Free Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble by H. P. Mallory

near kiss, and my heart suffered as if Cupid was stabbing it with his little arrow. Maybe he’d known I’d pull away? Either way, Rand was right; it was common sense not to mix business with pleasure. I should be thinking the exact same way, I was thinking the exact same way.
    Good motto . I thought with a grin.
    He nodded, but his eyes held a vacant stare, like a mannequin. He strummed his fingers on the table and continued staring into space. I couldn’t say I was enjoying my evening with Vapid Man and my stomach churned with the liquor I’d forced into it. Hmm, maybe Rand’s magic amaretto sour was much better quality than its unmagic cousin.
    My hotel room started calling my name.
    “I think I’m going to call it a night,” I said and made a motion of standing, swaying with the effort.
    Rand wore a look of surprise. “So early?”
    “Yes, I’m not feeling great.”
    Rand stood and scanned the crowd, his gaze resting on Jack. Then he faced me again. “I’ll walk you to your room.”
    “No need. I can find my way back.”
    “I insist.” It was futile arguing with him. He sure took this gentleman stuff to extremes.
    “What about Jack?”
    He held my arm, and we neared the door. “I put a charm on him. He won’t be able to move from that spot.”
    “Can you do the same for Christa?”
    “Already did. They won’t notice a thing.”
    We walked out of the club, and I found myself in the rain again, the drops plastering my hair to my face until I’m sure I looked like a drowned rat. Rand hailed a cab and opened the door for me as I crawled in. I was careful to keep to my side of the cab, not wanting to give Rand the wrong idea—especially after his comment about separating business and pleasure.
    The five-minute cab ride was a silent one. Before I knew it, we pulled up to the hotel, and a squat valet opened the door for me. I ran for the lobby, not wanting the rain to further destroy any semblance of attractiveness I might have left. My hair was beyond repair, but hopefully my mascara wasn’t running. Rand caught up with me and the rain dripped down his face, testing my restraint to dab the drops away.
    “Well, thanks for getting me back to the hotel,” I said.
    “I’d like to see you to your room, if you don’t mind.”
    I swallowed my surprise and didn’t have a chance to respond before the elevator dinged and opened its doors. Rand took my arm and led me in, hitting the button for the sixth floor as the doors closed behind us.
    “Your hands are freezing,” he said and rubbed them between his. I didn’t respond, and the elevator dinged again, announcing my floor. I stepped out and watched Rand do the same. I guess he was serious about walking me to my door.
    “Well, thanks Rand,” I started.
    “Do you mind if we talk some more?”
    I shrugged, secretly delighted he wanted to stay. “Sure. I should start to feel better soon, I hope.”
    I slipped the room key into the slot and pushed against the door when it blinked green. Rand followed me inside and shut the door behind him. I turned around and had to stifle my gasp when I found him directly in front of me.
    “Where do you feel sick?”
    I backed away a step. “My stomach hurts.”
    With no hesitation, he sealed the distance between us, placing his hand on my belly. His other hand went around my back to steady me. Before I had a chance to squirm, wish my stomach were smaller or ask what the hell was going on, I no longer felt sick.
    He backed away then and I breathed a sigh of relief. “Wow, I feel a lot better.”
    Rand took a seat on a wingchair near the bed. “You can do that to yourself as well. Next time you have a headache, just put your hand on your head, and focus all your energy on removing the pain.”
    Good to know. “Thanks. What else can I do?”
    He kicked his long legs up on the ottoman and I couldn’t help but notice how large his feet were. Ergh.
    “Whatever you want, you just have to make sure your focus is there,