A Charmed Life | Coven Corner #3

Chapter Sixteen

Hazel was distracted all day long. She rushed the magic lessons for the day—something she had never done before. And she even didn't notice when Seline cheated, hexing the answers to her charms test in the air rather than memorizing them like she was supposed to.

As soon as school was out, Hazel grabbed her broom and headed straight for Nick's house. She hadn't heard another word from him and she wondered what she faced when she reached him. She'd simply kissed him and run off. She wouldn't blame him if he didn't want to see her.

When Hazel arrived, the garage door was open and Nick was underneath a hulking black Suburban. She cleared her throat. Nick flinched in surprise and bumped his head on the undercarriage of the car. He hissed, rubbing his forehead as he crawled out and stood. His eyes widened at the sight of her.

"Miss Aven," he said, hesitantly.

"Please," she replied. "Call me Hazel. I..." She glanced down at her broom's handle, scrubbing her thumb over a dent in the wood. "I like to hear you say it."

Nick stood there for a moment, silent. Then he stepped toward her.

"Hazel," he said softly. He pulled a rag from his back pocket and wiped his hands off quickly, tossed the rag aside again. "About last night..."

"I'm sorry I ran off," Hazel said, glancing up at him.

"If I pushed you into breaking your word—"

"You didn't," Hazel cut in. "I was...scared, I guess."

Nick nodded. He kept his hands resolutely at his side, even though Hazel wished he would reach out and touch her. Set his hand on her waist like he had the night before.

"And now?" Nick said at last. "Are you still scared?"

"A little," Hazel admitted in a whisper. "I think I've found something...very good. And I don't want to ruin it."

Slowly, Nick trailed his fingertips across the back of Hazel's hand.

"I was thinking the same thing," he said. "But I'd like to give it a shot. If you're up for it."

His gaze tracked up to her face, eyes searching and carefully guarding a sliver of hope. Hazel's heart stutter-skipped. She placed her hands on either side of his face, his skin warm beneath her palms.

"I would like that," Hazel said. "I would like that very much."

Nick blew out a faint, shivery breath of relief and his shoulders sagged slightly, releasing the tension he'd been holding. His hands settled on her waist, curving around to the small of her back.

"Phoebe?" Hazel said, her gaze darting to the house.

"Playing with Luna," Nick replied.

Hazel's gaze had barely returned to Nick's face before he kissed her so suddenly that his teeth knocked against hers and she sputtered a laugh of surprise.

Nick pulled back with a wince. "Sorry, I didn't mean—"

But Hazel took his face in her hands and kissed him back soundly. She curled her fingers into his shirt with an insistent tug, pulling him close until he was flush against her, solid beneath her hands. He tasted like coffee and pumpkin pie.

Hazel slid her arms around his neck, humming against his mouth with contentment. Nick's hands wandered up her back with firm pressure, warding off the chill of autumn with his body heat.

He broke away first, resting his forehead against hers.

"Are you okay?" he said, his voice a dry rasp.

Hazel nodded. She bit her lip, feeling light-headed and giddy, as if she'd swallowed an entire bottle of champagne in one kiss.

"You're not going to run off on me again, right?" Nick said with a wry smile.

Hazel groaned and dropped her forehead to Nick's shoulder.

"I can't believe I did that," she said. "It's not like me, I swear."

Nick laughed softly, his hand skimming up and down her back in reassurance.

"I figured as much," he said. "You looked a little freaked out. I thought I'd give you some time to yourself before we talked things through."

He took her hand and kissed her knuckles. Then led her to a bench outside the garage.

"We have to be careful with this, Nick," Hazel said. "Phoebe is still the first priority. I don't want her hurt because of...us."

Nick nodded. "You're absolutely right."

"And we need to tell her everything. No secrets. She has enough to worry about without wondering if we're keeping something from her."

"I agree."

"And we should keep everything...you know..." Hazel swept her hand, palm down, in a gliding motion. "As smooth as possible."

"Hazel," Nick said, tilting his head to the side with a coy look in his eye.

"What?" she said.

"Since the moment you came into Phoebe's life..." He paused then amended what he'd said. "Our lives. You've done nothing but provide a stable foundation for her to rely on. I'm not worried about this."

He held up their linked hands to emphasize his words.

The sun broke through the clouds, casting his hair in golden light. Leaves rustled across the sidewalk, followed by a blast of cold wind that made Hazel shift a little closer to Nick, seeking his body heat.

Nick tucked an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple.

"We'll figure things out as we go," he said. "And if both of us agree that we're causing Phoebe any harm whatsoever, we'll call it quits. But we both have to agree. None of this head school teacher making all of the decisions business."

Hazel huffed a laugh and poked Nick in the ribs. He squirmed with a small yip of surprise and caught her hand. She tilted her head up to look at him.

She never felt this...carefree with someone before. She could open up to him, let him see the fears, the worries, the concerns, and he would wait for her to sort things out until she was ready to talk.

Hazel kissed the hollow beneath his ear and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Sounds like a deal to me," she said.