Colby: September by Brandy Walker

the hard-on in his pants.”
    Ella let out a full-bodied laugh. “That’s a normal reaction, and I don’t even acknowledge it anymore. Some therapists take it as a compliment that the person is enjoying it that much.”
    He couldn’t help smiling at her answer. Relief that she didn’t notice what was clearly so obvious loosened up his chest. “To answer your question, no. We get some things for free and others at a discounted rate, like spa services. Otherwise, we’d all be in there getting treatments, and you guys wouldn’t have time for actual clients.”
    They got to the end of the hallway relatively quick and stopped. Ella let go of his arm and looked back toward the spa. “I should probably get back. I think your friend fell asleep, and waking up a warlock is such a pain in the ass.” The roll of her eyes had him chuckling.
    It took a second for her words to sink in. “Wait, how would you know?” Because he didn’t like the idea she knew that, or even how she came about that knowledge.
    Ella snorted. “My brothers. My sister and I had to resort to alternate methods when they wouldn’t get up, the little shits. Mom warned us it would happen. She tended to use water. Ruby, my sister, took to electric shock, and I stuck with bolts of fire. Warlocks are such drama queens. My family knows I’ll never marry one, let alone date one.”
    An even better thing to know. “Fire seems to be your specialty,” he smirked.
    “That’s right. How did you know?” Her eyes opened in surprise, then shifted quickly, dancing with merriment. “Never mind. The night at the Club. Yeah. I have a bit of a fire bug in me.”
    “You do seem to have a flair for it.”
    Colby caught the sound of the spa door opening. Without any other noise around, it was easy to pick up in the empty hall.
    “Ella,” a petite dark-haired pixie called out, with a lot more lung power than he would have anticipated. She flitted down the hall, zooming toward them. She hovered next to Ella, the near translucent wings fluttering a million beats per minute. “There you are. Did you know there’s a guy asleep in your room?”
    “I do. You know, Bianca,” Ella drawled, “if you wanted to wake him up, I wouldn’t mind.”
    Bianca’s eyes brightened with a spark of excitement. “Oh, I don’t mind at all.”
    Before Ella had a chance to say thank you , Bianca was off down the hall again. Bits of black pixie dust wafting to the ground in her wake. They both watched her go, leaving them in silence. One filled with glances back and forth.
    “I guess that’s my cue to get back to work.”
    “I guess so.” Colby was at a loss as to what else to say or do at the moment. He’d originally gone there to ask her out, but seeing Holden there—that plan had flown right out of his head. He didn’t think he could get that moment back.
    Without warning, she stood on her tiptoes and leaned into him. Her hands pressed against his chest. She brushed a fleeting kiss against his lips. “I’ll see you later.” She dropped flat on her feet and turned in the opposite direction. She got halfway down the hall before she turned back to him. “What was it that you wanted, Colby?”
    His immediate response was you. Thankfully, that didn’t come tumbling out of his mouth. “Uh, I wanted to know if you’d like to grab a coffee or a drink or something with me sometime.” He could have slapped himself on the forehead. Smooth, Noble. He sounded like a damn sixteen-year-old boy asking out a girl for the first time.
    A full smile bloomed on her face. Her rounded cheeks turning pink. He was beginning to live for the moment’s he made her blush. “I’d love to.” In the blink of an eye, she stood next to him again. Digging in her pocket, she pulled out a pen and grabbed his right arm, turning it so his inner forearm faced her. “Here’s my number. Hopefully, you’ll do better than me and not lose it.” The pen made a clicking noise, and she shoved it back in her