Broomstick Breakdown

Chapter Four

The next morning, even though he moved cautiously, she woke when he left the bed to closet himself in the bathroom. If she were smart, she’d leave right now. But she still needed to get to the gathering, not to mention make him forget. The sound of the shower galvanized her, and after pulling out clean clothes from her seemingly bottomless purse, she dressed quickly. When he emerged, his hair damp, she’d managed to compose herself, a state of mind she almost lost at the sight of him.

Why does he have to be so bloody gorgeous?

All the explanations she’d prepared to justify her hysterical actions of a few hours ago ended up unnecessary, for when he spoke it was only to say, “Ready to go? We’ll grab some food on the way.”

Then he walked out of the motel room to the truck. After taking a deep breath, she followed, only shivering slightly when he gave her a boost into the passenger seat.

They traveled in almost virtual silence, although she could see him eye her from time to time, his mouth opening and closing as if he wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words.

Sophia felt a stupid desire to come clean and explain everything to him. Hi, I’m a witch, and I’ve cast a spell on you. When it wears off, want to go for coffee then some nookie if in fact your desire for me is real? But, oh, just so you know, it can never go any further than great sex. Even in her head it sounded crazy. No, she needed to stick to her original plan, which in just a little while would have him leave her life forever and, with the spell of forgetfulness, never even remember he’d met her. The prospect did not cheer her.

They pulled into the parking lot for the Covenhouse Inn, and suddenly Sophia, so eager to get here when she’d started her trip what seemed like ages ago, wished they’d never arrived. In a moment she would wipe Aidan’s mind clean and send him on his way. He’d go back to his life and the garage, with no memory of her. And in order to ensure he didn’t remember things she’d accidentally let slip, she couldn’t even visit him and pretend to meet him again for the first time. She lacked the skill to make her spell strong enough to withstand a test like that.

“So, how long is this convention thing going to last? Should I wait up for you?”

Sophia swallowed hard as a vision of him half-naked and lounging on white sheets filled her mind. Heat rushed through her, which made her cheeks blossom with color.

With an almost inaudible growl, he leaned over and kissed her hard.

Sophia allowed it for a moment, and the fire and urgency his lips imparted made her regret even more keenly what she had to do. She pulled back before she could change her mind. She opened the door, then turned sideways and slid out of the truck, stumbling a little as she hit the pavement. He leaned over the seat and stared down at her, questions in his eyes. This close it was an easy matter for her to mutter the words to the spell, sadness tainting the energy she formed and shaped into a pattern of forgetfulness. She flung the result at him.

His eyes widened, and in a rush she spoke. “You will forget ever meeting me. Last night after closing up, you felt an urge to go for a drive. You went farther than expected. But now you need to go home, back to your life, and forget you ever met me.” His eyes clouded with hurt, then confusion. She bit her lip in an attempt to not cry, not understanding why this affected her so. She whirled and walked away, her steps heavy and her heart a dead weight in her chest.

A part of her hoped she’d failed in her spell and that at any moment she would feel his hands on her, spinning her around to tell her magic would never make him forget. Instead, the heavy rumble of his truck engine filled the air, a sound that receded as he drove away from her.

Blinded by tears, she told herself it was for the best. A human and a witch-it would have never worked. But, oh, how I wish things could have been different.

Aidan slammed the steering wheel and cursed as he drove away from his mate. She’d rejected him. Sent him away as if he meant nothing. Could his senses be wrong? Was she not his mate? His wolf growled in his mind. No, I’m not wrong. She is mine. But what had just happened then? Did she not feel the same magnetic draw?

Too upset to pay attention to the road, he pulled over a few miles away and thought. She’d never explained why she’d gotten so upset when he’d pleasured her-a pleasure quickly disrupted. What caused her hysterics? She’d wanted his touch, there was no denying it, yet she’d acted guilty. Could she possibly have a boyfriend already back home? Aidan’s wolf side growled menacingly, angry at the thought, but the idea bothered Aidan’s human side even more. She is mine. I will allow no other to touch her.

As he let his mind work over the few facts he had, it occurred to him that she had to be single. She didn’t have the scent of another man clinging to her, and surely a lover would have kissed her goodbye. He also realized in retrospect, she hadn’t been unaffected by their parting. He’d let his hurt cloud his mind, but when he thought back on their last moment together, he could see her eyes swimming in tears.

And then he cursed himself for an idiot. Even if she didn’t have a boyfriend, it could be that her reluctance lay in another direction. Sophia didn’t know what he was. She thought him a mere human, while she was a witch. If her coven was anything like his pack, humans, especially those privy to their secrets, were more than rare. It was quite possible she’d felt like she had no choice but to send him away.

Fat chance of that. Like it or not, she was his. He’d let her have her little witchy celebration for Halloween. However, he’d be nearby, and once the gathering was done, he’d turn the tables and become the one giving the orders-and pleasure.

And somewhere in there, he’d share the truth of what he was and what she meant to him.