“PROTECT YOURSELF, RUBY! CAST A PROTECTION WARD AROUND YOU—NOW!”
I didn’t even question the voice in my head. The power bubbled up from within me, and the sensation of an invisible force flowed down my arms and out through my fingertips to surround my body.
My protection ward in place, I peeked around the tree. The biggest man stared directly at me. He walked in my direction. For the first time, I wasn’t overwhelmed with lust, and I realized, too, that my ward prevented him from seeing me as well.
“REMAIN STIL! WHEN HE WALKS AWAY, LEAVE THERE IMMEDIATELY!”
The huge biker stared into the thicket for a few more seconds then turned and joined the others cavorting around the fire. One of them handed him a fifth of something. He put the bottle to his mouth and gulped from it.
As quickly and quietly as I could, I backed away from the tree and headed toward the trail with my knees knocking together and my heartbeat crashing in my ears. A startled ring-tailed raccoon chattered loudly at me and scampered off into the undergrowth, its long black-and-white tail puffed with fear. I kept walking and prayed its cry hadn’t drawn attention, but with the noise coming from the campsite, I doubted the bikers had heard it.
What were those people and the things they rode upon? Why were they following me?
There was no doubt in my mind the bikers were the reason I was heading south.
But who or what was drawing me there?
Chapter Twenty
The sun hung low over the old settlement turned contemporary city. I booked our rooms for another night and headed upstairs to tell Maureen and Solomon.
As I passed the parlor, I spotted Maureen sitting at a checker table with Mr. Jebbstart. Behind them, at the big bay window, sat one of the witches dressed in a hooded, deep purple gown. She nodded politely and raised her coffee mug in greeting. I inclined my head and then focused on Maureen.
“Who taught you to play checkers so well?” the old man asked Maureen as I approached.
“My guardian, Lula, had a boyfriend who traveled a lot, but when he’d come to stay with her it would be for three or four weeks at a time,” Maureen supplied. “He grew bored easily, so he taught me how to play several different skill games.” She jumped three of his checkers.
“Damn!” The elderly fellow sat back in his chair. “I can’t believe I didn’t see that coming!”
“Hi, Maureen,” I said.
“Hey!” She favored me with a bright smile, but it faded and a slight frown marred her brow. “Where have you been all day?”
“I did some sightseeing, bought a few things, and visited the Castillos.”
I met Mr. Jebbstart’s gaze. Deep brown eyes, ones that bordered on black, stared back at me with a wealth of information.
“Hello,” I said, “I’m Ruby.”
“Yes,” he replied, “Maureen has told me all about you.”
I glanced at my hitchhiker, a sense of doom sliding over me.
The old gent seemed to read my mind. He smiled broadly and added, “Don’t worry, it was all good.”
“What are your plans for tonight?” Maureen asked, king-ing one of the old man’s checkers.
“I haven’t thought about it, really. I just booked another night here. I really don’t feel like being on the road for five or six hours only to rent another room.”
“Me neither.” She shrugged. “Besides, I’ve grown attached to Mr. Jebbstart and don’t want to leave him just yet.”
“Well, my beautiful sweetheart,” the old man cooed. “I’ll be checking out tomorrow morn, so we must make the best of our last hours together.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Well, maybe we can have dinner together?” Maureen queried, batting her lashes at him. She looked at me. “Or, if Ruby doesn’t mind, the four of us can go out somewhere tonight.”
“Let me get back to you on that,” I replied, not wanting to put up with their goofy, flirtatious games. “I’m going to take a cool bath and relax for a while.”
Maybe a bath would wash away the day’s events—at least I hoped so.
“Solomon is upstairs,” Maureen said as she watched Mr. Jebbstart move a checker.
“So?”
“He’s been worrying about you all day.”
“Again, so?”
“Jeez, Ruby.” Maureen sighed and kinged another checker. “Give the guy a break, would you? He’s crazy about you and you’re so—”
“What?”
“Cold.”
Not a single scathing retort entered my mind. Without a word, I turned toward the staircase.
“By the way,” Maureen said over her shoulder. “How’s Anthony?”
A chill swept across my body. With my foot poised over the first step, I stopped. Eeriness settled in the pit of my stomach.
“How do you know about Anthony?” I asked without turning around.
“I don’t.”
“But you—”
“It’s a name that surfaced for me when you were standing here,” Maureen replied. “I thought it might be important.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I said icily.
“If you say so.”
As each day passed, my hitchhiker grew stranger and more complex. Had she overheard my conversation the previous night? No, it wasn’t possible. I was certain she’d been with Mr. Jebbstart the entire time I’d been upstairs making the phone call.
I turned, studying Maureen, but her back was to me as she concentrated on the game. “Are you sure Solomon didn’t come upstairs last night and then later tell you what he’d overheard?”
Mr. Jebbstart, however, regarded me with what looked like skepticism and unease.
“No, he stayed in the garden, ordered your coffee and sat waiting for you.” She twisted in her seat to look at me. “Why?”
At that moment, I saw deep into my odd friend’s heart and knew Maureen couldn’t lie. The woman had a conscience that made her incapable of falsehoods.
“Never mind,” I said. “I’ll see you later.”
Once upstairs, I shut the door and tossed my purse on the bed, having left my packages in the SUV since there was no point in bringing them upstairs only to load them again tomorrow. In the bathroom, I turned on the spigots. A bottle of citrus bath oil smelled great, so I poured it into the bath. As the tub filled, I stepped out on the balcony. Palm trees waved in a strong ocean breeze. The neigh of one of the carriage horses reached me, followed by the peal of a church bell or maybe a buoy.
The sound of a diesel engine drew my attention to the traffic along the street. At first, I dismissed the dark green 4x4 that pulled up to the curb four buildings down from our B and B. A man got out of the truck dressed in jeans and a short-sleeved flannel shirt. From my vantage point, I stood too far away to see enough details to identify the man, but he certainly resembled Wayne Blacktree. Leaning over the rail, I squinted against the hazy streetlights, but still couldn’t make out anything to help me identify him. The guy entered a large house renovated into a hotel.
Was Wayne Blacktree still following us?
“What are you looking at?”
Gasping, I whirled. “Damn you, Solomon!” I yelled. “Stop sneaking up on me!”
“Sorry,” he said as he sauntered across the room looking positively delicious. “The door was ajar.”
The site of him heated my libido. I glanced away pointing at the green pickup, voicing my concerns. “I think Wayne Blacktree followed us.”
I risked looking at my lover. The corners of Solomon’s mouth turned down as he stepped out onto the terrace and noted the truck parked down the street.
“Is he following us because you and Maureen have more cash on you than you’re letting on?” he asked.
“No, we have about forty-five hundred. It’s a nice lump sum, but not enough I’d follow someone around for days only to land in jail over it.”
He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest. “Still, I think we should be more careful.”
Against my will, I admired his body, realizing how much I’d missed him as I’d been strolling about the city. Dressed in casual white slacks, a black leather belt encircling his waist and a black muscle shirt, Solomon exuded the unnatural and ethereal air I found so fascinating.
“Did you have a nice day out alone?” he asked.
“Yes.” I strode past him and into the bathroom where I turned off the spigots. My thoughts had begun to stray to an area that always proved to be dangerous territory. “I did some shopping then toured the Castillos,” I said as I returned to the bedroom.
“Ruby?”
“Yes?” I didn’t look at him. Instead, I browsed through a dresser drawer where I’d stowed my nice clothes.
“I want to apologize for calling you a witch last night.” A sigh full of regret burst from him. “It was mean and thoughtless of me and I’m sorry. It has eaten at me all day.”
“After all the barbs that fly out of my mouth, I’d say we’re even.” Picking out a cotton skirt with a black and white zigzag print and a simple white summer blouse, I laid the clothes on the bed. “Don’t worry about it.”
The instant he stepped from the balcony and into the room, the temperature seemed to spike. I put the bed between us, trying to gauge his intentions.
“I’ve never talked like that to anyone,” he said. “But you...”
I couldn’t look at him. If I did, I’d be in trouble. “But I what?”
“You bring out feelings and sensations in me I’m ill equipped to deal with, and it’s unsettling.”
“Huh, try living my life.”
“I think that’s why you are the way you are. Your sharp tongue is your defense mechanism.”
“Maybe.” I hurried past him on my way to the bathroom. “I’m going to take a bath, so if you want to have supper later, let me know—”
His arm snaked out and encircled my waist. A little squeak escaped me. The tempo of my heart reached dizzying proportions, and heat flashed into my loins.
“Want to know the truth about why I lashed out at you?” he whispered.
Desire stampeded through my body, and a lump formed in my throat, so I could only nod.
“I was jealous.”
I offered him an incredulous look. I couldn’t help it. Jealous? A man was actually jealous over me?
I couldn’t allow Solomon to know how he affected me. We’d already made love, but I couldn’t allow it to happen again. The more involved we’d become, the more disastrous the end result would be. It never failed. I was never permitted to enjoy a relationship. Heartache was something I couldn’t handle anymore.
“Why were you jealous?” The tremor in my voice betrayed me. Need thundered through my limbs.
“You’re meeting someone here, right? And you didn’t want anyone around when you made that phone call last night.” He tightened his grip on me, and a shudder flowed through his body. “You’ve been gone all day.”
“But—”
“You’re driving me crazy, Ruby,” he murmured, drawing me against his hard, warm body.
“I have that affect on a lot of people.”
The retort fell flat. It’s difficult to be a smart ass with raging hormones and while wearing panties that are ready to melt.
“You know what I mean,” he said, nuzzling my neck.
The sensation that swept over me rendered my legs useless, and my arms became leaden weights. The chemistry between us affected my equilibrium, as if I was inebriated.
“Solomon, no,” I said, trying to push him away but at the same time desiring him closer.
“No what?” He licked my earlobe.
“We shouldn’t do this. Maureen might walk in.”
“She’s busy downstairs.”
“This isn’t right.” I tried to dodge his lips as they traversed from my earlobe to my mouth. He kissed me gently several times, his mouth working magic that torpedoed throughout the rest of my body.
He stepped back, still holding onto my waist, and stared directly into my eyes. “How isn’t it right, Ruby? Do you love this guy?”
“Yes.”
He blinked as if I’d actually slapped him. His devastated expression clawed at my soul.
“It’s not what you think,” I rushed on. “I don’t love him “that” way. He’s not a romantic interest.”
“Then who is he?”
His question was like a bucket of ice water in my face. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
Solomon frowned as he considered my response. “Then why can’t we be together?” He nipped my neck, and the aroma of spicy cologne tantalized my senses. “What do you have to lose?”
“Someone will get hurt.”
“What’s wrong with enjoying one another?” he asked. “We’re two consenting adults with a hell of a lot of chemistry raging between us, so let’s see where it goes.”
“It always ends in misery.” I took a deep, steadying breath. The traitorous hormones coursing through me made it harder and harder to stand my ground.
He tugged me closer, and I placed my palms flat against his chest.
“Let me take my bath.” My voice sounded calm, but on the inside an earthquake shook my foundations. “I’m hot, sticky and tired. Later, I want a good meal.” Stepping out of his embrace, I turned, grabbed my clothes and walked into the bathroom. “Shut the door behind you, please,” I called out. “I’ll let you know when I’m ready to go.” I shut the door, leaving Solomon standing in the middle of the room with a bewildered expression on his face.
Water dripped from the spigot. Ploink. I tossed my fresh clothing on a vanity stool pushed against a wall and shed my clothes. Tears caressed my cheeks, washing Solomon’s essence from my skin. The scent of the citrus oil permeated the air. I hoped it could also penetrate my soul, easing the agony there.
I wanted to be with you, too, but I couldn’t risk it.
The door burst open, forcing a sharp cry from me.
“I’m not giving up so easily, Ruby,” Solomon stated gruffly. Determination flamed in his eyes. “I think we have something special if you’d just give it a chance.”
Naked, I stood there grasping for something intelligent to say. I backed up until my thighs hugged the tub’s rim.
He pulled me against him, and I knew struggling or denying Solomon was useless. I wanted him, wanted him between my legs, his bare flesh against mine.
“I’m crazy for you,” he murmured against my neck, his tongue hot and wet on the sensitive skin there. “I’m insane for your touch, your rare smiles, the way you gasp when I hit that one,” he nipped my throat, “special spot.”
A cry leapt from my lips. The intensity of need within that small sound might as well have screamed my desire. I wanted him so badly my legs shook.
“Damn you,” I said as he trailed kisses across my collarbone and down over the swell of my breasts. “This isn’t fair.”
“Nothing in life is fair.” He claimed the sensitive peak of one breast.
I arched against him and tore at his shirt, yanking it from his slacks.
“Tell me you want me,” he said. He moved to my other breast and flicked the nipple with his tongue.
Clinging to him, I reveled in the flames licking my skin.
“Tell me, Ruby.”
“No!”
It was a lie, but I would be damned if I told the truth. There was no way I was going to suffer through more heartache. I’d learned the hard way too many times.
Solomon slid his hand over my hip, around to my lower abdomen, and down to palm my mound. I whimpered, clinging to him and mentally cussing myself. The aroma of citrus, his spicy cologne, and his distinct male scent assailed my senses like a hard-core narcotic. Solomon stroked my folds, the touch feather soft. A tingling sensation swept through me and into my thighs, my lower belly.
He knelt, his mouth claiming my sex, tongue searing. He delivered several licks that sent lightning bolts of need through me. Before I could utter a word, Solomon stoo
d and slipped his hand between my legs again. He stared straight into my eyes, pushing two fingers into my pussy.
Whimpering louder, I tried to pull him against me, but he placed his free hand over one of my breasts and stroked his thumb over the nipple. Heat streaked downward to my loins as it simultaneously shot from my folds and upward into my core.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, “so why can’t you take a chance?”
With desire pounding through me, I whispered, “I know how it will end.”
“The next time I make love to you,” he whispered back, “you’ll come to me first.”
I glared at him. He’d played me, damn him.
He stepped away, tucking his shirttails into his pants, and paused in the doorway. “I’ll wait for you in the lounge.”
With that, he left the room, shutting the door softly behind him.
Shaking, I climbed into the tub and sank into the scented water, thankful for its coolness.
****
I hurried downstairs on my way to dinner, but as I passed through the sitting room, the three witches called out a hearty goodnight to me. I didn’t want to appear rude, so I nodded and smiled as I opened the door and walked outside.
Dinner consisted of sautéed shrimp and fettuccini noodles mixed with strained conversation. The lounge, known to the locals as The Alley Grill, possessed a soothing, laid-back atmosphere. The night before, I’d admired the rustic air of all the lacquered cherry woodwork, including the bar and most of the tables. Brass accentuated everything from the stained-glass shades hanging over each table to the electric light sconces on the walls, but the odd glances from Maureen and the assessing looks from Solomon proved distracting.
Pouring each of us more house wine, Maureen set the bottle on the table and sat back, focusing on first Solomon and then me. “Jeez, what’s with you two?” she asked.
Solomon didn’t miss a beat. “Ask Ruby.”
She turned her attention to me.
“Don’t look at me,” I said.
The Sorcerer King and the Fire Queen Page 19
