Locked Out of Love (34 page)

He exhaled. “Fucking hell.”

• • •

Cali didn't wait. As Felix's hand reached out for her father she took it on blind faith that he bore no malicious intent toward her dad. Besides, it was the perfect opportunity. Felix was distracted, and Cali had spotted the portable phone on the bench by the front door. As much as it pained her to turn her back on her parents, she had to contact the police. Her parents were unconscious and defenseless, and she was alone with a murderer.

And just what the hell had happened back there when she'd first laid eyes on him? God, when he'd introduced himself with that elegant bow, his brilliant blue-green eyes locked with hers … the effect had been positively electric.

Her fast-acting lunge only carried her as far as the hall before a pair of warm, firm arms wrapped around her waist. “Yeah, I don't think so.” His breath brushed against her neck, causing a shiver to run down her body. Her knees buckled.

Felix's arms locked around her as they went down with a grunt. He twisted at the last minute, his firm chest cushioning her fall. One of her hands landed on his sternum. She felt his heart kick start beneath her palm.

She snatched her hand back as if burned.

His eyes locked with hers. “You don't understand — ” he started to say but she refused to listen. She needed to get out of his arms. His touch did something to her, made her feel things best left unnoticed.

That strange prickling at the back of her neck started up again.

She'd never been very good at fighting, but she'd spent a lot of time with her older brother when she was little. He'd been a wrestler, and she'd been famous for her flexibility that allowed her to maneuver out of his holds.

Felix must have seen the determination in her face because he quit talking. His arms wrapped tight around her back. She ignored the flutter in her chest and twisted her limber body out and under his arms.

He swore. “Look, I don't want to hurt you,” he pleaded as Cali shot to her feet. He was behind her in an instant, his fingers curling around her wrist like a vise. She ducked the left side of her body, going down to one knee while simultaneously turning her torso and arm out and around, breaking his grip. His other hand shot out in an attempt to make up lost ground. She pushed up with her bent leg, throwing her right shoulder back to pivot out of his reach.

She collided with the stair banister, and pain spiked up her spine as the wood hit one of her vertebrae.

Felix winced, hesitating in his pursuit.

It was all the opening she needed. She dove for the phone. Her fingers closed clumsily around it as her momentum drove her into the living room. It was one of those sunken rooms that she swore she'd never get in her own home specifically for this reason. She'd forgotten the drop-off was there. She tried to stop herself from landing on her face but her foot met nothing but air.

A yelp whooshed out of her as her stomach smashed into the hard back of her dad's favorite leather chair. She took in a pained gulp of air and rolled as Felix grabbed for her.

“Would you stop already?” He sounded beyond frustrated. “You're my Mirror Mate. I'm not going to harm you.”

Ignoring him, she hit the
talk
button on the phone, her finger shaking over the 9. The button gave the appropriate
beep
before Felix caught her in his arms again. Cali swirled around, having no qualms about fighting dirty, and kicked him in the shin as hard as she could. His blue-green eyes widened in pain.

She expected him to release her, but instead her kick must have disrupted his equilibrium because he lost balance, and together they fell onto the beige leather couch.

She kept the phone above her head to keep it from getting crushed between them. She squirmed against him but only succeeded in pressing her body closer to the hard planes of his.

Heat pooled low in her gut.

She brought the phone close to her face and hit the 1.

“I said stop.” One of his arms snaked out from under her, giving a showy wave, and just like that the phone
vanished
.

“Holy shit.”

Cali stared at her hand, waiting for the phone to reappear. It didn't. Her shock started to diminish as the realization that Felix was still atop her sank in, his tall, powerful body pressing hers into the material of the sofa.

He was a magician.

It was the only explanation her mind could come up with.

“How — ?”

Her mouth went dry as her eyes bored into his oceanic ones. The prickling on her neck increased as all sound seemed to fade from existence except theirs. Her breathing was loud and harsh, and she could've sworn she heard the pounding of Felix's heart like thunder.

A look of awe came over him as his gaze fell to her lips. She licked them instinctively but they continued to tingle. “What's your name?” he asked her.

In the strange stillness of the house, his words reverberated in her ears louder than normal.

She found her own gaze dropping to his mouth and forced her eyes back up to his. They met with a spark.

“Cali Crazar,” her traitorous mouth spoke.

A boyish grin tugged at his mouth. “Cali.” He seemed to test her name on his tongue. “Cali from
Cali
-fornia.”

She glared daggers at him and he laughed.

“How did you make the phone disappear? Are you a magician?” A murderous magician, she tried to remind herself.
Don't forget you still have no idea who this man is.
But she couldn't dispute the fact that if he wanted to hurt her he would have done it by now.

Amusement sparkled in his eyes. His thumb reached out and brushed her lips. Her heart pounded against her ribs, her nipples hardening where they were pushed against his firm chest. “No, I'm most definitely
not
a magician.”

She didn't believe him. He had to be. Phones didn't simply vanish, and dimly in the recesses of her mind she recalled that there had been no sign of the dead body in the hallway when she'd gone for the phone.

Strangest. Day. Ever.

Felix's head dipped close to hers.

Alarms shot through her brain.

Pull away. Spit in his face. Do something!

She couldn't, even if she wanted to. Something inside her simply responded to him. She couldn't resist. She'd wanted him as soon as she'd laid eyes on him, and that want frightened her.

The warmth of his lips ghosted over hers. Heat rolled through her body.

The front door burst open.

To purchase this ebook and learn more about the author,
click here
.

 

For more books by Mary K. Norris, check out:

Shield from the Heart

In the mood for more Crimson Romance?

Check out
Sanctuary by Rachel James
at
CrimsonRomance.com
.

.