“What for?”
She peeled herself off of him, leaving behind a body print he’d feel for the rest of his life. “I shouldn’t lead you on. I’m leaving town. I—it’s unfair to you to allow you to think that I can give something I’m not able to give.” Her fingers went to her lips, and he wondered if they tingled like his. Her words said one thing, but her kiss had said something completely different. Her kiss told him to hold tight, to pour himself into her and she would give right back and more. She was absolutely amazing, and she was telling him to let her go.
He nodded. “I understand.” He puffed out a breath of air, obscuring the vision of her for just a moment—enough time that he managed to pull himself together. Now that was the true magic trick of the day, because kissing Harmony had unraveled his very heart.
Chapter Ten
December 17
Harmony
The next evening, Harmony found herself in Breck’s apartment for practice once again. She had looked forward to it all day. Ambia, her boss, had even mentioned that her aura was beginning to clear. Strangely enough, she could feel the dark cloud evaporating from her life. The more time she spent with Breck, the lighter she felt.
“It’s so beautiful.” Harmony traced the sequined bodice, feeling the tiny bumps and beautiful details. “Where did you get this?”
“A thrift shop.” Breck’s eyes twinkled like Old Saint Nick’s before he dashed up the chimney and out of sight with a merryHo Ho Ho.“Watch this.” He lifted the voluminous skirt and clicked something together, and the dress was transformed into a snowman.
“How?” she demanded. Happiness bubbled inside of her. She was beginning to get lost in this magical world of Breck’s where cards appeared out of thin air and dresses became snowman costumes. “Looking at it now, you’d never guess there was a gown inside of it.”
“That’s the whole point. And our next trick.”
“I get to wear this!” She clapped her hands and squealed. “I’ll feel just like a winter princess.”
“You are a princess.” He smiled so genuinely that it took her breath away.
In the silent lift of his cheeks and the stretching of his lips, he said so many words—phrases she wasn’t sure she was ready to hear, but her heart grabbed on to them like a woman thirsty for nourishment. He truly saw her as beautiful, worthy, strong, and regal—all the things she’d wished her ex had been able to see when they were married, and the very things she had a hard time seeing in herself lately. They were all right there in Breck’s smile.
“Can I try it on?”
He nodded and began unfastening the back.
She stripped down to a tank top and leggings. “You know, the dress code for this job is pretty lax,” she teased as she folded her sweater and set it aside. She glanced over to find him studiously working on the zipper. She went to help him and he jerked his hands away, hurrying to the counter, where he picked up a deck of cards and began shuffling.
She paused. He’d said he understood why she couldn’t kiss him, shouldn’t give in to the attraction pulsing between them. And he respected those boundaries—to the point that basic interactions were almost painful.
She managed to lower the zipper and step in, but there was no way she’d be able to zip it back up. Her elbows didn’t bend that way, no matter how much she contorted. “Um … a little help?”
His head came up and his neck flushed red. He walked over, slowly, his eyes on the zipper. “I’m not sure. I mean, how …?”
She flapped her arms once. “You’re going to have to touch me.”
“Okay, but—” He was strained and unsure and completely adorable. Where Sam had been suave and swept her off her feet, Breck was kind and thoughtful and careful about her feelings and her needs and just … her. Which succeeded in melting her knees.
She twisted and grabbed both of his hands between her own. His skin was warm, and she had to fight the urge to press his palms to her cheeks like he’d done just before kissing her. “Don’t worry. We can do this. One kiss doesn’t mean you have to walk on eggshells around me.”
He breathed out. “You sure?”
“I’m sure.” She turned back around, presenting him with the stiff zipper. He made short work of it. Then, to her delight, he began arranging the dress and checking the wires that hung down the sides. It was the wires that gave the bell skirt its shape. The hem of the underskirt was already gathered together, forming a ball. “So, I don’t think the thrift store near me carries magic props like this. Where did you really get it?”
He kept his hands busy but cocked his head as he answered. “I really did get it at a thrift shop. But I may have altered it.” His grin turned mischievous.
“What a brain you have. I couldn’t come up with this stuff if my life depended on it.” She wanted to sway in the dress, to feel the fabric brush against her legs, to twirl and watch it puff out. But she held still so he could work. “How’s the last video doing?”
“Not as great as the card one. I realized that even though you were on film the whole time, no one saw your face. As cute as my little helper was, she just isn’t getting the clicks you did.” He stood, doing a last check and tug. “That’s why I thought up the ‘melting snowman into princess’ illusion. I have a story to go with it too; we’ll have to act it out.”
She beamed. “I can’t wait to see the crowd when you pull this one off.”
He laughed, brushing her hair over her shoulder. “I have the easy part.”
