“Hello,” she said as she took a step toward Jannie.
“Oh, hi,” Jannie smiled. “Is this your store?”
The lady nodded. Jannie was trying to figure out how old she was… She was certainly in her late forties at least, but her hair was so silvery white she could have easily been much older. It was her fresh skin and sparkling white eyes which gave her youth away, and Jannie thought she was incredibly beautiful.
“I haven’t seen you before,” the lady said. “Are you a tourist?”
“Kind of,” Jannie admitted with a blush. “I’ve leased a cabin by one of the lakes, and I’m here to write a book.”
“How wonderful,” the lady smiled.
She reached down to one of the displays and picked up a blue stone hanging from a silver chain.
“Here,” she smiled warmly. “This will help you with your creativity. Wear it while you work and leave it on your windowsill at night under the light of the moon t0 charge it.”
Jannie felt a tingle of excitement as she picked it up and held it in her hands. The longer the stone stayed in her palm, the more she felt the heat of it rising.
“Wow,” she said. “Does that really work?”
The lady smiled warmly.
“If you believe, it does,” she said as she turned and began to walk to the back of the shop. “Are you a believer?”
Jannie found herself following her and she stopped and started to flick through some of the artwork on one of the stands.
“I always thought so, yes,” she said. “I mean, it’s pretty hard not to believe here…,” she said, trailing off. “This place has a magic all its own.”
The lady smiled.
“You’re very wise,” she said. “And it is lovely to meet you.”
The woman held out her hand and Jannie reached out and shook it.
“I’m Beau,” she said. “And you are?”
“Jannie,” she smiled. “And yes, it’s good to meet you too.”
Beau let Jannie’s hand fall, and then she reached behind her to the counter and picked up a set of tarot cards.
“Do you ever have readings?” she asked her.
Jannie shook her head. She loved the idea of someone being able to tell her fortune and give her guidance, but when it came down to it, she had never truly had the nerve to do something like that.
Beau smiled and rested the cards down.
“I sense you’re not as much of a believer as you think,” she said wisely.
“No…,” Jannie tried to defend herself. “I am… I’m just a little bit scared, that’s all.”
“And what is there to be scared of?” Beau asked her.
Jannie thought for a moment and shrugged. Since she had come to Bridge Hollow, she had pretty much thrown all her own rules out the window. She had done things and thought things she never would have dared before. She knew and felt deep within that she was on a personal journey of self-growth, and she was loving every second.
“I won’t charge you for this,” Beau said as she stepped forward and took hold of Jannie’s right hand.
Jannie faltered for a moment, but then she relaxed and let Beau look down at her palm for a few moments before her eyes traveled back up to meet hers.
“Someone here has marked you,” she said lowly. “Someone important in this town must think a great deal about you…”
She waited for a moment, and Jannie’s heartbeat began to rage.
“This man, he loves you…” She stopped and smiled. “But you are both afraid…”
A chill rolled up Jannie’s spine.
“The universe has a way of bringing people together, Jannie,” Beau continued. “It is much bigger than all of us and we shouldn’t fight it.”
She let go of her hand but Jannie could still feel the sensation of heat on her palm. In the other hand, the blue crystal throbbed, and she squeezed it tight.
“He’s not as terrifying as you think,” Beau said. “They have good hearts. They are stronger and kinder than you will ever know.”
The two women looked at each other for a moment and Jannie felt something inside her click.
Beau was right.
And it was clear that she had powers all her own.
She nodded in agreement and then she reached into her handbag to get out her wallet.
“Thank you,” Jannie smiled. “I mean it. I appreciate you telling me that.”
“Listen to your heart,” Beau said.
The silence rose between them and Jannie knew that she was right. Beau was a wise woman, and Jannie was glad she had wandered into this delightful little store.
She opened her wallet and went to find some cash to pay for the crystal necklace, but Beau held up her hand to say no.
“You need it,” she smiled. “I won’t take your money; just promise me you’ll use it.”
Jannie looked at her for a moment to be sure, but Beau urged her away from the cash desk.
“This town is a good place for you,” she said sincerely. “You may be new here, but it is already awakening things in you that will serve you well in your life. If I were you, I would think about your future and what you want from your career and relationships. Think about what you have back where you came from and what you want to keep.”
Jannie shook Beau’s hand again and thanked her. She felt so much clarity, as if a fog had just been cleared and she could finally see ahead.
As she walked away from the little purple shop and made her way back out onto Main Street and toward the winding country roads that led back to the cabin, Jannie realized that she didn’t have a whole lot to go back to her hometown for.
She had friends and she had family, but they all had their own lives, and she had been just kind of waiting around on the edges of all of them. Here, in Bridge Hollow, she was actually living for her. She was the lead in this journey, not her best friend or her cousin. She had a career and a goal, had met a man and was making friends, and she felt connected to something.
She turned the corner and began to walk back down to the cabin. When she saw the front door, she smiled and walked straight around the back to the veranda which looked out over the lake.
She had found a really lovely place in the world. And she wasn’t going to be ready to leave in six weeks. Without wasting a second longer, she grabbed her cellphone and started to write an email to the man she had leased the cabin from, requesting to have it for two extra weeks. If, after that time, she was still feeling the same, she may even stay longer and finish the whole book.
Suddenly, her sabbatical was turning into a whole new life.
But she wasn’t afraid.
14.
Jannie stood in the kitchen, by the island, sipping a glass of ice-cold white wine while she spun her cellphone around in front of her with her index finger. She hated to admit it, but she had already been ready for half an hour, and she was doing all she could not to pace the floors while she was waiting for Dash.
He had told her he would pick her up at eight, and it was getting closer. She looked up and saw the second hand ticking around and around the clock on the wall. And she willed it to move faster.
She took another sip and looked down at her phone again, but the screen remained blank.
On the other side of the lake, she could see that Jet was lounging on the veranda overlooking the water, and she huffed at knowing Dash must still be at home.
She poured herself a little more to drink and sipped slowly, and when she turned back to look, around five minutes later, she instantly saw that Jet had disappeared and the house looked dark.
The sun had bobbed down behind the mountain, and even though there was still some low light in the air, mostly, the world around them was dark and lit only by the lights dotted around the lake and in the houses.
Jannie bit her bottom lip and tried not to grin. And just when she was about to move to go check her reflection in the mirror one more time, she suddenly heard the roar of an engine.
It mad
e her jump and she clutched her hand to her chest. The engine was revving and getting louder and louder.
“Is that a bike?” she whispered to herself as she started to move slowly to the front door.
When she reached it and looked through the little window, she couldn’t help but smile, because this had been the last thing she had been expecting.
Dash was sitting outside, waiting for her on a glinting silver motorcycle, and he was looking sexier than ever. His jeans were black and skinny with rips in the knees, his white t-shirt was skin hugging and showed off his powerful muscles, and the leather jacket he had around his shoulders made him look an absolute Rockstar dream.
Was there anything this guy couldn’t do?
He was handsome, intelligent, bad and dangerous, had magical powers… and now, he was turning up to collect her on a Harley!?
She shook her head and laughed as she opened the door and crossed her arms over her chest.
“What the hell is this?” she asked playfully.
“This is my bike,” he said as he looked down at her. “Come and get on, baby…”
She grinned and reached back inside to grab her jacket and purse before she locked the door and trotted over to meet him.
Dash kissed her and pulled her close to him. He tasted of whiskey and cigarettes, but he was still completely in control.
“Have you been drinking?” she asked him with a raised brow, looking down at the motorcycle as well and frowning.
“Shifter rules,” he winked. “We don’t absorb alcohol like you humans do… it barely even touches the sides.”
“Lucky,” she smiled as she held onto his shoulder and climbed on behind him. He rested his hand on her thigh and gave her a squeeze before he revved the engine again and pulled her arms around his waist.
“Where are you taking me, anyway?” she asked as she rested her head on his shoulder so that her mouth was close to his ear.
“For a ride… and then for a drink,” he said. “I think we need to blow off some steam, don’t you?”
Jannie gripped him a little tighter and nodded her head. He sure was right about that, and she couldn’t think of anything she would rather do than disappear on the open road with him.
He revved the engine and kicked up a spray of gravel as he floored the bike and they seemed to fly up the slope and toward the main mountain roads.
Jannie had never been on the back of a motorcycle before, so it was another first to add to her ever-growing list of things that had happened to her since she had come to Bridge Hollow. Beau had been right when she said this place was good for her; it was as if she were finally letting herself go and starting to live.
As Dash swerved the bike around the mountain roads, Jannie gripped him tightly but made sure she held her head back so she could see it all. It felt like she was flying; the wind whipped her skin and blew her hair around her eyes and into her mouth, but she didn’t mind, she was having the time of her life.
Dash slowed as they took the main stretch in to Bridge Hollow and flew out the other side of town. Jannie had come in from the other direction and had no idea where they were headed, but she was happy to leave it in his hands.
He decelerated as they reached a bend, and as they approached the edge of the road, she could see that a huge valley was laid out before them. Mountains flanked either side, and straight down the middle, the sun was setting. One of the mountains must have hid the sun from her vantage point at the lake, but there, she could see it about to disappear at its lowest point, and it was a stunning sight to see.
Dash stopped the bike with a crunch after it hissed along the gravel and then he turned to her and smiled.
“How was that?” he asked her with a grin.
“Exhilarating,” she laughed. “Seriously, I think I’m shaking.”
Dash stepped off the bike and held out his hand for Jannie to take hold. When she did, he helped her climb off and he stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
“I wanted you to see this view,” he said. “You only get it at this time of the year, and only for a few weeks… and it just so happens, it’s right about now.”
The autumn sun was low, and it was turning the valley ahead of them orange and gold. It reflected off the water of some of the lakes and turned them into liquid sunshine.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
The air seemed cleaner and crisper, and she felt a deep connection to where she was standing. Dash’s arms were heavy and protective around her, and they made her feel so very safe, even with all the danger that was unfolding not far away.
“I love it here,” she said.
“It’s a pretty great view,” he confirmed.
“Not just out here tonight, though,” she said. “I mean, Bridge Hollow in general. I don’t think I ever want to leave.”
Dash kissed the side of her neck and breathed her in.
“Well, maybe you should stay then…” He said it as he kissed her ear, and she felt a tingling sensation run right through her.
Her knees were like jelly and her pussy was aching for him. She didn’t know how much longer she was going to be able to resist him, and she wished, in that split second, that they were back at her cabin, not out in the wilderness without a bed to fall into.
“You drive me wild,” she whispered as she turned around and stared up into his eyes.
He kept his arms wrapped tightly around her and squeezed the base of her back.
“You have no idea what you’re doing to me,” he said, and his voice seemed deeper and gruffer. The green tinge came back to his eyes and his pupils grew wide.
He leaned in and kissed her, and she melted into him. The sensation of his kiss was deep and powerful, and she lost herself in the moment, never wanting it to end.
When their lips separated, and she saw how green and bright his eyes had become, she smiled and looked down shyly. She was becoming less and less afraid of what may happen if she made a further step with this dangerous man… because she could tell he was completely worth it.
“Come on,” he growled as he grinned and pulled her closer to him. “Let’s get out of here and go somewhere we can have some fun. I need a drink or I’m going to ravage you right here and now.”
He slapped her ass and she squeaked with laughter before he picked her up at the waist and placed her on the back of the bike. When he climbed on ahead of her, she wrapped her arms straight around him and pulled herself into him. She pressed her pussy right up against him and squeezed her legs tight. She was so turned on and wished she could be with him right there and then, but he was right. They had a whole night ahead of them, and he had promised to take her out. She wanted to go somewhere fun with him and drink some beers before, hopefully, getting to know him even more.
He revved the engine and started to ride.
Being on the back of a Harley with Dash was already turning into her new favorite thing.
The bar was on the highway, full of truckers and tourists, but a hotspot for fun and debauchery. When Dash pulled into the parking lot and stopped the bike, he looked over his shoulder to gauge her reaction.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“It’s different,” she laughed. “But I get it… we won’t see anyone we know out here, and we can have a proper conversation?”
“Bingo,” he grinned. “Being here means I get you all to myself and no one will interrupt us.”
He jumped off the side of the bike and helped Jannie down.
“I used to come here when I was a kid,” he laughed. “Everyone in town knew me and knew that I was underage, so when I hit eighteen, my friends and I used to drive out here with fake IDs.”
“Terrible,” Jannie teased. “What was the point, when alcohol doesn’t even affect you?”
“Just a rite of passage, I guess,” he smiled. “It’s not as if I grew up like most of the regular folk in Bridge Hollow…”
Jannie felt sorry for him for a second; she couldn’
t even imagine what it must be like for someone like him having to keep such a massive secret.
“Do most people in town not know?” she asked.
Dash shook his head.
“The regular folk in town don’t have a clue. It’s always been the norm for them to have these rumors and they think everyone plays up to it, if they do have an inkling, then they definitely turn a blind eye. No one wants any trouble and it brings a lot of tourism and money to the town. Without the legends, who knows where we would all be.”
“It must be frightening then… all these strange happenings…?” Jannie didn’t want to probe too much, but at the same time, she felt like she did want an explanation. Especially, when she was going to be staying there for even longer. She didn’t like having information withheld from her.
“Yeah,” Dash said. And she sensed a wall had instantly come up. “Yeah, it is.”
He gripped her hand and started to walk toward the door of the bar, and she knew then that the conversation was over. He was back to being cagey, and she was starting to feel uneasy. She didn’t want to ruin the evening, but at the same time, she wanted him to open up to her.
As they walked inside, the music hit them. The bar, compared to the places in Bridge Hollow, was completely wild; there were bikers and scantily clad women everywhere.
“Wow,” she laughed. “Now I see why you liked coming here when you were eighteen.”
Dash laughed and wrapped his arm around her as he led her to the bar and then kissed her on the shoulder. Every time his lips connected with her skin, she felt a pulse of heat and a rush of excitement. Their bond was so strong already and, with each touch, their souls were becoming more entwined.
The bartender made his way to them, and Dash ordered a beer and a whiskey chaser.
Jannie thought on what she wanted for a moment, and then she decided she would have another glass of wine.
“I can’t promise it’ll be nice in here,” Dash laughed. “I mean, look at this place.”
“I’ll give it a whirl,” she smirked. “How bad can it really be?”
Bridge Hollow Shifters: The Complete Collection Page 29