Blind Lust

by Annie Seaton

  “It’s all right, calm down. I won’t hurt you.” He moved one step closer.

  “Don’t come near me,” her voice sounded shrill even above the drumming in her ears. “It will kill me.”

  A stray lock of hair fell across his forehead, and Josh ran an impatient hand through his shaggy hair, in a move that was becoming achingly familiar to her.

  “Lizzy, I am not going to hurt you. I’m not a monster. I genuinely asked you here to help me sort out my problem with this house.” He looked at her with pleading eyes, and she almost ran across the room into his arms. She saw the confusion mingling with the desire on his face.

  “Please, trust me,” he begged.

  “I trust you, Josh. It’s me. I’m the problem.” She breathed deeply, willing herself to regain her composure. A measure of calm stole over her and her breathing leveled.

  She smiled ruefully, turning her head and touching the pink heart on her neck.

  “This is what came over us, Josh.” His brow furrowed in confusion, and his gaze followed her fingers to the small pink heart on her neck.

  “A birthmark?” he asked quizzically.

  “No, not a birthmark. Feel the side of your neck,” she replied.

  His right hand reached up and rubbed across his neck. His fingers stilled as they encountered the small raised mark on the side of his neck.

  “My mosquito bite?”

  “Er…not exactly,” she replied quietly. “I’ll explain later. In the meantime, just keep your distance.”

  “Look, I’m sorry—” She interrupted him before he could finish speaking.

  “No, I mean keep your distance, because we are both of the same inclination. If we get close to each other, we won’t be able to keep our hands off each other.” Her voice was impatient.

  He turned away from her reluctantly and moved across to the old sink, filling the kettle. “Coffee?”

  She ignored his question, her attention totally focused on his face.

  “Do you believe in ghosts, Josh?” she asked quietly.

  He laughed uneasily, shaking his head. “If you had asked me that a couple of days ago I would have said you were crazy, but honestly, now I don’t know.”

  “What about witches?” She paused. “Magic spells and potions?”

  “Give me a break,” he said, running his fingers through his shaggy hair. She was silent as she gathered her thoughts.

  “You’ve been here for a week, haven’t you Josh?” she asked softly.

  He nodded.

  “Have you felt your Aunt Helen’s presence?”

  He looked at her without answering, and a strong gust of wind rattled the kitchen windows. The storm clouds scurried across the moon, the sky cleared and a shaft of moonlight shone through the kitchen window. Lizzy stood bathed in moonlight, the lace of the curtains fracturing the beam, and the power of the moon goddess entered her, strengthening her will.

  “Thank you, Mother,” she breathed, her eyes closing. She let the power do its work. She stood motionless for a full minute.

  “Lizzy, are you all right?” Josh sounded wary.

  She stood tall and straight, holding her hand out to him. “It’s all right Josh, I’m sorry I upset you.”

  He hesitated before crossing the kitchen and taking her hand. The look of adoration in his eyes sent sparks running along her nerve endings; all she needed was his touch. Closing her eyes, Lizzy focused on the power of the mother within, to resist succumbing to temptation once again.

  “I can’t tell you what is happening yet. I need to do some thinking.” She squeezed his hand to reassure him. “In the meantime, I will leave you some smudge sticks to burn in the kitchen before you go to bed, and I will say a little incantation to help clear the negative energy away.”

  “What’s a smudge stick?” Josh sounded skeptical.

  “Just some white sage from my garden, and I’ll leave you a feather to fan it into the corners.”

  Josh burst out laughing, and Lizzy turned away to hide how much his laughter hurt. A single laugh reminded her why she could never be with a mortal, especially a skeptic.

  “Please go outside for a moment, Josh.” She said turning her head while she surreptitiously brushed away a tear.

  He released her hand and went out to the porch. She whispered the words to begin the cleansing, knowing it would take a few more visits to help Helen across to the spirit world.

  “Quick or dead, I will feed you. Cease to grieve and take your leave. Helen, I bid you depart, but should you remain, be calm; take heart. I will return again.”

  Lizzy drove home, gulping back sobs. Tears streamed down her face. When she neared her cottage, she made a sudden decision and turned back to town.

  Josh wandered around the kitchen with a taper from the fire, feeling like an idiot as he lit a smudge stick in each corner. He ignored the feather Lizzy had left on the counter.

  The sharp aroma of burning sage wafted through the kitchen. He moved into the living room, picked up his guitar and sat in front of the fire. He caught himself staring into space, the guitar sitting on his lap and a stupid grin on his face. Shaking his head, he took a deep breath.

  When he breathed in the sage, his thoughts became rational once more. Why was he fixated on the little librarian in this hick town? Absolutely not his style. He could forget about her when she wasn’t around, but it was like he lost control of his emotions whenever she came near him. Was this love? His fingers plucked at the guitar strings and the melody poured from the instrument. The words came from his heart. He sang the song twice before putting his guitar aside and reaching for his computer.

  Lizzy turned on the main street of Silverton and did not see a single soul. The town went to bed as soon as it was dark. Mostly old folk remained in the valley, and there were very few young people in the town. Pulling quietly into Wesley’s driveway, she took a deep breath, hoping her plan would work. At least Wesley should be happy with her decision tonight.

  Walking along the path, flowers nodding in welcome, she inhaled the spicy aromas of his garden. The moon was full and heavy, the shadowy corners of the garden filled with the rustling of small creatures. She tapped at the front door, waiting impatiently, but loud rock music thumping through the house muffled her knocking. She rattled the doorknob, and rang the bell to no avail.

  “The one time I really need you, Wesley.” She muttered nervously to herself. She walked around to the back garden and sighed with relief when she saw the soft light shining through the back windows.

  Stepping onto Wesley’s back porch, she stopped, taking a deep breath. The flickering candlelight blurred the scene before her. Wesley was stretched out on his day bed, surrounded by plump silk cushions in a myriad of brilliant colors. Hundreds of red rose petals surrounded him, on the bed and on the floor. Dozens of white candles lit the small room, and two wine goblets sat at his elbow on a silver tray next to an uncorked bottle of golden liquid.

  “I’ve been waiting for you, Lizzy,” he almost purred. His voice was deep and sexy.

  Sparks flew from her fingertips when she pointed at him, her temper instantly at flashpoint.

  “You knew I was coming? You looked into the future? You slimy, selfish little toad,” Lizzy hissed the worst insult she could think of. “You cheating, despicable, worm-ridden piece of shit.”

  Wesley lay back on the bed, casting a sad glance in her direction while uncorking the bottle. The wine slid sensuously down the side of the goblet, and he turned to her. His voice was quiet and his beautiful, deep blue eyes were cold as ice.

  “I have waited for you to come to me for years because you wanted me, and tonight you come so I can scratch the itch you will not allow the mortal to ease.”

  “You looked. I can’t believe you used your power.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “You promised me, Wes. I trusted you!”

  Stretching lazily, Wesley eased himself off the soft bed, his white robe floating around his legs as he walked toward her.

 
“Yes, I looked into the future because I worried for you. Even though you know what causes this lust you feel for the mortal, I worried you would succumb.” His voice broke. “If you do, I will lose you…forever.” He paused and the flames of the candles danced in his dark eyes.

  Walking over to the doorway, he turned and the look on his face almost broke her heart. “Forever, Lizzy. I would not survive. So yes, I used my powers, and I knew you would come to me tonight.”

  Her temper died, and when she stared at Wesley, a strange tightness banded her chest. She reached out to him, but he turned away from her.

  “What did you see?” She stumbled over the words.

  “Go home. I know you’re safe.” His beautiful blue eyes glowed. He turned back to her, “For now.”

  As Lizzy drove slowly home, tears slid silently down her cheeks for the second time that night.

  Chapter 7

  IF AUNT HELEN VISITED or baked that night, Josh remained oblivious to any action. For the first time in many months, the creative urge consumed him, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he typed lyrics and coded notes into the music program on his computer.

  “Six songs, Reuben,” Josh held the red phone close to one ear, his hand over the other to block the loud conversation at the counter in the dusty, old general store.

  “Yes, buddy, I said six songs, and they’re all good stuff.” Josh was almost jumping out of his skin. “Different than usual,” he explained to his agent. “A little bit more fey.” He laughed at the response from the other end. “I don’t know, a little bit of magic, a few ghosts and a pretty lady…yes, Reuben, even here in Hicksville.”

  He put the phone down a few minutes later after promising to deliver another four songs and to be ready to lay down a new album as soon as he went home. The store was quiet. He looked up to a circle of disapproving faces. An old man leaning on a walking stick, wagged a finger at him.

  “You need to watch your mouth, young man. Your Aunt Helen was an upstanding member of this community, and if you are not careful, I will tell our Lizzy you think you have landed in Hicksville.”

  The elderly woman serving behind the counter scowled at him. “Besides, young man, that pretty lady is already spoken for. Why, she is almost engaged to that lovely young man who mows our lawns and tends our gardens.”

  “Wesley Gordon, they have been walking out for twenty years or more,” interjected another old man.

  Josh’s head flew up, and he narrowed his eyes. “Twenty years?”

  Another old woman leaned on her stick and glared at him. “Probably closer to thirty.”

  Josh stood and nodded his thanks to the storekeeper as he pushed past sacks of flour, shovels, and assorted farm implements on his way out the door. Thirty years. He surely had landed on the funny farm. This was one of the strangest experiences he had ever had. Frowning, he crossed the road to the library.

  Pushing open the door, he was pleased to see Lizzy alone behind the counter.

  “Do you run this place by yourself?” he asked. Her head flew up, and twin spots of red burned on her cheeks. He noted her hand shaking when she reached up to pull her hair back. She flashed him a pretty smile before she nodded. He stared at her, his groin tightening instantly.

  “Lunch, just you and me?” he asked quietly.

  “Lunch, you, me, and Wesley,” she answered. “It’s a longstanding arrangement. One of our old friends makes our lunch every day, I run some chores for her, and Wes mows her lawn.”

  She dropped her head and waited for his reply.

  “Okay, as long as he doesn’t threaten me again,” he laughed. “What was the frog comment yesterday? He has a smart mouth.”

  “Wesley is very protective; he always looks out for me.” Her silver hair swung around her beautiful delicate face, and the opening lines of his next song flitted through his head when he noticed her sad eyes.

  “Is the computer free?” he asked urgently, wanting to get the words down quickly before he lost them.

  “Just happens to be,” she smiled at him. “You can have it for the half hour until lunchtime.”

  He drifted off in his creative world and he typed up three verses and a chorus about a pretty lady with magical powers, ensnaring a hapless man, on the old computer. Very satisfied, he emailed them to himself, updated his social networking sites with his whereabouts, and created a very funny, or at least he thought it was funny, blog about life in Hicksville. He was careful not to mention Silver Valley in his blog since he didn’t want any more trouble from the locals. Although, he doubted they had ever heard of the internet, let alone used it.

  He felt a light tap on his shoulder. Looking up at Lizzy, his world shifted, and instant hunger rushed through his veins.

  “I’ll meet you over at the park, I’m about to lock up.” She paused and he stood. “And please be nice to Wesley.”

  Josh sat alone at the table. Lizzy groaned when she walked toward him. Her eyes scanned the park and the roadway for Wesley or his motorcycle. Only a couple of old farm trucks drove sedately along Main Street. There was no sign of him. Placing her hand on Josh’s arm, she looked him up and down for any sign of injury or bewitching.

  “Was he terribly rude to you? Did he hurt you?” Her voice was anxious.

  Josh shrugged. “Wesley? Haven’t seen him. The park was empty.”

  Lizzy hid her distress and pulled out the lunch box. She handed a sandwich to Josh, already missing Wesley and his smart comments, sneaky kisses and wandering hands. Josh folded the greaseproof paper into a small square and placed it neatly under the lunchbox. Lizzy automatically reached for her coffee, and then realized there wasn’t any today without Wesley.

  No Wesley. She frowned. No joy in the day.

  She wanted to talk to him and sort things out, although she worried that was a long way off. Maybe she owed him an apology. Okay, maybe she owed him a big apology. She truly had made a bad decision yesterday, and she knew Wesley was licking his wounds somewhere. He’d been hitting on her for thirty years, and the one time she offered herself to him, he had taken offense. She shook her head angrily; she knew she was being unfair to him.

  “Penny for them?” She looked up into Josh’s warm brown eyes and a shaft of longing shivered straight up between her legs. She blushed, dropping her head. Desire spread through her body.

  “Tell me a bit about yourself, Lizzy. How long have you lived in the valley?” His tone was curious. Obviously one of the old folk had been talking to him.

  “Quite a while,” she replied warily. “I moved into my grandmother’s cottage when she retired to Florida.” She didn’t tell him it was back in 1947 and quickly changed the subject. “Tell me about you? Where do you come from, Josh?”

  “I grew up in Chicago, but I spent a lot of holidays in the valley as a boy,” he replied. “I think I can remember your grandmother; you look just like her, although she would have been too young. Maybe it was your mother I remember?”

  Lizzy nodded; she had a vague memory of Josh tearing around as a ten-year-old with the local boys. They had fished in the stream at the back of her little cottage and brought her fish in exchange for the fat worms in her garden. Better he didn’t know it was actually her. Wesley was the only person in her life, apart from family, who knew her real age. She smiled up at him. If she was honest with Josh, he would jump into his flashy Porsche and head nonstop for Nashville, Tennessee.

  “Then I dropped out of college and moved to Nashville and started writing songs,” he continued. Reaching across the table, he held her hand, turning it over and absently tracing the lines on her palm. The tingling followed his fingertips, continuing up her arm. She felt a quickening in her loins and a desperate desire to tear his shirt off.

  “Two hit albums and I was pretty comfortable by my mid-twenties. I have a great apartment and a great car.” He nodded over at the yellow Porsche parked across from the table, “And now a farm I can sell to expand my recording studio.”

  She smiled. “
Be careful where you park that flashy car in this town. Most of the old folk park by bumping into the cars parked on either side of them.”

  “Why do you live here, Lizzy? It is such a hick town.” She bristled at that, pulling her hand out of his gentle grip.

  “It’s a beautiful town filled with lovely old souls. I am very happy living here.”

  “But what do you do?” he asked.

  “Do?” her voice was frosty.

  “For fun? Entertainment? Where do you go to eat out?”

  “We are very different people, you and I, Josh,” she said regretfully. “I don’t have those needs. Wesley and I make our own entertainment. We have picnics, we hike. Why, last summer, we hiked over fifty miles on the Appalachian Trail, and we even saw bears. We camped out for a whole week.”

  “Mmm…Wesley?” he said slowly. “So he is your boyfriend?”

  She laughed, “No, but he is my very best friend.”

  “Is he gay?”

  “God, no,” she spluttered. She thought of the number of times she had rescued Wesley from relationships where he had wanted out, and was too polite to finish it himself. She had even cast a spell or two for him over the years.

  Thoughtful, she realized she hadn’t done that for a long time. In fact, she hadn’t rescued him from the attentions of an irate husband for many years. Not since he had started this ridiculous story of being in love with her. She shook her head in confusion.

  Josh squeezed her hand.

  “Lizzy, can I take you out for dinner tomorrow night? If I can find somewhere decent to eat within a reasonable distance?”

  She looked up into the allure of his soulful brown eyes.

  “I’m not sure that it is wise, Josh. Maybe we had better keep a professional relationship…you know, ghost hunter and haunted house owner.” She smiled at him to soften the rejection.

  Josh stood and leaned across the table, taking Lizzy’s face gently in his hands.

  “Please give it some thought? We can discuss some ghost-hunting strategies over dinner.”