by Deanna Chase
“I guess you’re right.” He grabbed the bag and the tray holding the mochas and headed for the door.
“She’s not over her ex. You know that, right?” Shannon said.
Drew glanced back at her. “Who isn’t over her ex?”
Shannon rolled her pretty brown eyes. “Who do you think? Noel Townsend. The woman you want to date but can’t seem to muster the courage to ask out.”
An automatic denial formed on Drew’s lips as he shook his head.
“Don’t bother trying to deny it, Deputy Baker. It’s obvious to everyone with eyes.”
He let out an irritated sigh. Clay had called him out about his feelings for Noel a few days ago, and now Shannon. Only they were wrong. He didn’t want to date Noel. He just wanted to be her friend. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“If you say so.” She shrugged and turned her attention to the display case, where she started rearranging the already perfectly arranged confections.
Drew stepped out onto the cobbled sidewalk, ignoring the voice in his head that kept saying he was full of utter crap. Friends. Right. That’s why he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. He tightened his hold on the tray of mochas and strode down the street to the Keating Hollow Inn.
The door chimed as he stepped inside. Warmth engulfed him, and he instantly felt more at ease in Noel’s cheerful space. The only thing that could have made it better was if Noel had actually been there. But the lobby was empty, and no one was manning the check-in desk. He placed the bag of goodies and mochas on the counter and pressed the bell next to the computer.
He waited patiently. And after a minute or two, he pressed the bell again.
Nothing.
Strange, he thought. Noel was never far from the desk, and if she was, she always left a note or a number or put Alec in charge while she was away. He glanced up the stairs, wondering if she was dealing with some sort of guest issue. If so, no doubt she’d be down eventually. He unwrapped the Christmas-inspired witch cookies and placed the open box on the counter. Then he grabbed one of her Post Its and wrote, Happy Yule. Merry Christmas. Happy Solstice. He attached the Post It to the counter and moved to tap the bell again, but stilled when he heard a high-pitched yell, followed by a crash that came from her residence.
“Noel!” he called out, instantly on alert and worried about her safety. He rushed behind the counter while simultaneously reaching for his stun gun. Crime in Keating Hollow was rare, and Deputy Baker didn’t even carry a firearm. But a stun gun was necessary. If a witch got out of hand, it was just about the only thing that could neutralize their magic. There was something about the electric current that temporarily zapped them of their powers.
Pressing his shoulder against the door, Drew called Noel’s name again.
“Help!” she shouted back.
There was no hesitation. He burst into her apartment. A trail of clothes had been strewn across the living room, and a glass of milk had shattered on the floor.
“Noel! Where are you?” he barked, moving quickly to the first open bedroom door. The twin bed and overabundance of stuffed animals meant it belonged to Daisy.
“In the kitchen! Hurry!”
Drew sprinted to the kitchen door, adrenaline pumping through his veins. Holding the stun gun out, ready to strike, he kicked the door in. It flew open and slammed into the wall.
“What the hell was that?” she asked from under the sink. Water covered the tile floor, and Noel was drenched from head to toe. She glanced up at him, her eyes going wide when she saw his stun gun. “Cripes, Drew. Put that thing away. Are you trying to electrocute someone?”
“I thought… never mind.” Drew made sure the safety was on and placed his weapon on the island counter. “Plumbing issues?”
“What makes you ask that?” she asked dryly. “I just walked in and found water everywhere. It’s spewing from this line, but I can’t stop it.”
He kneeled down, spotting the problem immediately. One of the fittings had come loose from the supply line, and water was spewing from the broken connection. “Is there a reason why you didn’t just shut the valve off?”
“Gee, why didn’t I think of that?” She held up the water valve knob. “It came off in my hand.”
“Oh,” he said with a chuckle, nudging her out of the way. Magic rushed to his palms as he reached for the leaking plumbing line. “I’ve got this.”
“What do you think you’re going to do?” she asked as she stood. “Nothing’s going to help until—”
“There.” Drew got to his feet and reached for a hand towel on the counter. The water was contained, but the plumbing still needed to be repaired. “If you have a wrench handy, I can get this done in a few minutes.”
“How did you—” She shook her head as recognition lit in her gaze. “Water witch. Right. But… how is it still contained? You don’t seem to be wielding your magic right this moment.”
Drew grinned at her. “I have really good stamina.”
“Is that right?” she asked with a laugh. “Cocky much?”
“Confident,” he said with a wink. “Wrench?”
Her lips curved into a tiny, amused smile. “Sure, Mr. Fix-it. Coming right up.”
He couldn’t take his eyes off her as she crossed the kitchen to a small utility closet. Her wet jeans were pasted to her backside, and her shirt was see-through enough that he could make out the outline of her lacy bra. He couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to strip her out of her clothes and run his hands over her as he dried her off.
“Drew?” she asked, standing in front of the closet with a small tool box in her hands.
“Huh?” He blinked, heat crawling up his neck for the second time that morning. Son of a… what was wrong with him? If he was determined to remain just friends, daydreaming about her naked body wasn’t going to help.
“Is this what you need?” She held up a crescent wrench.
He blew out a breath and nodded. “That should do it.”
“Good, because it’s the only one I have.” Noel crossed the room and handed it to him. Her fingers grazed his, and an actual spark of electricity crackled between them.
Neither one of them broke the connection.
Drew stared down at their hands, watching the magic shimmer over their fingers.
Noel let out a small, nervous laugh. “Well, that was unexpected.”
“You think so?” he asked, raising his gaze to hers.
The smile vanished from her face as she searched his eyes. “Yes… and no.”
He knew he should pull his hand back and break their connection. But he just couldn’t. Her light air magic was warm and inviting. It made him imagine sitting out on the beach with her in his lap while they watched the sun set over the Pacific.
Noel pulled her hand back, breaking the magical connection. His insides turned cold just as he heard the sound of water gushing behind him.
“Crap!” Noel grimaced. “I’ll go shut the main line off.”
“I’ve got it.” Drew cursed himself. He’d been showing off when he’d insisted he had great stamina. His magic had been acting as a dam, keeping the water from spraying from the loosened line. It was never meant to hold forever. Switching his focus to Noel had sped up the inevitable. He ducked back under the sink and held one hand over the leaking pipe. The water instantly stopped flowing. With the other hand, he grabbed the loose bolt that had fallen to the bottom of the cabinet and said, “I need the water valve knob.”
Noel placed it in his hand, and in no time at all, Drew had the bolts, valve, and waterline reconnected. He got to his feet, turned the faucet on, and waited to see if there were any new leaks. It was just a precaution, really, because he could feel it in his bones that the water was contained and flowing correctly.
“Thank you,” Noel said from behind him.
“You’re welcome.” He turned the water off and leaned against the counter, his arms folded over his chest. “Glad to help.”
There was a tenderness about her that he so rarely saw, it made his heart ache just a little.
“You got a little wet,” she said.
She was right. He was pretty much drenched from the knees down. “It’s fine. But you…” He gestured to her. “You might want to change before any guests arrive.”
Noel glanced down at herself and let out a small gasp as she covered her chest with both arms. “Why didn’t you tell me I was indecent?”
“Indecent?” He chuckled. “Not exactly.”
“Close enough.” She hurried out of the kitchen, and as soon as she stepped into the other room, she let out another cry. “Buffy!”
Drew followed her and couldn’t help the bark of laughter when he spotted her on her knees, butt in the air, as she reached under the couch. Buffy darted out with a sock in her mouth and ran straight into Daisy’s room.
“Dammit!” Noel sat up on her knees and glanced around at the clothes strewn across her floor. “So much for thinking the laundry was done.” She held up a milk-stained sundress. “Buffy had a field day while I was dealing with the kitchen flood.”
Drew calmly walked over to Noel, took the dress from her, and offered a hand up. She blew a blond lock out of her face and let him pull her to her feet. He squeezed her hand and said, “You go get changed. I’ll start cleaning up.”
“I can’t let you do that, Drew,” she said as she reached for a Daisy-sized T-shirt.
He took that from her, too. “Of course you can. I offered. Besides, you’re indecent, remember?”
“Crap.” She closed her eyes as she covered her chest again. “Okay, but only because you’re insisting.”
He snorted out a huff of laughter. “To be clear, you look sexy as hell all drenched like you’ve just been the star of a wet T-shirt contest. So I’m not insisting on anything, but I imagine you’ll feel a lot more comfortable once you’re in some dry clothes.”
Noel stared at him for a few seconds, then shook her head and muttered something about mixed signals.
He pretended to not hear her and proceeded to pick up the clothes that Buffy had dragged into the living room. After placing them on the washing machine in the utility room off the kitchen, he grabbed some cleaning supplies and went to work on cleaning up the broken glass and spilled milk.
By the time Noel returned with Buffy in hand, Drew was mopping up the last of the water in the kitchen.
“Drew.” She tilted her head to the side and studied him, wonder radiating from her wide eyes. “You didn’t have to do all of this.”
He placed the mop in the bucket and turned to her, slightly overwhelmed by her beauty. It was rare to see her so unguarded. Drew knew he was responsible for putting that look on her face, and he wanted to do it again and again and again. “I know. I wanted to.”
“Well… thank you. Who knows what would’ve happened if you hadn’t shown up.” She glanced down at Buffy. “This one likely would’ve destroyed Daisy’s entire wardrobe while I completely flooded the kitchen.”
Drew washed his hands and said, “You’d have figured it out. You always do.”
“Maybe. But it sure doesn’t hurt to have help every once in a while.”
He mimed tipping his hat. “Happy to oblige, ma’am.”
The bell chimed, indicating a guest had arrived. “Oops.” Noel handed Drew the puppy and said, “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”
Drew watched her slip out of the residence and then glanced down at Buffy. “You’re one lucky little dog, you know that? If you’d done that at my place, you’d be in the dog house for sure.”
The puppy wagged her tail.
He chuckled and got down on the floor to play with her. He found a small ball rolling around under the coffee table and proceeded to teach her how to play fetch.
Chapter 10
“Happy anniversary. Enjoy your stay,” Noel called after the two young women as they headed to their room. They’d been married in Keating Hollow the year before and were back to celebrate their first anniversary.
They both glowed as they smiled back at her. Noel put a hand over her heart, soaking in their joy. So sweet, she thought, and then she wondered if she’d ever experience that kind of happiness again.
Not if you don’t even try, the voice in her head chastised.
She let out a frustrated sigh. The problem with letting herself love again was the inevitable pain when things went south. And in her experience, they always did. There was a time in her younger days when she’d believed life could be different. But then Abby had fled not only Keating Hollow, but also the relationships that were most important to her, leaving Noel to put the pieces back together. And then Noel’s marriage had ultimately ended up just like her father’s. Despite appearing to be happy, both her mother and her husband had left town and never looked back.
In her experience, everyone always left. It wasn’t something she could risk again.
Her gaze landed on the Mrs. Claus witch cookies and the two coffee cups from A Spoon Full of Magic. Drew. Damn him. Why did he have to be such a good guy? No matter what she told herself or how hard she tried to not have feelings for him, he went and did things like fixing her plumbing, cleaning up the mess, and bringing her cookies and Miss Maple’s wicked mocha lattes.
The man was pure evil in all the right ways.
She grabbed the coffee cups and headed back into her residence. Pausing just inside the door, she placed the drinks on the side table and watched as Drew scratched behind Buffy’s ear and praised her for being a smart girl. A smile tugged at her lips. Cripes on a cracker that man was cute. And sexy, too.
He tossed a small ball across the length of the living room for Buffy and cheered her on as she chased it. She promptly brought it back to him and dropped it in his hand then sat and waited patiently for the next toss.
“I can’t believe you taught that dog to fetch in the house,” Noel said.
Drew threw the ball again. “She’s maybe five pounds. How destructive can she be?”
“You saw the clothes incident, right? Daisy is out a pair of socks, a sundress, and a T-shirt.”
“Collateral damage.” He rose from the floor and walked over to her. “At least her play time will wear her out. I bet she crashes and sleeps the afternoon away.”
“Perfect,” Noel said with a mock grimace. “Then she’ll be well rested and tromping all over the bed, wanting to play at midnight.”
He raised one eyebrow. “The dog sleeps in your bed? I thought she had a crate.”
“She does, but that lasted all of about ten seconds before I caved.”
He glanced down at Buffy. “Lucky dog.”
Noel laughed. “Yeah, well. She’s living a charmed life so far.”
“Like I said, lucky dog.” His gaze shifted past her, and he reached for the coffee cups. “I see you found the mochas.”
Noel took them out of his hands and started moving toward the kitchen. “Too bad they turned cold while you were cleaning up for me.” She strode into the kitchen and popped them in the microwave.
Drew followed, unable to stay away now that she was back.
She turned and stared at him, her expression searching.
He took a step closer and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “What is it, Noel?”
She sucked in a breath and met his gaze. “You can’t keep being so nice to me, Drew. I’m going to get too used to it. You shouldn’t be bringing me cookies and mochas. Especially not ones from A Spoonful of Magic. Shannon is probably spitting nails.”
“There’s nothing going on with Shannon,” he said with a sigh. “In case you missed it, Shannon is not my girlfriend. Nor will she ever be.”
“I know, but—”
“There’s no but about it, Noel,” Drew said cupping her cheeks with both hands. “I took her on one date. One awful date that was so uncomfortable I was checking my watch before our drinks even ar
rived. Understand?”
“Yes,” she whispered, her gaze shifting to his mouth.
Her fresh citrus scent washed over him, and all his reasons for remaining just friends fled. His heart pounded against his ribcage as he leaned in closer, wanting her more than he’d ever wanted anyone before. The rest of the world faded away, and the only thing that mattered was kissing her.
“Drew,” she said breathlessly. “What are you doing?”
“This.” He closed the distance between them, gently brushing his lips over hers.
Her eyes fluttered closed, and she leaned into him, her arms circling his waist.
The kiss was tender and perfect, but Drew needed more, needed her. He buried one hand in her thick golden locks and deepened the kiss, tasting her for the second time in his life. And this time was so much better.
Holy hell, was it better. Every nerve in his body sparked to life, and he felt like a suffocating man who was finally breathing again. He bowed her back, one hand supporting her while he held her close. The kiss seemed to last forever and at the same time was over all too soon.
Their lips parted, and both of them were breathing heavily. With her hair cascading behind her, Drew thought Noel had never been more beautiful.
“Drew?” she asked, pressing her palm lightly against his chest.
“Yeah.” He continued to gaze at her in wonder, already wanting more of her.
“You have to let me up. It’s a half-day at school, and I’m going to need to go get Daisy soon.”
“Oh, sure.” Drew righted her and made sure she was steady on her feet before he let go. Her hands lingered on his shoulders, and Drew pulled her against him once more. Her soft curves fit perfectly against him, and he wondered what he’d been thinking all those years. “Kiss me again, Noel.”
Her fingers dug into his flesh as she pressed up on tiptoe and did as he asked. A shudder of pleasure reverberated from his very core, making him want to scoop her up and carry her the ten feet to her bedroom. Before he could contemplate that last thought, Noel broke the kiss and gently pressed her palm to Drew’s chest. “I really do have to go get Daisy.”