Sinfully Spellbound (Spells That Bind Book 1)

by Lawson, Cassandra

“One lost bet does not mean I have a history of losing bets to Dylan,” I argued.

  “How many have you won?” Mel asked.

  “None,” Dylan answered for me. “Soon, she’ll have lost two bets to me. I think this is becoming a trend in our relationship.”

  “We don’t have a relationship,” I insisted. “You don’t sleep with witches because you don’t do relationships.”

  “As I recall, you’re a witch in good standing,” Dylan remarked.

  “Fine, you screwed me,” I snapped. “But you didn’t know I was a witch when it happened.”

  Something inside Dylan snapped, and he took the two steps to bring us toe to toe before gripping my shoulders and glaring at me. “I did not screw you,” he clarified through his teeth.

  “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but stop being a bitch, Allie,” Mel said.

  “You’re taking his side?” I asked in disbelief. I would have spun to face her, but Dylan didn’t seem in any hurry to release his grip on my shoulders.

  “You’re just fighting with Dylan to be difficult,” Mel said. “Believe me. I know how that goes. I’m the queen of all bitches most days.”

  “You’re just feisty,” Trevor argued.

  “I’m getting ready to castrate you, pretty boy,” Mel threatened.

  “You think I’m attractive?” Trevor asked, clearly pleased and missing the point of the threat.

  Mel rolled her eyes and returned her attention to us. “Enough games. What do you want if you win the bet, Dylan?”

  “I want Allie,” Dylan said. “If the test proves we’re a good match, which it will, I want her to agree to stay with me, even after the police catch the killer.”

  Trevor looked like he was about to swallow his tongue, and I totally knew how he felt. Even Dylan looked shocked by his own words.

  “I’m not going to bet my freedom!” I practically gasped. What Dylan was suggesting was insane. “You aren’t even interested in that kind of relationship.”

  “Why the hesitation, Allie?” Dylan asked. “I thought you were sure I couldn’t win this bet.”

  “I am sure you can’t win this bet,” I insisted, but that was a lie. The scariest part of this was that I wasn’t sure I wanted him to lose the bet. I wanted to trust Dylan despite the many reasons I had not to trust any warlock’s ability to remain faithful.

  “What’s it going to be, Allie?” Dylan pushed.

  “I won’t bet that,” I finally said. “No matter what happens with the affinity test, I won’t give up my freedom to decide if I want to leave you.”

  Dylan stared at me for a long moment before releasing me and taking a step back. “And I won’t give you up. How about if we just stick to the same terms as our original bet?”

  I nodded. “Deal.”

  “I guess I’d better get back to the studio before my lead actors tear each other’s throats out,” Mel said, and I knew she didn’t mean that figuratively. “If you run into my mom, tell her I was at the meeting. She’ll have a fit if she finds out I missed the whole thing.”

  “I can drive you to the studio,” Trevor offered.

  Mel raised an eyebrow. “You think I need a ride?”

  Trevor shrugged. “I thought you might.”

  “How do you think I got here?” she asked. “Do you think I rode my broom?”

  “Speaking of acting like a bitch,” I said quietly, and Mel laughed.

  “You know I’m a bitch,” Mel said. “Everyone knows that. Well, everyone expect the pretty warlock, but he’ll figure it out.”

  “It seems her broom is shoved up her sexy ass,” Trevor muttered, and Mel laughed.

  “We’re going home,” Dylan said to Trevor. “I’ll call you later.”

  “I need to go to work,” I insisted.

  “Marcos will give you the night off,” Dylan snapped.

  “Unlike you, I have bills to pay,” I argued.

  “Are you honestly trying to tell me your father doesn’t pay any of your bills?” Trevor interrupted. “The Talbots are very well off.”

  “I don’t want his money,” I insisted. “Besides, it’s more than the money.”

  Dylan obviously wanted to argue with me, and I had to give him credit for reining it in. “I’m just worried about you being there after last night,” he admitted. “If something happened to you, I’d never forgive myself.”

  Okay, now I really felt like a bitch. “Maybe we can come up with a solution to make us both happy.”

  Dylan visibly relaxed and reached out to stroke my cheek. “What the hell are you doing to me, Allie?” Before I could answer, he pulled away. “I’ll take you home to change, and I’ll hang out at SpellBinders for the night.”

  He braced himself for my argument, but his suggestion seemed reasonable. “Okay, but we’d better hurry or I’ll be late.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Dylan

  Spending the evening at SpellBinders was pretty damn boring when you weren’t planning to get laid or watch others have sex. Still, I had no intention of leaving Allie alone until the killer was caught. Allie agreeing to let me come with her had been a surprise, but maybe she was just tired of arguing with me tonight. I’d been doing nothing more than keeping a barstool warm while I nursed a drink for the last three hours, which gave me plenty of time to think about what had happened at the council meeting and wonder about my own sanity.

  One could argue that Allie’s reaction to the affinity test had hurt my pride, but my reaction had little to do with my pride. Okay, some of it was about my pride, but I also wanted Allie to see that things really could work for us. Crazy as it sounded, even to me, I was sure we’d pass the test. I was also convinced my mother wouldn’t push for more than that. Yeah, my mom was eager for me to give her grandbabies to hold, but if I passed and was actively dating Allie, my mom would be convinced I was working toward those grandchildren she so desperately wanted. It wouldn’t be a lie, either. I was sitting here thinking about the big picture with Allie, which was crazy since we’d just met.

  Of course, I’d heard about witch pairs who were truly a good match and knew right away, but I’d never really believed that. When my mom had told me stories about knowing my dad was the warlock for her within minutes of meeting him, I’d assumed she’d just read too many romance novels over the years and forgotten that love took time to grow. Did I love Allie? No, but I could see myself loving her. Mostly, I just felt drawn to her, like she was my other half—not something I was going to say to another person for fear of sounding stupid.

  “Why don’t you let me find you some company?” Marcos asked, slithering up beside me like the snake he was. Marcos was dressed much like the last time I’d been here, in slacks and a black silk shirt, so I suspected this was his typical work attire.

  “No need. I’m just waiting for Allie to get off work,” I said curtly, not wanting to encourage conversation. I wasn’t that bored.

  “If you’re worried about Al getting upset, don’t be. We’re all very discreet here. I could get you in a room without her ever finding out about it. You like curvy brunettes, right?” he asked with a smirk.

  Every time I was around Marcos, I found even more reasons to dislike him, and convincing Allie to quit this job moved up on my list of priorities.

  “Get the fuck away from me,” I finally said, because I wasn’t in the mood to play nice with Marcos tonight, or any night for that matter.

  Marcos’ composure slipped, and he looked pissed. “You know she’s never going to settle down with a warlock, don’t you?” he asked in an almost taunting voice. “Her father cheated on his witch. Her uncle cheated on his witch. Now, she gets to see warlocks who come here to fuck around behind their witches’ backs. People think sex demons like us are sluts, but it’s the warlocks who’ll fuck anything. You’re into her now because she’s new and has a hot little pussy, but that won’t last. You’ll get bored with that pussy and look for a new one. Why don’t you just let her go before you hurt her?”r />
  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” I ground out, wondering what his game was. No fucking way did I believe he gave a damn about Allie getting hurt.

  “I know how tight Al’s pussy is,” Marcos said with a smug grin. “It’s easy to get addicted to a cunt like that, especially with a succubus, but I can tell you from experience, it gets old. Part of the appeal with Al is how innocent she seems, but after a while, you realize it’s just an act.”

  Grabbing Marcos by the collar, I leaned forward. “Don’t you ever fucking talk about her like some whore again or I will kill you. I already know you’re trying to make me believe you fucked her, but we both know that’s a lie. Allie has too much class to get involved with a piece of shit like you.”

  Marcos jerked away and laughed, but it sounded forced. “Whatever makes you feel better about all of this,” he said with his slimy grin back in place. “A bit of advice, friend. Don’t forget who Al is. No matter how much you want to parade her around like a good little witch, she’s not. She’s a succubus, which means she has needs you can’t possibly understand.”

  On those words, Marcos disappeared into the throng of people, which was probably a good thing since I was pretty sure I’d get my ass thrown in jail for setting him on fire if he said one more word about Allie. The logical part of my brain knew he was only saying those things to get a rise out of me, and I already knew Allie wouldn’t sleep with Marcos. That made it even worse, because I had to play nice with an asshole who was making up lies about my witch. Even if she had slept with him, it was her past. I didn’t care how many men Allie had been with in her past. What right did I have to judge her?

  Watching Allie approach in her tight red dress, my emotions were running high. After only a day with her, I knew this wasn’t her normal attire. She was expected to dress this way for work, making me even more pissed about her job. A voice in the back of my head told me to calm down and keep my mouth shut, but as Allie took a seat beside me, I felt my inner-asshole coming to the surface.

  “Are you bored yet?” she asked, sounding exhausted.

  “You can’t keep working here,” I told her, turning my attention to my drink.

  “Excuse you,” she said. “Did I miss the part where you get to tell me what to do?”

  That’s when I turned my angry glare on her. “Someone obviously needs to tell you what to do because no intelligent person would work in this hell hole.”

  There was absolutely no hesitation or shocked gasps from Allie. Her palm made contact with my cheek hard enough that I was sure it would leave a mark.

  “You’ve got five seconds to apologize before I put the heel of my shoe in your balls,” she warned.

  Fuck me! Allie’s attitude made me want to do her on the bar. I was so hot for her in that moment that I was having trouble forming a coherent thought. Luckily, I was smart enough to know she’d probably follow through with her threat to injure my balls. “You’re right. I’m sorry for being an asshole.”

  “You’d better be,” she muttered.

  “I’d just talked to Marcos, and I was pissed,” I explained. “At him, not at you, so I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

  “Marcos has that effect on everyone,” she said. “That still doesn’t mean I won’t slap you again if you call me stupid.”

  “You’re so fucking sexy when you put me in my place,” I murmured as I stood and lifted her off the barstool. “I need to get you naked, now. Direct me to a room we can use, or I’ll do it out here.”

  Allie’s eyes widened and her breathing became shallow as she pointed in the direction of a room. At least, I hoped it was a room. As much as I wanted Allie, I wasn’t at all sure I liked the idea of anyone else seeing her naked.

  With Allie in my arms, I stalked across the crowded club. Had we been anywhere else, people might have been staring, but at SpellBinders, they ignored us. The only person I thought might say something was Marcos, but he was nowhere to be seen.

  Once in the room, I set Allie on the floor and kissed her. My tongue invaded her mouth as she tugged at my shirt to pull it from my jeans. The feel of her hands on my back was enough to make me moan.

  “Fuck, Allie,” I said against her lips. “I’m not sure anything could get me hotter than you telling me off like you did.”

  She let out a husky laugh. “You really like me threatening your balls with my shoe?” she asked.

  “I like that you’re strong and not afraid to tell me when I screw up,” I said as I trailed kisses along her neck, making my way to her barely covered breasts.

  “Dylan,” she said, grabbing my hair.

  I looked up at her, hoping she wasn’t going to tell me stop because that might kill me.

  My expression must have been pretty funny because she laughed. “Can you throw your shirt over the security camera?” she asked, pointing to the camera mounted in the corner. That’s when I gave an inward sigh of relief, stripped out of my shirt, walked across the room, and tossed it over the security camera. Okay, it may have taken me three tries to get it to stay up there while Allie stifled giggles at my attempts, the first of which wasn’t even close.

  “I guess this explains why you weren’t involved with sports when we were in school,” she teased.

  “Smart ass,” I said as I looked around the room, hoping to find a bed. “What the fuck?” I asked, looking at Allie with one raised eyebrow. “Is that a rack in the corner?”

  Allie nodded. “Some demons and werewolves are into pain on a level you wouldn’t want to imagine. This room doesn’t get used often, which is good because it takes hours to clean up.”

  “Not an image I want in my head,” I said as I sauntered toward her. “I guess this means I’ll be fucking you standing up against the wall.”

  Allie looked around skeptically. “If you can find a free space.”

  She had a point. The room had more torture equipment than a medieval dungeon. “Door it is,” I said as I slipped a foot down to take off my shoes before thinking better of it. “You may have ruined the mood,” I admitted, enjoying the sound of Allie’s laughter.

  “It’s just as well,” she said with a sigh. “We really can’t do this.”

  “In general, or just here?” I asked.

  She smiled. “Here. While the first time was in a tame room, there are plenty like this, and I don’t want that memory stuck in my head.”

  I didn’t argue with her because it was something I’d prefer to avoid myself. “You’ve just got to stop getting me all hot and bothered when I’m here.” I brushed the hair back from her face.

  “And how am I supposed to do that?” she asked with one hand on her hip.

  I grinned at her. “Simple, just do everything I say like a good girl, and I won’t be tempted to fuck you so often.”

  Her laughter flowed over me like sunshine on a winter day. That’s when I realized I might need to hand in my man card later for my poetic thoughts. I gently stroked her cheek with the back of my hand and stared at her for a moment before speaking. “What the hell are you doing to me, sweetheart?”

  Chapter Thirty

  Allie

  With Dylan’s hand on my cheek, I found it impossible to speak. There was so much desperation and confusion in his question that I had no idea what to say. I didn’t even know if he really wanted an answer.

  The pounding on the door was not a welcome interruption when I felt like something big was happening, but I was probably late getting back from my break, so Marcos was likely mad at me again.

  “Damn!” I said, pulling away from Dylan. “That must be Marcos. He’ll assume we’re in here fooling around when I’m supposed to be working. Of course, he was almost right.”

  “Marcos is an asshole,” Dylan muttered as he turned to snatch his shirt down from the security camera. Luckily, part of it was dangling so he could reach it without too much effort.

  “You’re right about him being an asshole,” I agreed. “In this case, he’s probably got a rig
ht to be mad. He is paying me to help customers, not mess around with my boyfriend.”

  Dylan had just slipped his shirt back on, and he was grinning from ear to ear.

  “Why are you suddenly in such a good mood?” I asked cautiously.

  “You just called me your boyfriend,” he said and came over to kiss me on the nose.

  “I did not,” I argued before realizing he was right. “Fine,” I said, throwing my hands up in the air. “You win, we’re dating. Just don’t be surprised when I start getting death threats from the other single witches.”

  As I reached for the door, Dylan caught my arm and gave me one quick kiss before letting me go. “I’m sorry about making you late getting back from your break, but I’m really glad we had this talk. I know you’re afraid I’ll hurt you, and I appreciate you giving me a chance to prove I won’t.”

  “You’d better not,” I warned with a playful smile, despite the fact that I was freaking out a little on the inside.

  Marcos had pounded on the door some more while we talked, and I wasn’t sure if he’d be outside the door or in his office getting the key to the room. I found him leaning against the wall outside the room with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

  “You have a client, Al,” Marcos said in a bored tone. “While I understand your warlock is enjoying that addictive pussy of yours, you have a job to do, and he’s not paying to fuck you tonight.”

  Marcos had spoken low enough that Dylan hadn’t heard him, which was a good thing because I really didn’t want Dylan to beat the hell out of Marcos. Actually, that was a lie. I did want him to beat the hell out of Marcos, but it was still a bad idea. I couldn’t blame Dylan for his hatred of Marcos. It took a lot of effort to avoid snapping at Marcos, and I’d had more experience dealing with him.

  “Which room?” I asked.

  “Red room,” Marcos said.

  I nodded and made my way to the red room. All the rooms had names, but most wouldn’t make much sense to anyone who didn’t work at SpellBinders. The room I’d just been in with Dylan was the paisley room. The red room was one of the few that made any sense. It was the one decked out in red satin.