Free Sympathetic Magic (The Witches of Cleopatra Hill Book 4) by Christine Pope

even though she was of the mind that the two of them could take on pretty much anything they met in that dark stretch between the shops on 179 and the more populated uptown area. But she did have to admit that, after a large meal and half a bottle of extremely good Bordeaux, it was probably better to have a cab take her back to her own car.
    True, sitting next to Lucas in the back seat of the cab was a little too close quarters. His knee brushed hers once or twice, and she couldn’t be sure whether he’d done so on purpose. Not that she’d call him to task about it, not with the cab driver sitting just a few feet away, but still….
    At least the ride only took a couple of minutes. Almost before Margot knew it, they had stopped in front of Sinagua Plaza, and Lucas was leaning forward and handing the driver a twenty. Twenty dollars? For a half-mile ride?
    She didn’t say anything, though, and didn’t protest when Lucas reached down to help her out of the cab after he’d pushed his tall frame out of the back seat and onto the sidewalk. Somehow she felt a little unsteady on her feet. Delayed reaction to the Bordeaux?
    That had to be it.
    “Where did you park?” Lucas asked as the cab eased its way out from the curb.
    “Just up the street half a block, then down the side street.” Realizing why he’d asked the question, she added quickly, “There’s no need to walk me to my car. You’d just be going out of your way.”
    His eyebrow lifted. “You must really have a bad opinion of us Wilcoxes if you think I’m just going to let you walk down there alone in the dark.”
    Oh, of all the — “That’s not what I meant.”
    “What did you mean?”
    Obviously, she was not going to win this argument. “Fine. If you think I’m really in that much danger, here in Sedona, of all places, then by all means, come along.”
    She pulled her shawl more closely around herself and began walking. Lucas let out something that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle, but tagged along dutifully a pace behind her. Really, it was very well-lit here, what with the illumination from the shopping center and the lights in the parking lot of the hotel across the way from the spot where she’d left her car. All this fuss for nothing.
    As she walked, she scrabbled in her purse for her keys. That way, she could have them in hand and be ready to flee at once, rather than stand there with Lucas watching as she tried to locate them amongst the wallet and the cosmetics bag and the packet of tissues and all the other items she had crowding her purse.
    With her keys safely clutched in her fingers, she stopped a foot or so away from the rear of her Subaru and said, “I had a very nice time, Lucas. Thank you for dinner.”
    Even in the chancy lighting from the street lamps in the parking lot a hundred feet away, his dark eyes twinkled. “Nice?”
    “Well — ” she flailed. What else was she supposed to say? “Dinner was wonderful.”
    “‘Wonderful’ is better,” he said. “And so is this.”
    Before she could do anything, could attempt to move away, he bent down and pressed his mouth against hers. Shocked, she could only stand there, her brain seemingly incapable of registering what was going on, that Lucas Wilcox was kissing her.
    And what was she doing? Kissing him back .
    His arms were around her, pulling her close. Dimly, she heard her keys drop with a clink to the asphalt, followed by the softer thud of her purse. And she was breathing him in, tasting the rich, sweet dregs of the wine and the flourless chocolate cake they’d ordered to finish off their meal. The air was cold against her skin, but she was warm, so warm, her entire body seeming on fire as she pressed against him, felt again the solid, imposing strength of his body.
    No. This was insane. What the hell was she thinking?
    Somehow she found the strength of will to put her hands up against his chest, push herself away, stumble backward until she bumped into the rear of her