Page 42 of Unmarked Magic

Fuck my life. This woman would be the end of me. I ignored her, dialing the local taxi number as I kept walking, knowing no one in the house was sober enough to drive. I’d been happy to crash on the couch tonight, thinking it would just be the guys, but not now. The call connected, and I let the operator know my address before hanging up.

“You can’t keep running from this!”

I paused, lacing my fingers together at the base of my neck. She really wanted to do this now. Spinning on my heel, I watched her storm toward me. Her long hair was buried in a scarf that wrapped around her neck, her hands hurriedly tying a belt around the middle of a black woolen coat.

I kept my voice even. “I’m not running. I just want to go home.” I didn’t believe my own words, much less expect her to. But it was an attempt to get her off my tail. This thing between us had to stop. I needed to ignore it as best I could, then as soon as my insurance money came through, restore the apartment, move out, and put some space between us.

“You left. Again. Seems you’re good at that,” she sniped.

Fuck. She was really doing this.

I tried to avoid her glare, but it drew me in like a new type of sorcery I’d not yet discovered. The pull to her became harder to fight.

Headlights surged through the fog further down the street, coming closer every second. Again, I ignored her comment. “It’s cold. Get in.” I motioned to the taxi as it pulled into the curb beside us and threw the door open. Inside were two guys, one in the front passenger seat, the other in the back. Typical, a fucking ride share, but I would take it over freezing my dick off if I had to walk the rest of the way.

I motioned for Red to enter before me, and she rolled her eyes, stepping inside and shuffling into the middle. The guys inside said a quick hello as I followed behind her.

Whoever decided a Suzuki Swift was suitable for a taxi needed their paycheck shoved up their ass. It was fucking tiny. Her body heat sank into me, spreading warmth throughout me. I shuffled in my seat to put space between us, but it was useless. The entire side of me touched her.

There was no avoiding it.

I felt my dick stir in my jeans at her proximity, then the bloom of wild berries hit me. She felt it too, again. It seemed her dislike for me this evening had all been an act.

Adjusting my pants, I attempted to taper my semi, opting to stare out the window to take my mind off her. One more minute and I would be out of this car.

An awkward silence sat heavy between us, but she knew as well as I did, we could not talk about this among humans. I zoned out to the banter between the others in the vehicle until the guy in the front passenger’s seat span around, speaking directly to Red.

“This your brother or your boyfriend?” he said, motioning to me.

The fuck?

Red snorted. “Neither.”

He continued. “If you’re looking for a good time tonight, I’d be happy to show you one.”

Red didn’t miss a beat. “Thank you for your offer, but I’m good,” she said politely.

The guy didn’t take a hint.