“Why?”Lissa demanded, following closely behind.“Because a wave interrupted us?Pretty sure that’s a thing that happens in the ocean.I’m down to move this indoors, but that doesn’t mean we need to stop.”
Ria glanced back, taking in Lissa’s goose bump covered skin and the shivers wracking the woman’s body.Shaking her head, she resumed her march to get back on dry land.“I’m sorry, Lissa.I’m so sorry.”
“About what?”A strong hand latched onto her shoulder, halting her in knee-deep water.
Slowly, Ria turned back around.“Everything.This never should have happened between us.”
Lissa threw up her hands in exasperation.“Why?And don’t you dare say that fucking spell again.That’s a bullshit cop out.I know you like me, Ria.So what’s the real reason we can’t be together?”
“That is the real reason,” Ria cried, dashing back onto the sand and snatching up her panties.Fighting the soul-deep shivers that promised she might never again know the feeling of warmth, Ria yanked the underwear on, then grabbed her top, forgoing a bra in her haste to get out of there.
“No, it’s not,” Lissa argued, coming up behind Ria to grab her own clothing.“Is this about your ex?Are you just scared to be with someone right now?”
Ria opened her mouth to protest, to try once again to convince Lissa that she was under a spell, but her brain quickly leapt on the safer way out.
Make her fall out of love with you, Jess had said.
Ria would rather jump back in the freezing water than break Lissa’s heart, and yet it seemed more and more like that was the only option left.
“Yeah,” Ria forced out, snapping the sand from her shirt and refusing to look at Lissa.“That’s the reason.My ex cheated on me, and I don’t trust anyone anymore.”
Lissa stumbled in the loose sand, her black boy shorts halfway up her legs.After a second, she sighed, yanked her underwear up, and straightened.“And that includes me?”she asked bitterly.
Ria stared at the pink buttons on the shirt in her hand.They matched Lissa’s hair almost perfectly.A subconscious choice on her part when getting dressed?Or a bigger sign from the universe?
Didn’t matter.It wasn’t right for Ria to take advantage of Lissa while her emotions were being manipulated by magic.So she offered a quick nod of confirmation, the only thing she was capable of since she was technically still lying to Lissa, even if it was in her own best interest.
“That hurts, Ria,” Lissa replied, her voice colder than the ocean.“I thought we were really getting to know each other.”
Hearing the pain in Lissa’s voice, Ria forced herself to look up.“We were.Are.Whatever.I just… I just can’t be with you right now.”
Lissa closed the clasp on her bra and tucked her breasts into what had to be generous C cups.“So when can you be with me?”she asked, something like resignation replacing the chill in her tone.
“I don’t know,” Ria replied, tugging on the sleeves of her blouse, her wet skin fighting the tight fabric.“Maybe never.”
Lissa yanked the purple tank top over her head.“That sounds like a bullshit answer if I’ve ever heard one.”
Flinching at Lissa’s words, Ria focused her attention on getting her second arm through the sleeve without tearing the soft fabric.“I’m sorry.I need to go home,” she said quietly.
“Wait.Would you please stop for a second?”Lissa took a deep breath.“You told me earlier you wanted to be friends, yeah?Well I’m willing to accept that if it’s the only thing on the table.Just come back to my place.I live right over there.You can take a shower and get warmed up.Then if you still want to go home, I won’t fight you.”
Ria took her time buttoning up her shirt, needing a moment to think.Would it make things worse if she tried to be friends with Lissa?Friendship wouldn’t necessarily help her plan to get Lissa to stop liking her.On the other hand, Ria was fairly certain she couldn’t simply cut Lissa out of her life.They’d only known each other for such a short time, yet the thought of never seeing Lissa again had Ria’s insides twisting.
“Okay,” Ria agreed.“A hot shower does sound nice.”
Slipping into her skirt and picking up her strappy heels, she let Lissa take her arm and guide her toward a white cottage nestled into the tree line a few hundred yards away.
It was just a shower, nothing more, and afterward she’d ask Lissa for a ride home.
Then she would spend the entire night pouring through every book in her mom’s collection until she found some way out of this mess.
Chapter Sixteen
Lissa
Lissaunlockedthedoorto her cottage and nudged it open, flicking on the light switch.
“Come on in,” she told Ria, sweeping a hand out.“Mi cottage es su cottage.”She tossed her keys on the kitchen counter and made a mental note to retrieve them later from where they slid underneath the microwave.She had more important things to do first.Hurrying into the living room, she grabbed her favorite knit throw off the back of the couch then returned to Ria who hadn’t strayed past the threshold.Lissa tucked the blanket around Ria’s shoulders and rubbed her arms.
