“Sheree wanted to stretch her legs, I thought this would be a romantic place to do it,” Maddock says gesturing to the beach.
I look at him in surprise. “Who are you? It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.”
“You don’t,” she snaps. “It would be sweet if it weren't for the third wheel.” She simpers, snuggling into him.
“Third wheel? Third wheel?” I ask, my voice getting louder. My blood is rushing through my ears as my anger rises.
“Yes, third wheel,” she snarls at me, “You really are getting in the way.” Turning to Maddock, she pouts. “Tell her to go away.”
“Go away?” That’s it, my temper hits its breaking point, and I lose the plot. “Right bitch, this is my trip you are hijacking. Maddock is here to help me out, not to take you on a date. I’ve got ingredients I need to buy, and equipment to source. I don't have time for the two of you to be taking side trips. We need to get this done so I can return and replace all the stock that got damaged in the break-in.” I turn to Maddock. “Please, I know you don't really like me at the moment, but this needs to be done, even if it's for Mom and Dad. Please, Maddock, tell her.” I beg him.
She drops his arm and walks towards me, a dazed look stays on his face, and he seems to be oblivious. “Listen up, you little witch,” she stalks towards me, and I take a couple of steps back. “Get it through your head, Maddock is mine now. That boat has sailed, you need to let it go. If I want a romantic stroll, I get one. If I want to waste a whole day doing whatever, I will. And if I want to make it as difficult as possible for you, you are going to wish you never left Morbank Island.” I look at him, he still is not paying too much attention to us. It’s like the lights are on and nobody is home.
“What have you done to him?” I hiss at her, “What are you?”
A panicked look crosses her face briefly before it turns calculating. “Your worst nightmare. Too bad you’re not going to be around to find out,” she replies and shoves me hard in the chest with both hands. Stumbling backward in the sand, I lose my balance when I feel the fence hit the back of my knees. Before I can right myself, I’m tumbling over. My head cracks hard against the concrete, making me see stars. My body continues to roll with an unseen force until I leave solid ground and plunge down into the freezing cold water. My body seizes up, and everything is blurry and fuzzy. I sink lower and lower, unable to even panic, my body frozen until there’s nothing.
Chapter Fourteen
Maddock
“Hey! Hey, help her! Someone help her.” A voice behind me shakes me out of my daze. What was that? Turning around, I see a man and woman running towards us from down the beach, pointing at something in the water. Spinning quickly, I look to where he’s gesturing. Standing by the wall edge is Sheree. There’s no sign of Ruby.
“Quick,” the man's anxious voice says, “she hit her head when she fell in. “She's been down for a while.”
I rush to where Sheree is. She’s just standing there watching. She grabs my arm, and a wave of disinterest flows through my body, and I stop, watching the air bubbles float to the surface of the water.
The couple reaches us— their continuous frantic cries penetrating my vague state, encouraging me to take action.
“What happened?” I ask Sheree as I strip off my shirt and shoes and climb over the little wire fence.
“She tripped and fell backward,” Sheree says, gesturing at the fence, “I tried to catch her but wasn’t fast enough.” The couple scoff and shake their heads in disagreement, but I don't wait to hear what they have to say. Mumbling a temperature spell under my breath, I dive into the cold deep water. It surrounds me in darkness, the cold held off by my enchantment. Needing to see, I hold out my hand and recite a spell in my head for light. Holding my hand out, a beam of light shines from it, illuminating the murky depths. I swim down in the direction the bubbles are coming from.
As I search, an amulet floats up out of the darkness. Shooting forward, I grab it, thinking Ruby must have dropped it, and tuck it into my pocket. The fog in my mind clears. Shit, Ruby! Frantically, I search the depths. Catching a flash of light out of the corner of my eye, I turn quickly in that direction. There, floating in front of me like a siren in the sea, pink hair streaming out behind her, eyes closed, is my Ruby. Kicking furiously, I swim towards her, snatching her before she can float away. Kicking upwards, I drag her body behind me, lungs straining with the need for air. Breaking the surface, I suck the air into my deprived lungs. Grabbing Ruby around the chest, I tow her towards the wall where the couple stand, waiting to help pull her in.
Sheree is still standing on the other side of the fence, arms crossed. I shake my head. Lifting Ruby up into the arms of the concerned couple, I use a quick spell to boost me up and out while they are distracted. They lay Ruby down on the concrete, and I move them out the way. Kneeling down, I lean over Ruby, listening for breath, and checking for a pulse. I find neither. My heart is pounding, and with shaking hands, I grab her nose and mouth, tipping back her head, and give two quick breaths. Then using both hands, I thrust down on her chest, hoping to get her heart moving. “Come on, Ruby, breathe!” I grunt as I do compressions.
The couple have climbed back over and are arguing with Sheree over something. Sheree grabs the man by the arm he is gesturing with and starts arguing back. I’m not going to worry about that; hopefully, he wouldn’t get violent. While they are distracted, I send a pulse of electricity through my hands and into her chest in the hope it starts her heart. Her whole-body jolts, rising off the ground before falling back. I give her a couple more breaths and then recheck her pulse. This time, I can feel the pulse, but she's still not breathing. So I lean down and give her a couple more life-saving breaths. After the second one, a pulse of power thrums through my body, sparking to life before dissipating. Shaking my head, I go to give her one more breath, but she starts to cough and splutter, water flowing from her mouth, so I roll her over and rub her back as she expels all the lake water she has consumed. Eventually, she stops, and I roll her over towards me, wiping her mouth with the back of my hand and pushing her hair back out of her face. She looks up at me, her skin pale, eyes wide.
“What happened?” she asks, her body shaking from the cold. I pull her up and circle my arms around her. My body heat spell is still working, so I’m able to keep us both warm.
“I’m not sure,” I reply, looking back over at the others. They have stopped arguing, and the other couple has turned and walked away. That’s strange I would have thought they would stay to see if Ruby is alright before leaving. They were so concerned about her before.
Helping Ruby to stand, I steady her as we climb over the fence. When we get to where I've left my clothes, I grab my shirt, shaking out the sand, and hold it out to her. “Here, put this on.” She goes to argue, but I step closer to her and whisper in her ear.
“You can’t conjure anything because I’m not sure if she knows we’re witches or not, and I'm not prepared to share it.”
“What are you whispering?” Sheree whines. I take a step back and shake my head at her
“Nothing just trying to convince Ruby to change her shirt until we can get back to the car.” Her lips are blue, and her teeth are chattering furiously. “I'll turn around, just switch shirts.”
She grabs it out of my hand, and I turn my back. Sheree approaches me, putting her hands on me; a static shock hits me and bounces back onto her. She looks up in surprise. A look of fury crosses her face as she looks over my shoulder at Ruby, but it quickly clears. She starts to rub her hands over my body.
“Oh, baby, you must be so cold, let me warm you up,” she coos.
I shake her hands off in disgust. “Seriously? Ruby almost drowns, and that's all you can think about.”
Turning back around, I can see she has swapped out her shirt for mine. A wave of possession at seeing her in something of mine crosses my body. Wrapping my arms around her, I start the walk back to the car.
“But... But.. wh
at about our walk?” Sheree complains.
“Fuck,” I mumble under my breath, “what was I thinking, dating her?”
“S s s spell.” stammers Ruby. I stop abruptly, turning her in my arms.
“What did you say?” I demand. She looks shocked at the anger in my voice, her eyes widen. She continues to shudder with the cold, but she shakes her head at me.
“Tell you later.” Seeing the promise in her eyes, I continue to help her back to the car.
“Maddock,” Sheree snaps.
That's it! Turning around I start yelling, “Look Sheree I don't give a fuck what you do, but I’m taking Ruby to the car, we’re going to find a hotel, and I’m going to get her warm and look after her. Go for a walk on your own if you need it so badly.” I leave her standing there with her mouth wide open.
We get back to the car, and I grab the blanket off the back seat, “Take off your pants and wrap yourself in this. I’ll find us a hotel.”
“Sh sh shopping.” she stammers. I roll my eyes as she wraps the towel around her body and shimmies out of her jeans.
“Ruby, one day is not going to kill you, and hypothermia might.” I chuck her wet clothes in the back of the truck easing her into the passenger seat. Sheree has reached us and huffs at my handling of Ruby and the fact she has to sit in the back, but I have no fucks left to give. Slamming the door, I run around to the driver's side, not worrying about conjuring another shirt. I just need to get her warm and dry. Pulling out my phone, I google nearby hotels. The Westin isn't far away, so I start the car and put it in gear. I wind down the window.
“Either get in or don't, but I’m not waiting for you to have a temper tantrum,” I tell Sheree. She huffs and climbs into the back, slamming the door. I’ve got the truck moving before she has even strapped in.
Arriving at the hotel, I pull into the valet parking. Putting the car in park, I run around and help Ruby out, then throw my keys at the valet. “No luggage,” I tell him, and he nods, climbing in and waits patiently for Sheree to get out. She's sitting stubbornly, arms crossed sulking. I don't care.
Helping Ruby inside, we approach the reception; a woman lifts her head, smiling at us. She is so well trained; she doesn't even blink at my half-naked body or Ruby's bedraggled appearance. I pull out my wallet, handing over my credit card. “Hi, we need a room, one with a bath, please. We’ve had an accident, and we need to warm her up.”
She smiles, sympathetically and swipes the card. “Of course, Mr. Crane. How many nights?”
“Just the one for now.” She nods and hands me back my card and a swipe card to a room. “That will be Room 405. Enjoy your stay, and please don't hesitate to let us know if you need anything.”
I thank her and guide Ruby to the elevators. Sheree has come in behind us and is standing between us and the lift. Hands-on her hips, she demands, “What about me?”
I roll my eyes. “Sheree, when are you going to understand. I don't care!” She looks like I’ve slapped her, but I feel nothing but disdain for the woman and disgust at myself; what was I doing with her? The woman in my arms is the only one that has ever been on my radar.
Moving around her, I press the button for the lift. When it arrives, I help Ruby in. She's getting heavy, so I put my arms under her knees and lift her fully. Her eyes flutter as she struggles to keep them open, but she finally loses the battle. Shit, I need to get her warm. As the lift door closes, I see Sheree approach the elevator, a look of fury on her face. A ripple of something crosses her body, but it’s too quick for me to know for sure what it is. The lift closes, and I wait impatiently for it to reach our floor. When it does, I stroll out quickly down to our room. Shifting Ruby awkwardly in my arms, I manage to swipe the card and open the door.
Rushing in, I lie her on the bed. Checking the bathroom, there is a huge tub, but I worry about her staying awake. I really should call a doctor to check on her. Discarding the idea about the bathtub, I run the shower. Gesturing at my body, I magically remove my jeans, leaving behind my boxers. Moving back to Ruby, I unwrap her from the blanket and leaving her just in my t-shirt and her undies. Another rumble of satisfaction escapes my mouth at seeing her in my shirt. Jesus, caveman much? Picking her up, I take to the shower, climbing in, the steam engulfs us, the warm water flows across her body, waking her slightly. She looks up at me, dazed and confused, but a small smile crosses her face. “Maddock?”
“Yeah, baby,” I reply, holding her tight. She smiles again and rests her head against my chest, sighing in contentment. Looking down, I can see my shirt has molded to her curves, and the water has turned it see-through. Although everything is hidden, my cock twitches at the thought and feel of her body pushed against me. God, the woman almost died— have some patience, I tell it, feeling slightly guilty, but hey, I am just a man.
We stand there until she stops shaking and can manage to stand on her own, while I get out and dry myself. Conjuring dry boxers onto my body, I hold out a towel for her. She turns off the water and climbs out, I can see the outline of dusky pink nipples through the fabric and my cock leaps again. Ignoring it, I wrap her in the towel and dry her furiously. She continues to smile at me. Gesturing at her wet clothes, they disappear before being replaced by another of my T-shirts that reaches her knees. I leave off the underwear. What? Can you blame me? She's still slightly dazed, so I herd her towards the bed, pulling back the covers, and help her to slide in. Pulling up the quilt, I tuck her in. It's just after lunch, but she needs to recover from her ordeal. Watching her drift off to sleep, I make the decision to reach out to Prue tell her we will stay the night. So I shoot off a text message, then pulling the blinds shut in the room, set my alarm, and climb in behind her. Body heat is supposed to warm a body, isn't it?
Chapter Fifteen
Ruby
I wake slowly. My throat is sore, like it’s been rubbed by sandpaper, and my chest hurts as if a ton of bricks has been sitting on it. My eyelids stick together, but when I manage to open them, the room I’m in is dark. I'm lying on my side, and a hard, hot body is wrapped around me, a thick thigh thrown between my legs, and an impressive erection pokes me in the backside. I think very carefully about what I had been doing because I may have missed something and I would be sad. The memory is just beyond reach, the fuzziness clearing slowly, and it all comes back to me. I stiffen in shock. Maddock! Sheree! That bitch pushed me! I wriggle as I try to escape his clutches, but he tightens his hold.
“Ruby, the more you wiggle, the better I like it.” A husky voice rumbles in my ear as he nuzzles closer to me, placing little kisses on my neck, thrusting his cock into my ass.
Goosebumps erupt across my skin, and my nipples pebbles into rocks. Oh, my goodness. I stop abruptly. I don't know what to think. Yesterday he felt nothing but loathing for me, and today well, that's definitely not loathing I feel pushing against me. I mean, I know I shouldn’t hold it against him, he was spelled, but I was very hurt.
“I can practically feel your brain working,” he says, as he rolls off me with a sigh. I instantly miss his delicious warmth and want him to return, but a conversation is needed.
“It was a spell,” I whisper quietly. “You were covered in a negativity spell, designed to make you indifferent to your friends, family, and especially me,” I explain rolling over to face him. I can’t see much in the dark, but the light from under the doorway Illuminates the room slightly. He's lying on his back, hands behind his head.
He huffs out a deep breath. “Yeah, I kinda figured that after a little bit of soul searching. I thought you removed it the other day?”
Sighing, I lift up to one arm, my muscles protesting at the movement. “I did! It was redone. I’m not certain, but I’m fairly sure Sheree is some kind of supe. I’m not sure if she's a witch, she just doesn't feel like one, but I think she’s masking whatever she is. I will do some more research when we get home.”
He puts a hand over his eyes. “My time with her is so foggy, but I remember her wanting to break into Mom’s shop
for sex,” he says, the disgust in his voice evident.
“Yeah, your behavior was definitely not normal. Uhm... I have a confession.”
“Mmm? Okay.” he replies softly, “Can’t be any worse than my behavior has been recently.”
“Mom made me do a spell, you drank it in your coffee this morning, but it was supposed to be sealed with a kiss, sneak bitch she is, but because you were so anti-me it didn't happen until you must have given me mouth to mouth. That activated it. You are protected now, but we are joined because the spell is bound to me so that I can feel if anyone tries anything.” All the details run out of my mouth in a rush. His head turns towards me. Not being able to see his expression clearly is bothering me, so I sit up and fumble for a lamp. My hand knocks into one on the bedside table, finding the switch I turn it on. His face is covered in a look of confusion. “Please don't be angry with me.” I beg, “She said it was the only way that would work.”
He blows out another deep breath. “Ah, Ruby, I’m not upset. After how horrible I was to you, I’m surprised you would want to do that.” The confusion turns to shame and guilt.
“Maddock,” I say softly, reaching out my hand to hold his. “When will you realize, I would do anything for you?” A heat appears in his eyes, and he reaches out with both hands and pulls me towards him.
“I’m going to kiss you now Ruby; you’ve got to stop me if you don’t want it.” Stop him? Not likely! He wraps me up in his arms, his hand holding my head in place, angling it for his pleasure, our bodies pressed together, legs intertwined. His mouth descends onto mine. He nips and bites at my lips, teasing and tantalizing, before his tongue swipes across my bottom lip, asking for entrance. Melting into him, my tongue darts out to taste his, licking and sucking in return, they clash together, wrestling for dominance, as we sample each other.
Candy Conniptions (Arbor Vitae Coven Book 1) Page 11