Protecting His Witch (Entangled Covet) (Keeper Of The Veil series Book 1) (3 page)

“Perhaps I was inspired by the memory of a dance at an undergrad party long ago…” He trailed off.

Her cheeks flushed a darker red. “Don’t get your hopes up for a repeat. Not happening.”

“That might be a bit awkward, given our audience.” She’d had most of his clothes off by the song’s second refrain that night.

She shot him a squinty-eye warning that communicated if she could slap him, she would.

Shit. He hadn’t meant to say that.
He’d finally found her and now he was blowing it. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long time since that night. I tried to find you, but you just disappeared.”

She tensed and snapped, “You had a girlfriend. And, if memory serves, she wasn’t pleased to find me in your bed.”

Yeah, he’d handled the after part of that night miserably. That nightmare was probably right now replaying in her mind. He caught the gaze of a reporter whose too-keen interest in Kat had him saying, “We’re just dancing. Lots of people are watching.”

She glanced around and then smiled. “So…you don’t want a scene?” she asked in a soft, threatening tone.

Fuck.

“Kat…there are people here that will shred you. Please be careful. As long as you’re dancing with me you can avoid the sharks here tonight.”

She muttered, “Then you must be a great white.”

He managed to smile for their audience and twirled her around a few couples. There were too many eavesdroppers out here. Christ, he wished he could drag her away from all the scrutiny. To apologize for past pain and make new memories. Pleasurable ones. The hurt in her eyes made him feel as though someone punched him square in the chest. She’d probably hate that he’d glimpsed that vulnerability.

In silence they glided through a verse of the song. She was so damned beautiful. A strand of dark auburn hair mutinously curled out of the elegant twist, bouncing against her pale, slender neck. That rebellious strand was the only hint of disarray other than her residual blush. It begged him to release all her hair from the hairdo, as if that small act would liberate the hellcat he remembered from years ago.

The conservative, ankle-length, black dress she wore hid what he remembered had been a body designed to be touched. Her athletic figure filled out the dress in a way that pushed him to rip the thing off. And those long, tapered legs. He imagined pressing her against the nearest wall and driving into her. Those legs would be around his waist.

Cool off.
This insanity over her had to be the damned curse. It guaranteed that he’d find her irresistible. After a decade he was desperate for what he’d experienced with her last time, and for what her curse denied he find with other women—repletion.

She cleared her throat and asked stiffly, “So, you own a corporation now?” Her body remained tight and she carefully maintained a few inches of air between them.

“Yes.” He struggled to banish the Kat memory highlight reel currently playing in his brain.

“What type of corporation? What does it do?”

“We build parts for military operations around the world. We also build for drilling operations, especially underwater drilling.”

“So you fuel the world’s desire for destruction.”

“We don’t actually make weapons. Just the parts. It’s a technology corporation,” he answered on autopilot. Many hurled that accusation at him on a daily basis.

With a twist, he prevented them from colliding into a couple that had moved too close in an obvious attempt to overhear.

“Did you start this business on your own? It’s not exactly what I’d imagined you doing.”

“I inherited it from my father when he died.”

She leaned back to look upward and gazed deeply into his eyes. Her deep green eyes widened. Softly she said, “I’m sorry about your father. But you don’t like this work, do you?”

She’d pegged that one dead right. How could this woman whom he’d bumped into less than ten minutes ago discern what people who’d known him for decades hadn’t guessed? Maybe her magical abilities extended to mind reading. He swallowed and smiled tightly. With a glance around he said, “I’ve turned Ryan Corp around since I started.”

“Evasion. Okay.” She glanced around. “What about ROTC?”

“I started my years in the army but then my father died and that changed. What have you been doing since…?” He cleared his throat. “For the past few years?” He forced a mental beat-back of the memory of kissing his way up the smooth skin of her inner thigh.

“I’m a veterinarian.” Her body finally relaxed a bit.

“I can imagine you doing that. Do you like it?” He liked the feel of her small hand in his. And the flexing of her slim waist in his right hand. Would she taste the same? Her taste had tortured him. It had ruined him. His gaze zeroed in on her lips.

“Yes. I’m good at it. And it is rewarding.”

The song ended. A small tap hit his shoulder. He held onto Kat’s hand as he turned toward the source of the tap.

His PR director smiled apologetically. “I’m thrilled to see you dancing, Mr. Ryan, but we’ve got ten minutes. We need you to head over there to get the microphone adjusted and whatnot.”

“If you two will excuse me,” Kat said in an even tone. She slipped her hand out of his.

I can’t lose her now.
But, he had responsibilities. “It’s been a pleasure, Kat. I’ll see you later,” Matt intoned. The heat in his tone promised her there
would
be that later.

She narrowed her eyes at him in answer and hurried away.

Matt blew out a frustrated sigh as he followed his PR director toward the podium. He watched Kat glide away, her movements graceful and sensuous. He wanted to warn off every male in the vicinity that looked to be fantasy fucking her. His control swirled at the edge of crazy.

He needed a drink. A good Scotch might help dull his need to stalk Kat and drag her into the nearest empty room. For an instant he considered tossing aside responsibility, ditching this event, and abducting Kat. He could think of several very persuasive ways to convince her to rescind the curse and guarantee both of them pleasure.
A drink…focus on a drink. Stop thinking about her and that spectacular ass.
The line at the bar looked to now be of a dissuading length. He tried to flag down a waiter. No luck.

Damn it, he was the CEO of Ryan Corp. They sponsored this event. He should get some perks, at least the drink of his choice whenever he desired.

As he maneuvered through the crowd, he avoided the many gazes vying for his attention. Those who hadn’t found the opportunity to talk business with him at the office always tried at these events. They expected him to be easier to manipulate here.

He longed for a quiet night alone at his house in the Hamptons, with his dog. No press. No speeches. A nice Scotch and the most recent Formula 1 race on his widescreen TV. He hadn’t come close to that fantasy in over two years. This was his third benefit in the past two weeks. He believed the causes were good and deserved whatever money could be raised, but he wished he could just give his own money and be done with it. Tonight was about putting on a good face for the corporation.

Kat now stood in a corner near the band with a new glass of wine. The arc of her sleek neck as she sipped distracted him. Little had changed when it came to the jolting physical reaction he had to Kat. Their chemistry was real. No other woman came close to what he’d shared with Kat, either before or since their one-nighter.

He grabbed a glass of wine off a passing waiter’s tray, and sucked it down in one slurp. What a waste not to enjoy it, but he needed to dull his insane drive to be inside her, and only her, in every way possible. This was most likely a product of that damn curse. Staring at her now, he didn’t know if he should beg her to rescind the curse or seduce her first. His southern hemisphere voted for the latter.

Speech. Think speech,
he ordered himself.
Get your head on straight.
Control was the foundation of his life. Loss of it resulted in either idiocy or social death. His last idiocy spearheaded by his desperation to have a normal life, even if the bedroom lacked spark, ended in matrimony. What a colossal mistake that turned out to be. Lesson learned: a beautiful woman gifted in bed would do anything for the big diamond. Love, compassion, and even orgasms could be faked. What couldn’t was being caught with a company intern’s dick halfway down your throat.

Ever since his wife’s infidelity and death three years ago, he refused to be ensnared again. Since none captured his attention for very long, and most belonged to the future billionaire-housewife club, the danger was low.

Kat, on the other hand, confused him. Her body wanted him, regardless of whatever resentment still simmered from the past. Her behavior indicated she had no interest in joining the billionaire-housewife club. And what was she? When he touched her to alleviate her headache tonight, he’d detected an energy buzz suggestive of recent use of supernatural power. The wind slap confirmed she had gifts, even if it had been a childish move. Exposing herself like that was dangerous. Years ago he’d searched for her on campus and at neighboring universities. He’d concluded she lied about her name and wondered if she was one of the seven dimension-hopping Pleiades witches. As the years rolled by, he’d discounted it. Now he wasn’t so sure.

Within yards of the podium a familiar, gladiator-tall Scotsman blocked his path. Wasn’t this turning out to be one hell of a night? He forced a polite smile while fisting his hands. “Who invited you?”

“I’m here to find
her
.”

Chapter Three

Matt stared at Bryce Sinclair in stony silence until the jittery need to speak overwhelmed him. “Who are you talking about?”

Bryce replied low enough that no one nearby could overhear, “Ye’ve been avoiding my calls and emails. It’s important we talk in private. Now. About
her
.” Power oozed from him. That strength had kept him the leader of the Druides Society for almost thirty-five years.

Matt crossed his arms and glared. “I know no woman of mutual interest that we need to discuss.”

Bryce frowned, revealing new wrinkles around his eyes. The grooves of his face etched deeper than the last time they’d clashed, eight years ago. “Come with me.” Bryce pulled Matt to the periphery of the room. He spoke softly. “The Confirmation is days away. And we’ve got a bit of an issue.”

“How is that my problem?”

A pained look pinched Bryce’s features as if this was absolutely the last thing he wanted to admit. “We need your help. With her.”

“I have no idea who you’re talking about.”

“All hell is going to break loose if we don’t get this resolved.” Bryce ran a hand through his dark hair, which lacked any hint of the gray expected for a man well into his sixties. Druid longevity was both a curse and a gift for those of the Sentry, the elite few chosen to protect the Pleiades witches.

“It’s always the same shit. Something is always threatening the world or jeopardizing your wards. I’m not interested.”

Bryce seesawed his jaw as if carefully selecting his words. “I’ve given you time. Now you need to step up. Get involved. Accept the fact that Quinn made his choice, and you being involved is your destiny.”

“No. You left my father, your loyal lieutenant, to die. I could’ve healed him, if you’d given me a chance.” His heart rate skyrocketed. Damn Kat for opening up the floodgate of hot emotion tonight. He forced himself to recognize his anger and not fall victim to it.

Bryce glanced around for eavesdroppers. His accent thickened, a sign of heavy emotion. “Ye were a kid with emerging abilities that were not entirely under your control. At best ye might’ve healed him enough to give him a few extra hours, not to mention you would ha’ likely killed everything alive in the vicinity to garner enough energy, including yourself.” He cleared his throat and swallowed. “Quinn didn’t want that,” he said, the accent no longer as detectable. “He wanted you out of that prison, and alive.”

“You were only too willing to abandon the man that had been your right hand for three decades. He threatened your leadership and you jumped at the chance to get rid of him.”

“Bullshite.” He lowered his voice. “If he’d wanted my position and had been chosen by the ancestors, then I’d have gladly stepped aside. Dying was his choice. I granted a great friend his last request. I saved his son.” A glassy look passed through Bryce’s hard eyes. “It is high time for you to accept your legacy.”

Legacy? Matt narrowed his eyes in a silent fuck-you
.

Bryce squeezed Matt’s shoulder. His tone gentled. “I need you to help me find a missing Pleiades. As you know, all seven must be there for the Confirmation in a few days. If not, the end of the world may literally begin from the resulting deity war. I’ve got her druid match, but he says she refuses to stay in this realm. I don’t think they’ve bonded yet, though. Another source predicted that you would be the one to bump into her at some point soon.” Bryce scanned the packed exhibit hall. “I felt a buzz earlier that suggested powerful magic. Did you detect anything? See anyone? A girl, perhaps?”

Matt’s chest heaved with shock and then came to a full stop. Air refused to move through his lungs. He coughed.
He had her match?
Kat belonged to another druid? Not bloody likely.

Oh, hell no.
Alarm squeezed his gut. He had no desire to become bonded to a Pleiades witch and get sucked back into druid matters. Bonding and druid shit was not on his list of lifetime to-dos. Besides, maybe she wasn’t the girl Bryce sought.

But deep in his gut he knew. His suspicion about her was probably right. Only a powerful witch could throw a curse like the zinger she’d saddled him with. She had to be the missing one.

At the moment, though, he didn’t have time to deal with this. He heard the music stop and his PR rep start her spiel about juvenile diabetes. He masked his inner turmoil and ground out quietly, “I have no knowledge of an unknown Pleiades. Ask someone who gives a shit about the world of the weird. I’ve got a speech to make.”

…

Kat found an unpopulated corner near the orchestra that she deemed to be far enough away from Matt Ryan. Her hand trembled as she sipped wine, hoping the alcohol would lull her body back toward normal. Her pulse continued to thud through her ears and a roaring arousal made her uncomfortably hot. That combined with a hefty load of pissed off had her itching for a fight.

She wouldn’t let Matt get her in bed. Not this time. She’d learned the hard way that he considered her good enough for an easy one-nighter, but nothing more.

Her curious nature, however, was intrigued that maybe, like her, he wasn’t quite what he seemed. But curiosity didn’t eliminate resentment. She had to avoid him for however long she was trapped in this alternate reality, which she hoped she’d leave soon.

In a daze, Kat followed everyone’s gaze when the music stopped. They turned toward the raised dais close by. A woman she recognized as the one that spoke to Matt while they danced tapped at a microphone for attention. People crowded in next to Kat.

The pretty blonde said, “Let me now turn this over to our host this evening. He’s been a strong supporter of this cause for years. Tonight he pledged a personal half million to the Foundation and challenges all of you to match that. Let’s give a warm welcome to Matthew Ryan.”

He calmly stepped up to the podium amidst the loud applause. Holding up a hand to halt the applause, he flashed a devastating smile guaranteed to make all the women want him. His supreme confidence and aura of authority were magnetic.

Beside her a woman thought,
I can’t believe he murdered his wife.

What?
Kat had to bite her lip to stop herself from asking the woman for details. He killed his wife?

“Thank you all for coming out tonight.” His deep, mesmerizing baritone washed over her. “I hope everyone is enjoying my liquor because I seem to be unable to get adequately hydrated. It’s all right; I’ll try to make it to the bar later.” He waved off the blonde woman with a smile. Laughter followed.

He launched into a short, but powerful speech on the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. She stared, mesmerized by the soothing texture of his voice, and not registering a single word he uttered. She shook off his persuasive influence and glanced around. Everyone appeared just as enthralled by his words.

A man behind her said, “He’s a good speaker, isn’t he? Persuasive. Are you going to donate?”

The woman next to her sighed with a moony look as if coming out of a trance when the speech ended. “I’m going to donate,” she announced to no one in particular and drifted away toward the donation tables.

Kat turned back toward Matt. As the music resumed, he descended from the dais to shake hands with several powerful-looking men. His gaze captured hers over the tops of their heads.

She had to get out of here. Time to find a quiet spot to try to jump back to her real life.

Her mind whirled as she headed for an exit. Despite her resentment for Matt’s past behavior, she didn’t believe him evil. Annoying, devastating, and rude…yes. But a murderer?