Easy Magic (Boudreaux #5)

I sit up and stare at him in the moonlight, open-mouthed. “Midnight on Wednesday?”


“You slept all day, Mal.”

“Damn, I lost a whole day.” I shake my head, relieved that it’s finally clearing.

“Have some water.” He hands me a cold bottle of water and I greedily drink half of the bottle down. “How do you feel?”

“Better,” I reply and pass the bottle back to him. “It was a weird sleep.”

“Tell me about it. I’ve never seen anyone have nightmares like that.”

And just like that, it comes flooding back to me. Being whipped, raped, thrown off of a cliff. Grandmamma’s voice, but not being able to see her.

“Oh, I’m glad that’s over,” I mumble and bury my face in Beau’s thigh.

“What happened, exactly?” He asks quietly, still brushing his fingers through my hair.

“Well, I guess the séance, and having so many active spirits around me, opening myself up so completely, took a toll on me. I’ve never done it like that before. I was too young before, so I always observed. I’m glad I thought to invite Lena so she could be an anchor.”

“Do you plan to do this often?” he asks, his voice deceptively calm.

“No,” I reply and pull his hand to my lips so I can kiss his palm. “I don’t plan to do it often at all. I didn’t like the way it made me feel, and I think I opened myself up too widely. It could have been dangerous.”

And there was someone else there at the end, and I still don’t know who, but they weren’t friendly.

They were scary. Dangerous.

Not that I’m going to tell Beau that.

I really don’t want to talk about psychics or spirits or any of that anymore. I’ve talked about it more in the past three days than I have in the past ten years combined.

And I’m sick of it.

“How was your day?” I ask.

“It was fine.” He shifts, urging me onto my back so he can look down at me. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I want to stop talking about me and talk about you. What did you do today?”

He tips his head to the side, as if he’s trying to figure me out, but then he starts talking. Lord Jesus, how I love the sound of this man’s voice. It’s deep, and his New Orleans drawl is laced through it beautifully.

I hardly notice the drawl, given that I have one of my own and I’ve lived here forever, but in Beau’s case, you can’t not recognize it. It’s as sexy as the rest of him.

“I was here, at your place, and I did some work. Lena stopped by to check on you.”

“What kind of work did you do?” I ask, keeping the subject on him.

“I spoke with a high ranking official in Japan who is interested in having Bayou Enterprises build him several yachts for his private fleet, and then I looked over some staffing issues in the yard.”

“In my yard?” I ask around a wide yawn.

“No,” he says with a smile and leans down to kiss my cheek. “At the shipyard, where the boats are built.”

“I’ve never been on a boat.” Beau’s eyes widen. “Does that surprise you?”

“You lived in the bayou.”

“And didn’t need to be on a boat to avoid the critters.” I smile and cup his cheek. I love touching him.

“Well, I think we should get you on your first boat.”

“In the bayou? Like, on one of those swamp tours?”

He laughs, and it flows over me like a salve, healing the remnants of the nightmares.

“I was thinking of something a bit more…well, substantial.”

“Bigger?”

“Yes.”

I smile up at him. “Okay, you choose the boat and I’ll go on it.”

“You’re very easygoing,” he remarks as he drags his fingertips up and down my arm, giving me goosebumps.

“Not always.” I shrug. “But I trust you.”

Please don’t make me regret trusting you.

“Thank you.” He kisses my hand. “Now, what can we do for you? Shower?”

“I have been sweating.” My clothes are sticky, and I don’t smell fantastic. “Give me fifteen minutes?”

“Take as long as you need,” he says and returns to his laptop. “I’m finishing up some business.”

I nod and walk to the bathroom, stripping out of my clothes on the way, unfazed by Beau being here to watch me. He’s seen me naked. I have nothing to hide from him now.

But I toss a sassy look over my shoulder, and he’s watching me avidly.

Which does amazing things for my ego.

I turn on the shower and gather a towel, washrag, and some clean pajamas, then step into the hot water and sigh in happiness. It feels damn good to wash away the rest of the bad dreams.

Someone else’s bad memories.

I let the hot water hit my back for a few extra moments after I’ve finished washing myself, then turn it off and go to grab my towel, but it’s missing.

“Beau?” I call out, just as he walks through the doorway, holding my towel.

“Sorry, I tried to be quick.” He holds the towel out and I walk into it, feeling the heat coming off it as he wraps it around me. “I put it in the dryer so it would be warm for you.”

“Are you human?” I ask and let him pat me down. When I’m dry, he wraps his arms around me, and gives me the best, strongest hug I’ve had in years.

“Flesh and bone,” he replies softly. “Did that help?”

“The shower or you?”

“Both.”

“Yes,” I smile up at him. He’s so much taller than me, and when he holds me like this, he makes me feel safe.

And very turned on. I’m surprised I have enough energy to feel this turned on, but Beau’s sexy as fuck body is pressed against mine, and well, I’m a red-blooded woman, after all.

“What are you thinking?” he asks as his hands glide down my back to my ass.

“You feel good.”

I can feel him smile against the top of my head.

“Do you want to watch TV?” he asks. I shake my head no. “Do you want to talk some more?” Again, I shake my head no. “Hmm.”

“What ever shall we do?” I ask and bat my eyelashes up at him, enjoying this little flirty moment, and suddenly I’m in his arms. He’s carrying me back to the bed, Rhett Butler style.

“I have an idea,” he says with a sexy grin.

“You do?”

“Oh yeah.”

“A card game?” I ask and giggle when he drops me onto the bed, my towel falling off, leaving me stark-ass naked.

“Not much of a gambler,” he says, his eyes raking over me as if he’s starving and I’m his favorite entrée.

“Hmm, would you like to—”

“Why don’t I just show you what I want?”

“I’m really a show-don’t-tell kind of girl,” I reply and gasp when he grabs my ankle and yanks me to the edge of the bed, my ass almost hanging off the side. He sinks to his knees, presses my thighs open wide, and lays wet kisses on the sensitive skin that leads to my core, licking and nibbling all the way, until he can circle my clit with his tongue.

“Holy shit,” I groan and collapse back, my hips arching, searching for more of his mouth. He shifts his hands to my hips, and he holds on as I go crazy, grinding myself on his face, soaking in every quiver, every amazing feeling that he’s giving me.