Magical Midlife Love (Leveling Up #4) - K.F. Breene Page 0,67

it’ll be mostly like before, just with more powerful people who hopefully talk a little less.”

“Kingsley originally said mage magic wasn’t allowed in here.”

Just for kicks, I tried to completely cut off the link between Austin and me, both the input and output.

His head snapped toward me, his eyes hard. Reinstating the link, I felt his confusion and wariness.

“Ack.” Niamh leaned her elbow against the bar. “He was trying to get a rise outta ya. See what you’d do. Yer not supposed to use magic in a social place like this, where people are trying to let off a little steam, but it doesn’t need to be said. He was just throwing his weight around to see if you’d push back.”

“I did. I threatened him.”

“Good girl, yerself. Right bold of ’im to walk into someone else’s home and start barking orders.”

“That’s what I was thinking. Also, I’m just in a piss-poor mood.”

“Yeah. These shifters are laying it on a little thick, so they are, with all the brooding and strutting around. Bunch o’ donkeys.”

I amplified the sensitivity of my link with Austin now, experimenting with him because I could see him, and also because he wouldn’t get annoyed and give me a box, as Niamh would say (and do). It wasn’t just his emotions I could feel now, but his senses—the whiffs of identifying scents, the cool glass under his fingers, the dried sweat clinging to his body from hard work earlier.

His eyes drifted back toward me, having looked away after I’d reinstated the link. Arousal licked up my middle, and I couldn’t tell if that was from him or me. Memories of our late-night activities crowded my mind. We still hadn’t talked about our new…pastime, but we also hadn’t stopped it. I wondered if he’d be around tonight, or if he’d be too busy with pack business.

He braced his hands against the bar, ignoring those in front of him. I felt a little bad about that. He clearly knew Kace and the others. He obviously wanted to catch up.

Just one more experiment, and I’d let him get back to his night. Maybe it would encourage him to take a much-needed break later.

Breath coming a little heavier, the arousal fanning higher, I ran my fingertips up the inside of my thigh, spreading my legs a little as I did so.

His eyes were cobalt fire. His fingertips dug into the wood. I slipped my other hand under my shirt and felt along my stomach, focusing on my soft skin, drifting upward…

“That’s goin’ta get awkward real fast,” Niamh drawled.

A zing of embarrassment and I pulled my hands away and clasped them primly in my lap. I yanked my focus away from Austin. “You didn’t feel that, did you?”

“Through the link? No. You’re starting to be very handy with muffling it. Earl won’t like that one bit. But Austin Steele is about to combust, and I can see that yer the reason. Unless ye want to get nailed in the bar’s office, I’d stop.”

Heat such as I’d never known washed through me, burning me alive.

“Now, that I felt,” she said. “Maybe just keep going, then.”

I clasped my hands more tightly in my lap, barely able to breathe. “I should probably head home.”

“Nah.” Niamh lifted her hand. “Donna, get Jessie another one.”

“No, no, I have one—”

Donna wasted no time in plopping one down in front of me. I sighed.

“There. Now. Enjoy yerself until he has a spare moment, and then I’m sure he’d be happy to clean yer pipes. Lord knows you need it. Yer too wound up, girl.”

“Please stop.”

“You need a good rogering.”

“Seriously, stop.”

“Ye’ll be glad ya did.”

I took a long sip of my drink and tried not to agree with everything Niamh had said. Tried not to wonder when I’d get Austin alone again. Tried not to make a plan for how I could kill this desperate itch he’d put inside me.

Twenty

“Hey, you—”

I jumped and swung out my hand, just barely stopping from saying, “Hah!” with my lame karate chop.

Austin ran his hand down my back, releasing pleasant tingles throughout my body.

“It’s just me. I was about to ask if you were good, but I guess I somehow snuck up on you even though you have the link wide open and should be able to feel my every move.” He didn’t smile, but I felt it in every fiber of his being.

I blew out a breath, which would’ve probably caught fire if a candle were close by. Ulric had wandered away a