Free Masked Attraction by Mary Hughes

don’t mind if I steal this lovely lady, do you?”
    “Yeah. I do.” Lightning practically jagged in Zeus’ eyes.
    No subtlety at all, this one.
    Which gave Daniel an idea. Zoe wanted the key, and no need for subtlety? He’d steal it back with magic. Right here, right now. He’d cover his actions so bystanders wouldn’t know, but Zeus wouldn’t fail to figure out Daniel was the other wizard and his nemesis, which would take his attention off Zoe.
    Bonus, it’d shout loud and clear that if Zeus wanted Zoe, he’d have to go through Daniel.
    Both of them were frowning at him. Daniel realized his hands and jaw were clamped so hard his teeth were powder and his fingers were knots.
    He deliberately eased into a more casual stance. “I’m not giving you a choice. I’m cutting in.”
    Zoe began, “My Hero—”
    “The hell you are,” Zeus finished.
    “Language.” Daniel touched his wand mentally, calling it into his side pocket. If Zeus had the key, a simple pickpocket spell would lift it. A favorite for playing pranks at University, Daniel learned the spell early and used it often, if only in self-defense.
    Zoe crossed her arms and frowned at him. “I’m fine here, with Zeus.”
    “You’re really not.” The simplest form of pickpocket used direct touch as a bridge. All Daniel had to do was stay in contact long enough for the key to transfer.
    He brushed his wand through the pocket with one finger, priming the spell.
    Zoe frowned, following his gesture. “Zeus and I were having a nice chat.”
    She knew he was up to something, but she wouldn’t know what, and frankly, Daniel was more worried about Zeus. The other wizard might sense the spell before the transfer was complete—unless Daniel did something to distract him.
    “Marvelous. We can all three have a nice chat together.” He smiled broadly and gave the bastard a buddy slap on the back.
    On one hand, it worked to perfection. The bridge initiated without his new buddy catching on.
    On the other hand, it backfired spectacularly. Daniel’s suppressed rage at the other mage had filled his slap with such a punch that Zeus staggered.
    The brutal face lifted with surprise and he fell forward a step before he caught himself. “ Hey . What the hell are you doing?”
    Daniel tried to follow the motion, to keep in contact, but Zoe stuck her face in the gap and snarled at them both.
    “That’s enough macho crap.”
    His flow of magic was already started, and her anger, practically a physical force, distracted him an instant before he could cut the spell.
    Like electricity forced to jump, magic flared, surging over the gap from Zeus’ back to Daniel’s hand with an almost audible whoosh of superheated air .
    Zeus yelped as if he’d been singed.
    “I said enough. ” Zoe wedged herself between them, her masked gaze cutting from one to the other. “You may think this alpha male shit is romantic, but I’m a person, not a piece of meat to be fought over.”
    “Sorry. I’m sorry.” Daniel groaned mentally. Without the key, she would be determined to stick with Zeus, and a determined Zoe was as stubborn as a cliff.
    He’d have confronted the guy, but she might be caught between them and magic between two wizards could get messy. But he didn’t want her anywhere near the jackass.
    He needed to get His Lady Stubborn away from Zeus. But how?
    The orchestra began another waltz, and it gave him an idea. She’d planned this evening around the idea of romance, and he’d spent the years since high school honing his seductive skills.
    He took her fingers and kissed them. “Lovely Lady Mystery…”
    He meant to follow up with, Would you care to dance? But his nose delighted in her unique scent, his lips tingled at the feel of her smooth skin, and all he wanted to do was kiss up her delicate hand, trace the veins along the back with his tongue, press hot lips to the inside of her wrist and kiss all the way up her tender inner arm to her sweet, hot mouth…
    Need