by Deanna Chase
Was he serious?
He stared down at her with tenderness in his eyes, the same way he used to look at her. A dull ache formed in her chest. Physically unable to say no, she took his hand and let him lead her out on the dance floor.
Isaac slipped his hands around her waist as Etta James’s “At Last” started to play, and Yvette wished with all her heart that the ground would just open up and swallow her whole. It was the same song they’d danced to at their own wedding eleven years ago.
“I really do love you, you know,” Isaac said.
The sad truth was she did know. But she didn’t know what to do with that. “You just love someone else more.”
“Differently,” he corrected. “I love Jake differently.”
She let out a huff of laughter. “Passionately, you mean.”
He didn’t deny it. He just held her closer and whispered, “I’m so sorry, Yvette. I hope one day you can stop hating me.”
She pulled away from him, stared him in the eye, and shook her head. “I don’t hate you. I just hate the situation. Maybe one day we can have a friendship again, but right now I need time to heal.” Yvette leaned in and gave him a tender kiss on the cheek. “Be happy, Isaac.”
Yvette walked away before he could respond and headed straight for the open bar. She hopped up on one of the stools and said, “Tequila. The good stuff.”
“Rough wedding?” the bartender asked, already reaching for the Don Julio bottle.
“You have no idea.” She gazed at the beautiful man in front of her. Damn, where had her sister found this one? Hotties R Us? He had the greenest eyes she’d ever seen, thick dark hair, and a five o’clock shadow that should’ve been illegal.
He set the shot in front of her and offered her a lime. She shook her head and downed the tequila. She grimaced and nodded for another.
“Was that the ex?” he asked, refilling her glass.
“Yep. The ex.” She glanced over at him and practically growled when she spotted Jake. “And that’s his new someone.”
The bartender frowned, seemingly confused. “Are you talking about the man leaning in to—oh,” he said when Jake planted a kiss on Isaac’s lips. “Brutal.”
She raised the tequila shot in the air and downed it. This time it went down nice and smooth. “The wife never sees it coming.”
He raised one eyebrow. “Never? It was a complete shock?”
“Yep. We’d been having sex right up until the week before he split.” Her face heated. She hadn’t meant to blurt out her business, but apparently tequila gave her loose lips. “Oops. Probably TMI, huh?”
He chuckled, his eyes sparkling under the twinkle lights. “Don’t worry about it. But maybe slow down on the tequila. You don’t really want to get falling down drunk at your sister’s wedding, do you?”
“As a matter of fact, I think I do.” She grinned, feeling better than she had in weeks. “But because I love my sister, I’ll try to keep it at just slightly drunk.”
“Good plan.” He winked at her, then moved down the bar to refill Wanda’s wine glass.
“Whoa,” Wanda said, in a too loud voice as she grabbed his biceps. “Where did you come from?”
He gave her a patient smile and said, “Southern California.”
“Well, Mr. Southern California, do you have a girlfriend?”
“Not at the moment.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Boyfriend?”
“Not my team,” he said.
“Thank the gods for that,” Yvette said.
He glanced over at her, that amused smile playing on his lips again.
Wanda glanced between them, then let out a tiny irritated huff. “Right then. Nice to meet you, Mr. California.”
Yvette watched as Wanda wandered off back to the dance floor where she joined Hanna and Faith as the three of them danced with wild abandon.
“Well, Mr. California. Do you have a real name?” Yvette asked him.
“Mr. California has a nice ring to it.” He nodded to her shot glass. “Refill?”
She shook her head. “I think I’m in the mood for something a little more… exciting.”
“Like?”
Yvette swept her gaze over him, imagining what he’d look like with his shirt off. If his forearms were any indication, the man was built.
“I see,” he said.
“Huh?” She glanced up to see him smirking at her. “Oh, damn.” She laughed nervously. “Caught.”
He held up a finger and said, “Wait here.” Then he disappeared for a moment. When he returned, he was wearing a suit jacket and slipped out from behind the bar. He walked right up to her and leaned in. “Ready to go?”
“Where are we headed?”
“Anywhere you want to go, pretty lady. Anywhere you want.”
Yvette stared up at him, shocked. Yes, she’d been practically drooling over him, had wondered what was under his button-down shirt, and might even have imagined what it would be like to be in his arms. But she’d never seriously considered spending the night with him.
He glanced across the venue at Isaac. “Look,” he told her.
Yvette followed his gaze and saw Isaac staring right at them. His eyes were narrowed and his fists clenched. “He’s jealous,” she said, shaking her head. “Can you believe that? He’s jealous.”
“Exactly,” Mr. Southern California said.
She glanced from Isaac to the bartender and back to Isaac again. Yes, it would be incredibly satisfying to walk off with the gorgeous specimen in front of her, if only she knew who he was. She stared up at him. “What’s your name?”
“Jacob.”
She let out a bark of laughter. “You can’t be serious?”
“If it bothers you, you can call me whatever you like.”
“Nope.” She hopped off the stool, slipped her arm through his and said, “If the ex can have a Jake, I sure as hell can have a Jacob. Let’s go.”
They walked from the orchard to the parking lot in front of the Townsend home. Jacob gestured to a silver Mercedes. “That one’s mine.”
“Really? Bartenders must do really well these days,” she teased.
“Something like that.” With his hand on the small of her back, he led her to the passenger side and charmed her when he opened the door for her.
She didn’t hesitate. She climbed in as if she hadn’t just met this man thirty minutes ago.
He was in the driver’s seat before she could even get her seatbelt buckled. Then they were flying down the road toward town. “Where do you live?”
“We’re going to my place?” she asked.
He glanced at her, his expression amused. “Yes. Where did you think we were going?”
“Uh, I don’t know. Are you staying at the inn?”
He shook his head and chuckled. “No, I’m not. I thought I was offering you a ride home. But if you had something else in mind…”
She stared at him, her mouth open. Then she shook her head. “That is not at all what you thought we were doing here. And you know it.”
He glanced over at her, his expression heated as he let his gaze sweep over her again. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes.” She’d made up her mind the moment she’d decided to leave with him. One night of debauchery with a man she wasn’t likely to ever see again was exactly what she needed.
“You got it.” He accelerated, suddenly eager to get to their destination.
“Turn left at the next street,” she said. Less than two minutes later, they were parked in front of her house.
He killed the engine and turned to her. “Are you sure about this?”
Yvette answered by climbing out of the car and gesturing for him to follow. A slow smile claimed her lips when she heard his footsteps behind her. He followed her so close she could smell his woodsy cologne. And while she was unlocking the door, his breath tickled her neck. She turned around, pressed one hand to his chest, and said, “I never do this.”
“That’s what t
hey all say.”
“Maybe.” She worked his top button free. “But in my case, it’s true. I’ve never had a one-night-stand before.”
That smirk was back when he asked, “And you just assume I have?”
“Didn’t you just imply this isn’t your first go-round?”
He nodded. “Yes, I guess I did.”
“Good. Then you’ll have experience at this. My only request is that you make it worth my while.”
He pressed both hands against her door, leaned in, and whispered, “Don’t you worry about that, gorgeous. I plan to make love to you until the sun comes up.”
She raised her eyebrows in disbelief. “You have that kind of stamina?”
“Take me inside and find out.”
Laughing, she unlocked her door. “If you’re as good a lover as you think you are, I’m in trouble.”
“Damn straight you are,” he said and followed her inside.
It was just past eight in the morning when Yvette walked into her bookstore on Monday. She had a smile on her face and a bounce in her step that she hadn’t had in weeks. Her night with Jacob had been exactly what the doctor ordered. She’d woken relaxed, sated, and completely satisfied.
And alone, thank the gods. She wasn’t sure she could face him after the things they’d done together. She felt herself blushing just thinking about him and what she’d let him do to her.
“Good morning,” she called to Dannika, her assistant.
“Oh, Yvette, there you are,” Dannika said, abandoning the shelf she was straightening. “He’s here.”
“Who’s here?” she asked, heading toward the espresso machine behind the checkout counter.
“The new investor. You’re supposed to be meeting him this morning. He’s waiting in your office.”
“Oh, crap!” She’d completely forgotten. Thanks to Isaac, the impending divorce, and the division of assets, Yvette had been forced to take on an investor. She’d gotten lucky when Miss Maple had mentioned her nephew was moving to town and might be interested. In no time, the paperwork had been signed, and today was the day she was to meet her silent partner. It wasn’t ideal, but it would allow her to keep her store and her income.
She pasted a smile on and strode down the hall to her office. She could hear someone talking on the phone, laying out plans for a redesign, new book stock, and a café. She pressed her ear to the door and had to stifle a gasp when he said, “It’s quaint, but Hollow Books is a hobby store. By the time I’m done with it, it’ll be a paranormal destination spot. That’s right, all new everything.”
“Excuse me,” Yvette said, barging in. “The paperwork says silent partner.”
“You might want to check the paperwork,” the man said as he turned his head to greet her.
“Jacob?” she said.
“What are you doing here?” they both said at the same time.
Then Jacob spoke into the phone. “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you back.”
“You’re my new investor?” Yvette placed her fists on her hips, her face burning with utter embarrassment. Please, God, don’t let me have slept with my new business partner. It wasn’t possible, was it? Please don’t let it be possible. “You’re a bartender.”
He shook his head. “I was helping out a friend.”
“The paperwork said Michael J. Burton.”
He cleared his throat. “The J stands for Jacob. We call my father Michael.” Jacob got up out of the chair, his face just as red as hers. “You never told me your name last night.”
“You never asked,” she shot back.
“I was a little distracted.” He swept his gaze over the length of her body then shook his head as if trying to wipe the image from his mind.
“Oh, hell,” she said as she slumped against the wall. What had she done?
***
Look for Spirit of the Witch (Witches of Keating Hollow, Book 3) in September of 2018.
Want more books featuring witches, love, and friendship? Check out The Vampire’s Last Dance, the first book in the Witch Island Brides Series.
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Deanna’s Book List
Pyper Rayne Novels:
Spirits, Stilettos, and a Silver Bustier
Spirits, Rock Stars, and a Midnight Chocolate Bar
Spirits, Beignets, and a Bayou Biker Gang
Spirits, Diamonds, and a Drive-thru Daiquiri Stand
Jade Calhoun Novels:
Haunted on Bourbon Street
Witches of Bourbon Street
Demons of Bourbon Street
Angels of Bourbon Street
Shadows of Bourbon Street
Incubus of Bourbon Street
Bewitched on Bourbon Street
Hexed on Bourbon Street
Ida May Chronicles:
Witched to Death
Witch, Please
Stop Your Witchin’
Witches of Keating Hollow:
Soul of the Witch
Heart of the Witch
Spirit of the Witch
Last Witch Standing:
Soulless at Sunset
Witch Island Brides:
The Vampire’s Last Dance
The Wolf’s New Year Bride
The Warlock’s Enchanted Kiss
Crescent City Fae Novels:
Influential Magic
Irresistible Magic
Intoxicating Magic
Destiny Novels:
Defining Destiny
Accepting Fate
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Deanna Chase, is a native Californian, transplanted to the slower paced lifestyle of southeastern Louisiana. When she isn't writing, she is often goofing off with her husband in New Orleans or playing with her two shih tzu dogs. For more information and updates on newest releases visit her website at deannachase.com.