CHAPTER TWO-THINKING OF YOU

A pageant Queen’s toothy smile appeared on Tessa’s face, and her eyes danced joyfully under her widow’s peak. While she waved and winked at the guests like her father taught her as she crossed the ballroom, she cursed them through her teeth. “I hope you all choke.”

Like a strong wind gust on the calmest day, some unseen force pulled at her face and compelled her to look to her left. The Fate’s can be cruel, and when she refused their command, the scorned masters of her universe sent a dull ache to her chest as punishment.

With hands balled into fists as she sat down, she tried to resist the whispers from her demon that begged to claim what belonged to her until her father’s voice overrode them. He chuckled against her cheek as he kissed it. “That was fantastic. You’re better than one of those human politicians.”

She shuddered with an icy splash of nerves as the pounding in her chest grew stronger. The prickly tickle of eyes teased her skin, and she did her best to ignore the weighty draw that kept begging for her attention.

These last few weeks, she proclaimed to anyone who might mention the upcoming matchmaking ball how she thought the idea of mates to be archaic and silly. The way her body responded, however, let her know he was there somewhere watching.

The always fearless predator was, at last, someone’s prey, and a thrilling sensation of fear and anticipation at possibly being caught wrapped itself around her.

While she shook her head at whatever was calling her and how easily she veered from her own convictions, Tessa sipped a drink of water and placed the glass back on the table. “Calm the hell down; you’re supposed to be in charge.”

“Would you like to dance, Sugar?” Jasper kneeled beside her and held her hand in his smoothly manicured fingers. “Let me show you off for a few more minutes, and you can disappear. Alright?”

A less than enthusiastic, tight-lipped grin spread across her mouth as she nodded. “Sure, Daddy.”

With her tiny hand in his, he led her to the dance floor until a towering, dark presence blocked their path. “Jasper Mason, it’s my honor to meet you at last.” The tall, black-haired man held out his hand and offered a captivating smile like a forked-tongue preacher begging for a dollar. “Thank you for inviting us.”

Like the oldest of friends, Jasper grasped the wizard’s hand and returned his phony expression. “Mr. Idrissi. Welcome to Savannah. We’re so thrilled that you decided to come be part of all this.”

The insanely handsome wizard tipped his head in respect as he smiled down at her. “This must be Tessa. She’s even more beautiful than everyone said she would be.”

“Yes, she is.” With his hand on her back, Jasper nudged her closer. “Tess, this is Mr. Omar Idrissi; his family just arrived here from Morocco this week.”

The stranger snatched her hand as if it belonged to him and kissed the back. “It is a pleasure to meet such a lovely young woman. Happy Birthday, little one.”

A tingly sizzle crept up her arm from Omar’s hand, and it sent her alarms ablaze as she raised her brow and gave him a quick grin. The warnings from her father about intimidation not forgotten, Tessa gathered her courage before she spoke. “Why, thank you, sir, but I assure you that the pleasure is all mine, Mr. Idrissi.”

The feeling of his hand sliding across her low back sent a skin-crawling tremor down through her nerves as Omar pulled her to his table. “I’d like to introduce you to my youngest son, Rafik. He has been quite eager to meet you all evening.”

The moment she dreaded and hoped for now before her, a million sensations moved through Tessa as her eyes met Rafik’s. Dark brown eyes captivated her as he stepped around the table with the sultriest grin on his face, and it drove a rush through her veins.

With the bending of his fingers, Omar summoned him closer and held out her hand to Rafik as if he was giving him the keys to a whole new world. The spark from his touch made her flinch when their skin met, and her heart fluttered like a hummingbird.

At barely fifteen, the strikingly handsome boy rivaled any Hollywood movie star with his sun-kissed tawny face and black, curly hair. Plump lips that reminded her of a mug of hot cocoa made her imagine taking him somewhere private to find out if they were as sweet.

Breathing across the back of her hand in the most melodic accent she ever had the pleasure of hearing, Rafik’s mouth found her knuckle. “I’m joyous to meet you finally.”

A gentle hum began to rise from her toes, making her pull back her hand and grin to disguise her thoughts, but the breathlessness in her words gave her away. “Likewise, I’m sure.”

Preparing her for every situation he could imagine, her father forgot the one that left her speechless and frozen at that moment. With an expression begging for mercy, she looked up to Jasper and motioned away.

A blind man would have spotted the flush on her face from a mile away, and he put his hand on her shoulder as he came to her rescue. “Well, I promised the birthday girl a dance, so if you’ll excuse us. Have a good time this evening, gentlemen. If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

After shaking Omar’s hand again, Jasper placed his palm on Tessa’s back and led her away. If the teenagers’ chemistry was a sign of things to come, his hopes for a truce were pulling together. “Hmm! I believe I saw sparks flying between you and that boy back there.”

She gripped her father’s hand and started moving to the music as an offended scoff shot from her throat. “Don’t you go having any ideas about that, Daddy. It’s nothing.”

While he glanced back to the table, he met Rafik’s smiling face as he rested it on his hand and gazed at her. “Oh, I don’t know, Tess. Don’t be so hasty; sometimes you find love in the most unlikely places.”

A devious smile came to Jasper’s face when he saw the young man stand and straighten his tie as he made his way to them. “Sugar, these things are political. We have to collect all our pieces before we can play the game.”

Bending down to meet her eyes, he reminded her of what they were trying to build here. “You’re going to need powerful allies when you take over, and the Idrissi family has a lot of power; don’t turn your nose up at it. We may need them someday. Besides, they’re the best potion makers on the planet; it would be a smart match for you.”

The weight of the young man’s gravity nearly sucked her from her father’s grasp, and she closed her eyes before hissing through her teeth. “Goddamn, you. Thanks for the warning, you turncoat.”

Like a warm breeze, the soothing voice moved across the back of her neck. “May I dance with your daughter, please?”

“Why, yes, of course, son.” As Rafik slid around to take his place, Jasper put his hand on his shoulder and glanced back to Tessa with a wink. “Have fun, you two.”

Like the smoothest gold-digging Don Juan in all of Savannah, he dropped his hand to the small of her back while his other traveled down her arm, and she melted with his touch despite her mind’s warning. He wrapped his fingers around hers and kissed her hand before he placed it over his heart. “Happy Birthday, Tessa.”

The breath rushed from her mouth as a bashful smile while she glanced down to the floor between them. “Thank you.”

His hot breath graced her cheek as he gazed down at her face and pulled her closer to his chest when the old tune Sleep Walk played. “Do you like this song, Rohi?”

A wave of heat overcame her body, and her cheeks turned the most beautiful shade of golden-pink as her icy persona evaporated into the air that surrounded them.

His eyes shimmered with a hint of amber as she stared into them, and it was almost like someone else spoke through her the way the truth fell from her habitually untruthful tongue. “Yes, I love it. I even hear it in my dreams sometimes.”

While his dark eyes darted back and forth between hers, he smiled as the words dripped from his perfect mouth like the most tempting poison ever concocted. “That’s because this is our song; the Fates had them make it for you and me.”

The dreamy trance of his voice ensnared her, and every argument she made escaped her now. “They did?”

“Yes, I’m sure of it.” Staring into the jewels of her eyes, his breathy voice hitched out the words that would forever haunt her as he adored his beloved and fell deeper under her wiles. “Whenever you hear it, know that I’m thinking of you.”