by Iris Abbott
She squinted, straining to see through the swirling fog. Jillian couldn’t even begin to imagine how or why Dante was there, but if she was honest with herself, it didn’t really matter. Relief at knowing she was going to see him again overshadowed everything else, even his unexpected and shocking arrival.
Loud rock music pumped from the speakers. Wisps of fog slowly floated away, making the stage visible. A shadowy figure strolled forward in the slow, sexy, confident gait that Jillian had gotten so used to over the past year. The fog parted, and she got a good look at the magician’s face. It was definitely him! Jillian slowly released the breath she didn’t even know she’d been holding.
Dante was dressed in a vintage tuxedo complete with a ruffled white shirt and top hat. His stage costume was just as much a part of the act as the tricks he performed. It also drew the eye to his body. Jillian could hear murmurs of feminine appreciation all around her. If she were a cat, she’d be spitting mad.
Jealousy was the least of her worries. Her body immediately reacted to Dante’s presence. Her breathing and heart rate sped up, her nipples pebbled, and the warmth of sexual desire spread through her body. Two days hadn’t made much of a difference. She still burned for the man, and he probably had no idea that she gawked at him from the front row of his latest show.
****
The pounding rhythm of percussion instruments and the thundering applause matched the wild beating of Dante’s heart. He stepped to the edge of the stage and bowed at the waist for the appreciative crowd. He took his time sweeping the audience as he did so. Just as promised, Jillian was front row and center. He couldn’t hide the wickedly seductive smile that curved his mouth.
He’d waited so long, too long, to claim Jillian and make her his. Finally, the tortuous wait was about to end. After tonight, there would be no more hiding the intense emotions he developed for her over the past year, no ignoring the chemistry that existed between them.
Forcing his attention away from Jillian and back onto the show took an iron will. At least the magic came as natural as breathing to Dante. He started the performance just as he always did with a few simple card tricks. They hardly used any energy or magic at all, but the sleight of hand tricks still managed to delight the crowd.
Next, he tweaked one of his regular tricks to better fit the crowd and the season. “It looks a lot like Halloween around here, but I can think of a few things that are missing,” Dante waved his arm around the room and smiled at the crowd.
He removed his top hat and sat it on the table upside down. He picked up the silky black scarf in one hand and the ‘magic’ wand in the other. He fluttered the silky material over the top of the hat while he spiraled the stick through the air. Visible energy shot from his fingertips, but to an unknowing audience, it looked as if the sparks came from the wand.
With a flick of the wrist, the scarf fluttered to the floor. Suddenly a cloud of a hundred bats swarmed from his hat and flew around the room. A slight flick of the other wrist and a wave of the wand made the bats fly out of an open window, disappearing into the darkness of night.
Several oohs and aahs from the crowd made him smile. He couldn’t resist taking a long look at Jillian to see her response. Usually, he conjured doves instead of bats. She intently watched him, and the look of awe on her face made him feel ten feet tall. Well, he had much more than that up his sleeves.
He picked up the orange basketball that rested on the end of the table. “The bats were a nice addition to the party, but I think we still need more.” The crowd echoed their agreement through loud applause. He was pleased to see that Jillian clapped harder than anyone else in the audience.
Shrugging out of his jacket, Dante rested the garment on top of the ball. He made circular motions with the wand. Sparks flew from his fingertips and shot over the heads in the audience. He grabbed the jacket and yanked it off the table. A giant pumpkin sat in place of the basketball. Spontaneous applause broke out around the room.
“But wait, there’s more!” He draped the tux jacket over the pumpkin, waved the wand, and whipped off the jacket. The pumpkin was transformed into a carved jack-o-lantern that closely resembled a feline. He left the stage long enough to present the Halloween decoration to the host and hostess.
“One more before the finale,” he called out to the crowd after he jumped back on stage. He waved his arms around in the air. The fog swirling around the platform thickened and rose toward the ceiling, forming puffy clouds. Thunder boomed, and lightning flickered between the clouds. Soft raindrops began to fall. A concentrated beam of moonlight shined through a window, creating a rainbow that arched from the puffs to Jillian, spotlighting her in brilliant colors.
The beautiful smile on her face did more to light up the room than the moonlight and rainbow. She simply took Dante’s breath away. It was time to make his move and finally stake his claim.
A wave of his hand stopped the rain, broke up the clouds, and silenced the music and the crowd. “Now, for the last part of my performance, I need the help of a lovely assistant.” His eyes strayed to Jillian. He noticed her body which was already perched on the edge of her seat tensed.
“Only the most beautiful will do,” he said with a dramatic sigh. “And I see exactly who I want,” he said, pointing directly at Jillian. The husky and intimate tone of his voice left no doubt as to the double meaning of his words. He stepped off the stage and held out a hand, helping Jillian come to her feet.
She looked at him with eyes so wide they dominated her delicate face. But she didn’t hesitate to take his hand, and that greatly pleased him. He escorted her onto the stage. “Wave and smile at the audience,” he whispered in her ear when she stood frozen like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
“What are you doing in Enigma?” she murmured.
“I came after you of course,” he whispered back. He led Jillian to the table and helped her lie down. “Ladies and Gentlemen, keep your eyes on the beautiful Jillian Byrd. She’s about to defy gravity.”
He waved the wand over her body. “Relax,” he hissed to her under his breath. “I promise this is perfectly safe.” She closed her eyes, but her clenched fists relaxed and so did the rest of her body. Dante called forth the magic that resided inside of him.
Energy cracked and buzzed. It joined the misty fog and swirled around them. He pictured Jillian rising into the air and hovering several inches above the table. He waved his hands over her body and watched the magic do its thing.
****
The intense physical attraction burned as hot as always. So much for hoping it would fade with time and distance, though it had only been two days since she’d seen him, Jillian reminded herself. Some kind of energy zinged through her body, and the hair on her neck and arms stood on end. Loud cheering made her snap her eyes open.
She floated on air! Jillian looked around trying to figure out how it was possible. She carefully watched as Dante ran his hands over and under her body to prove no wires held her suspended in the air. Then she felt herself rising even higher until she was above his head.
He clapped his hands, and suddenly she fell, dropping through the air. She let out a startled scream, and the audience gasped. She heard Jenna yell her name. Jillian braced herself for impact with the hard table or floor, but it didn’t happen. She was caught in strong arms and cradled to Dante’s masculine chest.
The drum music in the background swelled to a crescendo, and the fog thickened around them until they were completely enveloped. Jillian heard the roar of the crowd. There was clapping, cheering, and whistling. Then the noise, light, and everything faded away into nothingness.
FIVE
One minute she was floating in the air on stage in front of a room full of people, and the next she was sitting next to Dante in a hotel room. She wasn’t even sure how they got there. Everything about the end of the performance was still fuzzy, but they were no longer the center of attention. They were completely alone.
Jillian b
linked once then twice. Dante’s steady black gaze stared back at her, refusing to release its hold on her. “You’re incredible. You make me believe in magic. It seemed so real. No wonder you have so many adoring fans all over the world.”
“I do it for the love of magic, not adoration,” Dante winked. “But I crave the love and adoration of one fan in particular.”
Her cheeks heated, and blood rushed to her head. “What are you saying, Dante?” She held her breath, waiting for his answer.
“You have to be able to feel the physical attraction that exists between us.”
“I know how much I’m attracted to you, but I had no idea you felt the same way. You went out of your way to avoid me as much as possible while I worked for you.”
“I wanted you from the first moment I saw you.”
Jillian frowned. “You sure had me fooled. You did an outstanding job of hiding your desire.”
“Because as much as I hate to admit it, you distract me like nothing or no one has ever been able to do.”
“I’ve never been swept off my feet before, but even I know that if passion and chemistry aren’t strong enough to be a distraction, it’s not worth it. So what’s the problem?”
Dante began pacing around the room. “I’m fluent in seven languages. I didn’t need to hire a translator or an interpreter.”
Jillian didn’t understand. “Why did you hire me then?” No wonder there was never enough work to keep her busy.
“I did it as a favor for Lucian.”
“Jessica’s husband? That doesn’t make any sense. I just met him tonight. Why would he make you hire me?”
Dante shrugged. “He didn’t make me do anything. Your brother-in-law didn’t want your sister so worried and distracted about your safety that she let her guard down and became an easy target for Scott West. Since you were in Italy, Lucian called me and asked if I would keep an eye on you. I wanted to help, so I said yes.”
“And for your good deed, you were stuck with me for a year.”
“Only because I wanted to be,” he said with a sexy grin. “I watched you from the shadows for a while, but it wasn’t enough. As soon as you graduated, I offered you a job to keep you close. That was all me. I needed to keep you as close as possible until I was ready to make my move.”
Jillian barely managed to stop herself from crying out in disbelief. “You’re as good of an actor as you are a magician because you spent most of the time pushing me away or completely ignoring me.”
“It was ignore you or do this.” He stopped in front of her, leaned down, and kissed her.
It wasn’t a friendly get to know you kind of kiss. It was a lip crushing, tongue clashing, and got to have you right now kind of kiss. It made Jillian’s toes curl, and she wanted more.
Jillian lusted after Dante for so long, there was no way she wanted him to stop with just a kiss, no matter how hot it was. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, keeping him there. The heat being generated was blistering enough to melt her insides, but it still wasn’t enough.
“Dante,” she whispered in a husky moan. “Please.” The word and her pleading eyes must have been enough to convey her need because he was quick to act.
“I love hearing my name on your lips, and you’re going to be screaming it before the night is over,” he promised.
His lips trailed kisses from her mouth to the sensitive area where her neck and shoulder met. He nuzzled the delicate skin and traced the spot with his tongue. When his teeth lightly scraped the area, Jillian shivered. Pleasure burned through her body, setting her blood on fire. She was so hot for him she wouldn’t be surprised if fire engulfed them, leaving nothing but ashes behind.
Dante waved his hand over their bodies, and their clothes disappeared.
“How’d you do that,” she squeaked. His hands cupped her breasts, and his fingers caressed the pebbled nipples begging for attention. All thoughts of the disappearing costumes fled from her brain. Instead, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the pleasure that rushed through her body.
“I need to taste you,” he whispered before lowering his head to her body. His tongue darted out and stroked one raspberry colored nipple and then the other.
She arched her back, trying to get closer. Her lust-filled moan echoed around the hotel room. Dante was apparently a master of seduction, not that he had to work all that hard with her. She craved his touch for a long time.
He grabbed her hand and dragged it to his swollen sex. “Feel how much I want you.”
Her eyes widened when she felt the impressive size of his erection. “I want you too.” She brushed her hand up and down his sex before wrapping them around his back, forcing him closer to her.
He briefly rested his forehead against hers. “Once I take you, you’ll be mine. I’m never letting go.”
Jillian doubted he meant it, but she collected the words and nestled them close to her heart. She arched her back and tilted her hips, pressing the soft curves of her body into the hard planes of his. “Take me then,” she whispered with a sexy little groan.
He wedged a leg between Jillian’s thighs, pushing her legs apart. She felt the tip of his erection rub against the sensitive bundle of nerves above her sex. Her hands fell away from his body and clenched the comforter. She was so primed and ready for his touch, she ached, but in a good way.
His mouth crashed down on hers. She kissed him back with wild abandon, opening to let his tongue inside. He thrust into her mouth, mimicking the act of sex. Jillian squirmed. She was more than ready for the real thing.
His erection slid between the parted folds of her sex and came to rest at the entrance of her feminine core. His hands caressed her hips and moved under her bottom. He lifted her off the bed, opening her body to him even more. He thrust his hips, driving his erection inside the welcoming heat of her sex.
She could feel him moving inside her, felt the slight burn as her body stretched to take him. His hard sex filled her, divesting her of everything but the strong need riding her. Jillian rocked her hips meeting him thrust for thrust. When he was seated deep inside, she wrapped her legs around his lower back to keep him there.
Her body tensed with every slide and caress of Dante’s erection. Arousal peaked, and her body exploded. Her fingers clenched his shoulders and back, seeking an anchor to keep her grounded.
“Dante!” He’d been right. She screamed his name in a voice hoarse with passion.
Jillian closed her eyes, but she still saw the burst of hundreds of shooting stars. Dante kissed her neck. A sharp sting penetrated the passion-induced fog of her brain. Her eyelids rapidly rose.
He sucked her delicate skin into his mouth and soothed the bite with his tongue. “Mine!” He thrust several more times before his body shuddered out its own release. He gently pulled out of Jillian and settled next to her.
The heat of passion faded. Jillian buried her face against his neck and breathed in the faint scent of cedar, patchouli, and sandalwood that clung to his heated skin. He stretched out next to her and rained kisses all over her face and body.
“What was wrong with that?” she managed to whisper as soon as she found her voice.
“Not a thing, but it could have gotten you killed in Italy. I didn’t dare touch you until Scott West was eliminated.”
The coldness and finality in his voice made her shiver. Her heartbeat slowed, and she caught her breath. She inched to the far side of the bed, putting some space between them. “Was he eliminated?”
“Of course. As soon as West touched you, he sealed his fate. His heart beats no more. The evil staining his soul has been destroyed the same as the man.”
Jillian clutched the sheet around her body and quickly slipped out of the bed. How could he be so emotionless when he talked about snuffing out a life, even if it was justified? She felt like she didn’t know Dante at all despite working for him for almost a year. Jillian swallowed hard and fought against making any sudden moves.
She s
lowly backed away from the man she’d just shared her body with, not daring to take her eyes off of him. “Are you saying you killed Scott?”
“He was a threat to you and your sister, he wasn’t going to live. If I hadn’t gotten rid of him, Craig would have. West surfaced in Italy instead of Enigma, so it was up to me to deal with him.”
“That’s different. Craig is a police detective. It’s his job to use deadly force if necessary to capture a wanted criminal. You’re a magician, Dante.”
He gave a nonchalant shrug and lifted a hand toward Jillian. “I take care of what’s mine. Come back to bed, and let me kiss your worries away.”
She shook her head from side to side and took two small steps backward. “I’m not yours!” She spotted her evening bag in the chair where she left it. She lunged for it. Once it was firmly in her grasp, she ran into the bathroom, slamming, and locking the door behind her.
Fumbling inside the bag, she breathed a deep sigh of relief when her hand closed around the cold hard plastic of her phone. Jillian yanked it out and hit the button for speed dial number one.
“Jenna!”
“Hey, I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon after Dante whisked you away from the party. He’s almost as hot as Craig,” she giggled.
A sigh of relief escaped at the comforting sound of her sister’s voice. “I think I might be in trouble. I need your help,” she whispered into the phone.
Her sister’s laughter instantly died. “Where’s Dante? He can protect you from anything.”
Jillian snorted. “Can he protect me from himself?” She rubbed her forehead, trying to stall the tension headache developing behind her eyes. The hasty knock on the bathroom door matched the rapid beat of her heart.
“Dante wouldn’t hurt you, he can’t. He’s a guardian.”
“Guardian? I don’t know what that means. I thought he was a magician. You’ve never even met Dante, so how can you be so sure I’m safe with him? He admitted to killing Scott, and he bit me!” she hissed in outrage.
