‘I wouldn’t miss this for the world.’ Jason stepped into view and joined his brother.
Skye’s heart stopped.
Please, please, don’t let him see me here.
Jason turned, gaze colliding with hers.
‘Skye.’ He said her name as if it were a tasty morsel and his eyes opened wide in delight.
Andy moved restlessly in her arms again and she looked down at him. He was waking up. She wished he wouldn’t. He created a barrier between her and the man who had invaded her dreams in the most exotic, erotic way ever since she’d met him.
Jason’s gaze skimmed down to the little boy in her arms. Something shadowed crossed his eyes, darkening the glowing blue, but was gone too quickly for Skye to be certain she’d even seen it, let alone try to figure out what it meant.
He started towards her across the room. ‘Skye! What a surprise. What are you doing here?’
‘You know each other?’ Jenny looked between them, surprise etching deep lines in her brow.
‘We met up at Mt Buller last month. Well, in actual fact, I ran her down on Federation and then met her again at the lodge. And now here you are! If I didn’t know better, I would say we were destined to meet.’
‘I don’t believe in destiny.’ The vehemence in the words shocked her and by the look on Jenny’s and Jason’s faces, she wasn’t the only one. Hurrying to fill the surprised silence, she said, ‘I think Adam knows my friend, Bron. She told you about 4Us2?’
Adam nodded, his lips twisting up at the corner. ‘She didn’t mention your name, though, when she said her friend ran it.’
She barely heard his reply, her gaze tangling with Jason’s as he walked closer. Behind him, she saw Adam stop beside a table set up with paints.
Tearing her gaze from Jason, she said to Adam, ‘Why don’t you see if Tom wants to paint?’ She winked at the little boy still clinging to his uncle’s leg. ‘Using your fingers is fine. We like mess here. And I’d love to hang one of your paintings on our art wall.’ She gestured with her head at the wall behind her. ‘Then you’ll feel truly at home.’
Tom’s gaze flickered from her to the wall and back again before he ducked behind his uncle’s leg. But not before she’d seen a shadow of a smile and his gaze dart to the table and chairs beside him.
As Adam bent to detach Tom from his leg, Jason moved closer to her, making her arch her neck to look up his length to his too-handsome face.
‘Thanks for that. He’s a bit nervous.’
‘I would be too, if I were him.’
Jason cocked an eyebrow.
‘This is a strange place with strange people. And children are told all the time not to trust strangers. So why would he be happy to be left here?’
Jason shook his head, chuckling. ‘I hadn’t thought of it like that.’
She shrugged. ‘You just have to get down on their level and understand things from their perspective. It’s not difficult to gain a child’s trust. You just have to know the right way to go about it.’
‘So, it’s all about the right touch.’ He nodded at Andy, moving closer still and crouching down so she no longer had to crane her neck. Unfortunately, that brought him much too close for her liking—so close, she could feel the warmth radiating from his skin.
Uneasy, she sat up a little straighter against the wall, clenching her muscles, willing the stupid tremors to stop. ‘Yes. And trust.’
‘Well, you’ve certainly got both. That little boy seems perfectly trusting there.’ His voice lowered to a whisper only she could hear. ‘I know from personal experience there’s no better place to be.’
Skye gasped.
Oh! My! God!
That night wasn’t a dream.
They had slept together.
Heat flushed her face with something that wasn’t just embarrassment. He was looking at her with a look so hot it made her skin sizzle. His tone was suggestive, knowing, like he remembered exactly what she looked like naked, hot, sweaty—and open to him.
Oh God! It was bad enough when she thought it just a dream. But if he was real and the sex had been real, could her memory of the magic sparking under her fingers be real too? It wasn’t possible, and yet—
‘Thkye?’
She loosened her death grip on the little boy. ‘Shh, it’s okay,’ she whispered, stroking his back. ‘It’s going to be okay.’ She wished someone could say those words to her and they would be true.
‘Do children often fall asleep in your arms?’ Jason’s deep voice rumbled close. He’d edged forward and was now in front of her, looking at Andy.
While he wasn’t looking at her, she took the opportunity to open her senses just a fraction like her grandpa had taught her. She’d checked him up at the snow for magic, but given what had happened between them and the power of the feelings he created just by looking at her, she had to make sure he wasn’t a warlock trying to bewitch her. Energy flared around him, bright and powerful but with a raw wildness that was kind of beautiful. She shifted, uneasy, and made herself look for the markers of a warlock. Nothing. No magical signs of attachment to earth, wind, water or fire.
She dropped the sight with an internal sigh of relief. He wasn’t a warlock. But if the problem wasn’t with him, that meant the problem was with her. The spell was malfunctioning.
For one brief, insane moment, she wanted to push Andy into Jason’s arms and run. But she couldn’t. That would be weak and foolish and stupid. Her magic had sparked in her that day at the snow because she’d been so angry about Morrigan having her followed. Any residual magic that sparked from her was probably because her emotions had still not been stable. Having mind-blowing sex probably hadn’t helped the instability.
No reason to panic. She wasn’t angry now and she wasn’t about to have sex with Jason. She was in control.
She would start by not giving in to the magnetic pull of attraction Jason created in her.
Despite their night together, he was nothing more to her than the guardian of one of the children under her care. She stared brazenly at him, almost as if daring him to bewitch her with those lightning-struck blue eyes again.
And his eyes glowed, a red spark in the black centre, as if to say, ‘Challenge accepted!’
Taking a deep breath to make sure her voice was cool and steady, she said, ‘Andy got to bed late. He’d probably find a cactus comfortable.’
‘You are far from being a cactus.’
‘Oh, I don’t know. My friends say they’d never want to be on the wrong side of me.’
He smiled at her, the crooked smile that made her insides flip. Shoot! She had to end this little tête-à-tête. Lowering her voice, she said, ‘If you get too close, you might get pricked.’
‘I remember feeling the prick of your temper at the snow. It was a flash and then gone. I think I can handle it.’
Fire rushed through her veins. Then Andy shifted and Skye ducked her face down to hide the flush. She brushed unruly hair away from Andy’s face as he whimpered, only half awake.
‘Andy,’ she murmured. ‘Time to wake up now.’
He blinked up at her, drowsy and dazed. ‘Ith it lunch time yet?’ he asked sleepily, rubbing at his eyes. ‘I’m real hungry.’
She hugged him. ‘Of course you are. If you go with Jenny, I’m sure she’ll be able to find you a piece of fruit.’
She glanced up at Jenny, who held her hand out.
‘It’ll be just between you and me though, Andy,’ Jenny said, sotto voce. ‘The others will all want some too if they know.’
‘I can keep a thecret.’
‘I know you can.’
Andy scrambled out of Skye’s lap and took Jenny’s hand. As they passed Tom, Andy turned and asked, ‘Do you want to come, too?’
Tom looked up at Jason, who nodded. Tom stood from his painting, a shy smile lighting his face. ‘If that’s okay.’
Jenny gestured with her hand and the boys followed her happily, Adam behind them.
Smiling after t
hem, it took a moment before Skye realised she was now alone with Jason. Good work, Skye. Get rid of the only barrier you had between you and him.
She began to push to her feet, feeling a little like she’d already done a full day’s work when a hand cupped under her elbow.
‘Here, let me help.’
She found herself pulled upright by an incredibly strong and sturdy grip, a grip that held her close, too close, forcing her to take in a startled breath.
His scent, rich and warm and wild, redolent of rain-soaked forest and the fresh lure of a summer’s sky, filled her senses. She leaned into him, veins pulsing with something hot and molten, skin electrified.
‘Are you all right?’ His hands firmed on her arms, holding her steady as she swayed. ‘Skye?’
His fingers gripped her tighter. The dizziness intensified. Something surged through her, strong and powerful. Her knees trembled. She tried to pull away but he didn’t relax his grip.
‘You can let go now,’ she whispered. ‘I just stood up too fast. I’m fine.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes, I’m sure,’ she said, her tone more wobbly than she would have liked. Every inch of her wanted to move closer to him, to breathe in his scent from that warm expanse of skin she could see at the base of his throat, to look up into those gorgeous glowing blue eyes, to give herself up to what he’d made her feel that night she’d thought was a dream.
No.
She would never fall prey to what had caused such weakness at the snow. She couldn’t take the chance the emotions he’d released in her wouldn’t make her powers snap out again. Bron and Shelley could have their free-list guys, their turbulent relationships and lovely flings, but that wasn’t something Skye could indulge in.
Clearing her throat, she took a step back, extricating herself from Jason’s light grip. ‘Really. I’m fine. Thank you.’ There, that was better. She maintained a cool, business-like tone, even though she ached without his touch.
She glanced up at him and for the briefest moment thought she saw hurt flicker in his eyes as she stepped back. Then he shoved his hands in his pockets and lowered his gaze.
Silence stretched between them, making her shuffle her feet. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Adam had returned and was staring at them, a quirk to his brow, as if he found the unnerving silence funny.
Annoyance flared inside her. How could she have thought he was anything like his brother? Jason was at least polite and charming. Adam was just … laughing at her. Could he know about what happened that night? Oh fudging hell! She hoped not.
His smirk widened.
‘If you’re happy to wait, I’ll take over from Jenny and she can finish telling you about 4Us2.’ Skye turned away, but Jason’s hand on her arm stilled her movement.
‘I’d prefer you to show us around.’ His thumb moved, touching the skin of her wrist.
Fire ran up her arm from his lightest touch. Images spun through her mind with a suddenness that made her gasp: a wolf baying at the moon, the pain in its eyes almost too much to bear; blue flashes of lightning in the dark; soft, silky fur caressing her skin.
Dizzy and nauseated, she grabbed his arm to stop herself from swaying, her fingers touching his bare skin. Blue fire sparked from her hand, chasing across his arm. She tried to let go, but it was like the fire had melded her hand to his arm.
Oh, God. Help. Not again.
Chapter 7
Skye looked up at Jason, expecting to see horror on his face.
Instead he smiled, his eyes holding a glint of excitement. ‘That was some spark of static, huh? One could almost say the attraction between us was electric.’
Adam groaned. ‘I have no idea how you manage to pick up women with lines like that.’ He looked at Skye. ‘I swear, I think I might need to pin a permanent sign of apology to his chest.’
Skye couldn’t help it—she laughed and let go of Jason’s arm. Adam’s ridiculous ribbing of his brother made her realise she was jumping at nothing.
‘I don’t think your pick-up lines are any better, A.’
‘Better than yours. I still have no idea how you got her into bed.’
‘Adam!’
Adam grinned, running his hand through his hair, further rumpling its already bed-tousled state. ‘Hell. If you’re going to be so touchy, I might just go and have some fruit with Tom and his new friend. At least they have original conversation.’
With that, he pivoted and took off towards the kitchen.
Turning to Skye, Jason shoved his hands in his pockets. ‘I’m sorry about my brother. I didn’t tell him what happened that night at the snow. He’s just … making assumptions.’
Skye ducked her head, avoiding his gaze. ‘That’s okay. I get it. Besides, I’m a big girl.’ She took a breath, the scent of paint and chalk not enough to overpower the earth and clean mountain air scent of him. ‘I can take the consequences of my actions.’
‘I don’t remember it just being your actions that night. I remember it being mine too.’
‘Yes, well …’ She swallowed, unable to rid her mind of those unwanted memories. ‘Let’s just forget all that. It was a fling. A one-night thing. No harm, no foul.’
‘What if I wanted more than one night?’
Her head snapped up. ‘What?’
‘You heard me.’ He smiled at her again, a smile that could only be called wolfish.
‘But … you … we … it was a fling … I don’t normally do things like … the wine … I’d had medication for my foot and I—’ She snapped her mouth shut as his grin widened, her jaw popping as she clenched it. Then, trying to plaster a smile on her face, she said, ‘I don’t fraternise with the parents of the children I look after.’
‘I’m not Tom’s parent.’
‘No. But you’re his guardian. It’s the same thing.’
‘Then I’ll find another childcare centre for Tom to attend. Which would be a pity given he’s already made a friend. But if you’re going to be so unreasonable about it, I have no choice but to uproot him. Again.’
Skye gaped at him. ‘That’s blackmail.’
‘Is it working?’
‘Absolutely not! Besides,’ she narrowed her eyes, ‘I don’t think you’d do that at all. I know I don’t know you well—’
‘I think you know me very well.’
Skye’s jaw popped again as she clenched her teeth, trying not to call him every name under the sun. She. Would. Not. Swear. In. Front. Of. The. Children.
‘That’s not what I meant,’ she said after she got herself under control, gesturing for him to follow her as she moved away from any little ears that might overhear things they shouldn’t. ‘I saw the way you looked at Tom. I don’t think you’d take him away from here just to get some.’
Jason’s eyes twinkled, his lips quirking at the corner, and then he sighed. ‘You’ve got me there. I wouldn’t do that. But still, I’d like to see you again.’
‘I can’t. It wouldn’t be right. I need to be able to keep a professional distance. Besides, it wouldn’t be fair to Tom because when things didn’t work out—’
‘Don’t make this about Tom. This is about us and what we felt up at the snow that night.’
She blinked at him. She was kind of surprised he hadn’t backed off like most men would, making comments about her jumping the gun.
‘So just to be clear—you want sex again.’
He barked out a laugh. ‘That’s what I liked about you right from the very first. You’re not afraid to say what you think.’
‘I don’t see the point in evasiveness.’
‘Neither do I. So I’m going to tell you up front: I am interested in having sex with you again. But that isn’t the only reason I want to see you. There are other reasons. Important reasons.’
‘It would be the only reason I’d see you again.’
The look on his face would have been priceless if not for the fact that Skye was mortified once again by her runaway mouth. ‘I didn’t mean
that the way it sounded.’
He choked on a laugh. ‘No. It sounded just fine. Mind-blowing sex is always a great reason to get together with someone.’
Skye blushed. ‘It wasn’t that good.’
Jason stepped closer, his warm, spicy breath brushing over her. ‘I don’t know what you’re remembering, but what I remember was … explosive, to say the least.’
Skye swallowed hard around the hot ball of desire in her throat. ‘Look, it’s lovely to catch up, but as I said, what happened at the snow was a one-off. It can’t happen again.’
‘You won’t change your mind?’
His voice was a husky whisper that made her heart beat so hard in her chest she wondered for a moment if she was being rocked by an earthquake.
Taking herself in hand, she took a step back from him and said, ‘No. I won’t change my mind. I have to follow my own rules.’ Her voice sounded remarkably calm despite the deep need tearing her apart inside.
Aware that some of the children had stopped to watch them, she planted a smile on her face and pulled him over to the corner behind the sleep screen. ‘I won’t go out with one of the parents, or guardians—’
‘Don’t give me that line about fraternising again. This is different. We met before my nephew came under your care and it will mostly be Adam or Tom’s nanny, Suzie, who’ll bring him into the centre every day, so you won’t really be dealing with me as his guardian. And not to sound desperate, but I thought there was something between us before we slept together and I’d like to pursue that. See where it leads. Surely you felt it too?’
He sounded almost uncertain. If he’d sounded cocky, she wouldn’t have found it difficult to say no to him. But that uncertainty undid her. Despite all her previous resolve, she whispered, ‘I felt it.’
‘Well, come to dinner with me. Tonight.’
She wanted to say yes. Instead, she said, ‘I can’t. I’ve got to have dinner with my grandmother.’
‘Your grandmother?’ He seemed absurdly shocked.
‘Yes. My grandmother. People do have dinner with their grandmothers.’
‘Of course they do. It’s just that I didn’t think you had a—’ He stopped. ‘Never mind. That’s one of those things you can tell me about when we have dinner. So, if you’re busy tonight, how about tomorrow night?’
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