by T. M. Cromer
“You ain’t lyin’, sister.” Restless energy swamped her, and Winnie stood to pace. “He had the nerve to ask if it was good for me afterwards.”
The choked laugh behind her was cut off with an “oomph.” Winnie had to assume Summer or Spring elbowed Autumn who seemed to find most things funny.
“When I told him ‘not so much,’ he had a meltdown.”
“Wait! You told him it sucked?” Autumn asked, incredulous.
“He asked!” Winnie shouted. “What was I supposed to do?”
“You lie, Winnie!” Summer shouted in return. “You never tell a guy he sucks in bed!”
“What did I miss?” Asked a deep, dry voice from the living room doorway.
All four sisters whipped around to face their visitor.
Cooper Carlyle leaned one shoulder against the jamb. He stood with his arms across his brawny t-shirt clad chest. His brows were lifted in inquiry, but his twinkling blue-gray gaze was for his girlfriend alone. “Summer? Is there something you need to tell me?”
“No!” Summer gasped. “Never!”
Coop let loose a sharp bark of laughter. “But you just said you should lie if a guy sucks in bed.”
“Not you, Coop! You… me… we…”
He took pity on her and grinned. “I came to see if you were ready to head home for the night. Should I leave you to your gossiping?”
Summer bit her lip in indecision. Clearly, she wanted the scoop, but she wanted to spend time with Coop, too.
Winnie waved her off. “Go, sister. I can fill you in another time.”
“But Zane—”
“Zane!” Coop crowed in delight. “Zane was the one who sucked in bed?”
A hand flew up to cover Summer’s gaping mouth. “Oh, hell, I’m sorry.” A sneeze and an influx of mice followed her apology.
Winnie covered her eyes and prayed for the floor to open and swallow her whole. How had her life come to this? Zane was Coop’s cousin for Christ’s sake! If he took it into his head to tease Zane, Coop could open a major can of worms.
“Now we know why you objected to working with him,” Coop said when he had his laughter under control. “Wait until I bust his balls!”
“You may want to hold off on that, Sheriff. The Boy Wonder doesn’t know,” Autumn clarified.
Winnie glared. Her sisters could be a little more discreet and not tell all hell and back about her business.
Coop stilled, and a fierce gleam came into his eyes. He straightened to his full height and glared. “What do you mean by he doesn’t know? What exactly doesn’t he know?”
“It’s nothing so awful, Coop,” Spring soothed in her musical tones. “Winnie only erased his memory of their time together.”
Coop sucked in his breath hard enough to hack up a lung. When he’d gotten his coughing fit under control, he stormed to where Winnie stood trembling in her proverbial boots. “You did what?”
“I took away his recall of that day’s events. And maybe a few others,” she confessed weakly.
“Restore them,” he growled.
“I can’t.”
“Why can’t you? If you removed them, you can replace them.”
“No, I mean I don’t know what the long-term consequence might be if I messed with his mind a second time.” Winnie swallowed hard and closed her eyes. “I think I’m responsible for the fact he didn’t regain his powers when your parents unbound the three of you,” she gushed.
Silence reigned as everyone finally understood the magnitude of her actions.
“Jesus!” Coop swore. “What do we do now?”
In for a penny, in for a pound. Winnie decided to reveal the rest of her secret. “To add to the problem, he was in a car accident earlier today.”
“What?” Coop gripped her arms and shook her.
Winnie winced in discomfort. “He’s okay,” she hurried to assure him. “Or at least he is physically.”
“Stop stalling, Winnie. What happened to Zane?”
“He hit his head on the windshield and doesn’t remember who I am—at all.”
Cooper swore long and hard before he disappeared into thin air.
“Where do you suppose he went?” Spring asked.
Autumn snorted. “Hopefully, to check on Zane and not find reinforcements to murder our sister.”
Zane opened his fourth beer as he sat in the lounge chair overlooking the back of the Carlyle estate. He guzzled half the bottle before he grimaced in disgust. Four damned beers and he didn’t even have the beginning of a buzz. His supercharged cells must be to blame.
A crackle rent the air, and in the next instant, a glowering Coop filled the empty space. Teleporting. His cousins had told him that’s what it was called, this ability to bend space and instantly be in another location.
Was that something he’d be able to do now? The idea perked him up slightly.
“Coop.”
“Zane.”
“Aren’t you usually heading to North Carolina with the little lady about this time of day?”
“I am, but something’s come to my attention.”
Zane raised his brows. “Care to elaborate, or am I supposed to guess?”
His cousin sat on the edge of the lounger next to his. “I heard you were in an accident today?”
“Yeah, no worries about that. Not even a report for you to file. It seems Alastair Thorne is one powerful motherfucker. He restored my car and healed the small scratch to my head.”
“Rumor has it, you have a little glitch in your memory bank.”
Zane snorted and took a pull of his beer. “No. I finally remembered everything.”
“I was at Thorne Manor. Winnie said you don’t remember who she is.”
At the mention of Winnie’s name, his rage resurfaced. “I said I remember, dammit!” A spark flared from his fingertips, and Zane shook it out like a match. He couldn’t wrap his brain around the fact he could produce fire from his hand without burning the living crap out of himself.
“Why does she believe otherwise?” Coop asked cautiously.
“Because that’s what I want her to believe. That back-stabbing, sneaky—let’s just say, she’s going to get what she deserves.”
“Zane,” Coop said, a warning in his voice. “Maybe you should think this through.”
“I’ve already thought it through. She stole my memories for whatever messed-up reason of her own. I intend a little payback.”
“I get that you’re angry—”
Zane scoffed in his fury. “Angry? Angry? I’m not angry, Coop. I’m fucking livid! How would you feel?”
Coop shook his head and grimaced. “I guess I’d feel the same way. But she’s the sister of my girlfriend, and I don’t want to see anyone get hurt.”
“Too late for that.”
“What do you mean?”
“I got hurt. When the memories returned today, I wrecked my car and put my head through the damned windshield. That wasn’t a fun day in the park, you know.” Zane inhaled in an attempt to calm the fire within. “I didn’t deserve her spiteful behavior, Coop. I was on my way to apologize for… well, never mind that, but before I could, everything about our time together was gone.” He closed his eyes. “Our first kiss. Carving our initials into the old oak after our first date. Everything.”
“You love her,” Coop said in awe.
“No!” he denied hotly. After another heavy sigh and another drink, he said, “Not anymore. She took that away, too.”
Coop stood and placed a hand on Zane’s shoulder. “If there is anything I can do, let me know.”
“We never had this discussion.”
“Okay.”
“Oh, and Coop?”
“Yeah?”
“If anyone asks, I don’t remember who Winnie is.”
It was a long moment before Coop nodded his head. “Okay. But tread carefully.”
6
“Well, if it isn’t pretty Willow.”
“Winnie.”
“Does
it matter? You’re only here to teach me to control my magic.”
Winnie inhaled for the count of five. If she didn’t get a handle on her temper soon, she was likely to zap Zane to another continent. This was the second day of training, and his stupid-ass comments were already grating on her last nerve.
Boy had she been fooled as to his character, believing him to be sweet and charming when in actuality he was the worst sort of Lothario. After their first session, she’d gone home disillusioned and full of self-loathing for ever caring about him in the first place.
With a heavy exhale, she faced him and flashed him a polite smile. “You’re absolutely correct. It doesn’t matter. Let’s get started, shall we?”
His eyes narrowed as if he was trying to figure her out.
Winnie could’ve told him not to bother. She didn’t have a handle on herself. She doubted anyone else would understand what made her tick.
“My uncle mentioned that you’re fire element,” she said brightly.
Zane didn’t answer. Instead, he continued to stare.
“Yes, well.” Unnerved, Winnie strode across his attic to the Carlyle grimoire and picked up the heavy tome. “I’m not sure how much you’ve already gleaned from your family, but we can go over the basics again and add to our lessons from there.”
“Are you dating anyone?”
Winnie fumbled the heavy leather volume in her hands. “As I stated yesterday, this is called a grimoire. Every magical family has one.”
“Is that a no?” he asked, amusement thick in his voice.
“Can we stick to learning here?”
“I am learning. I’m learning if you are available for a date with me tonight.”
“No.”
“How about tomorrow?”
“It’s always going to be no, Zane.”
The carnal look in his eyes made her stomach tighten in knots. While they’d only dated a few times and slept together just the once, she recognized his expression for what it was.
Zane closed the space between them.
Nerve endings on high alert, Winnie stepped back.
Once again, he closed the gap.
Her foot caught on a table leg as she backed another step. Had Zane not caught her arm, she’d have fallen over in an ungraceful heap. Winnie jerked away from his touch and opened the distance between them again.
With a knowing smirk, Zane took another step in her direction. She backed up a third time. The cat-stalking-the-mouse game continued until she found herself with her back against the wooden slats of the attic wall.
“Tell me, Wilhelmina, why is it always going to be no?”
Wilhelmina? She’d give him Wilhelmina!
Winnie slapped a hand flat on his chest. “That! That right there! You can’t be bothered to remember my damned name.”
“Hmm, I can see where that might be an issue while we’re holding a conversation, but for what I have in mind, it won’t matter.”
“Well, get whatever you have in mind right on outta there! It’s never happening agai—uh, it’s never happening.”
His lips twitched. Whether in anger or laughter, she couldn’t say. Zane’s neutral mask settled firmly in place. “Oh, I don’t know. I think you should give it a shot. Being with me might just be the best night of your life.”
Winnie released an unladylike snort. “Where have I heard that before,” she muttered. In a louder voice, she said, “Back off, Don Juan. No means no.”
Zane stepped backward as if she’d pulled a gun on him. Hands in the air, he kept a wary eye on her from his position in the middle of the room. “Got it.”
If only everything in life were that easy. “Good. Let’s get on with it.”
“I thought you didn’t want to have sex?”
“I meant the magical training,” she ground out.
“What else could you possibly mean?”
If she didn’t know better, Winnie would think Zane was toying with her. But why? If he truly couldn’t recall any part of their relationship, why mess with her at all? How had his personality changed so drastically in the time since she’d known him?
Sadness swarmed her. The truth was, she hadn’t really known him. He’d always presented as a warm, caring man, but on more than one occasion, she’d seen a side of him that she doubted he showed many people. She’d seen the anger and ugliness spew from his own lips.
“Are you okay?”
Winnie hadn’t realized she’d zoned out for the few minutes she’d been lost in the past. Embarrassed by her space-cadet routine, she held out the grimoire. “You need to familiarize yourself with the spells in this book. They will come in handy.”
“Win?”
Her head snapped up, and she locked eyes with him. “Why did you call me that?”
“What?”
“Win. It’s… you…” She sighed her frustration at his blank look. “Never mind.” Perhaps his use of the nickname was like muscle memory in his brain. He might not be aware he’d called her by the name he’d given her eight years before.
Somehow, she had to find a way to leave the past behind her. That way lay heartache and resentment.
With a put-on bright smile, she knelt at his feet. “Come.”
Twin spots of color appeared high on his cheeks. “Uh…”
The second Zane stuttered, he gave away his thoughts.
Winnie’s cheeks heated to burning. “Oh!” As she tried to gain her feet, she pitched forward. Her face came into direct contact with the front of his fly. In an effort to catch Winnie, or possibly to save his crotch from major incident, Zane’s hands flew down toward his genitals. But their trajectory got waylaid, and his hands tangled in Winnie’s hair.
Zane’s fingers tightened, and he tugged her head back. When their gazes connected, his burned bright with an unnamed emotion. For a long moment, neither moved as the tension sizzled in the air about them. Winnie knelt, frozen in place by the predatory gleam shining from Zane’s eyes.
Without warning, his expression shifted, became moody and contemplative. He bit his lip as if he were holding back words he longed to say. What did he have to be moody about? And for that matter, why was he moody? This was Zane. Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky who was fazed by nothing.
“Zane? Are you all right?” She rose and touched his forearm. Her voice was loud and breathy, giving away the fact that she was disturbed by his nearness.
“I’m fine. Let’s get on with today’s lesson. I have work to do.”
The about-face and gruff attitude burned Winnie’s ass. It had only been ten minutes, but she was sick of his behavior. When he wasn’t stalking her like he wanted to rip her clothes off, he was behaving like a petulant child.
“Have I done something to upset you?” She didn’t bother to keep her irritation hidden.
His lip curled in derision. “Upset me? Why would you think I’d ever be upset with you?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Your animosity right now? Why don’t you tell me what it is you think I’ve done? Because from where I’m standing, I’ve only tried to help you.”
“Are you kidding me right now?” His arms were raised, and his hands were curled into white-knuckled fists. “I… Gah!”
She wasn’t prepared for the fury behind his words. Apprehension crept in. The only thing she’d ever done was to erase his memories. But if Zane couldn’t remember who she was, he shouldn’t have the slightest recollection of what they’d done. Yet the rage radiating from him was eerily similar to the day in the glen.
The only other possibility was that Zane was mentally imbalanced. Whether he’d always been that way and Winnie had been sheltered from his behavior, or it was a recent development, she’d never know. But if his current tangent was a side effect of his accident, then someone should be made aware.
“How about I go get one of your cousins for you?” She tried for soothing tones, but Zane was having none of it.
“I’m not a mental case,” he barked. “Stop staring at me as if I am.”
<
br /> “I didn’t say you were.”
“You didn’t have to.”
* * *
Zane needed to get a handle on his anger. But whenever he was around Winnie, he thought of sex. The thoughts of sex brought him back to the day they’d made love. Which in turn, had him recalling that she’d stolen his memories with a deceitful trick. The acid in his gut churned, and bile rose up to the back of his throat. How could she do that to him? He’d thought they started something special back then.
While Zane never had a problem with a good-natured jest, he drew the line at being a chump. What Winnie had done was unforgivable. Although, if he were to be fair, his terrible words in the field had been unforgivable, too. But words and actions were two different things, weren’t they?
Yeah, he was angry. Bitterly so.
“Look, I’m going to go. You obviously don’t like me, and I—”
“No!” he exclaimed before he could stop himself.
Her wide-eyed look of concern spurred him into an explanation.
“I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t like you, Winnie. It’s that I like you too much,” he lied smoothly.
Winnie’s eyes grew larger, and her mouth parted. It was the sign he needed to move closer.
With the tip of his index finger, Zane trailed a light, scrolling path along her jaw toward her mouth. “I find I’m having a difficult time keeping my hands to myself. All I want to do is kiss you.” He lowered his voice and turned up the seduction. “Touch you.” He drew his thumb across her lower lip, smearing the berry-red lipstick there. “Make you mine.”
Her breathing resembled an athlete after competition. The ragged, harsh breaths almost made him smile. Good to know he affected her as much as she affected him.
He closed what was left of the distance between them and tilted his head towards hers. Her unique smell filled his nostrils when he inhaled. The light floral scent teased him, and it dawned on him why he’d become dizzy in the diner. A small part of his mind had recalled the fragrance of her skin. That scent had triggered the fleeting images in his head.
When his lips settled on hers, he sighed his satisfaction. It had been too long since they last touched. Their light moans mingled as the kiss drew out longer and became more heated. And like the day in the clearing so long ago, Zane found himself over-eager to sink inside her. To have her shapely thighs cradling his hips. To experience the euphoria of an orgasm of such power that it rocked his world.
