It Takes Two

by Sheridon Smythe

  "You worthless warlock,” she whispered softly. But her gaze was loving as she flicked her wingtip and made a warm blanket appear over her husband.

  She would just have to figure something out alone. Absently, she brought her wing to her lips and without thought began to nibble as she sometimes did when thinking.

  With a disgusted gasp, she spit a feather out. What she wouldn't give for a good nail to chew on right about now. Wisely, she folded her wings behind her and tapped her foot instead, concentrating hard. She couldn't use magic on Justine or Zack—the witches’ council had been very specific about that rule—but she could work magic around them.

  Justine needed a distraction, Mini mused. Something that might remind her of why she fell in love with Zack in the first place, a chivalrous act on Zack's part that might make Justine hesitate to voice her unjust accusations until she had more time to think about it. Mini felt confident that once Justine had time to calm down, she would realize that only a monster would use a child in the way she and Bea suggested.

  And Zack might be a heartbreaker—in Justine's eyes—but he was not a monster.

  Mini's thoughtful gaze strayed around the shadowed room, lingering one by one on the long row of aquariums against the wall. Their muted lighting revealed the indistinguishable shapes moving in the water below, and it gave her an idea. She grinned and rubbed her wings together. Yes, it might just work, and as long as she was careful, not a single fish would have to be sacrificed.

  Closing her eyes, she began to prepare for Justine's return.

  Justine's apartment over the store was accessible only from the exterior stairway located on the left side of the building, and Justine liked it that way. It made her feel as if she were actually leaving the store and going home, when in fact she had only to walk to the end of the building, turn right, and climb the stairs to her front door.

  Several years ago when she purchased the building, she'd promptly moved into the quaint living area above the shop despite her parents’ protest that it was too small. She loved it—and the easy access to her business. If she grew worried in the middle of the night about a sick critter, she was a stone's throw away.

  Parking a few car lengths from the storefront, Justine opened the car door and stepped cautiously onto the snow-packed road. A bitterly cold wind snatched at her coat and whistled into every opening it could find, chilling her to the bone. Snow stung her cheeks and clung to her eyelashes; where throughout the day it had fallen in a gentle curtain, it now lashed about with the force of a snow storm. Even with the gloves, her hands were frozen by the time she got the van locked.

  The moment she got upstairs, she planned to soak in a hot bath. While the tub was filling she'd feed her hungry misfit family and heat a bowl of soup for herself. A huge mug of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows sounded good, too.

  Maybe after she'd warmed her body and her belly she would be better prepared to face Zachary again.

  He had answered her call on the second ring, agreeing to meet her at eight; it was now seven o'clock. To give him credit, he hadn't asked why she'd changed her mind, though she sensed he wanted to.

  Justine shook her head, suddenly realizing she'd been standing in the cold thinking about Zack when she could have been inside her warm apartment by now. She bowed her head and braved the stinging snow until she reached the sidewalk. The awning over the shop afforded little shelter from the biting wind, but kept the snow out of her eyes. Above her head, the sign reading Little Shop of Critters swung back and forth with an eerie squall.

  Out of habit, she glanced into the big storefront window gracing her shop. She did a double-take and nearly lost her balance as she came to a sudden stop on the slick sidewalk.

  It was dark inside. Really dark, which could only mean the aquarium lights were out. Justine frowned, drawing closer, praying she was mistaken.

  She wasn't, and not only did it look as if the electricity was out, it appeared the backup generator wasn't functioning either.

  Not good.

  Dammit! Justine slapped the glass in frustration. Just last month she'd had the stubborn thing inspected and serviced. Nebraska winters were generally very cold, and Justine knew her critters, whether they be fish or fowl, would not live long with temperatures plunging into the single digits as the weather man had predicted they would tonight. With the exception of the reptile room, she kept the temperature in the rest of the store a balmy eighty degrees at all times.

  If she didn't fix the problem she stood to lose her entire inventory of tropical fish, which in turn would eat a sizable chunk out of her savings. The reptiles would possibly make it through the night, and the birds she could transfer upstairs to her apartment, along with the puppies and kittens. The transfer alone would take half the night.

  But she could not move the fish—her main source of income.

  "Just what I needed,” Justine mumbled as she unlocked the shop door and quickly stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. Without thinking, she reached to her left and flipped on the light switch. She blinked in surprise when fluorescent lighting flooded the room.

  The lights worked...but the aquarium lights didn't? It would explain why the generator hadn't kicked on, she thought, frowning as she investigated the first aquarium. Lights, air, everything—dead, as if no electricity reached them. The fish still moved energetically in the water, which told her that the power hadn't been off long.

  A thrown switch.

  Justine let out a sigh of relief as the solution came to her. Of course! Something must have triggered the breaker feeding electricity to this part of the room. A simple problem to fix. She'd just flip the breaker and the electricity would be restored.

  Retrieving a flashlight from her office in case she needed it, Justine passed the caged lovebirds on her way to the storeroom, making a mental note to drop the cage cover before leaving. She should have remembered how the wind gusted in when someone came through the door; it wasn't healthy for the birds to suffer drastic temperature changes.

  If she hadn't been so flustered by Zack's arrival...

  In the storeroom, she tried the light switch with no results. She flipped on the flash light and opened the panel door of the breaker box, studying the switches. With a slight frown she checked them again, slowly.

  Nothing looked out of order, no red buttons popped out to alert her.

  With a shrug, she flipped each one off and on anyway, stuck her head around the storeroom door, and saw that she hadn't fixed the problem.

  She tried it again, and peeked hopefully around the corner. No lights, no humming sound of the oxygen pumps, no bubbling of the water. Holding her breath, she pulled down on the main power switch. The store was plunged into darkness. She pushed it up again and listened.

  Nothing.

  Tapping her nails against the door facing, she contemplated her next move. She didn't have many choices. Calling an electrician after hours would cost her a fortune, if she managed to persuade one into getting out on a night like this.

  Her only alternative would be to run extension cords from the aquariums to the outlets on the opposite wall. Those outlets seemed to be working, thankfully. To get enough extension cords, however, she would have to call Joe and ask him to open the hardware store down the street.

  Justine clicked off the flashlight and went to her office to call Joe. She hated to ask him, but she didn't have much choice. Along the way she paused at the bird cage and released the fancy tassels holding the cage covering aside, her fingers lingering on the gauzy purple fabric. Odd, she could have sworn the material was something thicker, like satin. In fact, she remembered thinking the previous owners must have possessed lavish tastes to fashion a bird cage covering out of such expensive material.Now the material was so sheer she could see the female lovebird—Laura—watching her. The male was asleep, his head tucked deeply into his wing. As Justine peered at him, he swayed on the perch.

  She fancied she could hear him snoring.

 
; But to her knowledge, birds didn't snore.

  Shaking her head at her fanciful thoughts, she dropped the cover and proceeded to her office. She found the number for Joe's hardware in the local directory and dialed. She dialed four times in all, and all four times she got a wrong number. Four different wrong numbers.

  Puzzled and more than a little exasperated, Justine checked the number again and was just about to give it another shot when she heard someone knocking on the door of the store. Great. The last thing she needed was a customer thinking she was open for business. She should have turned the lights out.

  "I'm closed!” she shouted.

  The pounding continued as if she hadn't spoken.

  Blowing out an exasperated breath, Justine replaced the receiver and poked her head around the office door to yell again. She froze at the sight of Zack standing outside in the snow. Had she really thought she'd be prepared? Just looking at his six-foot-two muscled frame evoked an instant, knee-wobbling flashback of his hands clutching her hips as he thrust into her, his hot mouth consuming hers in a kiss so deep, so meaningful, she had convulsed around him within moments of penetration.

  Sex with Zack would have been fantastic on its own; the fact that she loved him had taken the act to exhilarating heights.

  Justine's mouth went dry with fear. She couldn't let him consume her again, could not let herself remember what they'd had.

  What Zachary Wayne had convinced her they'd had.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Four

  She doesn't look happy to see me, Zack thought, waiting for her to unlock the door. He clenched his teeth together to keep them from chattering. Well, what had he expected? That she would welcome him with open arms? The previous meeting should have disabused him of that notion. It might be a woman's prerogative to change her mind, but he doubted she had in such a short amount of time without a reason.

  So what did she want? To taunt him? Tease him? Play more games? Zack's lips tightened. He loved her so much it hurt, but he wouldn't allow himself to be used again by the lovely Justine Diamond. She either loved him or she didn't, and he was not leaving Cannon Bay until he had a straight answer. He'd lived in limbo the past thirteen months, wondering where she was, what she was doing, and if she yearned for him as he yearned for her. She was like a stubborn virus in his bloodstream, slowly killing him.

  "Hello. You're early."

  With those cryptic words, she stepped aside and waved him in. She shut and locked the door, but didn't look at him. In fact, Zack thought she was going to a lot of trouble to avoid his gaze. He decided it was a positive sign.

  "I thought you were a customer,” she said.

  Zack's gaze swept over her tense face, recalling a time when laughter had softened her features, and the soft glow of love had shone from her eyes. Love for him. “I tried your apartment, but didn't get an answer. As I was leaving I saw a light on...” While he spoke, Justine's gaze dwelled for an electrifying instant on his mouth before she looked abruptly away. The betraying move made Zack catch a hopeful breath.

  "I was on my way home when I noticed the aquarium lights were off, so I came in to check."

  "Everything all right?"

  "No. Something's wrong with the electricity on the northwest wall. Look, I'm going to have to—"

  "Mind if I have a look?” Zack interrupted quickly, sensing he was about to be sent on his way. He didn't want to miss the chance to talk about why they were acting like strangers.

  She smiled faintly, as if amused. “Go for it. I'll get you a flashlight.” She paused at the door to what appeared to be a small office and added, “The breaker box is in the back."

  When Justine returned, Zack followed her to the breaker box, already suspecting from her satirical tone he would find everything as it should be. He would not only look arrogant, he would look like a foolish ass.

  Banishing this dismal thought, Zack nearly crowed his triumph when he noticed the fourth red button popped out. He pressed his thumb against it. The lights came on over the aquariums, the dozen or so pumps hummed to life. Air tubes feeding oxygen to the water began to bubble merrily.

  His gaze locked with Justine's. She looked so bewildered he couldn't restrain a chuckle. He sobered quickly when her eyes narrowed. “Sometimes it's hard to tell when the button is out,” he said.

  "Don't patronize me, Zack."

  Now her eyes were bright with temper—a side of Justine he'd never had the glory of seeing in the four short days they were together. Inseparable.

  "I'm not blind, nor am I stupid. All of the buttons were pushed in when I checked.” She snatched the flashlight from his hands. “There's something fishy going on around here, and I'm beginning to think you're the shark in charge."

  Zack's jaw dropped. She thought he had something to do with the electricity not working? Before he could open his mouth to defend himself, she continued.

  "It would explain why you were lurking around the front door."

  "You invited me, or have you forgotten?” Zack countered, stung by her unjustified attack. When she stalked back into the main room, he followed, his anger rising. He was just about sick and tired of her attitude! She was the one who dumped him. She was the one who conveniently forgot to give him her number. She was the one who didn't call him. Obviously, her whispered words of undying love were all a part of some twisted, cruel game she enjoyed playing.

  If anyone should have an attitude, it should be him!

  She swung around to face him in the narrow aisle between the aquariums and the shelves of birdseed. “It was you earlier, too, wasn't it? Just before you came in the front door you sneaked in the back way and put something around the parrot's beak, some type of harness. I guess it was your idea of a sick joke, huh?"

  Zack sputtered in the face of her absurd accusation. Put a harness on a parrot? Hell, he wasn't sure if he'd recognize a parrot if someone shoved one in his face! She was beginning to worry him with her weird talk. “Will you calm down? Next you'll be accusing me of—” He gasped as a sudden burst of cold water rained upon his head, saturating him in seconds.

  "The sprinkler system!” Justine wailed, trying to shield her head from the down pour with her arms.

  "I guess you think I did this, too?” Zack's caustic remark went unchecked as they ran for her office. He watched as she jerked open a panel in the wall and flipped a switch. The sprinklers sputtered to a stop.

  Dazed, Justine glanced around her. What in the hell was going on? She spotted the soggy mess of papers on her desk and groaned. “Those were my inventory papers! I'll have to redo them all."

  "Has this ever happened before?” Zack asked as he slicked his wet hair from his face. He brushed ineffectively at the wet sheep's wool collar of his coat.

  She shook her head, staring helplessly at his wet jeans visible below his short leather coat. They were plastered to his thighs, outlining the rounded muscles and the bulge at his crotch. “You—you'll—” She swallowed hard, willing her voice to stop shaking. “We'll have to dry your clothes before you go home.” As for the store, she suspected that most of the water would evaporate by morning. Chris, her assistant, could take care of the rest.

  Zack jerked his head in the direction of the door, indicating the wintry weather. “At least we don't have to go back out there to get to your apartment,” he stated with obvious relief. “We'd freeze in an instant."

  "Guess we'll just have to freeze, then.” Justine started to smirk at his dismayed expression until she remembered her plan. Until she found out about Jordan, she had to can the hostile act. “The only way to my apartment is outside, around the corner, and upstairs. This used to be a bakery, but the owners rented the room out. They had their own place."

  To Zack's credit, he took it like a man. But then, Justine thought with an inward gulp, there had never been any doubt in her mind about Zack's gender...

  The moment the lights went out and the door clicked shut on the two mortals, Mini breathed an au
dible sigh of relief. She wiped her brow with her wing. Whew! That had been close! She was certain Zack had been about to mention the newest bone of contention between them: Justine's nephew Jordan. Mini had a bad feeling that if Zack opened the subject first, Justine would never be convinced she had nothing to do with it.

  Luckily, she'd thought of the sprinkler system in the nick of time. Doused that subject quick! Mini chuckled at her own joke, glancing sideways at Reuben asleep on the perch. Invisible ropes held him upright, otherwise he would have toppled over in his drunken stupor long before now. Sly warlock! While she had been sipping water, he had carried on with wine in his goblet, zapped of its color.

  Mini sniffed, thinking he'd be sorry enough for deceiving his poor wife when he awoke with a hangover. Putting her useless husband from her mind, she opened her wing and plucked her crystal ball from its hiding place. She suspended the glowing orb in front of her, adjusting it to a comfortable eye level. Almost immediately, an image of Justine and Zack appeared. Mini clucked in sympathy at their shivering, bedraggled appearance.

  She hoped they didn't catch cold.

  "Y-y-you f-f-f-irst,” Justine managed to get out as she stumbled across the threshold into the blessed warmth of her apartment. She had beat her own record of two minutes from door to door, but it hadn't been quick enough; her teeth were chattering so badly it made her jaw ache from the force. “I-I-I'll m-m-make u-u-us s-s-s-something w-w-warm t-t-to d-d-drink."

  "No, ladies first,” Zack argued. “Look at you—your teeth are chattering!"

  Despite knowing better, Justine was warmed by his concern. She hugged her arms around her middle and tried to offer a brave smile as she pointed out, “Y-y-your l-l-lips a-a-are b-b-blue."

  "So are yours.” Zack reached out and firmly unfolded her arms, tugging on her coat sleeves. “Show me where your thermostat is and tell me what you want to drink. I'll fix it while you soak in a tub of hot water."

  Justine automatically turned as he pulled her frozen coat from her shoulders. “W-w-what a-a-about y-y-you?” Damn! She couldn't stop chattering! She turned back around in time to see his teeth flash in a wicked smile.