Free Spellbound by Emmie Dark Page B

wash her from his skin. As if the whole thing had been somehow distasteful. Usually he’d throw some critique of her performance over his shoulder as he went. She realised she’d been expecting Nick to say something similar, had braced herself for it, but the crystal had distracted them both.
    What did Aunt Gertrude have to do with this? Belle wondered. After all, it was Aunt Gertrude who’d given her the crystal. Did her aunt know about a spell cast over Belle? If so, why hadn’t she mentioned it? When Gertrude had given her the crystal, Belle had figured that it was some kind of dampener, something that would prevent Belle herself from casting more spells after the disaster with the phantom lover. A punishment – at least from Aunt Gertrude’s perspective. Right now, Belle didn’t particularly care if she never cast another spell in her life.
    She’d sort it out in the morning, she decided. Maybe go see Aunt Gertrude and get to the bottom of it all. Right now, there was a warm, delicious man in her bed, and Belle intended to savour every minute of it.
    Belle woke early, at first uncertain what had woken her, but then realised it was the unfamiliar feeling of being entwined with another as she’d slept. The bedroom smelled of sex and male musk, and for a long while, Belle was content just to lie there and watch Nick sleep, drinking in his Italian good looks.
    He really was a beautiful man, even more beautiful up close. His thick, dark eyelashes – worthy of female jealousy – were fanned against his cheeks. His olive skin was smooth and even-toned all over. A small splash of colour decorated his left shoulder: an almost feminine Celtic tattoo that only served to emphasise the masculinity of the muscles it decorated. He had hair on his chest that spread outwards from his sternum and trailed down in an arrow to his impressive appendage. Although she’d kissed it last night, she still harboured a deep longing to get to know that part of Nick better, to learn every inch of him. And there were a number of inches to get to know, she thought, suppressing a giggle.
    Belle was a little sticky and knew her make-up would be all smeared. She wanted to be presentable for Nick when he woke up so, sliding carefully out of bed, she headed for the bathroom.
    The sensuousness of a lingering bath with lots of bubbles appealed, but she didn’t want to be away from Nick’s embrace for long. A nice hot shower instead, then.
    Belle let the water run over her as she removed her make-up and then soaped up her hands with a vanilla-scented body wash. Her skin was extraordinarily sensitive. Slippery fingers slid over her breasts and encountered puckered nipples. Her own touch was enough to make her gasp. Perhaps Nick had enchanted her; or perhaps her body was programmed to come alive to his touch.
    She let one soapy hand slide down over her belly and begin to work the froth into her curls and, even though she didn’t touch her clit, that pressure was enough to send a shudder through her entire body. A muted groan escaped her lips, and she shivered as a waft of cold air drifted over her.
    ‘Are you leaving me out this morning?’ a husky male voice asked behind her.
    Belle spun around, almost losing her footing on the wet tiles. Nick reached out his gorgeous, strong arm to steady her. Belle knew she should have been embarrassed, mortified even, at being caught pleasuring herself like that, but the sight of him before her was more than enough to wipe out any other thought.
    Nick’s dark eyes glowed with intent and his cock was fully erect, even more massive this morning than she’d figured last night. Belle bit back a gasp at the sight. She’d really been able to take that in her mouth? In her body?
    ‘Not leaving you out,’ she managed to find the breath to say. ‘Just getting ready for you.’
    He gave her a wicked grin. ‘Just as well. Scoot over.’
    Nick stepped into the shower with her. It really wasn’t large enough for two,