No one was letting him in. Andrea finally glanced his way and shook her head sternly, dishing out more ice cream, all of it tantalizingly out of range.
Cooley’s ears drooped. He turned, then sprawled across the edge of the porch, practically covering its surface, and whimpered when he dropped his nose to his paws. Thoroughly ignored, he looked across his new haunt dejectedly.
A certain grey cat tiptoed across the back fence.
Cooley straightened, his nose twitched.
The cat turned to look at him, then flicked its tail in a silent dare.
“Go ahead,” that tail declared. “Make my day.”
The wolfhound exploded off the porch in a frenzy of barking. He landed hard, but bolted for the back fence. The cat took one look and ran like greased lightning to the neighbor’s yard.
But the fence in between wasn’t done. And Cooley was through the gap in record time.
He was going to get that cat, for once and for all.
*
Lilith almost immediately regretted opening the door. She had only done so because she had seen that it was Mitch’s friend knocking and she wondered whether something was wrong.
Something was wrong - but it was having this amorous wolf in her house when she was alone.
Even D’Artagnan, a fairly indifferent champion at the best of times, was out into the yard. Lilith’s potion for Those Men was cooling in the sink and she was too tired in the wake of concocting it to deal with this challenge.
Because it was clear that this man intended to launch a full assault, frontal or otherwise.
“Hi! I’m Kurt, Mitch’s friend. We’re working next door, you know.” He folded his arms across his chest and flexed a few muscles Lilith couldn’t name. His eyes twinkled in what was doubtless his interpretation of an engaging way. “Mitch tells me you read fortunes.”
Lilith retreated from the hungry gleam in Kurt’s eye and found herself in the foyer. He shut the door and smiled at her in a way that made her feel like the Special of the Day.
And that Kurt hadn’t eaten in a while.
Because from one glimpse, it was more than clear that Mitch’s friend thought he was Goddess’ gift to women everywhere. He was blond and tanned, his physique an obvious result of countless hours spent in the gym. His hair was boyishly ruffled to perfection and Lilith was certain he took longer to get ready for anything than any six women she could name.
“I do, but not today. I’m sorry.” Lilith smiled with pert professionalism. She waved her hand as though she was a bit dotty and said the first silly thing that hopped into her head. “Venus in Taurus, you know. My crystals are out at the cleansers. Not a good time.” She reached to open the door to toss this man out, but he unexpectedly captured her hand.
“Hey, I’m just looking for a little inside scoop, you know?” He winked, in no doubt of his own allure. “Maybe you could help me out. You know, point me in the direction of Grand Amour.”
Lilith took one look into Kurt’s eyes, an instinctive reaction to his request, and wasn’t surprised in the least by what she found. None other that Kurt himself smiled winningly back at her and she smiled slightly at this confirmation that the man could never love anyone as much as he loved himself.
Unfortunately, Kurt took that tiny smile as encouragement.
“Or maybe we could just chat for a couple of minutes, you and me,” he mumbled in a confidentially low tone. “Maybe over a quiet dinner somewhere.” Kurt smiled what Lilith knew he considered his winning smile and ran his thumb over the back of her hand.
And Lilith suddenly had a very good idea.
It was the best opportunity she was likely to have, after all.
“You must be terribly thirsty,” Lilith said with feigned concern. “You two have been working so hard out there.” Kurt flexed his muscles once more, no doubt to impress her with his masculinity. “How about some iced tea?”
His face brightened. “Hey, that would be great.”
“It’s herbal, so it might taste a bit odd,” Lilith said airily and headed for the kitchen. She wasn’t surprised when Kurt followed hot on her heels. She whispered a silent entreaty that her potion would work, because otherwise she didn’t know how she’d get rid of him.
And that could mean serious trouble.
Lilith refused to think about that. Once an optimist, always an optimist. The potion would work. She ladled ice into a glass and tried to sound casual. “I try to avoid caffeine, so I drink a lot of herbal brews instead.”
“Oh, yeah. You gotta watch that stuff.” He frowned at her cauldron. “That’s some kind of pot you’ve got there.”
“Oh!” Lilith smiled and lied as fast as she could. “Family piece, you know. Good luck.”
Kurt harumphed, his gaze fixed assessingly on her as he sipped. He grimaced and Lilith cursed the taste of the stuff. She hadn’t thought of that! She should have put some honey in it.
Because if Kurt didn’t drink it, the potion couldn’t work. And if the potion didn’t work, well, Lilith didn’t want to think too much about evicting him from her house by herself.
He was big, really big. A good eight inches taller than Lilith, even though she was tall. He clearly worked out, a lot, and might have a good eighty pounds on her.
When Kurt fingered the glass and hesitated after drinking only the barest sip, Lilith did the only thing she could under the circumstances. She stepped closer and opened her eyes wide in what she hoped was a hopeful expression.
“Do you like it? It’s my own very special mixture.” She pouted as though her teeny tiny heart would be fatally wounded by any rejection of her tea. “You wouldn’t hurt my feelings by not liking it, would you?”
“Of course, I like it.” Kurt smiled a slow sensual smile of intent, kept his gaze fixed on her and pointedly drained his glass.
When he set it deliberately on the counter, Lilith caught her breath and prayed.
*
Mitch didn’t trust the way Lilith’s door was closed tight. He knew she was home, he knew Kurt was in there, and it wasn’t a good sign that the heavy wooden door was closed on such a hot day.
Nope, Mitch did not have a good feeling about this. Remembering how quickly Lilith had gotten into his shorts was not reassuring in the least. He spared a glance for the vigilant crew on the sidewalk, frowned, then knocked.
To Mitch’s astonishment, he heard running footsteps. Lilith opened the door almost immediately.
To his further amazement, she didn’t look as though he had interrupted anything. Her dress didn’t appear in the least bit rumpled and she seemed safely unravished.
It was then he noticed that those incredible eyes glowed with pleasure. Mitch nearly dropped his teeth when he realized it was because she was glad to see him.
And Kurt, Mr. Seduction Central, was already here.
Or was he?
“Hi. I uh, I just thought I’d check up on Kurt,” Mitch managed to say. “Is he here?”
Lilith grimaced and Mitch almost laughed at the expression on her face when she nodded. She met his gaze and her smile dawned like a sunrise, her voice low and warm. “I’m so glad you stopped by. I’m not sure I can get rid of him!”
Mitch barely had time to feel good about her certainty he would help her before Lilith hauled him into her foyer. She linked her arm deliberately through his as she turned around, making the two of them seem like a team.
Mitch could smell that damned perfume of hers again. The tangle of her hair was soft against his upper arm and he felt his blood start to boil. He struggled to keep his mind on the reason why he had come and pretty much failed.
It was then he noticed that Kurt was standing in the doorway to Lilith’s kitchen, looking a little dazed. Kurt squinted at Lilith, then shook his head, then eyed her again. He leaned in the doorframe as though his balance was off.
Either that or he was drunk. But there hadn’t been nearly enough elapsed time for that.
What had happened? A cold hand clenche
d Mitch’s gut and he wondered whether he had been too slow in following his buddy. Certainly, Lilith’s linking arms with him seemed to hint at presenting a united front, and one against his old pal.
Had Kurt already come on to her?
Had she decked him or broken something over his head? It took that much to get Kurt’s attention sometimes when he was fixed on doing something.
Like seducing a beautiful woman.
“Hey, is he bothering you?” Mitch asked in a low voice.
“Not any more.” Lilith shook her head, then flicked a warm glance to Mitch.
And he felt a sense of relief that seemed decidedly inappropriate given the circumstances. Or at least, given the identity of the lady so determinedly pressing the soft curve of her breast against his arm.
Mitch cleared his throat deliberately. “Hey, Kurt, are you making trouble with the ladies again?”
“Me?” Kurt straightened with a grimace and shook his head once more. He reached back and fingered a glass on the kitchen countertop as though it confused him, too. He really was in bad shape. He even sounded groggy. “Nah. Just had a little iced tea and am heading on my way.”
Kurt lumbered right past Lilith without so much as a glance in her direction. Mitch couldn’t understand that, but he could almost feel the laughter bubbling up inside Lilith.
On the threshold, Kurt frowned, rubbed his forehead and looked at Lilith as though he couldn’t quite see her straight. He squinted, then rubbed his temples. “Hey Mitch, I’m just going to finish that fence, then I’ll be on my way. See you next Saturday?”
Mitch glanced sidelong at the lady beside him. She was biting back a smile. It seemed she had somehow persuaded Kurt to abandon his pursuit.
Which was saying something. Kurt was nothing if not determined when he was, as he called it, ‘on the hunt’.
Mitch cleared his throat and frowned. “I thought you were staying for dinner.”
“Nope. A man’s got to run wild on a Saturday night.” Kurt winked with a vestige of his characteristic nonchalance and Mitch was slightly reassured. Then he swaggered out the door. Kurt waved, without so much as another peek at Lilith, and strolled between the houses, his whistle carrying back to Mitch’s ears.
Kurt seemed to be all right, Lilith seemed to be all right, but something strange was definitely going on.
Mitch looked at the lady and reassured himself that she was every bit as lovely as she always had been. That wasn’t the problem. But the devilish twinkle that was dancing in her eyes hinted that she knew more than she was telling. “What exactly happened here?”
Lilith grinned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, he came waltzing over here determined to seduce you. It’s not like Kurt to just walk away.”
Lilith fought to look innocent and didn’t even come close to pulling it off. “Maybe I told him I wasn’t interested.”
Mitch rolled his eyes. “That wouldn’t have made any difference. Kurt always says he likes a challenge.”
“Well, maybe I was too much of a challenge for him,” she declared.
“Color me skeptical,” Mitch murmured. “I don’t think there’s a beautiful woman alive who’s too much of a challenge for Kurt.
Lilith smiled sunnily. “Well, thank you.”
Mitch felt the back of his neck heat again as he realized what he had said. “Well, you know…”
“Shh!” Her fingertips landed against his lips. “Don’t spoil a compliment with an explanation,” she whispered. Lilith’s eyes danced and she wrinkled her nose playfully before her smile flashed once more. “Maybe I just cast a spell on him.”
And Mitch chuckled. He couldn’t help it. The glow in Lilith’s eyes and the softness of her fingertips against his skin made Mitch wonder why the hell he was worried about Kurt. The guy could take care of himself.
And besides, wasn’t he glad that Kurt hadn’t hit on Lilith with any success?
“Let’s talk about something much more interesting,” Lilith whispered. She leaned against Mitch’s chest, her curvy lips well within range. “Why did you leap in to protect me from his wiles?”
Mitch tried to shrug off the question. “Kurt doesn’t treat women well. I wouldn’t want him to hurt you or anyone else.”
Lilith smiled. “You’d champion me, even though you’re worried I’m trying to con Andrea?”
She had him there. Despite himself, Mitch felt an admiration for the lady’s clear thinking. She was doing better than he was, come to think of it.
And maybe that was why Mitch found it a lot harder to use his cover story than he had expected. Or maybe it was just that strange sense that she could read his thoughts.
Either way, Mitch didn’t say exactly what he had planned to say.
“Maybe I was wrong,” he admitted softly.
Lilith’s eyes widened with delight and she stretched to her toes, as though so anxious to hear his words that she had to be closer to his lips. Her eyes were wide and bright with anticipation. “Do you remember, then?” she asked breathlessly.
Mitch’s heart began to pound in his ears. He stared down into Lilith’s eyes and knew what she was hoping his answer would be. And he knew what he should say, at least if he was going to follow his plan of “going inside” to get the real story.
But there was something about this woman that made Mitch loathe to lie to her. It had seemed like such a good idea, but now, when he stood before her, Mitch couldn’t summon that lie to his lips.
“I’d like to,” was the best he could do.
Much to Mitch’s own surprise, as soon as he uttered the words, he knew they were true. In this moment, in this place, he wanted to remember that this woman and he had once been together, had once been in love, had once trusted each other completely.
It was crazy and it made no sense at all, but for once in his life, Mitch didn’t care. Standing in Lilith’s foyer, with her almost in his arms, being with her seemed to be the only thing that did make sense.
And when she looked deeply into his eyes, then flushed slightly and smiled, Mitch knew she was the most irresistible woman he’d ever met.
He didn’t want her to ask him any more questions. He didn’t want to lie to her. He just wanted to get past this moment. He told himself that it was for lack of any better options that he gave in to temptation.
Mitch captured Lilith’s fingers in his hand and pressed a kiss into her palm. She caught her breath, their gazes locked, then slowly, feeling like a fish being towed in on a lure, Mitch bent and touched her lips with his. He felt the barest twinge of guilt before Lilith cast her arms around his neck with undisguised delight.
And once she started kissing him back, well, anything other than the taste of her just seemed a petty technicality. Mitch braced his feet against the floor, leaned back against the wall, and gathered the lady into his arms with purpose.
Her kiss was so sweet, so warm and welcoming, so downright wonderful that Mitch very quickly forgot everything else but Lilith. He didn’t care about getting to the bottom of a story, he didn’t care about the truth, he didn’t even care how Lilith managed to evade every kind of record-keeping there was.
He only cared that she kissed like a goddess. Mitch might have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque, but he wasn’t going to stop and ask for directions now.
Unfortunately, the moment wasn’t destined to last long at all.
*
Lilith was so relieved that she barely noticed the agitated barking from the backyard. She abandoned herself to Mitch’s kiss with a vengeance. Something had happened, something had broken free inside him.
Because when he admitted he’d like to remember, Lilith had found a teeny tiny mirror image of herself waving back from the depths of his eyes.
Whatever obstacle had stood between them was banished and Lilith wasn’t holding anything back.
Everything was going to be fine.
The volume of the barking grew louder. Mitch lifted his head, muttered a curse that to
ld Lilith just whose dog was responsible, then gave her a crooked smile.
“He is a great dog, really, and not usually so noisy.”
Lilith shrugged, but a very feline yowl echoed from the back of the house before she could admit her own cat’s almost certain role in this. “D’Artagnan!”
“Cooley!” Mitch muttered.
They turned as one for the kitchen just as the cat rocketed through his cat door and flung himself into the kitchen. It seemed every hair of fur D’Artagnan had was standing on end as he skated down the expanse of tile. Cooley barked from the yard, Lilith heard the dog’s nails on the porch. Through the kitchen window, she saw a huge shadow lunge against the back door.
“Oh no!” Mitch seemed to know what was going to happen right before it did.
Right after it was too late to do anything about it.
Even knowing it was too late, he still ran. The door creaked, the dog barked, and with a resounding screech, the screen surrendered to Cooley’s weight and popped from its frame. Cooley landed in the kitchen with a thump, amidst a tangled pile of screen. He was on his feet in a heartbeat, his gaze fixed on D’Artagnan. He growled and fought for traction on the tile.
“Cooley, sit!” Mitch raced the length of the room, bellowing in a most authoritative tone, but the dog was oblivious to anything other than his prey.
Cooley’s nose quivered, his ears stood up, his bark resonated through the house when D’Artagnan leapt to the counter.
Lilith knew that things were going to rapidly get worse.
“No!” Mitch dove for the dog’s collar but he didn’t have a chance.
“No!” Lilith cried when the cat raced down the countertop. It was so disgusting when he did that! All her little pots and canisters wobbled dangerously, several teetered and broke.
But to Lilith’s horror, it got a lot worse. The dog leapt and made it up onto the counter, as well. Everything scattered in the wake of a decidedly flawed landing. Chaos reigned briefly, both Lilith and Mitch shouted to no avail.
Until Cooley reached the sink.
Time Travel Romances Boxed Set Page 114
