Tricks & Treats: A Romance Anthology by Alexis Abbott, Candace Osmond, Kate Robbins, JJ King, Katherine King, Ian Gillies, Charlene Carr, J. Margot Critch, Kallie Clarke, Kelli Blackwood Page A

delicate embrace, careful not to crush either of their finery.
     
    “Merci mama.” Katherine whisper back.
     
    When they parted, both women were as composed and regal as queens, which technically Sylvie was. Katherine nodded to her mother, kissed her father’s cheek lightly, then glided into the crowd to mingle and find Maxwell.
     
    She was chatting with a group of her cousins, including Damien, who was taking all the credit for her look, when a gentle hand slid over her waist. Katherine inhaled the familiar scent of book ink and old leather and smiled. She turned slowly and sized up her boyfriend who was dressed from head to toe in a perfectly tailored black tuxedo complete with wings. He was gorgeous.
     
    She stepped into his embrace and tilted her neck to look up into his eyes. He was at least a head taller than her and had been ever since they’d met. She’d liked that she was able to wear heels and still look up at him. It made her feel feminine, which wasn’t something she’d felt often but was liking more and more.
     
    He stared down at her for a long drawn out moment, taking in her kohl lined eyes, her blackened hair, and her slinky devil red dress. She watched as his eyes turned from the palest of icy blues to a deep, dark, intense color that practically screamed with desire.
     
    His response made her thighs clench together. As intimate as they were with one another, their private time together was usually quiet and sweet. They’d been together for over nineteen years, ever since his family had moved to a nearby town from Europe. It had been exciting, getting to know him, and discovering that she loved him deeply.
     
    Sometimes, though, she wished for a bit more, a little danger to get her heart racing. Maxwell was the perfect boyfriend; a true gentleman and the sweetest boy she’d ever known. But their relationship felt adolescent and she wanted to grow up. She hoped to usher their relationship into the future and ignite the spark that was inside her and, she hoped, him. That was half the reason she’d chosen her outfit so carefully tonight. Grown up Katherine was planning on being a lot more sensual than her previous self.
     
    Maxwell licked his lips and leaned into her, taking in a deep breath of her scent. The ache between Katherine’s thighs turned to a deep, thrumming heat. She took a step closer and pressed her body against his, sliding her arms up and around his neck as the band launched into a slow, sexy jazz number.
     
    She knew there were eyes on them as they moved slowly around the floor. Despite the throng, her transformation was on everyone’s lips and that was the way she’d planned it.
     
    Maxwell’s hands pressed into her hips, aggressively. Katherine stopped thinking about the people around her and took notice of her boyfriend. He was breathing raggedly, his body tense as he moved her around the dance floor. She shifted her gaze up and was shocked by the jagged lust she saw in his usually easy going eyes. The heat inside her grew to a hot pulse of desire. She needed to be alone with him now.
     
    Feeling insanely confident, Katherine stilled and rose up onto her toes, bringing her mouth up to his jaw. “So, there’s this new book that just arrived from Paris,” she whispered as softly as she could into his ear, knowing all the ears in the room were preternaturally born. She trailed her fingers along his neck, sweetly, then dug her nails into his skin and purred, “I could show it to you… I mean, if you’re interested.”
     
    She unwound her hands from his neck and turned on her heels, then walked slowly out of the ball room without a second glance. There was no doubt in her mind that Maxwell would follow.
     
    It felt strange and heady, this newfound feminine power. All through her childhood she’d tried to assume her rightful dominant place over her brothers, arguing with them against the stupidity of the patriarchal Alpha system. She was first born so she should