Charmed Spirits (7 page)

God…that
kiss. He hadn’t planned on it. He’d been so wrapped up in his emotions that
Jordan’s warm little body next to him had made him want more…more than just
whatever time she’d give him. He’d placed his mouth against hers but couldn’t
move the last fraction of space. Thankfully, she’d kissed him back.

So
warm.

Wet.

Matt
shook his head. It wouldn’t be good to show up with an erection at her
doorstep. She might take one look down and slam the door in his face. Or worse,
find a potion in her spell book to make it fall off or turn green or something.
He’d had enough of her potions for a lifetime. He might have loved her once, if
not still, but he couldn’t be part of her magic. It had destroyed his life. He
could watch her from afar and appreciate it, knowing it was a deep and integral
part of her, but he couldn’t be part of it.

Not
again.

Matt
got out of the Chevy, adjusted his dick so the zipper didn’t dig in quite as
much, and started to her door. He clenched his fists and shook his head. Why the
hell was he so nervous? He was acting like a fucking teenager.

As
he raised his fist to knock, the door swung open, and he almost choked. Dear.
God. She was breathtaking. She wore dark jeans that made her long legs look
edible, legs that would look even better wrapped around his waist. He moved so
his cock wouldn’t have a zipper tattoo. Her black boots went up to her knees,
but she didn’t have those spiky heels that she sometimes wore. Good, because he
didn’t want her to fall on the almost icy sidewalks. She wore a bright red top
with that swoop neck thing that made him want to lick the curve and down to the
valley of her breasts. She’d put on a leather jacket, and Matt wanted to take
her against the wall.

Hard.

His
cock sliding into her pussy, her nails digging into his back…

“Matt?
Are you okay? You just groaned.” Jordan placed her hand on his arm, and he
swore he saw sparks.

He
swallowed and nodded. “I’m great. You just look fucking amazing.”
Smooth,
Romeo
.

She
blushed and kissed him softly on the mouth. He wrapped his arms around her so
his hands settled in the small of her back and pulled her closer. He didn’t
deepen the kiss—he didn’t want to rush her—but he did lengthen it. God…her
taste. Like sweet berries and lilac. He could drown in it and be a happy man.

She
moaned, and he pulled back.

“Wow,”
she whispered.

He
kissed her nose and smiled. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

She
looked up at him, her hazel eyes imploring. “Should we be doing this?”

“Yes.”
He didn’t hesitate. It might—no, would—end horribly when she left and he had to
watch her go. But he wanted whatever time they had.

“Okay.”
She smiled, kissed him on the cheek, and led the way to his truck.

They
piled in and sat for a second. “So, I suck at this apparently. Where do you
want to go?”

She
laughed, and he joined her. “You didn’t plan our first date?” She batted her
eyelashes, and he ran his thumb down her jaw. He loved it when her breath
caught, and her pupils widened. So responsive, his Jordan.

When
he could speak, he cleared his throat. “This is Holiday, Jordan. I could take
you down to the lake so we could neck or we can go to my place. The movie theater
doesn’t play its movie until Friday, so you’re stuck with my boring plans.”

She
shook her head, her long sable locks falling around her face. He tucked a
strand behind her ear, so soft.

“I
keep forgetting how small this town is.”

“It’s
not your big city, that’s for sure.”

She
gave him a wry look. “Don’t go playing lonesome cowboy with me, Matt Cooper. I
know all your tricks.”

He
held up his hands in mock surrender. “That wasn’t a line, darlin’.”
Much
.
“Why don’t you pick the place? I’ve been everywhere a hundred times.”

“How
about we grab a bite at the diner and see where it goes from there?”

“The
diner? Where we ate yesterday?”

“Is
there anywhere else to eat around here?”

He
shook his head. “Not unless I cook for you. Which I just might do later on if
you’d like.”

She
gave him a warm smile. “That sounds awesome. Too bad we didn’t think of it
before hand.”

“I
had to work all day as it was. That’s why I didn’t come help work on the house.”
He put the truck in gear and drove down the road to the diner.

“It’s
fine. You don’t have to help every day. It’s already looking completely
re-vamped as it is.” She looked out the window, so he couldn’t see her face.
“It won’t be long now.”

He
gripped the steering well as he heard what went unsaid.
And I’ll be gone.
Damn. He was setting himself up for heartbreak, but he didn’t much care. He
needed her.

He
parked, and they got out, the wind biting into his skin as he lifted the collar
of his coat. Jordan hadn’t waited for him to help her out of the truck, but she
did come around and grip his hand.

Ah,
marking her territory. He liked it.

He
pulled her closer, and they entered the diner. Ally waved and went through the
door in the back. He followed Jordan to the back corner booth and slid in
beside her.

She
raised a brow. “You aren’t going to sit on the other side? Doesn’t it look
weird?”

He
shrugged. “So? I want to sit next to my woman.”

“Your
woman?” Her eyes twinkled with mirth.

“Got
a problem with that?”

“Not
really.”

“Good.”

“Look
at you two,” Ally teased.

“Nice
to see you Ally,” Matt said. “What would you like, Jordan?”

She
gave him a look that reminded him of her temper since she clearly didn’t like
being teased. Damn, it was good to be back. “I’d like a Diet Coke and some of
that pot roast I smell. It made my stomach rumble as soon as we walked in.”

Ally
nodded. “I swear I could gain ten pounds just smelling it. What about you,
Matt?”

“Same
thing for me but make mine a Coke.”

“Be
back with your drinks.” Ally hurried off and went to another table. That woman
worked too hard, and Matt wished there was something he could do about it.
Short of handing her money—which she would never accept—he came up with
nothing.

“She’s
doing okay, isn’t she?” Jordan asked in a hushed voice.

Matt
shook his head. “I don’t quite know.”

“Damn,
I was afraid of that.”

“My
brothers and I are watching out for her. She and her kids will never go hungry
or homeless, but I wish there was a way we could ease her burden.”

“You’re
a good man, Matt Cooper.”

He
kissed her nose and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “You’re not too bad
yourself, Jordan Cross.”

“Ah,
good to find the two of you here. Together,” Prescott sneered as he walked
toward them.

Fuck,
this whole routine was getting old.

“Prescott.”
Matt gave the man a head-tilt. He didn’t want to cause a scene and beat the man
to a bloody pulp while the asshat cried for his momma. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
Okay, that sounded a bit sarcastic. Sue him.

“I
just wanted to give you an update on my project.”

Matt
squeezed Jordan’s shoulder as she stiffened. “Yes?”

Prescott
fiddled with his too-shiny tie. “I’ve put the vote on the agenda for the next
council meeting. The fate of
both
houses will be decided then. But don’t
get your hopes up. I’m not the only one who wants those monstrosities gone. It’s
time we cleaned up our trash.” The bastard turned to Jordan, and Matt wanted to
kill him. Slowly. “Sadly, you aren’t able to vote, Jordan, since you aren’t a
town member.”

Matt
held both of them back from slapping the smug look from the prick’s face.

“Actually,
Prescott,” Jordan said, “I
can
vote. I’m the sole owner of my
grandmother’s house, which is a historic town property. That gives me the
right
to vote for my home.”

As
much as Matt was proud of her for standing up for herself, he had to try hard
not to put too much emphasis in the fact that she’d called it her home.

Prescott
waved his hand around. “Fine, whatever you want, witch.”

Matt
stood and went nose to nose with the fucker, but Jordan held him back a bit so
he wouldn’t actually kill the man.

“Don’t
push me, Matt. You may have some pull because of your name and the fact that my
sister has put her delusional hopes on you, but remember, I’m the mayor.”

“You
need to walk away from our table. Now,” Matt growled.

“Whatever.
Just remember your place.” With that, he flounced out of the diner.

Matt
seethed, his blood boiling. “What do you say we take our meals to go?” He
looked around the quiet diner as the customers did their best to look like they
hadn’t just witnessed the very public scene.

“Sounds
good.”

“I’ll
go pack it up now,” Ally said, anger across her face as well. “Thanks for not
hitting him here. But I’ll help hold your coat later if you want.”

Matt
laughed, the tension easing out of him a bit. “Thanks for that.”

Ally
smiled and gave them their bags. “No problem.”

He paid,
leaving a huge tip, and walked to his Chevy, Jordan by his side.

“Want
to eat in my apartment?” he asked after they’d sat in silence for a few minutes.

“I’d
like that. I’ve never seen your place.”

He
shrugged as he pulled out onto the road in the direction of the hardware store.
“It’s not much, just a small one-bedroom apartment above my store.”

“But
it’s yours.” Her voice held such awe and pride that he fell just that much more
in love with her. Dangerous.

“I’d
like more one day.”

“I
know what you mean.” Such a wistful tone. That little part of him that made bad
decisions wanted to hope she’d give up this notion of leaving and make her home
here…with him.

But
he couldn’t force her. She was as independent as any badass chick. Which was
why he loved her because she was so different from him, but so his.

When
they arrived and walked upstairs, he led her through the front door, set their
food on the counter, and watched her reaction. She surveyed the room, her hands
on her hips and a frown on her face.

“What?”
he asked, utterly confused at her reaction.

“It
isn’t what I was expecting.” She sat down on his couch, undid her boots—
sexy
—and
crossed her legs.

He
put their food on the coffee table and sat next to her, loving the way her body
settled close to his. “What were you expecting? A bachelor pad?”

“I
don’t know. It was a cross between something art deco and flashy and a locker
room.” She smiled wryly and took a bite of her mashed potatoes. He watched her tongue
dart out to lick the plastic fork, and he bit back a groan.

He
looked around his home with its browns and soft creams, comfy couches, and
pictures of his family on the walls. Not at all what she had imagined. He
shrugged. “I like my home. I don’t like clutter, and I’m not a sleaze.” With
that, he took a bite of his pot roast. “Oh God, I think I’ve died. They out did
themselves this time.”

Jordan
laughed then took another big bite. “Okay, eat first and savor. We can talk
later.”

“Deal.”

When
they were finished, he threw away the containers, grabbed a couple of beers,
and sat back on the couch. He took a long pull from his, utterly content to sit
in silence with Jordan in his arms. He thought, though, if she didn’t quit
rubbing against him like that, he might have to change their positions and see
if her skin still tasted like ripe berries.

Damn
erection.

“You’re
warm,” she whispered, her words trailing tingles down his skin.

“Better
to warm you with, my dear,” he teased.

She
leaned up and pressed her lips to his. He put down his beer, did the same to
hers, then framed her face in his hands. He pulled back, his breath quickening.

“I
like kissing you,” she moaned, her lips wet, begging for him to nibble—so he
did.

“I
like kissing you too.” He sucked in her bottom lip then bit it. She gasped, and
he laved the sting. She shifted, and he pulled her onto his lap so her core was
right above his dick. When she rolled her hips, he let out a groan.

“Happy
to see me, are you?”

His
cock saluted, and he smiled. “God, yes.” He let his hands trail up her back
underneath her shirt, her skin scalding hot against his palms.

They
kissed, licked, and nibbled, their moans loud in his quiet apartment. He held
her tighter, and she pulled back.