Zander’s soapy hands encircled her, gently washing. He cupped her breasts and teased his fingertips around her nipples, which hardened to needy points under his touch.
She sucked in a breath laced with the humid scents of soap, shampoo and Zander. Leaning her head back on his shoulder, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensations. His body molded to hers and felt so right that she hardly noticed when he skimmed his hand over her side.
He traced the uneven line of her scar as he kissed her neck and nibbled on her earlobe. She held his arm against her like a lifeline. All she could manage was to stand there as he sluiced her bath sponge over her, cleaning her, caring for her like no one had before.
When he’d finished, he had her sit on the ledge. She gripped the cold porcelain as he knelt in the tub before her and pushed her legs wider apart. Her entire body hummed with need. He lazily stroked a finger along her folds, igniting the sweetest ache deep in her core.
She smoothed a lock of wet hair from his forehead. “I thought you were tired.”
He cupped her cheek and gave her a dreamy smile. “I’m never too tired for this. I can’t wait to taste you, then to dream about it.”
Her desire flared higher. She held her breath as he lowered his head to her sex and teased his clever tongue along her groove. Liquid heat pooled between her legs. She whimpered with need and he answered her request, pulling her sensitive nub between his lips.
He rubbed and sucked and licked, bringing her to the edge of ecstasy. She fisted her hands in his hair as she fell over into a sea of rapture. He drew out her pleasure until she leaned against him, spent and satisfied.
Waves of delight slowly ebbed. Zander grabbed a bath towel and wrapped it around her, drying her, nurturing her. Finally, he got up and pulled her with him. “To be continued after we get some rest.”
She didn’t say a word as she dropped into bed next to him. She couldn’t. All her brain cells were busy elsewhere. But the feelings… This was way more than physical between them, something she’d never expected.
Her whole life she’d been told and shown that she didn’t deserve much, least of all love. Zander’s tenderness seemed to be growing every time they were together.
But love had always meant pain in her world. She was already starting to depend on him. Goddess knew he’d come to her rescue enough. She refused to allow herself to to lean on him too much. Nor was it right to let him fall for her when she’d inevitably have to leave.
She’d never make the mistake of outstaying her welcome. Her dream had portended her future. Sooner or later Jamal would find her. Much as she yearned to stay, it was time to start making plans to disappear again.
* * * * *
Zander opened his eyes hours later but he could hardly see around Jilly’s bedroom. Had they really slept the entire day away? Then he caught sight of the board over her broken window, which explained why the room was so dark. And reminded him how close he’d come to losing her. A glance toward the living room assured him it was still bright and sunny outside.
His stomach growled but he hungered even more for something other than food. The need to protect her, to take care of her, body and soul, took him over. He pulled her naked body closer and she let out the most adorable little squeak. “Time to wake up, sleeping beauty.” When she didn’t move, he kissed his way from her shoulder down to the small of her back.
“Mm.” She rolled toward him and gave him that thousand watt smile he’d so rarely seen. “I suspect I know why you want me awake.”
He palmed her breast and rolled the erect nipple between his fingers. “I bet you’re right.”
Without warning she gave him a shove then climbed on top of him and straddled his lap. Splaying her fingers on his chest, she slid back and forth over his erection. He settled his hands on her waist and guided her rhythm.
“Why do you have to be so damn irresistible?” She leaned down to kiss him.
When she broke the kiss and started to back away, he took her arms and pulled her in for more. He had no idea what it was about her that he couldn’t get enough. It still bothered him that she hadn’t leveled with him completely at first, but he could forgive that, especially if she kept pivoting her hips over him, driving him crazy with wanting.
He needed to be inside her. But she got off him and kneeled next to him. “What are you…”
Before he could finish his sentence, she’d closed her hand over his cock and squeezed. And he was done thinking. She pumped his hard-on for a minute then took over with her mouth.
Holy mother of God.
She flicked her tongue over him and cupped his balls. His blood roared in his ears. She licked and sucked and had him so close to coming way too fast.
He clenched his jaw, fighting for control. She gave him one final swipe with her tongue then sat up. “There are condoms in that drawer.” She tipped her chin toward the nightstand next to him.
He found one in seconds and had in on in record time. She straddled him and took him inside her slowly, inch by inch until he was buried in her heat.
He held her hips as she rode him, the erotic friction driving him almost to the brink. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. Rocking her back and forth, she moaned, louder and more urgent by the second. Her eyes pinched tight in carnal concentration then gasped as she gave in to her pleasure.
The position gave him the perfect vantage point in which to watch her face as her orgasm hit. He grasped her hips tighter and stroked into her harder and deeper until he shattered in his own climax.
Yeah, he had to keep her close. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. Already, she’d worked her way into his heart and he planned to keep her there no matter what.
* * * * *
Jilly was walking to work a few days later with Taryn when her cell phone rang. “That’s me, sorry.” She checked the display and smiled as she answered. “Hey.”
“Hey yourself,” Zander said.
Much as she knew she shouldn’t grow too used to having him around, she had to admit she enjoyed his company. Just talking to him seemed to get her heart pumping faster and inspired a fluttery feeling in her stomach.
She only wished her disquieting dreams would quit. When they’d started a few nights ago, she’d sought Haley’s advice, which was to be extra careful. So she’d taken pains to never be alone. But if there was even a chance Jamal was coming after her she had to go on the run again. She should have left Freedom Bay days ago but she wanted just a little more time with Zander. Her chest tightened with the thought of leaving him but she couldn’t expect him to be her twenty-four-seven body guard for the rest of her life.
“Where are you?” he asked just as thunder cracked in the distance. Dark clouds blotted out the sun making the morning suddenly dreary.
“Here comes the rain. Let’s hurry.” Taryn opened her umbrella then quickened her pace.
Jilly matched her friend’s strides. “Walking to work with Taryn. Her shift at the restaurant starts in a few minutes. Are we still on for tonight?”
Our last together.
“You bet. I’ll pick you up at six, okay? I’m in the mood for Greek food. That place on Bay Street.”
“Yeah, sure. See you then.” Before she left she’d cast a spell to heal Zander’s heart. But there was no avoiding hurting him.
When they got to Mind’s Eye, Taryn gave her a hug. “Want me to go inside with you?”
Jilly gestured at Eloise’s Prius in the parking lot. “Boss lady’s here. I’ll be fine.” She couldn’t go on forever counting on her friends to escort her everywhere. Another reason she had to move on. She swallowed back a lump in her throat. “You’ve been a fantastic friend. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
Taryn wiped a raindrop from her arm. “Takes one to know one.”
With a final wave to her friend, Jilly entered the bookstore and breathed in the smoky scent of sandalwood incense. She shook off the raindrops from her clothes then dropped her purse beh
ind the counter and glanced at her schedule for the day. A new client, someone named John, was booked for a ten-thirty appointment so she had half an hour to set up and meditate to get in her magical mindset.
Valiente wound around her ankles and meowed. Hmm. The cat rarely made a peep. Must be the storm.
“Good morning, Eloise,” she called toward the open door to the store room. She started to pour herself a cup of coffee. But when Eloise didn’t answer, she paused and set the pot aside.
Valiente jumped up onto the counter and meowed again.
A wave of negative energy hit Jilly, nearly knocking her backward. She gripped the edge of the counter and automatically erected a psychic shield around herself. “Eloise?”
Silence.
She tired the light switch but nothing happened. A chill snaked up her spine. She took a backward step toward the front door. But what if Eloise was hurt? She wasn’t a young woman and she had diabetes.
A flash of lightning lit up the room for a split second followed by a clap of thunder. The cat bolted off the counter and hunkered down near Jilly’s feet.
She quietly uttered a spell of protection as fast as she could. “All three elements of astral, I summon thee. The strength of the elements by my side, no rules magic I shall abide.”
Taking her cell from her pocket, she started toward the store room. “Eloise? Are you all right?”
A floorboard creaked from the back of the store. Or had it just been the wind straining the old wooden building. She stopped, held her breath. “Hello?” Her heart pounded as she took another step. She slipped her free hand into her pocket and fingered the small knife there.
As she crossed the threshold, she paused. Something that resembled a large sack filled a dark corner. Something that hadn’t been there yesterday.
A form moved in the shadows on the opposite side of the room. The black aura stole her energy, as it always had. His unmistakable scent filled the air. Why hadn’t she noticed when she’d entered the store? Her body grew limp yet her feet were leaden, unwilling to move.
“Where’s Eloise?”
His laugh held so much malice it made her shudder. “Right there.” Jamal stepped toward her and tipped his chin toward the lump in the corner.
Eloise! She rushed to her friend’s side, crouching over her still body. “What did you do to her?” When Eloise let out a quiet moan, Jilly offered up her appreciation to the Goddess that her friend was alive. She hit nine-one-one on her phone.
Jamal roughly grabbed her arm and hauled her up. He snatched the phone from her and chucked it hard against the wall. “Not a fraction of what I’ve got planned for you. I’ve been waiting for this reunion for a long time. Did you miss me, baby?”
Her skin crawled. She tried to free herself to check on Eloise but his grip was firm. She focused all her energy on sending healing indigo light to her boss. “How could you hurt an old woman? She never did anything to you.” Her hand was so close to her knife but Jamal had both her arms pinned.
“It’s your fault she had to get hurt. You hurt me bad. Stabbing me and running away. After everything I did for you.” He shoved her out of the store room in front of him, never releasing his hold on her.
She had to get free. Eloise needed help. “What do you want from me?”
Another mean laugh. His breath on her neck made her cringe with revulsion.
“What do I want? A pound of flesh. An eye for an eye. You carved me up. I plan to do the same to you.”
Her blood pounded in her ears. “I-I was only trying to get away. I didn’t want to be abused anymore.”
He forced her arms closer together behind her back. Sharp pains tore through her shoulders. If he’d only let go for a moment she could grab her knife. “Eloise has nothing to do with this. I’ve got to help her. Please.”
“You only have yourself to blame.”
The truth of his words stung. If she’d been honest with Eloise, she’d have taken precautions. “I’ll do whatever you want, just let me get her some help. She could die if you don’t.”
He marched her out of the store room to the front door. A car pulled into the lot and a woman got out and started toward the restaurant.
“Help!” she shouted through the glass at the lady.
Jamal slammed her against the wall, leaving her dizzy for several seconds.
As soon as she recovered, she called out to the woman with her mind.
Look over here!
She managed to kick the glass door, but the woman just continued inside the restaurant without ever glancing her way.
Jamal yanked her away from the door and smacked her face hard. The click of the lock echoed in the silence. She’d sealed her own fate a year ago when she’d stabbed him.
No.
She wasn’t Lauren anymore. Lauren was a victim. Jilly had fought off an attacker more than once. And she could do it again. Not with physical strength, but with the power of her mind.
Jamal took her back to the store room and used some sort of wire to tie her hands and ankles to a chair, so tight her wrists and shoulders ached. She tuned out the pain as she concentrated on reaching out to Haley, the most powerful psychic she knew beside herself.
Send help to Mind’s Eye, she repeated over and over in her head. But would her message be too little too late? She thought of Eloise, possibly dying any minute.
Jamal paced the floor saying something about the night she’d stabbed him, how he had nearly bled to death. She tuned him out and covertly wriggled in the seat, worked at moving her right hand to the pocket that held her knife.
Eloise groaned. Jamal stopped talking for a moment. When he started up again, his tone was angrier. His aura was turning redder. She was running out of time. The wire around her wrists cut into her skin but she didn’t care.
He was watching her way too closely for her to just reach into her pocket even if she could work her hand free. She had to distract him. She swallowed, tasted her own blood. “My boyfriend will be here any moment.”
His eyes widened for a second. Then a slow smile lifted the corners of his mouth. He came closer and held the edge of a long blade against her neck. “You think you’re so damn smart because you landed some cracker mother fucker white boy cop, don’t you? You’re still nothing but trash.”
She tried not to swallow for fear the knife would cut her. If he knew about Zander he’d been watching her. When he finally backed off, she let out the breath she’d been holding. “I bet he’s pulling up to the store right now. What do you think he’s going to do when he finds it locked?”
Jamal glanced toward the front of the building, long enough for her to work her hand closer to her pocket. The wire bit into her skin.
Goddess, hear my plea and help me. Loosen my bindings.
She worked the wire farther up her wrist and reached her fingers into her pocket. Then she froze when Jamal met her stare. Did he see what she was trying to do? All the moisture wicked from her mouth.
Eloise made a noise and Jamal shifted his gaze to her.
Jilly’s fingertip touched metal and she nearly cheered aloud. But with her hands tied up, even if she was able to grab her knife, she didn’t have the freedom to do anything with it.
Think!
“Listen to me,” she started. “Just let me give Eloise an insulin injection. I swear I’ll do whatever you want if you do.” All her boss had at the shop was a test kit and some pills, but Jamal didn’t need to know that. If he untied her she could at least get to her knife.
“Why should I? You think I give a damn about her?” He roughly lifted her chin and bent down so their eyes were inches apart. “All I care about, all I’ve lived for the past year has been finding you and making you pay for what you did to me.” He yanked her hair so hard her eyes started tearing up despite her resolve to keep from crying.
When he let go, his gaze slid down to her chest.
No, please.
She concentrated all her psychic energy on holding him off.
His hands shook as he reached for her shirt. “Stop that, witch! Quit laying that juju on me or I swear, it’ll be a hundred times worse for you.”
Ignoring his threat, she strengthened her magical shield. The bindings around her wrist loosened enough for her to slip her hand free. She blocked out the pain from the cut. Instinct took over as she dug the weapon from her pocket, pushed the button to open it as she’d practiced so many times. Then she plunged the blade into Jamal’s neck.
He gasped and stumbled back. Before Jilly could free herself, he swung at her. His fist connected with the side of her head. The pain took a moment to register.
Stars swam before her eyes. She fought the dizziness.
I can’t pass out or I’ll die.
But the blackness engulfed her.
* * * * *
Zander didn’t even turn off his motor when he got to Mind’s Eye. A few weeks ago he’d have blown off the frantic phone call from Jilly’s friend Haley, but he was a believer now. She’d told him Jilly sent her a psychic call for help. He prayed Haley was wrong but he wasn’t taking any chances.
He’d tried phoning Jilly’s cell with no luck. All he could think about was what if. What if he lost her…no. He couldn’t go there.
When he found the front door locked, he ran back to his car to retrieve his flashlight. Protocol was to investigate further before damaging property by breaking in but the rules be damned.
He didn’t even consider knocking before he smashed the glass door with the heavy cylinder, reached his hand through and unlocked it.
Everything was too still inside. The only sound was the tap, tap, tap of rain pelting the roof. Had Haley been mistaken? The alarm system hadn’t gone off when he broke in even though Jilly was vigilant now about keeping it on when they left the shop or while she was there alone.
His cop senses were on high alert and he smelled something amiss. He saw the line of smeared blood on the wood floor stretching between two doorways in the back of the building and his darkest fears flared to life. The room on the right was where Jilly worked. His chest tightened.
Hidden Magic Page 17