Wickedly Good (Hex Appeal)

by Anya Breton

  She’d have to leave the state to escape the Haizeas’ influence. Would her mother remain at her post once she learned of what happened? Where else could an Air witch housekeeper find employment paying what the family did? Gloom settled within her.

  Leaving their home wouldn’t be the end of the world. But it certainly felt like a daunting task now that she was faced with it. Haizea House had been her anchor—the one place she could always come back to. The promise of seeing the family had kept her going during the lonely nights abroad.

  Too bad it had been a lie.

  At least she’d done the right thing in the end. Tattling on Aston may have initially felt like a vindictive move but Gemma wasn’t comfortable with a man like Aston ruling the state’s Air witches. His priority would always be his family’s ambition. That ambition had to be stopped before it steamrolled over another unfortunate witch.

  Sean had been kind even before he learned why Gemma knocked on the door of his swanky Nashua house. Though she wasn’t one of his witches, he’d invited her in, offered refreshments and even a pillow to set her head upon once he saw the gray bags under her eyes. Unlike Aston, Sean wasn’t interested in sharing the pillow. And so when she woke the following day, she relayed the sordid details of the past week over a dish of maple oatmeal.

  Gemma didn’t regret it… She might believe that if she thought it enough times.

  There was certainly some remorse. Aston would be gutted he’d lost his chance to further his career. Maybe.

  Curiously, the longer she lay beneath the heat of the sun, the more she wondered how much the hunky older Haizea sibling really wanted the position. When he ought to have been campaigning, he’d been touring art galleries with her. And he hadn’t hidden her from Drew’s fiancée—the daughter of one of their biggest supporters. Instead, he’d flaunted Gemma.

  She’d been so furious and humiliated with the scene in the bed-and-breakfast she hadn’t stopped to wonder what Aston truly gained from it. Yes, Drew now knew why Gemma refused him at the diner. But Elizabeth also knew the great Aston Haizea had been sleeping with his housekeeper’s daughter.

  Sunbathing wasn’t occupying her thoughts. Gemma popped to her knees, rolling over so she could fetch the paperback novel she’d discovered in the boat’s cabin. It was yellowed from time but legible. More importantly, the story would give her something else to contemplate.

  The distant whirring of an outboard motor caught her attention. It wasn’t unheard of for other boats to pass the spot where Sean anchored the boat. But they were usually of the quieter sail variety. She’d not noted a motorboat since Sean left her earlier that morning.

  Had he finished his errand already?

  Gemma set the book aside so she could get to her feet. Carefully, she stepped around the forward hatch until she could grasp the grab rail. A nylon lifeline edged the boat but it would do little if she tumbled over. She tossed the novel to the stern so she’d have the use of both hands. Once safely to the stern, Gemma settled on one of the bench cushions to catch her breath.

  The motorboat was closing fast but still too far to make out details. The craft appeared small but it could be a trick of light. Or the distance. Whatever the case, it mightn’t even be headed her way. The driver would soon veer away. In the meantime, she’d best take care with borrowed items.

  Gemma retrieved the tossed novel so she could return it to where she’d found it below. She emerged from the companionway to discover the boat was nearly upon her. It hadn’t veered. But the hull appeared to be the same candy-apple-red color Sean’s boat was. His errand must have finished early after all.

  Gemma sat again for some last-minute pondering. Did she want to return to land? He was going to ask her. She’d best have an answer.

  Sooner or later she’d have to face what she’d done. Would Aston be angrier if she made him wait? Or was this the sort of thing that would dull with time?

  The motorboat’s engine cut out. It puttered to a quiet stop, feet behind the stern. She stood, ready for Sean to toss her the boat’s rope. Only it wasn’t Sean at the wheel.

  Gemma nearly ran for the hatch when she caught sight of Aston Haizea’s light-blue eyes peering over the glass windshield. He stepped between the glass barriers, heedless of the slow drift of his boat. It wasn’t until he reached the tip that he realized the distance was too great to jump.

  Her heart stalled when his thighs bunched beneath his khaki shorts as if he might jump the distance anyway.

  “No,” she screamed before he could fall into the ocean—or worse, crack his head on the sailboat’s motor. “Throw me the rope. I’ll pull you close.”

  There was a heated flashing in his eyes. But he stood again, turning to look for the rope. Aston tracked back between the windshields. A moment later the motor roared to life. He steered the boat to starboard before switching the engine off again.

  And then he threw the rope.

  Aston wasn’t going to allow a little thing like a bikini to distract him from his purpose. Even if it was a little thing. Where had she found the skimpy black outfit? In the back of a stripper’s closet? Sean Anil would have seen her like this. Aston gripped the windscreen harder.

  The scraping of the hulls together reminded him of why he was here. Aston had to apologize. Among the things he needed to ask pardon for was behaving like a jealous monster. He couldn’t very well apologize if he was still behaving like one.

  Aston grabbed the coil of rope resting at his left heel. With a single powerful toss, he sent the bunch swinging toward Gemma. She caught it with ease, and then just as she’d said, she pulled him close. Carefully, she wound the excess around one of the sailboat’s cleats.

  The lovely witch took one giant step back. “What are you doing here?”

  Wasn’t it obvious? He climbed to the edge of his borrowed boat, balancing while the two crafts floated atop gentle waves. Then he grabbed hold of the sailboat’s edge to haul himself up. Gemma took another step back until her ass hit the side of the hatch.

  He held up his hands to show that he meant her no harm. “I came to apologize.”

  A thick wrinkle formed above her nose, between the narrowing cyan eyes. But she didn’t verbalize the question she wanted to ask.

  Since it had worked with Sean, Aston infused his voice, his pose and his face with all the remorse he felt. “I behaved like a monster. I deceived you and I abused you. The worst part is, I don’t even have a good reason. I thought I was doing it for the family. But that wasn’t the truth. I was doing it because I wanted you.”

  The wrinkle above Gemma’s nose softened slightly though she remained stoic several feet away, with her back pressed fully to the wood. Had his words made any difference?

  “I don’t care about being regional high priest,” he went on. “My mother spent my entire life pushing me toward the position. But I’m happiest fishing.” Simply speaking the words lightened the pressure on his chest. He threw back his head for a hearty chuckle. “I can’t believe I just said that. My mother would suck me into a vortex if she heard.” Aston fixed a determined gaze on Gemma. “I don’t care what she wants any longer. I’m living my life for me now. And I want you in it.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Gemma could do nothing but stare in shock at the man standing on the sailboat’s edge. The dark-haired hunk looked like Aston Haizea but he certainly wasn’t acting like him. Aston didn’t laugh desperately. And he never failed to heed his mother’s wishes.

  “Gemma?” But he did speak her name with exactly that inflection. And Aston had once told her he enjoyed fishing.

  He waited for her to acknowledge what he’d said. She couldn’t simply accept his apology. He’d done several bad things he had to answer for. The first order of business would be to clear up some burning questions.

  “When did you decide to seduce me?”

  “The moment your hand pressed over my mouth and chin but you didn’t cry foul.” His quick, emphatic delivery certainly seemed sincer
e. But there’d been too much deception over this week to believe him.

  “Why did you bring me to that bed-and-breakfast?”

  “I didn’t want to wait until we got back to Manchester.” There was a silent beat in which he scanned her face. “And because I was jealous of my brother. I wanted him to see you with me. I wanted him to know he couldn’t have you because I already did. I also wanted you to see him with Elizabeth.”

  Gemma examined him in return, checking for signs of subterfuge. The answer had been genuine. It couldn’t be anything else because it was too damning. But he’d had nothing to be jealous of. “How do I know this isn’t just another of your games?”

  He took a step forward but halted when Gemma retreated. He lifted his palms in front of himself where she could see them. “It was never a game.”

  “You were in Drew’s room that night to stop me from interfering with his engagement because I hadn’t accepted your bribe.”

  His eyelids pressed shut. “I could have sought you out in the servants’ quarters to tell you I’d already sent Drew away. Instead, I waited in his room to see if you’d go through with it.” Aston’s hands clenched and unclenched. “And when you did, I was furious. I thought you were smarter than to get involved with my shiftless brother. But it wasn’t only that.” His eyes popped open in time to catch her hanging onto his every word. “I was jealous even then.”

  Gemma had fallen for his sweet talk once before. She couldn’t be foolish again. “Is this some sort of ploy to get me to tell Sean I lied? Because I won’t. I don’t care what you threaten me with.” But she did. He could threaten her mother’s position and Gemma would fold like a lawn chair caught in a thunderstorm.

  “It’s not a ploy.”

  It had to be a ploy. He was always looking out for number one—the Haizea family. “A man who will do what you did shouldn’t be leading anyone.”

  “No, he shouldn’t. And I don’t want to.”

  Gemma could almost believe him. He was too good at that, had too many years of practice. “No, I’m not falling for this again.”

  “I’m so sorry, Gemma. I really messed up.” His eyes lifted to meet hers. Their edges softened in a tender plea. “I resigned from the race for regional priest. I should have done it months ago. It’s a weight off my shoulders. It really is. I wouldn’t have realized it isn’t what I want if it weren’t for you.”

  What part had she played in his epiphany? Gemma wasn’t in a position to argue.

  “I don’t want to be the cold monster, coven priest. I want to spend time by the water. I want to live. But most of all, I want to be with you.”

  “And you couldn’t do that as regional priest.” Gemma grumbled what they both knew to be the truth.

  “I don’t care what I could and couldn’t do as regional priest. It was never my dream. It was my mother’s.”

  Though he’d sidestepped her point, Gemma understood why. He didn’t want to upset her.

  Aston continued, “We’ll go wherever you want. I can get a job anywhere. And I have a good deal of savings in my name she can’t touch.”

  The mention of savings put the situation in a new light. He meant to leave his family behind? Completely? Here was a man who had barely left the city and yet he was contemplating cutting ties with his mother to the point of needing the money he’d placed in savings?

  Aston’s voice quickened in excitement that had nothing to do with sex. A different sort of passion shined from his eyes. “There’s enough money to put a down payment on a house or to start a business. I don’t know anything about art galleries but I know how to start businesses. We could do it together.”

  Gemma’s breath hitched in her throat. He was talking about cutting ties. For her? It was unreal. And yet… Would he really leave everything for her? More than that, was he actually offering to help her with her dream? “How do you know you’ll be happy with me? What if we try this and it ends horribly? You’ll resent me for your family strife.”

  “We’re not going to end horribly,” he jumped in emphatically. “I’m not going to resent you for family strife. My family was broken long before this.”

  “Aston, you can’t exchange your mother’s dream for mine. I won’t let you.”

  The spreading of his lips looked a little manic. And the subsequent laugh he emitted couldn’t have been sane. Yet Gemma stood her ground when Aston strode across the boat to take her hands in his. He gazed down at her with emotion that stole the air from her lungs.

  “This is exactly why it’s going to work,” Aston began quietly, complemented by the sloshing of the ocean against the hull. “You care about my dreams—about what I want. And you’re willing to take action to save me from myself.” He curved his palm over her cheek. Gemma knew she was a goner when she had the urge to lean into him rather than scramble away. “You know what my dream is?”

  “No,” she whispered because she’d often wondered when she spotted him wandering across the grass at Haizea House.

  “I want love.” He rubbed his thumb beneath her chin. “But not just any love. It has to be the love of the right woman.”

  She didn’t dare ask if he’d found her.

  “Once I have it, I want to start my own family, a happy one—the kind I always wished I had, with both parents involved. I’ll build an estate for them with plenty of land and a lake where I can fish. And my family will flourish while they follow their dreams.” He released her other hand so he could grasp both of her cheeks. His intensity made it impossible to look away. “Gemma, you’re the first step to my dream.”

  She chewed on her lower lip even as she searched for hints of the truth in his features.

  “Please,” he whispered. “I don’t expect you to forgive me today. But is there a chance you could someday?”

  “Oh.” Her moan was a combination of frustration and longing. “I want to believe all of this but you’ve just…”

  “I know, Gemma. I know.” He soothed his fingers over her cheeks as his mouth drew dangerously close to hers. “I behaved badly. But the only lie I told was about Drew’s supposed car trouble. Everything else was the truth. And I did that because I wanted another night with you. It doesn’t excuse it, I know.”

  If she believed him, if his actions had been jealous in nature rather than ambitious, it was slightly more palatable. But that brought up a whole other issue. “What would stop you from behaving badly every time you grew jealous in the future?”

  He edged away until his cautious expression was visible. “You would.” She must have pulled a face because he hurried to continue. “If I knew I had you, I’d talk to you instead of reacting defensively.”

  Aston smoothed his thumb over her jawline as though he needed the contact. The small touch warmed her insides. He smelled so good, even out here in the salty ocean air. She wouldn’t be able to hold out against him for long.

  Gemma clung to the main issue. “Your family is everything to you. I don’t want you to give it up for me and then be unhappy.”

  “I haven’t given anything up. I lost the position through my own actions—the position I didn’t want. My mother drove me away with her relentless ambition. My brother is hopeless.”

  “But it sounds like you’re giving up your home and possibly your business. You practically lived at the office.”

  “I lived at the office because being at home made me unhappy. And because amassing wealth was something that pleased my mother. I’m finished living to please her.”

  “I don’t want you to switch to living to please me instead, Aston.”

  “Again,” he paused, caressing her neck, “that’s why this will work.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Aston’s lips fleetingly brushed her cheek. “If I’d had any doubts about how much I want you in my life, this conversation would have wiped them away. I need you, Gemma. I’ll do whatever you want me to just so long as I can have you, even if it means I have to follow my dreams.”

  Gemma c
ouldn’t help but laugh at that. “What a hardship.”

  “I know. It will be many difficult nights of toiling.” He feathered a kiss against the right corner of her mouth. Awareness of his proximity sparked along her skin. “In bed.” A low noise rumbled out of his chest. “Your bikini is driving me insane.” He made it sound like a good kind of insane. And she’d been clad this way through the entirety of their discussion.

  Gemma struggled to fight the fog of lust obscuring her thoughts. Aston truly did find her sexy. “You’re trying to sway my opinion.”

  “You make a good point.” Aston let out another desperate laugh against her cheek. “I’m struggling here, Gemma. I want to give you time to think but I’ve also missed you these past two days. And you standing there in that skimpy thing isn’t helping.”

  Though the action seemed to take a good deal of self-control, Aston released her and then put several feet between them. His chest rose and fell at measured intervals as he swiveled away. He stood staring out at the ocean with a contemplative expression.

  “I suppose I should leave you to think it over,” he said without turning.

  “No.”

  Aston whipped toward her. She’d not thought long on the response prior to giving it. Gemma had only known she didn’t want him to leave.

  The warmth his proximity had brought still lingered. Her nipples had tightened and now felt every slight brush of ocean breeze against the fabric stretched taut over them. Aston’s heated gaze held hers in thrall, stealing her breath.

  She wanted him. Dear Aer. It was unreal how much she did.

  There was still so much uncertainty that she couldn’t simply walk to him and kiss him as she wanted. Perhaps he could help clear it up. “Are you sure you—”

  The words hadn’t left her before Aston started across the deck. His palms framed her face a split second prior to his mouth closing over hers.

  And then she was lost. At sea. With the one man she never dreamed she’d be with but who felt exactly right.