Free Enchantment by Charlotte Abel Page B

one of my favorite places to hang out so I’m not really stalking you, it just looks that way.”
    “Oh.”
    “You sound disappointed.”
    “Don’t flatter yourself.”  
    “Ouch.”
    “Sorry.”
    “At least you didn’t run away screaming.”
    “I’m not the screaming type.”
    “That doesn’t surprise me. But finding you outside on a school night at three o’clock in the morning does. What’s up with that?”
    “I couldn’t sleep either. My sister ...” To Channie’s utter and complete humiliation, all the emotion she’d kept bottled up inside burst free in a single but desperate sob.  
    Josh flew off the picnic table and wrapped his arms around Channie so fast she didn’t have a chance to warn him, much less stop him.  
    The first thing she felt was a warm, gentle pulse of energy. It was identical to the energy she’d stolen from Josh after his fight with Eric, only more potent. It flowed into Channie and filled her heart-of-hearts till it overflowed. Enchantment was fully charged for the first time since her name change.
    Unfortunately, even fully charged, Enchantment’s magic was no match for Chastity’s curse. The strength of Josh’s arms surprised her. But it was his scent — a subtle mixture of sandalwood and lemons — that caught her off guard.  
    Chastity’s prickly magic sprang to life. Channie stiffened — inadvertently pulling Josh closer — as she tried to control the negative energy that wanted to attack him.  
    Josh was radiating nothing but pure compassion. What was generating so much lust? Channie’s face burned when she realized it was coming from her. She had to get away from Josh before she cursed him.
    He let go the instant she began to struggle and stepped back — holding his hands away from his body, palms out.
    He said, “I’m Sorry.”
    “Me too.” Channie did her best to stop the curse — draining every bit of Enchantment’s power in the process. She squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed fistfuls of her hair — tugging until it made her eyes water in an effort to stop thinking about the feel of Josh’s arms around her and the sound of his heart as she pressed her cheek against his rock-hard chest.  
    But there was nothing she could do about his scent. She had to breathe.
    When Chastity’s magic blasted out of her, Channie opened her eyes — just in time to see Josh collapse onto the picnic bench.  
    Channie didn’t know which was more humiliating, breaking down and crying over Abby in front of Josh, or cursing him because she couldn’t control her own lust.  
    She wanted to run for home, but she needed to be sure Josh was alright first.  
    He gripped the edge of the table, blinked twice, then left his eyes wide open. A rim of white completely encircled his irises. “Why did you do that?”
    “I didn’t mean to, it just happened. I told you I was cursed.”
    “Whatever.” Josh got on his bike and rode away without looking back. Channie watched until he disappeared into the tunnel that crossed under Cherry Street then went home and stared at the ceiling above her bed until the sun came up.
    ~***~
    When Channie got to school the next morning, Josh wouldn’t even look at her. He kept his gaze locked onto his textbook all during first period and bolted from the room the second the bell rang. Channie looked for him at lunch, but he was sitting with that jackass, Eric and his bitch of a girlfriend, Kassie.  
    She stared at the back of Josh’s head, debating whether or not to approach him when he stiffened and looked over his shoulder. It was as if he sensed her presence. A momentary flicker of pain slid across his face when his gaze first met hers. It lasted less than a second. Channie took a single step forward and lifted her hand involuntarily. It hung in the air, level with her waist. Josh pressed his mouth into a thin, hard line and glared at her, then turned away.  
    Channie was surprised by how much his hostility hurt — she hardly knew the