Thump! Thump! Thump!
“Willa! It’s hailing!” Lon yelled.
“Shush,” she hissed back. “I’m coming.” She flicked on the lights, unbolted the door and swung it open.
Lon stood with his arms at his sides, pelted by large, marble-sized balls of hail. His hair lay plastered to his face and his storm gray eyes burned with each lightning flash.
Kiss him! Willa’s breath caught in her throat and she squashed the undeniable need to haul him to her. Her fingers dug into the cold metal of the doorknob. Where on earth would a thought like that come from? She’d never been aggressive in her life.
“Hi,” Lon said.
“Hi,” she replied.
The hail pelted his body and face as she studied his strong frame. Lon cleared his throat. “Can I come in?”
Willa folded her arms across her chest. “Tell me your full name.”
His lips twitched. His smile quickly turned to a grimace as the hail storm renewed its attack. “Lon Devlin.”
“Middle name?”
He flinched at the hail battering the side of his cheek and shook his head. “I don’t have one.”
“Huh.” She continued to study him, or more accurately, his torso, and the way his shirt clung to his broad chest. His clothes were nicer tonight, or at least had been before the rain got to them. He wore a gray polo shirt, dark form-fitting jeans, white-washed with strategically placed rips for fashion, and designer runners.
Oh god, how she wanted to run her hands down his body.
“Willa?” Lon’s voice rumbled with the thunder.
She jumped and her face warmed. “Oh, sure. Here, please come in.” She moved back and made a large sweeping gesture that would’ve made Vanna White proud.
Lon brushed passed her, carrying the fresh smell of the sea in his wake. She shut the door with both hands and took a long breath before turning around.
“Are you okay?” Lon walked ahead and then pivoted to study her from the center of the bookstore.
“Fine.” She smoothed errant hair out of her face with a shaky hand. Could he tell how much she wanted him? God, she hoped not. She needed to be strong and get information out of this man. Who was he? What did he want? And did he know anything that could help her find Jenny?
Lon continued to stare her down as if the sheer force of his gaze would bring forth some unknown truth from the depths of her soul.
Willa stared back. While she attempted to exude defiance on the outside, her insides quelled at such an antic. George would never have stood for it. And her mother…no, there was no defying her mother. Her tongue proved more dangerous than the wooden spoon she used to pummel Willa’s butt with when she’d “misbehaved.”
The tension on Lon’s face eased into a smile. “We need to talk.”
“What kind of weather insurance salesman wanders around in the middle of the night, without proper clothes or a car?” She’d crossed her arms again and quickly dropped them to her sides.
“I never said I was good at it.” He nodded toward the back of the bookstore. “Look, can we sit down and talk?”
Neither of them moved.
“I’m not sure what good that will do,” she said.
“Why’s that?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Well, I don’t know anything, and neither, apparently, do you, so we’re just going to talk around each other and be no closer to finding my aunt than before.”
Lon pursed his lips. “I see the problem.”
“What do you want?” she asked.
Instead of asking for clarification, Lon tilted his head and paused, as if hearing something in the wind besides the storm howling. “I want to know what happened to Jenny. She’s a dear friend, and I’d never wish harm to come to her.”
The tension eased from Willa’s shoulders, and she studied the strong man in front of her. He could have barged into this place at any time and harmed her, but he hadn’t. He could’ve stolen whatever he wanted, but hadn’t. He could’ve lied to her about everything, but minus the salesman line…he hadn’t.
Huh? How did she know that?
Why did his words sound and feel so truthful? Like they wrapped around her and comforted her with how right they were?
She knew he spoke the truth. She bit her lip and then nodded. “I want to find out what happened to Jenny, too.”
“What do you suggest?”
Willa opened her mouth and then shut it. She hadn’t been asked for her opinion in…forever. “I…uh…”
Lon tilted his head again and took a couple of steps toward her. “You’re a smart girl. I’m sure you don’t intend to just sit in this store and twiddle your proverbial thumbs. What do you plan to do?”
Her heart fluttered at the compliment. With a warm face, she looked down at her laced fingers. “I was going to search Aunt Jenny’s study.”
“You haven’t already?”
His tone held no accusation, only surprise, but it still cut. Willa’s head snapped up. “I haven’t had time! I dropped my life to come here and had to get my feet under me with the booktique first.”
Lon held his hands up in surrender. “Willa, it’s okay. I’m just surprised, is all. Haven’t the police searched?”
Willa nodded. “Yeah, they made a mess of the place. I’ve spent more time cleaning and doing inventory than anything else.”
“I thought Jenny had a large family. Why aren’t more of them here helping out?”
“They all have lives,” she mumbled.
“What?” he asked.
Oh crap. He heard her! She hadn’t meant to speak so loudly, but whenever she thought of her family, that familiar anger boiled up from her core. She lifted her chin and met his gaze. “According to my mom, I’m a complete failure as a daughter and woman. My fiancé left me for my best friend, so I’m unmarried and childless at thirty. My sisters all have families, and their time is apparently more valuable, as is my mom’s.” Despite snapping the words at Lon, she wanted him to know the truth. His mere presence seemed to draw it out of her.
His eyes widened at first, but then a deep rumble filled the room, as if the storm had moved inside. Lon stood with his feet planted shoulder width apart, muscles tense, fists clenched. The air stirred and whirled in a mini-tornado around him, flashing blue and silver,
No, that’s not right.
She squinted and leaned forward. The air didn’t move in streams, nor did it flash colours. Lon certainly didn’t emit rumbling sounds like thunder.
What the heck?
Maybe she had suffered a concussion. She really should go to see a doctor if she kept seeing things.
As she watched, he took a slow breath in and smiled at her. It was the first time since they’d met, that his flash of pearly whites came across insincere. He shimmied his shoulders a little and took the final steps forward to reach her. His hand slowly rose to gently take her own.
Despite his skin being chilled from the weather outside, warmth flooded her body from the contact.
“Forget about your family. Let’s go see what we can find,” he said and gave her a little tug.
****
The stairs groaned under Lon’s weight, but he wanted to echo the sound. He watched Willa, transfixed, as she moved up the stairs ahead of him. Her skinny jeans left nothing to his imagination. Energy flowed through his body. He’d been right—heart-shaped and firm. He could cup each cheek while he buried his head between…
“I have to warn you,” Willa said as they reached to second floor and turned the corner to the hallway.
He started and jerked his attention to her face. Had she busted him?
“It’s quite a mess,” Willa continued with no malice.
No, she’d missed it. Lon shrugged and swept his arm out for her to lead. He wanted her to take the initiative. He hated the look she’d worn earlier. If her family had been present, he’d have used all his power to pummel them into the hardwood floors. She might’ve talked with a flat frankness, but he’d seen
the hurt in her eyes, and the pain in her heart. The vibrations of her soul validated the truth in her words, and his own essence strained to reach out and comfort her, twine his silver and blue with her gold and purple. Fuck. He wanted to do more than just twine their auras.
They’d reached one of the spare rooms, and Lon studied Willa’s world-class ass sway as she pushed the door open. He followed and then lurched to a stop. She hadn’t been kidding. “Wow.”
Jenny’s study looked like the storm outside had raged for days in the large space, minus the rain and hail. Papers, books and half turned boxes littered the floor. His friend had always smiled when she used the term “study” when she referred to her personal library. Jenny had spent the majority of her time here with her nose stuck in a book.
“I know.” Willa ran her hand through her chestnut hair and winced when her fingers brushed the spectacular bruise on her forehead. “I warned you.”
He nodded and clenched his teeth at the sight of her purple skin. His fault. He took a deep breath and surveyed the room again. The mess didn’t fit Jenny or Willa. “Did the police do this?”
“Yup. Apparently before they searched the house, the place had been immaculate. According to the cops, at least. Pretty surprising. My aunt’s known to drift to the flaky side when it comes to organization. She must’ve cleaned up right before she vanished.”
“Anything missing?”
Willa rolled her eyes.
Despite her response, Lon smiled. He’d been looking forward to seeing her amber eyes and freckles. Ever since the depths of the ocean had swirled up again to meet the churning in the sky to confirm the second half of the storm was on its way, Lon had vibrated with anticipation. His brothers had played in the streams of energy pulsating from his sprite form. “Did I ask that already?”
“Honestly? I don’t know. I’ve heard the question so often that I’m not sure who’s asked and who hasn’t.”
“Fair enough. Where shall we start?” He brushed his new jeans. When he’d found new clothes folded neatly in his hiding spot—just his size—he’d been surprised. They didn’t smell like the old man, only sea water and bark. Odd. But for some reason, he felt no malice in the gesture. Having better-fitting clothes to meet Willa bolstered his confidence and made him feel good. Not that she seemed to notice or was the type to care about appearances.
Willa’s eyes bulged, and then her cheeks reddened before she looked away.
What just happened? What did he do wrong? He only asked her where to start...
Then understanding hit him like the Sky God’s lightning bolt and the anger drowning Lon earlier spiraled up again. Had no one ever asked her that before? Had she never taken the lead? In life? In love? In…bed? Lon grunted and nudged a box out of the way with his foot.
“Let’s start sorting the paper,” she said with a shaky voice. “Business and personal. Since there’s not much in the way of bookstore crime, if anything bad happened to my aunt, I’m guessing it was personal.”
“Smart.”
A lovely rose flushed across her cheeks. He liked the colour on her.
What he didn’t like was the colossal disaster in Jenny’s study. He turned a box over and started rifling through the paper. All business invoices. He knelt down and piled the papers together neatly. When he looked over his shoulder, he found Willa studying him.
With lips parted, her hand traced a gentle line down her body, jaw to chest. Her energy vibrated a hot, heavy red. When their gazes met, the fire in her eyes scorched his retinas.
Could it be? She’d said she was thirty and single. Her tone had been bitter, but her words had sent blood rushing through his body.
Willa dropped her gaze and moved to the opposite corner of the room. She opened an empty box and started fiddling with some papers, but it was too late. He’d seen her desire.
The intensity of her look made him want to grab her. But he didn’t. His muscles tensed and the box he held groaned as he clutched it and squeezed. She’d have to come to him on her own terms. After so many people in her life had railroaded her, he refused to be another.
Only a man-child would be blind to the gift Willa was and not realize the value of what he had. If Lon had been born mortal, things would be different. But he hadn’t. He existed as a Tempest. His life was the ocean, not the striking woman in front of him.
“So tell me about this ex-fiancé of yours,” he said, his voice more gravelly than usual.
Though she faced away, her whole body tensed and her hands froze on a piece of paper.
Lon cringed. “Sorry. Probably not the best conversation starter.”
“Don’t be.” She shrugged. “He left me for my best friend. There’s nothing to tell.”
“I disagree. Obviously the man is an idiot. What happened?”
Willa sighed and finally turned to face him. He didn’t need to read her energy or see the pained expression to know this part of her past hurt her.
Idiot! Lon cursed himself. Maybe if he swept her off her feet and showed her real appreciation, the hurt would go away.
No. No. No. Wait for her to make the move.
“I don’t know,” Willa said. “I did everything he wanted, the way he wanted, and it still wasn’t enough.”
The paper crinkled in Lon’s fist. He took a deep breath before speaking. “Maybe that was the problem.”
“So you think it’s my fault, too?”
“Not at all. But you can’t go through life doing what others want. When was the last time you did something for yourself?”
She paused and ran her hand through her hair again. She seemed to do that when she was nervous.
“And don’t tell me when you got your hair or nails done, that doesn’t count.” He might live most of his life in the ocean, but sprites benefitted from the knowledge surrounding them. A lot of major cities lined the sea. “When was the last time you did something, anything, just for you?”
“I…I don’t know.” She bit her lip.
“That’s not right,” he said. And he meant it. Despite the inherent strength he saw in her soul, a part of her was broken from the mistreatment. Her mom, her ex…why would anyone treat this woman that way? Why wouldn’t her sisters defend her? Her dad had passed away more than two decades ago, he’d learned that much from Jenny, but nothing explained the rest of the family’s response to Willa. There didn’t appear to be a mean bone…
His gaze snagged on her pinched face; flushed red, eyes blazing, lips pressed together in a flat line. Oh, wow! She clenched her fists and stalked toward him.
“Don’t you dare!” she spat.
“What?” He dropped the papers from his hands, completely surprised, and a little turned on by her anger. One moment she’d been sad and the next, infuriated. About time. Willa needed to come into her own and speak up for herself.
“Don’t you dare judge me.” She flailed her hands against his chest. “You don’t even know me.”
He grabbed both her balled fists and held them to his body. “But I want to.”
Willa froze as he bent his head to get closer to those bow-shaped lips.
“I want to know all of you,” he said.
****
Lon’s words coursed through Willa’s body, awakening a heady need deep within. The anger riding her earlier washed away as a tsunami of desire rolled through her. She felt weak and strong at the same time, and she wanted nothing more than to rip her hands from his grasp and yank his face to hers. His eyes churned with an inner storm; swirls of gray, dark blue and swamp green surrounded dilated pupils. Nobody could have eyes like that, could they? He seemed to stare right down to the marrow of her bones, as if he really saw her, as if he knew her already, despite being an almost complete stranger.
A stranger.
She didn’t know this man. What was she thinking? She couldn’t kiss him. Her aunt was missing for goodness sake. How could she even entertain the idea of…of being with a man in Aunt Jenny’s study? She shook her head and pushe
d away. He released her hands automatically, but his eyebrows pinched together, giving him a severe otherworldly expression despite his softening eyes. She took a step back, but he remained where he was, a solid temptation only a foot away.
“I…we…we can’t.” She wrapped her arms around her chest.
“Can’t what?”
“Can’t… Oh, never mind.” Heat spread through her face. She turned around and found some papers to pick up with shaky hands. What the heck? She’d almost made a fool of herself. Worse, her body still vibrated with teemed lust. Her eyes struggled to focus on the paper. Invoices. More invoices.
“Willa,” Lon said.
She squeezed her eyes shut and tried not to imagine how his lips would burn against her own. He shuffled his feet somewhere behind her but she couldn’t turn to meet his gaze. God! He’d know! He’d read her feelings off her body like Aunt Jenny read books. She shook her head and bent to put the business items in an open box.
“Willa!” Lon spoke again, more demanding this time.
Her spine snapped straight and she turned around. Lon stood exactly as he had before, as if only his mouth moved. His hands still hung at his sides, his palms toward her in an unthreatening gesture, as if beckoning her to return to him. He flinched when her gaze met his. and she wondered why his expression turned guilty. Because she’d jumped when he’d raised his voice? Whatever. She was used to people yelling at her and demanding things.
“What?” she asked.
He sighed and his shoulders drooped. “We were only talking.”
“Yeah, sure,” she said and brushed a clump of hair out of her face. Maybe she’d misread the moment. How embarrassing! What if she’d actually tried to kiss him? More warmth spread across her face and she quickly looked away so he wouldn’t see the mad blush she knew blanketed her face.
“Besides,” Lon continued. “I don’t see anyone else in this room.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked and flipped an overturned banker’s box right side up.
“It means…” He paused and took a deep breath. “If you did want something to happen, there’s no reason it couldn’t.”
The Shucker's Booktique Page 4