Cajun Magic 01 - Voodoo on the Bayou (19 page)

“Don’t say something you don’t mean,” she continued. “Our time together is limited, so let’s not muddy it with false sentiment.” If he said something he didn’t mean, she’d leave Bayou Miste with a broken heart.

Craig’s frown deepened. “You know, for a smart lady, you’ve got a lot to learn about relationships.”

“And you’re the expert?” She leaned away from him allowing his flaccid length to slide free. When she glanced up, headlights hit her full in the face. “Oh shit. There’s a car coming.” She rolled over the console, banging her knee on the shift. “Ouch. I thought you said this road was deserted?”

“It usually is.” Craig struggled to get his jeans up, buttoned and zipped. He levered his seat into an upright position.

Red, blue, and gold lights strobed behind the car.

“Damn.”

“Cops?” Elaine squealed and fought to shimmy her twisted dress up over her breasts and down over her hips. She’d just covered the important stuff when a flashlight beam pierced the interior of the car.

“Craig, is that you?”

He pulled the edges of his shirt together and glanced over at her. Apparently satisfied she was decent, he rolled the window down. “Hey Billy Ray, whatcha doing way out here on a Tuesday night?”

A man dressed in a dark uniform sporting a polished gold badge peered through the window, shining his light into her eyes and down over her breasts. “Usually find some kids working on increasing the population of the parish. Could happen any night of the week, but especially on ladies night at the Raccoon Saloon.” His light panned the interior of the car until it lit on the rearview mirror where Elaine’s strapless bra dangled.

If she could have sunk through the floorboard, she would have. Of all the stupid, adolescent stunts to pull…

Her embarrassment faded, pushed out by the elation of having done something she’d missed out on in high school. She’d necked in a car with a boy, and she’d been caught doing something naughty by the police! What an achievement. She only wished she had a girlfriend to share it with over a cup of hot cocoa.

“You okay there, Miss?” Billy Ray asked, practically poking his head into the narrow window. “Craig ain’t pullin’ a fast one on you is he? I could haul him in, if you want.” The officer grinned. “Can’t think of anything I’d like better. I’m sure I owe him one or two for all the pranks he pulled on me back when we were kids.”

Craig frowned. “She’s fine, Billy Ray. Now, could you scram?”

“I didn’t hear the lady say she’s fine.” Billy Ray planted his feet wide and crossed his arms. “Well, are you, miss?”

She struggled to keep a straight face and answered him with all the gravity befitting an officer of the law. “Yes, sir, I’m fine.”

The deputy’s arms dropped to his sides. “Rats. I could have used a little excitement. You two shouldn’t be hangin’ out on this old road. Sets a bad example for the teenagers. Now, get on outta here.”

“Will do.” Craig rolled up the window, revved the engine and spun the car in a circle to head back up the road.

Before they cleared the headlights of the police cruiser, she exploded, laughing so hard she clutched her sides.

“What’s so damn funny?” Craig asked, his voice a little on the cranky side.

She gasped for air. “I’ve never… You should have… I can’t believe…” Giggles interrupted every sentence she attempted until she gave up and doubled over.

When she could finally sit up and breathe, she glanced over at him.

His lips quivered and jerked upward on the corners. “You’re some kind of nutcase.”

She wiped moisture from her eyes. “Why?”

“I’d have thought you’d be mortified beyond belief. Instead, you’re bustin’ a gut.” He reached over and chucked her under the chin, and paused to stroke the side of her cheek.

She leaned into his palm. “It was an experience I’ve never had.” She pressed a kiss to his palm. “I’m glad I got to share it with you.”

For a second, she thought she’d destroyed the moment by her words.

Then, in a quiet voice, he answered, “Yeah. Me, too.”

For the rest of the short ride to the cottage, they held hands. Neither spoke, nor did she feel they needed to.

When he finally pulled into the gravel driveway of her temporary home, he sat for a few moments staring straight ahead. “Elaine?”

“Mm-hmm?” she murmured drowsily, unwilling for the evening to end.

“Did you leave the door open when you left?”

Chapter Eighteen

Elaine shot up and flew out of the BMW before Craig could stop her.

“Damn it!” Before she could put her foot on the porch, he caught up with her, grasping her arm. “Wait.”

“All my equipment is in there!”

“Yeah, and whoever broke in might be, too.” No way was she going in there before he’d made sure it was safe. He crossed in front of her, keeping a tight hold on her hand, forcing her behind him. “Go back to the car.”

“No. This is my stuff.”

He pushed out an exasperated breath. The woman was as stubborn as they came. “Then stay behind me.”

“Okay, but don’t do anything macho.”

He eased forward. “What? You mean you care?” he asked flippantly, his eyes focused fully on the house before him. But his mind was divided between possibly nabbing the bad guy and hearing her answer.

“No more so than you,” she shot back.

Boy, that was a non-answer if ever he’d heard one. “Hey, if anyone’s in there, I’ve got a gun the size of a bazooka and I’m not afraid to use it!” he called out.

Elaine whacked him on the arm. “You don’t have a gun.”

“I know that and you know that, but if there’s someone in there, he won’t know that. Well, he will now that we’ve discussed it loud enough for the entire parish to hear.”

“I think whoever was here is gone now.”

“It pays to be cautious.” He crept up to the side of the open door and took a look. The interior was dark and still. A shaft of light shining in from the fractional moon revealed upset furniture and a clutter of items strewn across the floor. “Geez.”

“Geez what?” She jerked her hand loose and stepped around him to flip the light switch. “Geez.”

The light illuminated the devastation. Craig listened for sounds of movement, but none came from inside.

“Oh, no.” Elaine clapped a hand to her mouth. Her eyes filled with tears.

He spotted a spray-painted message on the wall.
Go home, or die!

For the first time since he’d come face to face with a hungry alligator at the tender age of twelve, Craig knew real, gut-wrenching fear. The threat was written in red paint across the wall of the living room and it was aimed at this scientist he’d come to admire. A person who wanted to help the swamps become a better place. The woman who’d managed to touch him as no other.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We can repaint the walls, and I won’t let anything happen to you,” he promised, wondering how in hell he could keep that promise when he turned back into a frog in a few hours. “I’m calling the police.”

“No, don’t. I don’t care about the paint.” Her voice caught on a sob and with a shaking hand, she pointed to a metal object lying amid the strewn papers and books. “My microscope,” she whispered.

Leaving her side, Craig gathered the cold metal from the floor. He looked inside the lens and twisted the viewfinder until the image cleared. “The lens is intact.”

“Oh, thank God,” she took it from him and stared through the lens. Then she clutched it to her chest, tears slipping down her cheeks. “My parents gave me this microscope before they died.”

“I didn’t know your parents weren’t alive.” Craig frowned. He realized he didn’t know a lot about Elaine, and he wanted very much to learn more.

“I was in the last year of my master’s program when they were killed in a car wreck.”

“How old were you?”

“Twenty.”

“Twenty?” Craig did a double-take. “You were twenty finishing your masters?”

“Yes.” Elaine’s back stiffened and her chin raised a notch higher.

“Damn, were you some kind of brainiac?”

She winced. More tears welled in her eyes and spilled over.

He immediately felt like a clod. He reached out to take her into his arms.

Like an animal avoiding the trap, she jerked his hands loose and backed away. “I guess leopard frogs can’t change their spots.”

He let his arms fall to his sides. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh what’s the use?” She hugged the microscope to her chest and studied the floor. “Even with the provocative dress and haircut, I still don’t fit in any more than I did growing up.”

“What do you mean ‘fit in?’”

She turned and walked a few steps away. “I finished my undergraduate degree when most kids were graduating high school. I never knew what it was like to be a teenager because I was never around kids my own age.”

The pain in her voice drew him forward. “So, that’s why you’ve never been out necking.” He slipped his arms around her and her microscope and pulled her back against him. He leaned forward and nuzzled her neck. “I would never have guessed. You were fantastic.”

Slowly, her body relaxed into his. With a deep sigh, she leaned her head back onto his shoulder, giving his lips full range of her neck. “Do you really think of me as a brainiac?”

The hope in her voice was almost his undoing. Craig turned her in his arms and tipped her chin up, forcing her to look into his eyes. “I’m very much attracted by your intelligence and passion for knowledge. And your bravery to face your deepest fears humbles me. And babe, in that blue dress,
mon Dieu
, you’re incredibly hot. But even in khaki slacks at the bottom of a boat, I can’t keep my hands off you.” He proved it by sliding his hands down her back and over her rounded buttocks.

His movements had the desired effect when the remaining tension in her body eased and she snuggled against him. “You’re not just saying this to get me in bed, are you?”

“Will it help?” He grinned.

She backed away enough to look at him warily.

Immediately, he wiped the stupid look from his face. “No really, I’m telling you the truth.”

Her creamy breasts pushed up out of the strapless top of her go-to-hell dress, beckoning him.

He leaned down to press his lips to the cleavage before he looked back up into her eyes. “And, if you look like the sexiest devil with that blue dress, that’s just icing on the cake.”

“It’s not even my dress.” Her hands slipped around his waist and dropped down to slide into his rear pockets.

He found it difficult to concentrate with her hands in his back pockets. Every movement was an incredible turn on, even without having skin-to-skin contact. “I really should call the police.”

“Later,” she whispered.

Later he’d be a frog and she’d be unprotected.

She pressed her lips to his neck.

He almost forgot everything but the tingle of sensations. “I should at least call my uncle.”

“Will your uncle be upset about the damage to his house?” Her tongue did wicked things to his earlobe.

“Uncle, who?” His hands tangled in her hair and he pulled her head back for better access to her soft lips.

Her eyelids drooped over near-black irises.

“I can’t think when I’m with you.” He touched his mouth to hers, barely brushing the skin in an erotic, feathery stroke.

“My brain’s clouding too,” she whispered huskily.

He kissed her again.

“What’s my name?” Her hands circled his head and brought him back to her.

“It’s Elaine,” he answered and claimed her lips, skimming his tongue past her teeth.

The fire in his chest scorched his veins, making a beeline to his groin. His hands circled her waist and he pressed his bulging zipper against her tummy. “I find you far too fascinating for my own good.”

“Me too,” she whispered.

“And even though tonight wasn’t my first time necking—” he could feel her stiffening “—it was the best time I’ve ever had in a bucket seat. You were so incredibly—” his lips hovered over hers “—hot.”

She rose up on her toes to meet his kiss. Her tongue tangled and teased while her hands tugged his shirt from his trousers. Then soft fingers ran up his back and down into the waistline of his jeans. She ground her hips into his, pressing the thin fabric of her dress against the hardened ridge of his desire.

Without pulling away, he said into her mouth, “Woman you’re killing me.”

She backed up in his arms and did an amazing thing for Elaine. She batted her eyes and smiled teasingly. “I’m sorry, should I stop?”

He had never seen her do this before. “Are you flirting with me?”

Her smile faded, and she blushed a devilish shade of pink. “I’ve been taking lessons.”

“Lessons in flirting?” Craig couldn’t believe it. The woman who knew more about science than he’d ever known or wanted to know had to learn how to flirt. For him? “You really did miss out on the finer things in life didn’t you?”

“Yes.” Again, her chin rose and a little frown wrinkled the skin between her eyes. “But I’m a quick learner.”

“And, pray tell, who would be teaching you how to flirt?”

“My new friends, Josie and Miz Mozelle.” She braced her hands on his arms to push him away.

“What else did they teach you?” Craig’s hold tightened. “Although, I’m afraid to ask.”

“Let me go, and I’ll show you.” Her voice dropped to a husky whisper.

Like a shot, he dropped her arms and practically salivated for her next demonstration. He wasn’t disappointed.

She stepped away, turned around, and walked toward the tiny bedroom, her back to him, her hips swaying enticingly with every step. When she reached the threshold, she squared her shoulders. Then she planted a hand on one hip, and swinging a shoulder back where he could view the profile of one breast, shot a come-hither smile in his direction. “Follow me, Cajun.”

The blue dress, the come-hither look, and those incredible already-been-kissed lips reached out imaginary fingers, grabbed his manhood and jerked him forward. “Remind me to thank those ladies.”

He swept in behind her and pressed his hips to her backside. With a slow, not-so-steady hand, he ran his fingers up the curve of her waist to cup that tantalizing breast. “I never knew school could be so exhilarating.”

“
Beb
, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”

…

Craig glanced over Elaine’s naked shoulder at the clock and stifled a groan. With his body spooning her backside, he wanted nothing more than to lie in bed and make love to her into the light of the early morning. In fact, making love to her could easily become a twenty-four-seven occupation, and he’d be perfectly happy.

Who needed a successful law practice? Especially when it didn’t provide nearly as much satisfaction as lying here with Elaine?

He groaned inwardly. Dawn would come and he’d be a frog in a few short minutes. He needed to get to his uncle before he transformed.

With one last, gentle squeeze of her warm breast, he slipped out of the bed and into his clothes.

She rolled onto her back, one arm flung over the pillow next to hers. A small frown wrinkled her brow, but she didn’t wake.

He leaned close, drinking in how her naturally dark eyelashes fanned out over her cheekbones and her tangled hair stood out darkly against the white sheets. He pressed a kiss to her lips, then turned and left before he couldn’t.

He picked his way through the living room, avoiding broken glass and crinkly paper. The angry red writing on the wall sent a chill through his soul, strengthening his resolve to take the person responsible apart, limb by limb.

A quick glance at the lightening sky forced Craig into a jog to his uncle’s house. He needed to warn Uncle Joe to keep an eye on Elaine during the day and not to let her out on the swamp under any circumstances.

He bounded up the last few steps up to the front porch of Uncle Joe’s house and pounded on the door. The white clapboard house could have been identical to the one Elaine slept in a few doors down. Another glance at the sky and Craig banged even louder.

From inside the house sounds of furniture crashing to the floor were followed by loud cursing.

“Come on, Uncle Joe!” Craig shouted.

The sun popped up over the horizon. Craig’s skin and bones tightened, shrinking and contracting.
Damn
.

The front porch light glared to life, temporarily blinding Craig.

“Who the hell’s knockin’ on my door at this time of the mornin’?” When Uncle Joe, wearing only black boxer shorts decorated with bright red and pink hearts, opened the front door, the morphing was halfway over.

Craig hunkered in a squatting position, his features half man, half frog. “Uncle Joe,” Craig croaked. His words were barely understandable.

“That you, Craig?” Uncle Joe rubbed his eyes and peered closer. “You look a little green around the gills, boy.” He chuckled.

Alternating between words and croaking, Craig fought to get his message across before the transformation was complete. “Elaine…trouble…don’t—”

Three words. Three lousy words. The transformation complete, he sat with his belly on the floor kicking himself for not getting there earlier.

“What’s that, Craig?” Uncle Joe squatted down. “I didn’t understand a single word you said.” He smiled wryly. “You really need to find you a woman.”

Like I don’t know that?

“Joe, honey, is there someone at the door?” called a familiar female voice Craig couldn’t quite put a name to.

Uncle Joe turned to yell, “No, sweet thang, musta been the wind.”

Uncle Joe had a female friend sleeping with him? Interesting. Craig peered around his uncle’s leg, but couldn’t see anything in the darkened house.

“You gonna make it back to the bait shop all right?”

Craig nodded his froggy head.

“Snookems, you comin’ back to bed?” called the voice from inside the darkened house.

His uncle’s face turned beet-red in the porch light. “Gotta go.”

As the door closed, Craig turned to hop off the porch. He needed to get back to Elaine. Even if he couldn’t do anything to protect her, he could at least keep an eye on her.

…

The sun streaked through the window and shone across the bed before Elaine budged from sleep. Without opening her eyes, she indulged in a long stretch in the warmth of the late morning sun. Wouldn’t it be nice to make love all day long? Maybe she’d look for Craig today and suggest it.

Her eyes popped open, and she sat up in bed. Was she actually considering propositioning a man in broad daylight? Her? Elaine Smith? Social cripple and egg-head extraordinaire?