Mistress of Magic Read Free Page A

in the costume shop just as if he belonged there. As if he had every right to be there.
    And he was serious once again. Very serious. Not even a hint of a smile touched the taut, grim contours of his mouth. The hard, almost world-weary look was in his eyes. Gold and hard, they stared at her, judging her.
    He obviously hadn’t expected her to be here.
    But he was the stranger! She was the one dressed up as Dierdre Dinosaur—No. She had been dressed as Dierdre Dinosaur. Now she was standing here barefoot in crimson bikini panties and a lace-frothed bra.
    Absurdly, she was glad that she had drawn out matching underwear that morning.
    Absurd, indeed! This man had no right to be here! And he certainly had no right to stare at her so, his handsome face so cold and hard.…
    But then the look was suddenly gone. His hands were on his hips and a sizzle was in his eyes as he looked her up and down. A grin tugged at his lower lip.
    “You are a woman,” he said softly.
    Softly, and still the voice was a haunting one. So masculine. Now that she was practically naked, it seemed to touch her all the more, starting at the nape of her neck and stroking the length of her spine. Touch upon touch. A rasp of rough velvet …
    “What in God’s name are you doing in here!” she managed to rasp out suddenly.
    His brow arched high. He was silent for a beat, and she hurried on.
    “You’ve no right to be in here! This is off-limits to anyone but employees. You have to get out. Now! Right now!” she emphasized indignantly.
    If she had been dressed—if she hadn’t felt his eyes, and his voice, so keenly—would she have been so upset? She didn’t know, and she didn’t get a chance to know.
    Because he wasn’t in a big hurry to leave. He was sauntering slowly toward her, and he seemed amused. Tremendously amused.
    Suddenly he stood right in front of her. Only the costume held awkwardly in her hands stood between him and her near-naked form. He lifted a hand from his hip. A finger wagged just beneath her nose. “You were enjoying yourself out there, weren’t you? Tousling the hair, getting me to kiss a latex cheek and so on.”
    She pulled the costume close to her chest with what she hoped was a great deal of dignity. “I was trying to entertain the children—”
    “And I was at the disadvantage. I couldn’t see the face. Or the form.”
    Her eyes narrowed on his hazel ones. “Well, you have seen both now. And you are not supposed to be in here! Now, if you don’t leave quickly, I’ll—”
    “You’ll what? Call the dino police?” he asked lightly.
    Her gaze sizzled. “We do have park security,” she warned steadily. He was behaving atrociously! He should be apologizing and hurrying out. He should be making up some sort of excuse for being where he shouldn’t be, in a place that was clearly marked out-of-bounds to park guests!
    He was still staring at her.
    “If you don’t—” she began.
    “Indeed, you are a woman!” he murmured. There was amusement in his voice. It was annoying.
    It also caused a whole new wave of tremors. The tone of his voice was still sexy. Dangerous, in a way.
    Irritating.
    And still … Sexy. Just like the way he watched her.
    “Every inch a woman.” His eyes didn’t leave hers, but she knew he was remembering everything he had seen when his eyes had traveled over the length of her.
    The finger wagging beneath her chin suddenly touched it. She felt as if his touch burned and seared her. As if she would feel it forever—Why was she letting him touch her?
    She didn’t really think or wonder long, because as quickly as that touch had come, it was gone.
    “I told you that I would have an advantage,” he said softly. “I hadn’t planned this, but …”
    Now his eyes did roam the length of her. “You are at the disadvantage. And it’s been my most sincere pleasure.”
    Her face reddened to crimson despite herself. Her voice lowered to a furious whisper.
    “If you don’t—”
    “I’m