Warlock Brothers of Havenbridge 01 - Spell Bound (15 page)

“I sure do,” she said with a satisfied nod, and Drake and I burst into laughter at the sheer pleasure Aunt Millie got from socking it to her ex-husband every year.

“You’re my kind of woman, Aunt Millie,” I told her, at which she smiled and nudged me. “And that’s why I need to apologize.”

Confusion clouded her typically clear eyes. “For what?”

“For what my family did to you and your business,” I said. “It was an institution in this town, and we should’ve found a way to work together instead of forcing you out. No one deserves that, especially not you.”

Tears welled in her eyes as a smile inched its way across her lips. Unable to speak, she swallowed hard and nodded. “Thank you, Mason,” she managed after getting her emotions under control. “You might be the first Blackmoor I actually like.”

I chuckled and leaned into her. She pressed back and smiled. “I’m honored.”

“You should be,” she said. Evidently it was time to bring the sappiness to an end. “I don’t like many people. I am a crotchety old woman, you know?”

“So I’ve heard,” I replied with a fake grimace.

She tossed the towel on the sink and then yawned. “I think it’s time for my nap.” She looked from me to Drake. “What are you boys going to do?”

Drake shrugged.

“If you don’t mind, I was thinking about taking Drake out for the afternoon. Show him around town some and maybe go to a movie.”

“That sounds nice. But behave yourselves,” she warned. She gave both of us stern glances.

“I promise to be a gentleman,” I replied.

“Can I promise just to have fun?” Drake asked, sticking his tongue out.

She glared at her nephew before turning to me. “You’re a good boy, Mason, and I know you’ll take good care of my Drake.”

My eyes met Drake’s before I replied, “Yes, ma’am. I will.”

“Good,” she said before tucking her necklace and its charm back into the safety of her blouse. “Now you boys have fun.” She gave us a wink as she shooed us out the front door, and as I turned around to wave good-bye, she returned the gesture and rubbed her hand lovingly along the hidden necklace.

A
FTER
A
short drive around town, we arrived at the movies and bought our tickets for
Guardians of the Galaxy
. It was a movie we both wanted to see. Since Drake had paid for the tickets, even though I’d been the one to invite him, I insisted on springing for the snacks. Of course, he argued with me over that too.

“You saved my life,” he said. “The movies are on me.”

I shook my head. “You already paid me back with my shirt.”

“I said I’m buyin’.”

I’d been about to argue some more, but his blank expression told me I was going to lose. “Are you always this difficult?”

He snorted. “If you think this is difficult, you’re in for a world of hurt later.”

I grinned and wiggled my eyebrows at his comment.

“Get your mind out of the gutter,” he said with a playful swat at my chest. “Is that all you ever think about?”

“Maybe,” I said with a shrug. “I’m a growing boy.”

He crossed his arms and let out a long exaggerated sigh. “And you promised Aunt Millie you’d be a gentleman.”

“And you promised you were going to have fun,” I reminded him before slyly drumming my fingers across his lower back.

Drake’s pretend annoyance melted away at my touch. He leaned back into the contact and smiled. “Well, I am havin’ fun. It’s been a long time since I have.”

The smile in his eyes faltered as memories of his parents most likely floated to the surface. That happened to me all too often. One moment life was going along just fine and then
bam,
my thoughts turned to my mother. “I’m glad,” I said, rubbing his back in comfort. “It’s been a while for me too.”

He wiped away the tears he refused to allow to fall. “I’ll be right back,” he said, stepping out of the line. “I’m gonna visit the men’s room.”

“Take your time.”

He dug into his pocket and took out some money. “Can you get me a large buttered popcorn and a root beer?”

“Root beer? Really?”

His brows stitched together. “Yeah, so?”

“I love root beer. It’s like my favorite drink in the world.”

“Only because it’s the best,” he replied before putting the crumpled bills in my hands. He walked away, but before taking five steps, he turned and said, “Oh, and don’t forget the extra butter.”

I snorted. “As if I would.”

When Drake finally disappeared into the restroom, I tucked the money he’d given me in my pocket and took out my wallet. I was going to pay whether he liked it or not.

“Well, doesn’t someone look like he’s on top of the world?”

I grimaced. Miranda stood behind me in white capris and a light blue shirt. She had curled her typically straight hair, and it bounced off her shoulders with every step she took toward me. She was actually quite stunning, not that I would have told her that in a million years. “I’m in a good mood today, Miranda. Don’t ruin it.”

“But ruining your day is the best part of mine,” she answered when she’d joined me in line.

“You need get yourself to the end of the line,” I said, pointing. “You’re cutting. And while you’re at it, get yourself a new hobby.”

“You mean like the one you got?” she asked, completely ignoring the fact that she now stood in front of me.

“What are you talking about?” I stepped ahead of her and snarled.

She snorted and nodded toward the men’s room. “It’s obvious Drake turns your crank. You’d have to be blind not to see it.”

I grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her away from where other kids from our school had gathered. Sunday was evidently a big movie night in Havenbridge.

She glanced at my hand on her arm before staring me down. “Remove your hand before I warp it back to your house.”

I released my grip and backed away. The thin smile that stretched her cherry red lips showed she approved. “We’re not going public with that.”

She grinned. “Mason, you do realize the power you’ve just handed over to me, right?”

I nodded. What choice did I have? I had to appeal to the good witch she was instead of the bitch she liked to pretend to be. I wasn’t the only one in the school who acted a part. I had mine. Miranda had hers. “We want to take things slow. See where it goes. If people know, it’ll only make things harder.”

She stared blankly at me. “You do realize most people already assume you play for the other team, right? The only one who’s still holding out hope is that skank Laura. She seems to think her
V
will cure you of your taste for
P
.”

I had
not
known that. “Really?”

If she sighed any longer, she’d have passed out from lack of oxygen. “It’s not going to be any big surprise that you’re gay. Believe me. We’ve been talking about it since middle school, I think.”

“Are you serious?”

“Are
you
serious? Do you think your tough-guy routine fools anyone into believing you’re straight? Every time Laura hits on you, you scamper off like a scared rabbit. You haven’t shown any interest in one girl the whole time I’ve known you. And I’ve known you far longer than I’d care to admit. You’re here. You’re queer. We’ve all gotten used to it.”

Wow. I’d had no idea. “I don’t know what to say.”

She snorted. “That’s no surprise.”

“Will you do it?” I asked. This time when I touched her arm, I did so gently, the way a friend might ask another friend for help. “Will you keep quiet? I’m not ashamed of who I am or anything. I kinda want Drake and me to be able to figure this out on our own without all the high school busybodies shoving their noses into our business.”

“Fine,” she said. “Since you’re being uncharacteristically nice and everything.”

“Thank you.” I couldn’t stop the huge smile that practically cracked my head in two.

“Jeez,” she said. “Dial down the happy, or I’ll announce it over the school’s intercom.”

I wiped the smile from my face and nodded.

“Much better. But how about I give you some advice?”

“Okay.”

“You’re not going to keep it from people for long. I picked it out the moment I first saw you two together in the cafeteria, and we all noticed it when you climbed out of the rubble yesterday. The way you two acted around each other, pretending to be pissed off, wasn’t ringing true. What was real was you saving him and the two of you walking off together like you’ve always known each other. You’re not going to be able to hide that.”

“Thanks for the heads up.”

“One more thing.”

“What’s that?” She averted her eyes and chewed on her lower lip. When had Miranda ever held her tongue before this? “Spit it out already.”

She rested her brown eyes on me, and there was great sadness there. As if her heart was breaking. “Try not to be so happy around my brother, okay?”

Adam? What did he have to do with this? “I don’t understand.”

“I know you don’t. Just think about it,” she said before getting back in line with the friends who’d suddenly arrived.

T
HE
ENTIRE
drive home from the movie, Drake and I laughed and talked about the film. We’d enjoyed it, and Rocket Raccoon was our favorite character. By the time we pulled up in front of his aunt Millie’s house, my face hurt from laughing so hard. When was the last time that had happened?

But what really blew my mind was when Drake sat sideways in his seat and laced his fingers with mine. All night I’d done my best to be respectful of his wish to go slowly even though what I most wanted to do was jump his bones.

“I had a great time,” he said, leaning against the headrest. His lingering gaze made me tremble. “Are you cold?”

“Maybe a little,” I lied. I couldn’t admit he drove me crazy and made me want to strip him naked. He wasn’t like the other boys I’d been interested in. He was different. Special.

“Then let’s go in,” he said.

I held his hand, refusing to let him go. “Not yet.”

A slight blush reddened his cheeks. He clearly liked my answer. “Okay.”

We sat in silence, relishing the weight of each other’s hand. Drake skimmed his fingers across my palm. The light, feathery strokes made me gasp, and when he scratched his fingernail across my flesh, I held my breath.

“What’s going on?” I hadn’t meant to voice the question, but it leaped from my lips before I had a chance to stop it. “Between us, I mean.”

He smiled, shrugging. “I don’t really know, to be honest. It’s been downright strange. But a good strange, if that makes any sense.”

It did, and I told him as much with my smile.

“I’ve never met someone like you.”

“Well, I am a truly unique individual,” I said with a grin.

He squeezed my hand and gave me the stink eye. “I’m tryin’ to have a serious conversation here.”

“What makes you think I’m not serious?” I asked, pretending to be offended. “I really am one of a kind.” Drake’s blank stare informed me he was about two seconds away from letting go of my hand. I gripped onto him even tighter and grinned. “And you’re pretty unique too.”

“Really?” he asked. Why did he sound so surprised? “You’re not just sayin’ that?”

“Not at all,” I replied with a firm shake of my head. “Why do you ask?”

He twisted his lips in thought before responding. “I guess I’m just used to the boys back home. In Dallas there seem to only be two types of gay teens. The oversexed party boy or the undersexed closet case. Neither of which is all that attractive.” Even though he still held my hand, he switched his gaze from me to the night beyond the windshield, as if the past he had left behind stretched out before us. “I didn’t quite fit in with other kids at my school.”

“Did they bully you because you’re gay?” The thought of anyone pushing Drake around riled my warlock temper. I had half a mind to put a hex on his last high school.

“Not at all,” he answered. Why did he seem so surprised by my question? “As difficult as it might be for you to believe, Texas isn’t as backward as you Yanks like to make it out to be. Well, not Dallas at least. I didn’t fit in because I didn’t screw around like everyone else. Most of my friends were doin’ each other every which way from Sunday. The fact that I wasn’t kinda made me stand apart from them, I guess. They treated me as if I was a picky queen who thought I was too good for them. But that wasn’t it at all. My parents raised me to respect myself, and the way they hopped in and out of each other’s beds didn’t seem all that respectful, you know?”

Even though I didn’t know, I nodded. I had yet to have sex with anyone but myself.

“So you’ve never had a boyfriend?”

My question drew Drake’s eyes back to me. They beamed with hope. “Nope.”

“Would you like to have one?”

A smile cracked his lips and spread to his sparkling blue eyes. “I thought we agreed to go slow.”

I snorted. “I wasn’t asking you to be my boyfriend. I was asking if you’d like to have a boyfriend. There is a difference.”

“Yeah, right,” he said, staring at me askance.

I poked his side, pretending to be annoyed. “Will you just answer my question?”

“Yes,” he said. “I would like to have a boyfriend one day.”

“Then maybe you will. And maybe he’ll even be a truly unique individual with dark, brooding good looks, a kickass car, and a charming personality.”

Drake sighed. “He sounds yummy. I’d love to meet him.” I glowered, and he snickered. “Come on,” he said after letting my hand go. “Let’s get inside. Aunt Millie is no doubt waitin’ up for me.”

But before he could open the door, I leaned across the console that separated us. He drew in a breath, his eyes locked on my lips, which hovered inches away from his own. I cupped his cheek before trailing my fingertips around pink lips that puckered in response to my touch. He was special, and he had to know that. I wasn’t into him because of what I might get in return. “Just so you know,” I whispered, my breath fanning across his flushed skin. “I’m not like
any
of the boys back in Texas, okay?”