I could only hope that my aunt wasn't suspicious. The last thing I needed was her calling the Ghost Busters.

Joke was on me. Lukas and I never got any more solid information or answers that night. It remained another mystery.

Chapter 16.

THE DAY AFTER THE STRANGEST Thanksgiving ever, I got a text from Sophie inviting me to hang out. Of course my first thought was it would be a great way to possibly run into Gavin. He had kept his promise and returned to school on Monday, but it was hardly like it used to be. In fact, I think he still went to great pains to avoid me. Sure chem wasn't so easy, but all the other cla.s.ses and in the pa.s.sing periods zlitch.

So I jumped all over the chance to see him.

Standing on the porch of the Mason's house, I shifted on my feet. There was a gazillion emotions plummeting through me. Excitement. Fear. Hope. Nervousness. A roar of crashing waves could be heard over my bubbling feelings. It was a heartening sound.

The door opened, and my heart pitter pattered right into overdrive. I didn't have to look up to know who had answered the door. Every bone. Every muscle. Every fiber in my being knew it was Gavin.

My chest jumped for joy. Fireflies like the beacon of the night zoomed in my belly. I missed those pesky fireflies. When I raised my head, I was slammed into a pair of sapphire eyes, the same eyes that burned my steamy dreams night after countless night. I couldn't stop staring at him. My tongue was stuck. My legs started to shake. My world hadn't felt complete without him.

A tendril of something inside me reached out to him, willing itself to attach to this one guy for all of eternity. The intensity startled me. I knew I loved him, but forever...

He stood in the doorway in a pair of ripped denim, a t-shirt and a lopsided grin. G.o.d I missed that mouth. My eyes fastened onto his lips, and I had to swallow a moan. His knock-your-sock-off lips were tempting. Once you have drunk from the fountain of ecstasy, one drink was never enough.

Those dark sapphire eyes roamed over me slowly, and suddenly I was scorching hot. It didn't matter that it was November, my body was on fire. I could have thrown myself all over him in a matter of seconds.

It was that bad.

When I referred to jumping at the chance to see him, I hadn't meant literally. But geez at this rate it was a good possibility that I wouldn't make it off this porch without embarra.s.sing myself greatly. His grin only grew the longer I stood there with my mouth hanging open, drooling at his feet.

It was his smirk that finally snapped me out of my trance before I made an even bigger doofus of myself. He stepped aside waiting for me to come inside. Brushing past him, I cleared my throat uncomfortably. "Is Sophie here?"

He waggled that studded brow. "No she is gone for the day with my parents."

I groaned. Sophie.

I was going to kill her, then hug her.

She could be conniving when she wanted to be. And I utterly fell for it. I had been smartly maneuvered. Sophie was in deep s.h.i.t. I was going to strangle her when I saw her next. Not that a part of me wasn't thrilled but I would have preferred it on his own terms.

Understanding lit in his sultry eyes. "Well she does have style, and this has her signature written all over it."

Glancing around the room, I noticed how quiet it was. Not a peep. "Are you home alone?" I asked.

"Yep." He tucked his hand into his pockets.

"Oh. Well I guess I should go"

"You can stay if you want," he said cutting me off. "We could hang out."

I held my breath. "Sure." I expelled. "I'd like that."

We ended up watching Zombieland. Deciding on a movie with Gavin was nowhere near as problematic as it was with Tori and Austin. Side-by-side on the couch everything clicked into place, just like that. There was no longer a brick wall between us. No Lukas. It was just Gavin and I talking, poking fun at the movie, and just being normal. I couldn't remember the last time my heart felt so weightless.

I wiggled my nose at a gruesome, but funny part of the movie. Woody Harrelson was a boss in this film. Peeking at the hot guy next to me, I found him staring at me.

"I adore your freckles. They're cute," he commented and flicked the end of my nose.

I made a horrible face. "Cute! I don't want to be cute."

His lips twitched. "They're s.e.xy, okay? How's that?"

A small smile appeared on my lips. "Better."

"So how's the magic coming?" he asked. His leg was pressed up against mine on the couch. Just the little contact did funny things to my belly.

My violet eyes twinkled. "I'll show you."

The whole moving object was easy as pie now, but I hadn't factored in Gavin as a distraction. It took more concentration and focus to get a simple gla.s.s of water from the coffee table to move. Once I had it in the air it was smooth sailing, well more or less.

Just a small hiccup.

I had the gla.s.s balanced mid-air in front of him, right within his grasp. What I hadn't been prepared for was his whispered breath near my ear. His lips grazed my neck and that did it. My concentration was shot. I didn't even have a clue what he had whispered. And of course the gla.s.s tumbled into his lap splashing water all over him. It soaked his shirt, and sprayed bits of water on my face and hair.

Stunned. No one moved.

Then like a dam had been broken, I busted into a fit of hysterics. I don't why I thought it was so funny, but I couldn't stop the laughter. Falling back into the couch cushion, water gathered at my eyes. I hadn't laughed so hard in a long time. It felt freeing. My stomach even started to cramp.

"I swear you did that on purpose." He smirked, shaking the water from his hair.

He stood up, and I slid to the floor clutching my middle. "You. Broke. My. Concentration." I blamed it on him between giggles.

His eyes said he was secretly pleased. I just bet he was.

I was holding my stomach rolling on the floor. He just looked so darn adorably rumpled. With a quick flick of his wrist, he pulled his soaking wet shirt over his head, and my laughter immediately died.

I gulped.

Holy hotness. Stop the broomsticks.

s.e.xy didn't even come close to describing Gavin shirtless.

I clamped my mouth shut to keep from embarra.s.sing myself.

That was unexpected. Very nice, but I was completely unprepared for a half-naked Gavin. My eyes roamed over every glorious golden inch. I've seen him without a shirt before but we had been too busy for me to really appreciate. Now that I had the chance, I wasn't wasting it. My eye googling was stopped short by a mark unlike anything I'd ever seen.

It was a tattoo, but it wasn't. I mean tattoos don't glimmer. The ink looked like a metallic rainbow, changing color with the light. It was more than just the unusual ink. I had to be seeing s.h.i.t. How could it flicker like that?

"You have a tattoo?" I exclaimed astonished, pushing to my feet. How did I not know this? Not that I really should have been that surprised, this was Gavin. The embodiment of a bad boy, he really could be one with a few scars and tattoos.

He twirled the hoop at the center of his lip, his contemplation habit. I wasn't going to let him get out of explaining this.

A tattoo that seemed to live... no way. "It is a tattoo right?" I asked hesitantly not wanting to sound like an utter newb.

He watched me. "Of sorts. It's more than a tattoo. It's protection. The ink is spelled and bound to the witch."

I was entranced.

On their own accord, my feet moved until I could feel the heat radiating from his superb body. Later I might have been mortified by my behavior, but right now I wasn't thinking at all. My fingers lightly traced the lines of the shimmering tattoo situation on the left side of his chest. I mean it literally shimmered, like it was alive, moving. Enthralled, I let my nails outline his hot skin. His muscles trembled on contact. Right. He wasn't wearing a shirt and I was touching him. Well more like caressing him. His abs were freaking edible. I wanted just one nibble, and I stepped forward, brushing against him. Forgetting about his tattoo, I peaked up from under my lashes. His eyes gleamed. Dark. Sinful. Scrumptious.

He placed his hands on either side of my hips, and my entire being went up in flames. Leaning down he whispered my name against my partial parted lips. Nibbling, he tugged on my bottom lip, and I fought the need to sink my teeth into him. He had a way of bringing out this crazy-girl side of me.

Unable to move, I stood immobile, afraid to break the mood. I didn't want to do or say anything that would ruin this moment. His mouth outlined along my jaw leaving tiny, fiery embers behind. He made me sparkle from inside and out. With him I felt like a better person, a better witch. He made everything seem brighter.

Our bodies fused together. My hands flatted on his bare chest, and I tilted my head giving him more access. His lips grazed my neck, my cheek, my chin. So lost was I on the crazy intensity of his kisses, I couldn't keep track where his lips roamed. They were everywhere and at the same time it was not enough.

My fingers dug into his dark locks, and he finally gave me what I craved. Our lips met in one fluid motion. And his lips were to die for.

Sweet Jesus he could kiss.

I didn't know how I could go another day without one of his kisses, though one was never enough. Never.

His tongue swept over mine, tasting of the richest flavors. Sliding my hand down his back, I kissed him ardently back. Sparks flowed, cascading off our bodies. It was purely cosmic. Moonbeams. Shooting stars. Our hearts beat in time. Our magic purred together.

Sliding down the curve of my back, he cupped my backside. His fingers tightened, searing through my jeans, and pulled me closer, surging our bodies. Behind my eyes I saw flashes of silver and white light. We were seriously electrifying. I opened myself up deeper as Gavin pressed his lips more firmly against mine. I was lost to the world, lost to only him.

I couldn't catch my breath. It was amazing.

Need spread through me like wildfire. At this rate we were going to devour each other.

And I was going to enjoy each second.

We were both breathing hard as we surfaced for air. A huge part of me wanted to dive in for round two. I was pretty sure round two would end up with fewer clothes and farther than we had gone before. Right then it sounded divine. But a small fraction of me was still absorbed by the tattoo.

It won.

"I want one," I proclaimed breathless. The idea was just suddenly there, and I knew to the bottom of my curled toes that I truly wanted one.

"No." He stepped out of our embrace, and I mourned his warmth.

I wrapped my arms around myself. "What do you mean no?"

And just as quick, his eyes flashed with stubbornness. "Do I need to spell it out for you? N. O."

Smarta.s.s. He most definitely was going to pay for that. "Why is it okay for you to have one and not me? If you say it because I'm a girl, I swear I'll kick you."

He tried not to grin and failed miserably. "It's more than just decorative body art Bri. It's magic. A different kind of magic. One bound beyond the rules of magic."

"So it's like illegal magic."

His fingers combed through his hair. "Yeah. That pretty much sums it up."

I remained undeterred. "You don't get to decide what's best for me." The look on his face said he was going to fight me tooth and nail on this. Fine. Time to play dirty. "I had another visit from Casper the friendly ghost."

That got his attention. He frowned.

"I am going with or without you." I declared trying to sound like a harda.s.s...and failing.

He remained an immoveable force. "You can't go without me."

True, I might not know where to go but he wasn't the only witch in town. "I'll just get Sophie or Jared."

His frowned deepened. I think the Jared thing pushed him over the edge. "Let's go."

I grinned a mile wide. "Your car or mine?"

He sighed heavily. "You know I am going to regret this."

"Live a little." This coming from the girl who a few months ago would never have skipped school, never failed a cla.s.s, let alone contemplate a tattoo.

She also hadn't had magic or mega gorgeous boyfriend. Almost boyfriend. Things were looking promising.

He waggled his studded brow. "I'll drive."

"So how soon can we get there?" I asked, slipping into the pa.s.senger seat of his Charger.

He grinned wolfishly. My heart tripped. I was feeling wild and reckless.

It was fabulous.

Chapter 17.

I MISSED THIS SO MUCH I ached, like my heart had caught a fever. This easiness, silliness, and plain fun between us was cleansing, a breath of fresh air after inhaling nothing but smog.

"So where are we going?" I asked, snuggling in the plush leather.

He had both eyes on the road. A slip of hair flopped over one eye. "I know someone," he said, his lips tipped at the corners.