Davis, Liz - Under His Spell (Siren Publishing Classic)

LIZ DAVIS

Copyright © 2011

Chapter One

The aroma of coffee greeted Lynn as she walked through the doors of the coffeehouse, filling her nostrils with its rich, delicious scent. The coffee shop had a nice, cozy atmosphere with red velvet armchairs and small circular tables. Contemporary music floated from the speakers, mingling with the sound of the cappuccino machine.

Making her way over to the counter, she ordered her usual, which was a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin. Then she walked over to her favorite table next to the window. After setting her coffee and pastry down, she took a seat, cracking open the book she’d brought along. It was an adventure novel, something she’d picked up from the library a few days ago. So far it was turning out to be an interesting read, but she was only partially paying attention to it.

The coffeehouse was getting busier, and soon a small line began to form in front of the cashier. A certain person in line really caught her attention, and while she couldn’t see his face, the view from behind was very nice. He was tall, around six feet two, and had a slim build and well-developed arms. As her eyes moved downward, they came to land on his butt and what she saw impressed her. The man had an ass a Greek god would be jealous of, but what really got her was his long hair. It was black, shiny, and nearly waist length. That long, gorgeous hair was so damn sexy. For as long as she could remember, she’d been irresistibly attracted to men who wore their hair long.

Lynn began to imagine what his face looked like and found herself wondering if he was American Indian. She knew that some of the men wore their hair long due to their cultural beliefs, and the presence he exuded suggested there was something pleasantly different about him. The line moved quickly, and within a few short moments, he was at the front. After giving his order he paid the cashier, then waited for his drink to be prepared. Lynn’s eyes remained fixed upon the tall, long-haired stranger. She impatiently waited for the moment when she would see his face, and as he finally turned toward her she was far from disappointed. To say the man was gorgeous would be an understatement. Simply put, he was masculine beauty. And he was indeed American Indian.

His eyes searched for an empty table, and, spotting one across the way from her, he sat down at it. Lynn felt her heart leap in her chest from the mere presence of him.

Calm down and don’t get so excited. He probably won’t even notice that I’m here. There isn’t a chance I’m even his type, anyhow.

She figured he must have noticed her looking because his eyes met hers in a lingering gaze. She tried to smile, yet found that she couldn’t. She was shy, and being in the presence of this man, who happened to be the epitome of her ultimate fantasy, was nearly overwhelming.

As he picked up his coffee mug, she noticed his hands. They were large, and his fingers were long and slim. He wore rings which were made of turquoise and silver, and as she studied his fingers, she found herself wondering what it would feel like to have them slide across her body. She imagined them moving up her thighs until they reached that place between her legs. Then they would travel further inward until…oh gosh, she had to stop. She couldn’t think of that right now, not here.

As if he’d been reading her thoughts, the long-haired cutie looked up from the magazine he was reading. As his eyes met her own, she felt her stomach do little flips, which was a sure sign that she was nervous. So naturally the next step was for her to turn into an embarrassing, awkward mess.

Oh great
,
that’s just what I need, to turn into a klutzy fool in front of this gorgeous man.

His gaze was intense and unwavering. She allowed her eyes to lock into his for a few short moments but eventually found herself directing her attention elsewhere. She was too shy to keep eye contact and had always been terrible at flirting.

Taking a bite of her muffin, she gazed up from under her lashes every so often to see if he was still looking. He was. Picking up the mug of coffee, she took a large sip. It had grown a bit cold, but she didn’t care. All she needed right now was to create a diversion. Unfortunately she ended up miscalculating the sip she was taking, and some of it dribbled onto her white tank top.

Lynn’s cheeks instantly grew hot from embarrassment, and as she set the coffee mug down she could still feel his eyes glued upon her. Grabbing a napkin from the table, she began patting the stain on her shirt, but it didn’t seem to be doing any good, so she gave up and tossed the napkin aside.

Unable to avoid his stare any longer, Lynn found her gaze being pulled back to his. Those dark, intense eyes of his were still fixated upon her, gazing so intently that it almost seemed as if he were searching for secrets inside of her. The pull he had upon her was magnetizing.

It wasn’t a creepy feeling, but it was rather unusual. He was a complete stranger to Lynn, so why did it seem as if he could view things that were buried deep inside of her? Those eyes of his seemed to penetrate her very being. She couldn’t help feeling intimidated, and yet there was also something very erotic about the way his eyes were watching her.

She still felt incredibly nervous, but she was willing herself to not look away. She’d had stare downs before, but this was beyond that. There was no malice behind this, only curiosity. She’d never had a man look at her in such a way before, and she felt a very strong urge to know who he was. He intrigued her. She wanted to speak to him but didn’t know what to say, so she remained quiet, fixed into that hypnotizing gaze of his.

Her eyes were locked hopelessly into his, and it didn’t seem as if he was planning on releasing them anytime soon, so she just did her best to play it cool. She wasn’t doing a very good job of it though, because the napkin in her hand was being torn to shreds.

Her other hand was balled up nervously in her lap, and her nails were digging into the flesh of her palm, leaving behind little indentations of crescent moons. Lynn was beginning to wonder when and if he was ever going to speak. She kept waiting for him to grow tired of looking at her and unlock her from his gaze, but it still didn’t seem as if he had any intentions of doing so. Neither of them wanted to stop staring. She found herself captivated by his eyes, and there was a strong energy which moved between them, an intense sexual heat. She realized that if a man could do this with his eyes then he must be amazing in bed.

The look in his eyes told her that he was testing her, willing her to look away first, but she was determined not to. She’d invested her energy and willpower and was now determined not to let her nerves get the best of her.

All around her, people were drinking coffee and clattering dishes and talking and laughing, but Lynn barely noticed of any of it. All of that was secondary now. The heated energy between them threatened to consume her, and his dark, sensuous eyes dared her to look away.

Lynn did her best to continue holding his powerful gaze but suddenly came to the realization that she just couldn’t hold out any longer. She tried to stop herself, but against her best intentions, the muscles of her mouth began to curl upward. As a smile spread across her face, he laughed. He knew she had been trying not to and was pleased that he’d managed to put a smile on her face.

She saw he had a beautiful smile, and his eyes seemed to light up with it. Lynn looked sheepishly down into her coffee cup then shyly looked back up at him.

“Excuse me for staring, but I think you’re beautiful.” His voice was sexy and deep.

“Thanks.” If she could have blushed she would have, but her golden-brown skin tone hid her abashment.

When he stood up from the table he was sitting at, she felt her heart drop. She had only just met him, and already he was leaving. It was just her luck. She knew this was too good to be true.

Then suddenly she realized that he was walking over to where she sat, and as he reached her table he glanced down at her and gave her a little smile. “Mind if I share this table with you?”

She felt her heart skip a beat as he said it. “Sure, go ahead.” She was trying to play it cool but knew she was failing miserably. Her voice came out sounding high-pitched. How embarrassing.

Smiling at her, he sat down, setting his coffee mug on the table. Then he wrapped his hands around it, displaying those turquoise rings she loved.

“So, what’s your name?” he asked.

Her eyes focused on his lips, and she wondered what it would be like to kiss him.

“Lynn,” she answered shyly.

“I’m Takoda, nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” she said.

“Are you from around here, Lynn?”

“Well, not originally. I moved to Oregon with my parents when I was sixteen.”

“No,” he said, while laughing. “What I meant was do you live in this neighborhood?” He grinned at her.

Lynn gave an embarrassed smile. “Yeah, I live a few blocks from here.”

“Cool. Well, I’m new to the area, so maybe you can show me around sometime.”

“Yeah, I might be able to do that.”

“Well, don’t sound so excited.” He gave her a little smile.

“No really, I want to. I can show you some great spots to eat at, and there’s even this cool little movie house that shows classic films. It’s great.”

“I’d love that.” He took a sip of his coffee then looked at his watch. “Well, I’ve got to go to work soon. Wish I didn’t have to, though. I’d much rather hang out with you.”

“Yeah, too bad you have to go. Maybe I’ll see you around again sometime.”

Well what are you waiting for? Give him your phone number already.

She really did want to, but she didn’t even have a pen or a piece of paper to write it on. It would look rather awkward to go up to the cashier and ask for a pad and pen. Besides, she was used to having guys ask for her number. She didn’t want to seem desperate.

Don’t wait for him to ask, just do it. What are the chances you’ll see him again?

Takoda took one last sip of coffee, and then he stood up from the chair. “Well I guess I better get out of here. I have a long day ahead of me so I better get on the road.”

Disappointment spread across her face. “Oh, all right. Maybe I’ll see you around, then.”

That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say to him? Girl, this is your only chance. Do something!

He gave her a funny little smile then walked over to a table a few feet away from them.

Lynn’s heart did a complete nosedive. He didn’t even say good-bye. After the intense stare down they’d just had, and that amazing energy which had transgressed between them, all he did was just walk away from her, and that was it? Well, any chance she’d had of getting with him was now nonexistent. How often did she meet foxy Native American men? This was like a once in a lifetime sort of thing, and now he probably thought she’d just blown him off.

Well, it serves you right. You had your chance, and you didn’t take it. Why didn’t you just give him your phone number? Girl, what is wrong with you?

As much as she hated to admit it, the voice was right. Lynn watched as Takoda walked over to another table. The lady who sat at it looked up at him with big eyes, admiring his delicious physique and long, black hair. The adoring look she gave him sent a pang of jealousy through Lynn, but she really couldn’t blame the lady. He was gorgeous and perfect and what woman
wouldn’t
want him?

As Takoda spoke to the woman, she nodded her head, then pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. Takoda took it from her and wrote something on the pad, then tore off the sheet of paper.

Oh great, now he’s giving her his phone number. This has got to be the worst day of my life. I was so close, and I missed my chance. Oh man, this is bad, it’s really bad.

Keeping her eyes planted upon him, Lynn watched as he handed the pen and pad of paper back to the lady. Then he turned around and sauntered back over toward her.

The woman at the other table watched as he walked away from her, and Lynn noticed that the look on her face was one of sadness. She was obviously very sorry to see him leave. But hey, at least she got a glance at his butt as a parting gift.

Lynn turned her head quickly, trying to pretend as if she hadn’t been looking. She feigned interest in her cup of coffee, but it had grown cold long ago. As Takoda reached her table, he placed a sheet of paper on it. Looking down at it, she saw that his phone number was scribbled upon it.

Her heart leapt with joy at the sight of it. She had been so sure that he was asking that lady for her phone number, when really he had just gone over there to get a sheet of paper and to borrow a pen. So she hadn’t screwed up her chances. She struggled to appear cool on the outside, but internally she was celebrating.

“I was hoping you would give me your phone number, but when you didn’t, I realized I had to be the one to give you mine. So, here it is. Call me sometime.” He flashed his perfect smile, and she felt herself grow weak in the knees at the sight of it.

“Yeah sure, I’ll do that.”

“Great, I’ll look forward to it. But now, I really must go.” He held his palm out to her, and she placed her hand into it.