Spellbound: A Second Chance Paranormal Romance Page 2

  Ethan stared back at her, clearly giving her the same appraisal that she’d given him. Much to Eliza’s disappointment, he was the first to break free from the spell. He strode forward, closing the distance between them and offered her his hand. She looked at it, unsure if taking it was a good idea. It had been years, but she wasn’t naïve enough to believe that he wouldn’t still affect her. Even with space between them, she could feel the tension building. It’d always been like that with them.

  “Hi, I’m Ethan Sanders,” he introduced himself, as if they were strangers. But she noticed the slight curl of his mouth and the glint in the eye that often accompanied his playful moods.

  “Eliza Davidson.” She took his hand, and the moment their skin touched, what felt like a bolt of magic travelled through her. Maybe she was imagining it after the shock of seeing Ethan. That was by far the most logical explanation. At least, she figured that was more likely than their touch causing a magical reaction. Surely she’d have noticed it while they’d dated before.

  The two of them lingered over the touch, which probably looked odd from where Denise was sitting. Thinking of the receptionist, Eliza hastily pulled her hand away and gestured towards the lifts. “If you’d like to follow me.”

  The moment the lift doors closed, and the two of them were alone, Eliza could almost swear that the magic sparks were back, except this time they weren’t even touching. She tried to dismiss them as a mere hallucination, but nothing she was doing or thinking would make them go away. She briefly considered actually using her magic to attempt to make them disappear, but quickly shut down that notion. She couldn’t do that in front of a human, even if the human was Ethan.

  “It’s good to see you,” Ethan said, breaking the silence the moment that they were in the meeting room.

  “You did recognise me then?” Eliza cursed inwardly, hating just how awkward her question had sounded.

  “How could I not?” He muttered, setting down his bag and pulling out a tablet. He sat down in one of the chairs and made himself comfortable. She could feel his dark brown eyes watching her, but rather than feeling uncomfortable or objectified, Eliza found herself appreciating the attention. It’d been too long since any man had made her feel like that.

  “How’ve you been?” She was at a loss for what to say. Technically, she supposed that she could have started the meeting. After all, that was the real reason he was here. But something in Eliza thought that it was a bit rude to do that, especially when they hadn’t seen each other in so long. Also considering that she’d pretended more than one of her lovers had been him.

  She shook her head slightly, desperate to rid herself of the images her imagination had conjured up. When they’d dated as teenagers, they’d only ever had sex the once. It’d been the night before she’d moved, and they’d never had a chance to repeat the experience. But her overactive imagination had plenty of fun conjuring up images of things they could have done together. Particularly when she was feeling unsatisfied.

  “I’ve been good. What about you?” He answered.

  “Yeah, alright thanks.” They lapsed into silence. “I’ve missed you,” she blurted out without meaning to. She cursed herself, it wasn’t that she’d lied. More that it wasn’t the kind of thing she wanted to admit in front of an ex, even if it was true. A slow smile spread across Ethan’s face, making him appear all the more handsome to her.

  “I’ve missed you too,” he admitted, surprising her. She smiled back, and the two of them took the opportunity to move on to the work that they were supposed to be meeting about, the awkwardness banished by the safe subject.

  She quickly discovered that he was good at his job, and had easily taken what she’d thought of as an overly controlling and dated brief, and turned it into something wonderful. He’d even managed to get it so that the graphics would actually appeal to teenagers. That could only be a good thing, considering they were the company’s target market. Though they wouldn’t know for sure until the idea had been put in front of a test group. The groups seemed to have a lot of power around here, and she’d seen more than one concept destroyed when they went in front of one.

  She watched as Ethan packed his bag back up, enjoying how his shirt stretched over his back as his arms moved. He turned back to her, just in time to catch her staring, and smirked at her.

  “Didn’t anyone tell you that it’s rude to stare?” She smiled back at him, remembering when she’d said those exact words to him the day they’d met. He’d been staring at her from across the playground. They’d been nine, and she’d just moved to a new school. Which had happened a lot during her childhood. In fact, the eight years they’d spent in Ethan’s home town had been a long time for her family.

  “Nope, must have missed that lesson,” she replied. Ethan laughed, a deep sound that went through her in a thrilling way. That’s what he’d said to her that day too, and just the memory was enough to make her heart feel lighter than it had in years. At first, they’d just been friends. It wasn’t until they were at high school, at fifteen, that they’d started to look at each other in a different way.

  “Would it be too much to ask if we could hang out?” She asked him, before she could bottle out. The laughter fell from his face, and a more serious look replaced it.

  “Eliza…”

  “Just as friends,” she cut him off. She had no way of knowing what he’d been about to say, but the look on his face was enough to convince her that it wasn’t good. And now that she’d seen him again, the thought of not having him back in her life was making her feel oddly uncomfortable.

  “I’m not sure I can be just friends with you.” His voice was soft, almost like an apology, but her heart latched on to what he’d said, noting that it wasn’t actually a no.

  “A non-friend, non-date, dinner then?” She asked nervously. She hadn’t realised quite how much she still wanted him until that moment. Except that wasn’t actually right. She’d known for years, she just hadn’t wanted to admit it. It wasn’t great to have to admit that she was still pining over someone she hadn’t seen in six years.

  “I don’t know, Eliza. I’m not sure I can,” he said, a pained look on his face. Almost as if he didn’t really want to say the words. Her heart sank, and she questioned whether this really was the end for them.

  It wasn’t like they’d broken up because either of them had done anything wrong, surely there could still be something there. He must have seen something in her expression, because he sighed and pushed his hand over his face and through his hair. The gesture left the dark strands sticking out in all kinds of directions and gave him the sexily mussed look that many men would pay good money for.

  “Can I think about it?” It might not have been the answer that she was hoping for, but at this point, Eliza was willing to take what he could give.

  “Sure,” she agreed with a nervous smile. She gave him one of the business cards she kept in her bag, making doubly sure her mobile number was on it. She’d changed her old one as soon as her family had moved away, not trusting herself enough not to call Ethan and stop them both moving on.

  “I’ll text you.” He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, branding her like he had the first time. It was that moment that Eliza realised that she had no hope of ever truly being over him, and that she realised she would do almost anything to win him back.

  Chapter 4

  The card in his pocket hadn’t strayed far from his mind for the rest of the day, and it had taken everything Ethan had not text her already. Almost as much effort as it had taken not to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. The outfit she’d decided to wear hadn’t helped. He’d wanted to rip it off her, or better yet, magic it away. He shook his head, determined to remove the inappropriate thoughts.

  The moment he’d seen her looking at him, he’d forgotten almost everything that was important, and he could have sworn that his heart had skipped a beat. He’d always wondered if he’d see her again, but now that he had, he wa
s surprised by the strength of his reaction.

  Eliza had always been physically beautiful. Even as a nine-year-old, he’d been able to appreciate her as being pretty, but it was more than that.

  Just so long as Ethan remembered not to let her reappearance cloud his judgement, he’d be fine. As much as he’d love to let her back in and pick up where they left off, she’d broken his heart, and there was a part of him that was still hurting over it. He wasn’t ready to forgive and forget quite yet.

  Flame flickered into life the moment he walked back into his small flat. Not that it needed to be any bigger. He’d only moved in a week ago, having finally had enough of the student area he’d lived in previously. The late night parties he’d had to listen to almost nightly, had finally got too much for him. He’d chosen to live alone and, while he could have roomed with another witch, that would have limited the times that Flame was about. Which was as good a reason to live alone as Ethan could think of, there was something comforting about Flame’s crackling presence. He’d always wondered if the bond he felt with Flame was the same as what other witches felt for their familiars, but it was a taboo subject, so he’d never know.

  He wasn’t even sure why familiars were such a no-go, but whenever he’d asked his parents about it, they’d shared a secret smile that made him think that it was something to do with mating. Ethan frowned, realising that mating was another part of witch society that was shrouded in mystery. He didn’t even know how mating worked between two witches, or even if they could mate quite like other paranormals did. It was alright for shifters and vampires, they could just bite their lover, but with witches that just wouldn’t work. And not just because the idea of biting anyone was a little bit repulsive for him.

  Ethan shrugged off his jacket, throwing it over the arm of his sofa. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and stared at it, trying to decide if texting Eliza was the right thing to do. His heart was telling him yes, just like it had been all day, but his head was reminding him about what happened last time.

  He knew that, technically, their break up hadn’t been Eliza’s fault, but at the time it had felt like the rug had been pulled out from under him, and that his world would never be the same again.

  A knock sounded at his door, surprising him and making Flame disappear with a faint pop. Ethan shook his head; familiars were funny things. He’d never understand how they worked. He strode over to the door, swinging it open and stopping dead when he saw who was standing on the other side.

  She was drenched. Her long dark hair dripping water onto her shirt, making it stick to her in a way that really wasn’t helping Ethan stay in control. From the look of surprise on Eliza’s face, she hadn’t expected him to be on the other side of the door either.

  “Ethan…” she trailed off, looking somewhat uncertain. He wasn’t sure why. After the initial awkwardness of seeing him again earlier, she’d come across as the confident woman that he’d known she’d become. Eliza Davidson knew exactly who she was, and she owned it. She always had. And yet, for the second time today, she looked lost for what to say. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you lived here.” She turned to go, but Ethan grabbed for her hand, shocking them both this time.

  “Eliza, you’re soaked. Come in and dry off at least.” It took her a moment, but she stepped back through the door, and into the warmth. Ethan let go of a sigh of relief. He knew having her here was dangerous, especially for his sanity, but he couldn’t let her go back out in the rain.

  “I’m sorry, I locked myself out, I only live next door,” she told him, before he had a chance to ask her why she was here. He was disappointed that she hadn’t made the trip just to see him, but then again, he’d only just moved in. Up until today, he’d had no idea who his neighbours even were. He supposed that he could have made her wait in the hall, but that still seemed cruel.

  “I didn’t realise you lived here either,” he pointed out uselessly. His nerves getting the better of him.

  Eliza’s bright blue eyes locked on to his, and the two of them stood in silence, unable to look away. Finally, Ethan pulled away, knowing that if he looked at her any longer, he was going to do something stupid; like kiss her.

  “Do you want a coffee?” He mumbled, desperate for something to do with his hands. Especially if it meant that he could leave the room.

  “Sure. Is it alright if I call the landlord while you make it?” She motioned with her phone, which was clasped in her right hand. He nodded once.

  “Black with one sugar?” Her eyes widened and he mentally kicked himself. He wasn’t sure why he’d said that, and didn’t like that it revealed just how much he remembered about her. It had been six years. That should have been enough time to forget. At least, that’s what he told himself every time he started to think about her again.

  “Yes,” she answered weakly. She fiddled with her phone, and he walked into the kitchen, at a complete loss for what to say to her. Ethan busied himself making drinks, and tried his best not to listen in on her phone call. He knew that she was only calling their landlord, but it still felt wrong to invade her privacy.

  A familiar crackle of electricity sounded, and Ethan was surprised to see Flame flicker into life beside the kettle, his bright red sparks almost glowing in the dim lighting. He hadn’t bothered with the main light, there was no need when he had smaller ones already on.

  “You can’t be here,” he hissed at his familiar, throwing a worried glance back at the living room. Thankfully, Eliza was still making her phone call, hadn’t come looking for him. Flame chirped quietly, but didn’t vanish, only confusing Ethan more. The familiar shouldn’t be around at the moment, and normally he wouldn’t be. If even a fraction of what he’d been told about familiars was true, then Flame shouldn’t have appeared until after Eliza had left his home.

  “Ethan?” Eliza asked, but didn’t come into the kitchen. He threw a stern look at his familiar, before carrying the drinks back through to her, unable to quite shake the uneasy feeling caused by Flame’s appearance.

  Chapter 5

  She heard Ethan coming back through from the kitchen and shooed Bluebird away with her hand. She wasn’t sure why her familiar had appeared, particularly in a new place and with Ethan so close by, but she couldn’t risk Bluebird being seen. The last thing she wanted was the very human Ethan asking questions she didn’t know how to answer. She didn’t even know if humans could see familiars. She assumed they could, but then, they tended to be unobservant at the best of times. It was amazing how many shifters got away with wandering around in animal form without humans noticing. Just this morning she’d seen a blue jay that was ever so slightly bigger than the norm, and almost certainly a shifter in disguise.

  “Here you go,” Ethan said, handing her a coffee. She wrapped her hands around it, enjoying the warmth. She really should remember to put her umbrella in her handbag. It’d save accidents like today.

  “Thank you.”

  “What did he say?”

  “Huh?” Eliza hated to admit it, but she was completely distracted by the smell that seemed to be coming from Ethan. It was a mix of coffee, spice and something completely his own. It was a scent that she’d tried to forget, but would recognise in an instant. His smell was simultaneously exciting and comforting, it always had been.

  “The landlord, what did he say?” He asked, surprisingly unflustered, given the circumstances. If he’d turned up on her door step, completely soaked and unannounced, then she wouldn’t have been impressed. Actually, that wasn’t true. If it had been the other way around, she’d have suggested he take his clothes off so she could dry them for him. Eliza’s mouth went dry just thinking about that. She only had her memories, and her imagination, to go on, but she reckoned naked Ethan would be a sight to behold.

  “Sorry,” she answered after a moment too long. “He’ll be here in an hour or so. I can go grab a drink somewhere else if you prefer…” she trailed off, aware of the coffee in her hand. She also didn’t want to leave unless s
he had to.

  “No need, you can stay here.”

  They stared at each other for a long moment, neither moving an inch. Electricity crackled through the air, building the tension between them. Or at least, that’s what it felt like to Eliza. Her eyes kept straying down to his lips, and she could almost feel them pressed against her own. She had to wonder whether their first kiss in years would be soft and sensuous, or rough and passionate. Looking at him now, she hoped for the latter; she wanted nothing more than to rip his clothes off, preferably with her teeth. She supposed that she could just make them vanish with magic, but that might raise uncomfortable questions. Although, maybe she could make his shirt catch on something. Might still be hard to explain, but shirtless Ethan would be totally worth it.

  Ethan cleared his throat, bringing her out of her heated day dreams. She took a sip of her coffee, surprised to find that he’d made it exactly how she liked it. Her heartbeat quickened as she began to hope that he was still as fixated on her, as she was on him.

  “Thank you,” she muttered. Ethan fidgeted uncomfortably, the spell now broken.

  “So…”

  “I think Abra Cadabra is on,” she shrugged. They’d loved that show when they were younger. She still loved watching the amateur magicians battle it out, as well as trying to spot if there was a real witch in the mix.

  “You still watch that?” He looked surprised.

  “Every year,” she admitted. Sure, it was a bit stupid, but it reminded her of him, and she was a glutton for punishment. Without saying a word, Ethan moved over to the TV, switching it on and pulling up the channel. Which made Eliza wonder how he knew where to find it. He sat down on the sofa, and set down his mug on the table in front of him, then motioned for Eliza to join him. Reluctantly, she sat down next to him, nervous to be this close to him, and itching to touch him.