this.”

I whipped around to find Skye with a hanger in her hand, holding a dress that looked like it would barely cover my butt.

I flashed her a skeptical look, my lips pursing. “No offence, but I don’t do dresses.”

She strode over to the bed, laying the garment down, her hands finding a hip each.

“Put it on. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Our eyes met in a standoff.

“Fine.” I pointed a finger at her. “But if it doesn’t cover all assets , I’m not wearing it.”

A dimple pinched her cheek as she smiled in victory. “Deal.”

I reluctantly took the dress to her bathroom, sliding it up my thighs and over my hips.

Zipping it up at the back, I returned to her bedroom, standing in front of her full-length mirror.

The black dress hugged my curves to just above the knee.

I’d never personally seen a dress with long sleeves, but the plunging neckline certainly made up for my arm coverage.

A wolf whistle filled the room and Skye appeared, holding a pair of black stilettos. “Now these,” she beamed.

I slipped them on in silence. The perfect fit.

I surveyed the stranger in the mirror with awe, wrestling my hair from its bun until it fell freely down my back and over my shoulders.

Skye leaned against the doorframe. “Damn, girl, you should wear a dress more often. Just saying.”

Honestly? I had to agree. The woman in the reflection was freaking hot.

I turned to Skye, smoothing the fabric over my hips with uncertainty.

“Are you sure we aren’t… too overdressed? ”

She fervently shook her head. “Trust me, we look amazing!”

Next, she dug through a makeup bag sitting on a set of drawers. She pulled out lipstick and handed it to me.

I gaped at her. “Red? Skye, this is for women with perfect everything, and I’m not one of them,” I protested.

Maybe this night out was a bad idea.

“Don’t be silly. Look at you! You’re a sultry brunette temptress. Now, put the lipstick on or we stay here and listen to Old Man Cutter.”

I arched a brow. “Old Man Cutter?”