by T. M. Cromer
She didn’t protest when he kissed her. In fact, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave over to his expertise. The kiss was pleasant and warmed her, but his touch didn’t contain near the heat of Zane’s.
He lifted his head and surveyed her face for her reaction. With a deep, sad sigh, he rolled on his back and tucked an arm behind his head. “I should’ve remembered when I heard your name.”
“What’s that?”
Rafe turned his head to face her. “The old saying, Thornes only love once.”
She rose on her elbows and stared down at him. “You must know my family well to know that.”
“I do,” he confirmed. “Your father is a business associate.”
“Why have we never met?”
“He has a strict policy of keeping his children away from the Witches’ Council.”
Her shoulders tensed as she sat up straight. “You’re with the WC?”
“I am.”
“I’m such an idiot!” She rose and dusted the last of the sand from her body.
Rafe stood and reached for her arm. She evaded him and stepped back.
“You have nothing to fear from me,” he said.
“Really? Because from where I’m standing, I do.” She swore under her breath and paced. “I knew it wasn’t a coincidence you were next door. How fucking gullible can one woman be?” she muttered.
“Actually, it is a coincidence. I am truly here to visit my family. It’s been fifty years since I’ve last been home.”
Winnie froze in place.“Fifty years?”
Rafe shot her a wry glance.
“How old are you?”
“Seventy-two.”
She pressed her fingertips to her eye sockets. “I had to pick the one man old enough to be my father. Nice.”
In fairness to her, after thirty, warlocks aged at such a slow rate as to not age at all. She should’ve realized if her initial impression of him was a thirty-five-year-old male, then he’d be an older warlock.
“I don’t mind a younger woman,” he teased.
“Get a clue, Romeo.”
He laughed and wrapped a muscular arm around her waist, hauling her against him. Leaning in close, he whispered in her ear, “I think I’m more than half in love with you, Winter.”
She shoved at his overdeveloped chest with a snort. “Well, don’t be. I’ve had enough of the male species in general.”
“Get your fucking hands off her!”
Both Rafe and Winnie froze, their eyes locked as they sensed the danger in the air.
“The boyfriend?” he murmured.
“The asshole,” she murmured in return.
His eyes crinkled as he fought a laugh. “Shall I smite him?”
“He’s a pureblood Carlyle warlock. Do you think you could take him?”
“For you, I would try,” Rafe said and dropped a light kiss on her lips.
The growl from behind him was feral in nature.
“If it helps, he’s a novice,” she added.
“He has anger on his side,” he countered as he released her and turned.
Winnie caught her first glimpse of Zane.
Dark circles under his eyes spoke of his lack of sleep. His light-blond hair was mussed from either his hands or the sea breeze. But his expression was pure white-hot rage.
She stepped in front of Rafe and effected a bored tone. “What are you doing here, Zane?”
“Are you kidding me right now? You disappear without a word to anyone and you expect no one to look for you?” he seethed.
Winnie borrowed from Autumn’s stock of careless shrugs and offered one up. “I intended to text Spring when I knew she was awake.”
“What about me?” he snarled as he stalked forward. “Did you intend to text me, Win?”
“No.”
He stopped short. His breathing resembled an enraged bull.
Rafe switched places with her. “I think it’s obvious she does not want you around.”
From the corner of her eye, she noticed the flame come to life and dance in the palm of Zane’s hand.
“Zane,” she warned. “Not in a public place. Contain it.”
He shook his hand and glanced around. A few curious bystanders watched the confrontation from afar.
Rafe snapped his fingers and gestured the gawkers away. “They will remember nothing.”
“Damn, that was impressive,” Winnie breathed. “You’re going to need to show me that little trick.”
He grinned at the same time Zane swore.
“A warlock?” Zane asked.
“What gave it away?” Rafe asked dryly.
The old adage “if looks could kill” came to Winnie’s mind as Zane glared his fury at Rafe.
“He’s awfully territorial of you,” Rafe said in a loud aside.
“Because she’s my girlfriend,” Zane snapped.
“No!” Winnie practically shouted as she rounded on him. “I’m your nothing!”
His tone changed. “Winnie—”
“Get lost, Zane. You’re not wanted here,” she said in a calmer but no less serious voice.
Zane stalked to where she stood. “I’m not leaving until you talk to me.”
Rafe heaved a sigh and scrunched up his nose. “I’d hate to do this in a public place, but say the word, qalbi, and I will send him to the center of the earth.”
“Try it,” Zane growled.
The air pulsed and crackled. Alastair and Spring walked through a fold in space.
“Alastair Thorne.” Rafe didn’t sound happy. “You know magic in public is forbidden. I was about to teach this young puppy the error of his ways. But perhaps now I know why he’s undisciplined.”
“We’re cloaked, Rafe.” Alastair said with a smirk. “You’ll have to tell the Council they’ll have to find another way to crucify me.”
Her uncle tossed Winnie the necklace he’d given to her at the Thorne estate. “You forgot something, child.”
“I swear I didn’t leave it behind on purpose,” she said as she slipped it over her head.
“I’d hoped you weren’t that foolish. But knowing what you saw, I thought maybe you were reacting badly.” He eyed Rafe. “Although, it could still be said you are reacting badly.” Alastair mock shuddered and straightened his sleeves. “You could’ve chosen better than an elder on the Council for your revenge fling, dear girl.”
“An elder…” Winnie closed her eyes. Yep, just her luck.
“Revenge fling?” Zane didn’t bother to keep his voice down. “What the fuck? Is he serious, Win?”
A throbbing began behind her eyelids, and Winnie bent to scoop up her belongings. “Go home. All of you.”
“I’m not leav—”
“Leaving.” Winnie cut him off and turned her full rage on Zane. “Yeah, I heard you the first time, asshole. But I am. Enjoy the beach.” She spun on her heel and headed toward the hotel.
“I must follow my heart,” she heard Rafe say. “Safe journey!”
A second later, Rafe’s large, warm hand settled on her waist. It didn’t last long.
13
Chapter Thirteen has been omitted for standard reasons. During this intermission, go ahead and preorder Spring Magic. Trust me, you don’t want to miss the next exciting installment in this series.
www.tmcromer.com/spring-magic
14
Zane saw red the instant the handsome warlock placed his hand on Winnie’s hip. One second, he had a fragile hold on his temper, and the next, that hold snapped.
He closed the distance between them and ripped Rafe’s hand away from Winnie. In one fluid movement, Zane hauled her against him. “If you touch her again, I’ll kill you.”
Zane didn’t expect the impact to his balls. He dropped to the ground at Winnie’s feet and struggled against the nausea her forceful blow to his family jewels had wrought.
From his pain-induced haze, he watched as she took Rafe’s hand and walked away. He made a mental note to murder the laughing fuck
er the first chance he got since he couldn’t kill Winnie.
Shiny black shoes appeared in his peripheral. “Well, that was impressive.”
Alastair Thorne was added to his hit list.
“Shut up!” Zane ground out.
He thought he heard tittering from Spring. Christ, he was starting to hate this family.
Alastair placed a hand on his shoulder and blasted him with his healing magic. A favor for which, Zane grudgingly scratched a line through the man’s name on his mental murder list.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. But if you ever tell me to shut up again, I will obliterate you. I’m putting your lapse in judgment down to the pain my niece inflicted.”
“Understood.”
Alastair nodded toward the hotel. “Now, get in there and break that up. But try to keep your head, son.”
Zane dusted off the sand from his left side and headed toward the hotel.
* * *
“Think he’ll win her back?” Alastair asked Spring as they watched Zane jog toward the hotel.
“I’m not sure what he did, but Winnie’s pissed.”
“He played her for a fool and kissed another woman,” Alastair explained.
“What is with those idiot Carlyle men?” Spring muttered, gaining his undivided attention.
He looked down into her beautiful, young face. “Trouble in paradise, child?”
“No. Because I’m not stupid enough to fall in love with one.”
Fighting the urge to laugh, he nodded solemnly. “Aren’t you the logical one?”
“I hope Winnie holds out. At this point, I’m voting for the hot islander.”
“Don’t. He’s bad news.”
Spring cast him a sharp glance. “Is she in danger?”
This time Alastair smiled his humor. Everyone seriously underestimated this lovely girl. But she was the sharpest tack in the Thorne box. “No. I just don’t like rule followers.”
Her thousand-watt smile almost blinded him. “I like you, Uncle Alastair. I really do.”
He grunted and pulled her into a one-armed hug. “Don’t let anyone know I did a nice thing, okay. I don’t want to tarnish my reputation as an unfeeling bastard.”
She laughed, and the musical sound was like clear bells on a summer day.
“Do we stay and referee or do we go home?” she asked.
“I think Winnie can handle the two of them. Let’s watch how this unfolds from home. Unless you’d care to spend a few days in the sun.”
“A vacation does sound nice,” she murmured with a longing look at the ocean.
“A vacation it is.” He handed her his wallet, and nodded toward the hotel. “A suite for each of us. Let Carlyle figure out his own arrangements. I’ll be back after I make arrange for your mother’s care with Summer.”
“Top of the line?”
“Of course! Anything less would be uncivilized for a Thorne.”
Her laughter made him smile. She was a breath of fresh air on an otherwise dreary day.
Winnie and Rafe settled poolside and were joined a short while later by her sister, bearing a tray of fruity drinks.
“We intend to sightsee this afternoon. Do you care to join us?” Rafe asked Spring.
She shot an inquiring look at Winnie.
“I don’t mind if you want to go,” Winnie said as she took a drink from the tray Spring held. “It’s up to you. Rafe has promised an amazing time.”
“What about Zane?” Spring asked quietly.
“His wants don’t weigh into this, sister.”
“Can we talk privately for a minute?”
Rafe rose in one swift, graceful movement. “I have phone calls to make.” He checked his watch. “Would you like to meet up again in about one hour?”
“That works.”
He gave a slight nod. “Until then, ladies.”
Both sisters admired his backside as he strode away.
“You sure know how to pick hot men,” Spring sighed.
Winnie snorted a laugh and sipped her drink.
“Are you truly through with Zane, Winnie?”
“Yes.”
“When he showed up last night and found you missing, he was frantic.”
Unable to picture Zane in a frantic state, Winnie rolled her eyes. “Right.”
“You weren’t there. You didn’t see him. He tore through the house like it was on fire.”
Winnie sat upright and placed a leg on either side of her lounger. “You know what, Spring, I don’t care. He left me—after telling me he loved me—and went into the arms of another woman. He’s a liar and a player.”
“That’s not what happened,” Zane’s deep voice said from behind her.
She didn’t bother to turn. “Go peddle your lies elsewhere, Zane. I don’t believe you anymore.”
“Win, you have to give me a chance to explain.”
The imploring note in his voice tore at Winnie’s heart, but she shut down that avenue of feeling. She met Spring’s concerned gaze and shook her head. “You don’t have to worry for me, sister. I’m perfectly fine.” Her insides tightened in response to her own fib.
Spring shifted forward to touch her hand. “Do you want me to stay?”
“Not unless you want to.”
Her sister’s troubled green gaze shot to Zane. Whatever she saw in his face must have persuaded her to give them privacy. Spring patted Winnie’s hand and left without a backward glance.
When he settled on Spring’s empty chair, Winnie laughed harshly. “You certainly have her fooled.”
“I didn’t feel like your initial explanation in the glen was enough,” Zane stated. “I was hurt by what you had done. Angry that I almost died. But there you stood, all tears and apologies, and it wasn’t enough, Win. It didn’t erase eight years of trickery.”
“So you had the idea to pay me back. To sleep with me, make me fall for you, and then break my heart.” She didn’t need to ask; his motives were crystal clear.
“Yes.”
Hearing him admit it somehow hurt worse. Not that Winnie wanted Zane to lie or deny what he’d planned, but the raw honesty stung. She cleared her throat. “Well, you can congratulate yourself on a well-executed plan.”
“That’s just the thing, Win, I can’t.” He sat forward. “I made a terrible mistake. I fell in love with you.”
It was a mistake to love her? “Wow.”
“I do love you,” Zane insisted, misunderstanding her disbelief.
She twisted to face him. “You don’t. Love isn’t about one-upmanship. It isn’t about payback or bitterness or whatever the hell else is going on in your sick, twisted mind.” She inhaled a steadying breath. “It’s about setting aside hurt and learning to see things from the other person’s perspective. It’s about forgiveness and understanding. About making sure your mate’s needs are met by putting them first. You’re too selfish to understand this.”
“I’m not.”
“You are. I should’ve remembered that lesson from our first time in the clearing.” She gathered her beach wrap around her and tied it at her hip. “I’m sorry I did what I did. I’ve said as much. But that gave you no right to purposely try to destroy my sense of self. To trick me into loving you, and then stomp on that love by cheating on me.”
“I didn’t cheat, Win.”
Finally, her fury kicked in. With it, so did the wind. Black storm clouds rolled in at such a high rate of speed, people scattered like ants. “You did. I saw you,” she snarled.
Lightning struck two hundred feet away. Still, Zane and Winnie stayed visually locked onto one another.
“You spied on me when I left last night,” he stated flatly.
She gave a sharp nod. “I did.”
“You saw me drive to Nashville, have a drink with an old lover, and share a lukewarm kiss.”
“Since I wasn’t in your shoes, I couldn’t tell you how lukewarm it was, but it looked pretty heated from my viewpoint.”
“
Then you would’ve seen and heard the rest.”
She rose to her feet. “No. Witnessing your initial behavior was enough, thank you.”
He stood and towered over her. “She isn’t you, Win. Her kiss didn’t move me in the least. But I’m grateful for it.”
She couldn’t believe her ears. Couldn’t believe how he justified his outrageous behavior and expected her to be understanding and forgiving. “Well, bully for you, Zane. I’m so happy that cheating with another woman provided you with whatever you were looking for.”
Unable to bear another second of his presence, Winnie turned away.
“You misunderstand me. I’m grateful for the kiss because it proved to me no other woman makes me feel the way that you do. It made me realize how much I love you. How much I want our relationship to be real.”
Without facing him, she said, “Too bad for you. Our relationship is as dead as my feelings for you.”
“I don’t believe you. You don’t mean that,” he protested.
“I honestly don’t care what you believe, Zane. But I’m trying to enjoy a much-needed vacation. I’d thank you to get lost.”
He surged forward and grabbed her arm. “I don’t believe you because your emotions are evident in the very air around us. The storm, the wind, the bending trees. That’s all you, Win. And if the magic is that strong, then the emotion behind it must be stronger.”
The wind picked up to tropical storm force gale. The pool furniture around them crashed together. “What do you want from me, Zane? What? Tell me. You want me to say I’m sorry for my actions? I already did that, but I’ll say it again. I’m sorry I stole your memories. You want me to love you? I did that, too. But the man I fell in love with wasn’t you. It was only someone you pretended to be. There is nothing left.”
The air stilled around them.
“I have nothing left,” she whispered. “If you ever had even a small ounce of affection for me, one kind thought, you’d leave me alone. I’m empty.”
“Win.” His voice was achingly sweet. Longing and regret weighed heavily in that one word.
But she couldn’t trust him. Couldn’t trust from one moment to the next what he was planning. Couldn’t trust that his temper wouldn’t send him over the edge of reason. Zane’s affection, if he truly cared, was unstable at best, and Winnie couldn’t live that way.
