Take Two: An Erotic Romance (Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

unladylike
position I was in, sprawled over the railing in front of the house, my legs
waving in the air, my chin in my hands.
     
    “Mathis! I thought you were inside with my uncle.”
     
    “I was. He’s decided to give me a break for today – he has to make
some phone calls and I’m ahead with my studies, so…” he trailed off, shrugging
his broad shoulders. “So, what were you thinking about?”
     
    “It was nothing,” I said quickly. “I’m pretty bored, actually.
Uncle Andy’s been more busy than I thought he was going to be.”
     
    “Do you want to hang out, then? I’ve been staying here for weeks
and I’ve barely been able to step outside the office,” Mathis said.
     
    I nodded eagerly; my heart beating faster. “How about a walk in
the woods?” I suggested. “It’s cooler in the trees, and it’s more fun going in
there with someone else.”
     
    “Why’s that? Are you scared?” Mathis teased.
     
    “No!” I retorted. “I’ve been in there loads of times.”
     
    “Even right to the middle? I hear the woods around here are
enchanted. If you stray off the path, you’ll never find your way out again,”
Mathis said. His tone was serious, but his eyes were dancing with mischief.
     
    “I have magical powers, though,” I replied with a mischievous grin
of my own. “I can call on the wood fairies to guide me away from harm.”
    “Oh, can you now?” Mathis asked, his face showing every sign of being greatly
impressed, in the same way you would be if a five year old showed you her first
real tooth.
     
    “Yep,” I said proudly, “Ever since I was a child the wood fairies
have protected me from all the bad spirits and dangerous creatures in the
wood.”
     
    “What about me? Do you think I’ll be alright?” Mathis asked,
looking concerned.
     
    “Well,” I said, pretending to toy with the idea, “you should ask
for permission first. Just in case.”
     
    “Permission?” Mathis looked uncertain.
     
    “You know. From the Queen of the wood fairies.”
     
    “Oh, right. Good idea,” said Mathis hastily.
     
    “There’s a clearing, just a hundred feet or so into the wood –
that’d be a good place,” I suggested, leaning forward ready for my next move.
“Come on!” I broke into a run, looking over my shoulder to check that Mathis
was running after me. I didn’t let up my pace until we reached the clearing. I
was panting slightly, but Mathis, despite spending most of his time indoors,
didn’t seem out of breath.
     
    “Here?” he asked me.
     
    “Here,” I confirmed.
     
    “Ok – here goes,” he took a deep breath. “O fairy Queen of the
wood, I humbly beg that you grant me permission to walk freely within your
realm, protecting me from-” he looked over at me.
     
    “The bad spirits,” I reminded him. “And werewolves.”
     
    “I beg that you grant me protection from the black creatures of
this wood,” Mathis finished. He looked at me, grinning an irrepressibly wicked
grin. “How do I know if it worked?”
     
    “You’ll just have to walk with me and see if you get attacked,” I
shrugged.
     
    Mathis laughed, a deep, pleasant laugh which made me feel warm to
my toes. “I’ll risk it.”
     
    “We’ll avoid the middle of the forest today,” I said. “That’s
where all the wicked things gather. Let’s go to the fairy circle – it’s only a
mile or so along this track. That’s where the fairies hold their feasts.”
     
    “I thought that if you ate fairy food you’d never be able to
return to the human world,” Mathis teased.
     
    “Silly! We won’t see any fairies today. They only come out on
Midsummer’s eve, and maybe Thanksgiving.”
     
    “Of course,” Mathis said, shaking his head. “Silly me.”
     
    I laughed, and for a moment we were standing there, both laughing
at ourselves. We had only been talking a few minutes, but already I was
completely at ease, excited to show Mathis the wonders of the woods.
     
    “Come on,” I