“Sure.”
Connor gave him a knowing grin. “Coming right up!”
With his coffee in one hand, and an iced tea for Jade in the other, Decker hoped like hell that his brothers wouldn’t embarrass the hell out of him in front of Jade. He’d like the opportunity to get to know her first. They were right though, he hadn’t thought of the consequences if she was this woman intended for him. Decker needed to check the shop out, make sure it felt right, that there was no darkness lurking. He’d also like to talk to her more, get to know her, so he could ask her out soon. He just hoped she wouldn’t think he was too eager, and then he hoped she didn’t think he was a raving lunatic when and if the time came to explain everything to her.
“Here comes Hot Cop and two equally hot men!” Harper sidled up to Jade at the counter, flashing a broad grin.
“Really?” Jade looked up. She was instantly aware of the tingles of excitement she felt when she saw him through the window. It frightened her a little, but made her happy at the same time.
“Oh, yes! He’s not a cop today, just filling out a pair of khaki shorts and a blue t-shirt ever so fine. The other two guys aren’t bad either, in fact, they’re good-looking too.”
Jade rolled her eyes at Harper. The copper bells tinkled as the door opened.
She watched a tall, lean man with golden brown, shoulder-length hair breeze in. Dressed in gray shorts and a black t-shirt with some kind of band logo on it, he wore an easy, relaxed smile. Decker, holding a cup in each hand, followed him. Trailing behind them was the tallest of the three. He was fit and well muscled, like Decker. She noticed he limped, and wore jeans, unlike his brothers who were dressed in shorts. His black hair was short and tousled, looking like he had just run a hand through it. They all had blue eyes, strong, angular facial features, square jaws, and they all favored one another.
“Are you brothers?” Jade smiled.
“Yeah, these are my brothers,” Decker said with a lazy smile as he approached the counter. “Jade, this is Liam,” he said as he gestured to the one in jeans. He added, “And this is Brody.”
He held out the glass. “I picked up a green tea for you next door.”
Jade smiled as she reached out to accept the tea and napkin. Their fingers brushed as she took it from him. She felt that crazy burst of energy she’d experienced yesterday, good energy. Strong energy.
Ignoring the butterflies fluttering in her stomach, she turned to his brothers. “Hello Liam and Brody. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise,” Liam said with a smile before he turned to look around the store.
“So, ah, my brother says you work here.” Brody gave her a lopsided grin.
“And she’s one of the owners,” Decker supplied, earning a smile from Jade.
“It’s an awesome place,” Brody said as he took it all in.
“There’s some great energy in here,” Liam said as he limped toward the bookshelves.
Decker concentrated for a moment and felt confident there was nothing but positive energy inside White Magic. The energy was strong, but very pleasant, calming even. There was no negative energy lurking in the store. That was a good sign.
“Thanks. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished so far,” Jade told Liam.
“Go look around.” Decker turned to Brody, who still stood behind him.
“Oh.” Brody shrugged. “Sure,” he said as he walked off, giving his brother a wink and a grin.
“Thanks for the tea, Decker.”
“You’re welcome. I made the mistake of telling Liam that I met a nice, beautiful woman yesterday. I mentioned that we met at Connor’s and that you worked here. Liam told Brody this morning when he dropped in for breakfast. If I didn’t come with them, they would have come without me. I’d rather be here so they don’t cause you, or me, too much embarrassment. So the tea is a peace offering in advance.” He flashed her that gorgeous smile.
Jade blushed.
“No blushing, Jade,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”
“I’m not embarrassed, I’m flattered.” She was. He said she was beautiful and nice. It had been a long time since a man had complimented her that way. She realized it felt good to know that a man she was very attracted to thought she was beautiful. She shrugged and gave him a smile. She took a sip of her tea.
She noticed Harper was talking to his brother, Brody, about the Kirlian camera that they used for their aura photos.
She realized then Decker was leaning against the counter. She gestured to the sitting area as she stood. “Would you like to sit down?”
“Sure.”
She moved around the counter and he followed her to the plush sofas and chairs near the rows of bookshelves. He chose to sit beside her, so maybe they could have something of a semi-private conversation. She was wearing well-fitting, white capris, sparkly sandals, and a long, drapey, multi-colored top. Even with her hair pulled up into a neat tail, she looked gorgeous.
“You don’t have any reading appointments today? It seems quiet in here.” He looked around.
“It is exceptionally quiet for a Saturday. I had two appointments scheduled this morning. They both cancelled.” She shrugged. “It happens sometimes.”
“That’s too bad.”
“No, I think it’s a good thing today. You’ve come by, and it gives us a chance to talk.” Maybe he was interested in her. “I’m glad you came by.”
“Well, I’m sorry your clients didn’t show up, but I am glad we can hang out. Do you want to give me that reading we talked about yesterday?”
“Absolutely. Come on back.” Maybe he did just want a reading. She had told him her schedule.
Decker rose to follow her and caught Liam’s attention. “I’m getting a reading. You guys okay to hang out for a while?”
“Of course.” Liam gave him a big, white-toothed grin. He made his way to the sitting area with several books. Decker saw Brody grinning like an idiot at him too. Brothers!
“You guys have some great books,” Liam told Harper as he sat on one of the sofas.
“Thanks.” Harper smiled at him. “We try to carry a large variety.”
“There’s a lot that interests me here!” Liam assured her.
He noticed a slender, dark-headed woman come out of a room at the back of the shop and go behind the counter. She turned the page in a book. “Hmm, I guess my eleven thirty isn’t showing as it is now eleven forty-five. My one o’clock called and canceled earlier. We’ve never had so many cancellations on a Saturday. Jade had two. You had one, Harper.” Erin looked up and noticed Liam.
“Freaky, huh?” Harper said from across the room where she was showing Brody some of their crystals and gemstones.
Liam met the tall, fit woman’s gaze. He liked her short, wavy, black hair. She was pretty, he decided. She smiled at him and he returned it.
“Hey, my brother’s getting a reading. Is it cool if I just hang out and read while I wait?”
“Sure.” Erin skirted the counter and walked toward him.
“Do you read tarot too?” he asked her.
“No. I wish I did. I’m a massage therapist and Reiki practitioner. I teach some of the beginner yoga and Pilates classes also. I’m Erin.”
“I’m Liam. Cool that you’re a massage therapist! I just came from physical therapy. My therapist suggested that a massage in-between my weekly PT sessions might help my leg. Can I make an appointment?”
“I’m open now, or we can wait for another day since you’ve just come from therapy.”
Liam stretched his leg and winced at the tenderness. “I’ll wait. How about Wednesday?”
“Let me check my appointment book.” Erin walked toward the counter. She turned the pages. “Wednesday morning or afternoon? I have openings for both.”
Brody spoke up, “Take the morning one, Liam. I can give you a ride.”
“Morning is good.” Liam turned to her.
“How about ten?”
Brody nod
ded.
“Ten’s great,” Liam told her.
“Wonderful. I’ll see you at ten on Wednesday.”
“Awesome, thanks.”
Erin walked back toward the sitting area.
“What books are you looking at?”
“Oh, I grabbed one on yoga and one on Pilates. After looking through them, I don’t think the leg is quite ready for that. I had my last surgery four months ago.”
“I have a really low-impact class on Friday and Saturday mornings. It’s a lot of standing Pilates and yoga, some floor work. It’s easy stuff, mostly for stretching and firming. Feel free to come by any time and watch, if you like. If it’s something you’d want to try you can take a few classes.”
“Thanks, I might do that.” Liam thought it was a good idea, except that he really didn’t want this dark-headed beauty to see him struggle to do something physically simple.
“Do you have any books on astrology, as in how to actually make up the charts and all?” he asked.
“We have quite a few, actually. One or two of them go into detail about creating and reading the charts. I’ll show you where they are.”
“Great!” Liam rose and followed her.
Chapter Three
“Is there anything in particular you want to know, or do you just want a general reading?” Jade asked Decker after they sat down at her table.
“Just general is fine. Are you intuitive?”
“Yes, I’m a medium.”
“That’s even better.” Decker gave her an easy smile.
He watched Jade shuffle her cards to clear them.
She moved to hand the cards to him, intending to explain.
“I just need to shuffle, right?” he asked as he took them from her.
“That’s right.”
Decker shuffled until they felt right then gave them back to her. It had been close to a decade since he’d held a deck in his hands.
He watched her cut the cards in three stacks then pick them back up from left to right. She laid them out in the Celtic cross pattern.
He grinned when he saw the first two cards, the King of Cups, or Hearts, crossed by the Queen of Cups.
Jade was a little disappointed with the feeling that was coming to her from the King and Queen of Cups. Cups didn’t always signify a romantic relationship, but in this case, she knew it did. She could feel it. They were definitely about romance. Hot Cop had a Queen of Cups somewhere. Darn it! The good ones were always taken.
“It appears this is about a relationship.”
“I’m not in a relationship…yet.” He shook his head.
She pulled two cards to clarify. They were the page of cups and the two of swords. “You’re definitely thinking about it. There is someone in the picture, but you hesitate for some reason, or there is something keeping you from her.”
“I am thinking of pursuing a relationship with a particular someone, but I don’t know how she feels about me. I don’t really know her that well.”
Lucky girl! Whoever she was, she’d be an idiot to say no to him.
Jade drew the ace of swords as he was speaking. Action. She could feel energy dance across her back and shoulders.
“This card is about taking action. The feeling I’m getting, is that you should definitely let her know you’re interested.” She pulled the moon card. “Yeah, she doesn’t know you are interested in her that way.”
“She doesn’t?” he asked. “Huh.” He paused after several seconds of what appeared to be deep thought. He nodded.
God his eyes were beautiful, brilliant, bold, and striking blue.
“Like I said, I don’t know her well. I’m a boring, old-fashioned, monogamous relationship kind of guy. I only date when I’m interested in having a relationship with someone, and I take things very slowly. I’ve learned from mistakes in past relationships not to rush in.”
“I agree with you there. Rushing isn’t the best way, but maybe just let her know that you like her.” Oh, she had the rottenest luck. She hadn’t been interested in a man like this since she met Austin. If she were ever going to enter into a relationship again, it would definitely be with an old-fashioned, monogamous relationship kind of guy and even better if he looked like Decker. Apparently, Decker was interested in someone else.
“Just tell her I like her?” He narrowed those gorgeous eyes.
Jade nodded. “Or show her.”
He nodded then grinned. “Like bringing her favorite beverage to her while she’s at work?” He guessed he probably wore a goofy grin. Surely, she would get it this time.
Ah, she faltered just a little there. He was still grinning at her.
“Sure, I thought it was really sweet that you brought me an iced tea today.” Was he…? Oh, she wasn’t sure. She would play it safe.
“Good.” He studied her for several long seconds. She definitely looked unsure. He’d have to make it crystal clear.
He gave her a big smile. “Okay, I’m going to step out of my comfort zone and take your advice, because like you told me, this woman may not have any idea I’m interested in her. I normally take things slower than this, but…” he held up his hands. “I’m determined to make sure she knows how I feel.”
He continued to watch her intently.
Jade lifted a brow. “And? What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to tell her I like her. That I’m interested in her.”
“Good.” Jade forced herself to smile. Darn it. He did have his eye on another woman and it wasn’t her.
“Yeah, I’m going to do it.” He reached across the round table and took her hand as he said, “I like you Jade Murphy. I’m attracted to you and very interested in you.”
She sat in stunned silence for a few seconds. There was that great rush of energy again. Her stomach did a little flip. He was interested in her! She smiled at him. “You’re not teasing me are you?”
“No, I wouldn’t tease about something as serious as this. Everything I said is true. Will you go out with me?” He caressed her fingers lightly with the pad of his thumb.
“Yes.” She breathed a sigh of relief. “I would like to go out with you, Decker.” She squeezed his hand and smiled. There was a rush of energy. Electricity spiraled up her arm when he gave her hand a return squeeze.
“Good. We’re on the same page.”
She laughed. “Yes, we are.” Thank goodness.
He reached over, gathered up the cards, and placed them in a stack. “You can’t finish the reading since it’s about you too.” The outcome card had been the Sun. It was a great card. Everything would work out for the best. He hadn’t paid any attention to the remaining cards in the layout.
“You read tarot?”
“Not as good as you can, I’m sure. My mother read the tarot. She taught me a long time ago. I haven’t picked up a deck in years, though.”
“That’s so awesome.” Jade grinned happily. A gorgeous, sweet, old-fashioned guy who understood what she did and wasn’t freaked out by it. It couldn’t get any better than this!
Decker intended to take things slow when he walked in today, but every time he made physical contact with her, there was this jolt of energy that coursed through him. He found himself staring at her lips. Beautiful, full, pink lips. Lips that he wanted to taste and savor. He endeavored to push the thought away. The rules. He never even kissed on the first date. This wasn’t even a date, he had just asked her out.
“So,” Decker began as he rose from his chair. He extended his hand to her. Jade placed her fingers in his. He assisted her to her feet. “I’m going to go out on a limb again,” he supplied in a husky whisper as he drew her toward him. He’d ask her out…for tonight. Had he gone insane? He never moved this fast. Enchanted by her? Maybe. She was bewitching, yes, but psycho, he didn’t really think so, though he couldn’t be sure. He felt her energy was too strong, steady and incredibly positive to belong to a psycho. After his psycho-girlfriend mistake years ago, he began to tune in and pay attention to
people’s energy. Jade’s was amazing. He doubted a psycho would have energy that good.
“And?” she breathed. She looked up into those vivid blue eyes framed by those sinfully long, dark lashes. Her heart pounded wildly as she held his gaze.
“I normally don’t jump in like this, but after the reading, well, I want you to know I’m very serious about this.”
Jade laughed. “From the cards, I thought you were interested in someone else. I was going to be really disappointed if you were.”
“The only woman I have an interest in is you, Jade. Originally, I planned to wait until next week to ask you out, but since I am here today, and I’m off this weekend, I’m hoping that if you don’t have plans for tonight, maybe we could catch a movie and have some dinner afterward.”
“Oh, I’d like to but-”
“If you have plans already, it’s okay. Maybe we can do it next week?” She might be seeing someone. Maybe Connor didn’t know about it if she was.
“Tonight is fine, Decker. Can we have dinner then go to the Waterfront Bar and Grill on Ray Road? A band we really like, Nineball, is playing there tonight and I promised Erin, Harper, and the other girls I’d go. We’ve been planning this for the last month. Unless, of course, you don’t want to go to a bar, then we can wait until next week.”
“Of course we can do dinner and the bar tonight. I want to go out with you and get to know you. We’ll have fun.”
Again that irresistible grin. “Awesome.” She gave him a grin of her own. “It will be fun.”
“Do you want me to pick you up or would you rather meet me there. You can trust me, you know. I’m a police officer, but whatever you prefer is fine.”
She just had the feeling she could trust him. She went with her gut. “You can pick me up.”
“What time do you get off?”
“I opened today, so I’m leaving at five.”
“How about six-thirty? Will that give you enough time to get ready?”
“Sure. I don’t live far from here. I’m at the Desert Oasis apartments on the other side of the San Marcos Resort’s golf course on Alma School Road. Do you know where they are?”
“Sure I do. That’s a nice complex.”
Decker's Fate (The Decker Brothers Trilogy Book 1) Page 4