A Pinch of Kitchen Magic by Sandra Sookoo Page B

eyes hooded as he
turned to leave.
    Frustrated, she bit her bottom lip to
prevent the cry she knew would make him stay. She slipped the
license into the back pocket of her jeans. In the end, she couldn’t
fight the need. “Matteus.” The word was small and barely
audible.
    “ Damn it, Aidan.” He swung
around to face her, his eyes clouded with cloudy emotion. “I
haven’t been entirely truthful with you.”
    She tamped down the hope that wanted
to burst from her chest. She couldn’t give in to it. She couldn’t
forget his hurtful words. “Big surprise.” She licked her lips. “I
suppose now you’re gonna tell me you’re married, or you’re the
crown prince of some obscure European country and you’re travelling
incognito.” Tremors of desire danced low in her abdomen while he
prowled around the corner of the island. He stood two steps away.
Her breath stalled. Her stomach clenched. “That’s it, isn’t
it?”
    “ No.” A shadow darkened
his face for a moment. “I had no choice. I wanted to protect
you.”
    “ From what? A disgruntled
magic teacher?” Incredulity painted her voice. “A rogue skills
instructor competing for pupils?” Hysterical laughter built in her
throat at the thought.
    “ Just listen to me. Let me
explain.”
    Aidan refused to be taken
in by his charm, even as the breath whooshed from her chest when he
caught her up in his arms. “Don’t…” When he pressed his lips to
hers in a quick kiss, she sagged against him. I such a sucker for a good kisser.
    He pulled away. “Will you hush and let
me explain?”
    “ Yes.” She was as limp as
cooked pasta. If he zapped her clothes off she wouldn’t fight
him.
    “ I really am a skills
assessor not a disguised prince.” He gave her a wobbly grin then
shoved a hand through his hair. “The trouble is I’m also a member
of the Magical Enforcement League. It’s my responsibility to
maintain order throughout the magical community.”
    “ And what difference does
that make to me? I wouldn’t have cared if you told me you were the
tooth fairy’s second cousin, you still lied. I can’t trust you even
though I want to.” Her mouth went dry when he unbuttoned his cuffs
then rolled his sleeves up to his elbows.
    “ On the contrary, I’m one
of the most trustworthy men you’ll meet.”
    “ I don’t want to hear
anymore.” Summoning a bit of her discarded pride, she attempted to
dart away but he pinned her against the island, his hands on either
side of her waist. “Let me go.” She whispered since there was
barely any breath left in her. The sweet scent of basil wrapped
invisible fingers around her. When she met his turbulent gaze, she
tumbled in.
    “ Not yet.” He dipped his
head to touch her lips with his and whispered, “I’ve put a lot of
bad people into prison. You wouldn’t believe the amount of people
who use magic for personal gain—world domination, political office,
English grammar teachers. The list goes on and on.”
    Gossamer threads of desire spiraled
through her stomach as he brushed his knuckles over her cheek.
“What does that have to do with me?” She sighed. He was so close a
sheet of air separated them. Her fingers itched to touch his
five-o’clock shadow, to see if it would be as prickly as she
imagined.
    “ Everything.”
    “ Why?” No longer would she
just take his word for it.
    “ You see, I’ve ticked off
some powerful people by taking their magic away. The human race
gets desperate when they begin to lose power. The list of death
threats against me is impressively long. I didn’t want to involve
you in any of that. I do want to give them the leverage.” He sighed
then looked at a spot over her left shoulder. “I’d go the infinite
length of the Universe and back to keep you safe.”
    She drew in a shaky breath. “So you’re
not up for a promotion?”
    “ I’m afraid not. It’ll be
years before I’m even eligible for one. I took the skills assessor
position for a change of pace.