Mr. O'Grady's Magic Box (10 page)

God knew he wanted to do more. It took all
his self-control not to take Aubrey in his arms and ravish her.
When he walked her to her room, there was no mistaking the passion
in her eyes, the way her gaze slid over him like a silky caress. He
could have made a move, but in doing so there would be no going
back for him. He wanted Aubrey at his side for always, but she
needed to figure out if that's where she wanted to be, too. Her
walking back into his life awakened a part of him that hadn't been
alive in years. He didn't want a one-night stand or whirlwind
romance to pass the time until she boarded her plane back to
Seattle. He wanted a chance to date her and find out if their
relationship could turn into something more.

Ian glanced at his granddad, stirring the
oatmeal cooking over the stove top. His impatient huffs grew louder
each time he exhaled. Finally, his granddad lost his cool
completely and whirled on Ian. "Well, are you going to be telling
us or not?"

"Telling you what?" he questioned
innocently. He opened the cupboard over the counter and reached for
two coffee cups.

The kitchen was warm and friendly with oak
furnishings. The small table for four stood at one end where his
granddad, Reece, and he spent many meals together.

Reece piped up, not knowing what the word
subtle meant. "Granddad wants to know if you kissed Miss
Jules."

Ian poured coffee into the cups and tried
not to smile as he heard his granddad snort with impatience.

"It's no business of mine." The older man
was silent for about a second before he slammed the spoon down on
the stove. "Dab blasted. Did you or didn't you kiss her?"

Ian glanced over his shoulder to look at his
granddad and then to Reece's eager face. "A gentleman never tells."
With a satisfied grin, he tucked the magazine under his arm and
strolled out of the kitchen, holding two cups of freshly brewed
coffee. His grin widened when he heard his granddad slam the lid on
the simmering pot.

Ian spotted Aubrey on the patio, lounging on
one of the cushioned patio chairs with one foot tucked under her.
The light aqua sweater hung loose and comfortable. Blue jeans
covered her long legs and she sported a pair of running shoes with
pink and white shoelaces. Her hair shimmered gold as the rays from
the sun danced upon the strands she pulled back in a braided
ponytail.

His brows furrowed as he caught sight of the
open laptop on the table next to her, but she didn't look
interested in typing. He followed her gaze to where a couple sat
locked in a passionate embrace. A slight smile curved Aubrey's lips
as if the happy couple snuggling close with whispered caresses,
pleased her.

He took a step toward her. "Doesn't the
computer work better if your fingers are dancing upon the
keys?"

She turned and shielded her eyes from the
sun when she looked up at him. "Good morning, Ian." Her dazzling
smile nearly blinded him.

He handed her a cup of coffee. "A splash of
cream and a spoonful of sugar. I hope you still take it that
way."

Her hands greedily accepted his offering,
bringing the cup to her lips. "Mmm-hmm, perfect." She leaned her
head against the chair and breathed in deeply. "You're a Godsend. I
needed some caffeine to jump-start my brain this morning."

He nodded toward the couple. "Wasn't their
lip-lock action helping?"

She grinned sheepishly and cleared her
throat. "Caught me, did you? They seem so... into each other." Her
finger lazily traced the rim of her coffee cup.

"You doubt they truly are?" He glanced at
the couple taking their time as they enjoyed their kiss. "They're
giving a good imitation, don't you think?" He pointed with his
thumb at them.

Her actions stilled and she gave him a
direct look. "I'm sure they believe they're in love right now and I
hope the feeling lasts for them. It would be a shame if they lost
the magic."

He raised a brow. "So you're a cynic when it
comes to love."

Her lips twitched and she gave him a small
smile, but she didn't quite keep the doubts she harbored out of her
gaze. "I've learned love is complicated."

Her words made him realize how little he
knew of the woman she'd become. He didn't doubt her love when they
were together in Ireland. Her gaze would travel over him with want
and the way she clung to him when he kissed her—told him her heart
belonged to him and him only.

They hadn't laid eyes on each other for ten
years. Hadn't she experienced passion with someone else? First
loves were never forgotten or so everyone says, but a person moved
on...eventually.

His gaze slid over her features: long dark
lashes framed her beautiful summer green eyes and her lips… He
sighed with longing. Her lips presented a temptation that made him
edgy with the need to take her in his arms and indulge. His heart
sped up at the thought. His response only proved as a reminder that
he hadn't forgotten his first love.

He looked away before he acted on the
impulse because he knew he wouldn't stop at kissing her lips.

Her computer drew his attention. "Are you
experiencing a bout of writer's block?" He slid a chair over so he
could join her.

"You could say that."

He remembered the magazine he'd been holding
and plopped it on the table.

She glanced at it before looking at him.
"You actually bought an
Unbelievable Finds
magazine?"

"Of course."

"And what did you think of it?" One finely
shaped brow lifted, her eyes bright with anticipation.

"You have a talent, Aubrey. You could make a
disbeliever doubt his convictions. Werewolves…or should I say
moon shifters
are living among us. You know my father used
to talk about the wolf clans of Ireland. Swore he saw one of his
relatives shift into a wolf."

"You're kidding me."

He lifted a shoulder in a shrug and flashed
her a wicked smile. "Well, it could have been just a story. It was
Halloween and I begged him for a scary tale."

Her rich laughter made him chuckle, too.

He enjoyed reading the articles in the
magazine. They were well written, revealing the legend without
sounding condescending. But this was only one issue out of many.
Were they all written in this style of believe or don't, your
choice? "I know you have to prove if the magic box works or if it's
some kind of parlor trick. I get that's your job." He leaned
forward resting his forearms on his legs. "You'll be careful when
you speak about my granddad in your article, won't you? It would
break his heart if you made a mockery of his box."

Her eyes softened when she met his gaze. She
leaned forward, placing her hand on his knee. "I wouldn't do
anything to hurt your grandfather. Our magazine doesn't work that
way. We tend not to be biased. We state the legend or myth with the
pros and cons to believe the legend or not to. It's pretty much up
to our readers to decide."

"I thought as much, but I had to make sure.
I hope I didn't offend you."

Her full lips slid into a smile and she
waved her hand in dismissal. "Not at all. If a reporter wanted to
interview my grandfather, I'd grill her, too. In my family, we
watch each other's back."

It was nice to know family was important to
her, too. He sipped his own brew then looked over the rim of the
cup, meeting her gaze once more. "May I suggest something that may
break your dry spell?"

"I'm open to suggestions?"

"I'm not a writer, but when I need to clear
my head, I usually go sailing."

"Hmm, I don't believe I packed a sailboat in
my suitcase."

He placed his cup down on the table. "Well,
lucky for you, I happen to own one. Can I convince you to play
hooky for a few hours?"

Her eyes lit up when she smiled. "I thought
you'd never ask."

Chapter Nineteen

The day would prove warm once the marine
layer burned through. Already the sun peeked through the clouds
offering warmth, but out on the water, the wind could be brutal.
Ian convinced Aubrey that layering her clothes would be best:
T-shirt and jeans on land and a sweater and light jacket while on
the boat. He paced her room while she changed clothes in the
bathroom.

"
Buzzzzz…buzzzz
…"

He spotted Aubrey's cell phone on the bed
where she tossed it when they entered the room. His gaze wavered to
the closed bathroom door.

"
Buzzzzz…buzzzz
…"

On impulse, he picked up the phone and
answered it. "Hello, you've reached the phone of Aubrey Jules."

"Is that so?" the woman on the other end
questioned with a low seductive voice. "And who might you be? Did
Aubrey finally take my advice and hire a cabana boy?"

He let out a short laugh and smiled. "I'll
let
her
tell you," he said as the bathroom door finally
opened and she sauntered out, wearing a tank top instead of the
sweater she had on earlier.

She shook her hair free in waves of gold
before she pulled it back into a ponytail. He swallowed the lump
threatening to block his airway and managed to reel in his desire
to take her. She held out her hand for the cell. In exchange,
Aubrey handed Ian a bottle of suntan lotion she had stuffed in her
pocket. "If you wouldn't mind…" She turned around giving him her
backside.

Mind?
Heck, his hands itched to slide
over her skin.

"Hello," Aubrey said, closing her eyes when
she felt Ian's hands glide over her back.

"What gives?" Loretta questioned. "Tell me
the adorable hunk who answered the phone is Ian?"

"You can't see him. How do you know he's a
hunk?" She looked over her shoulder and winked at Ian. He flashed
her one of his knock-them-dead grins. Her brain raced and her
stomach did a quick somersault. His smile was like a carnal delight
waiting to be tasted.

"He only has this incredible voice. How
could he
not
be cute?" Loretta's throaty laugh made her
smile.

She turned away from Ian before she did
something like…
I don't know…throw him on her bed and have her
way with him.
"Did you call me for a reason?"

"I've been sitting at my computer waiting
for an e-mail. You told me you had photos. I decided to give you a
ring and remind you that we're behind schedule, but you don't seem
to care since you have a man tied up in your room."

She rolled her eyes. With Loretta's wild
imagination, she should write a hot romance novel instead of
editing paranormal pieces for a magazine. "If he was tied up, how
did he answer the phone?"

"With his teeth." She purred.

"I'm hanging up."

"Wait. I'm serious. When are you writing the
story? You have to send me something. The suspense is killing me.
Have you and Ian…um…kissed again?"

"I'm ending this call." Aubrey hit the off
button and threw it on the bed. Her gaze landed on Ian then.

He handed her the suntan lotion.

"Thanks."

"Anytime." His eyes flashed a darker blue
with a mixture of interest in his gaze so obvious it took her
breath away. It had always been difficult to ignore the sensual
heat of attraction with him, but she had to be strong. What they
shared in Ireland was history. She didn't know enough about him now
to let the burning desire override the logical part of her way of
thinking.

"Uh…are you ready?" Her voice had lowered on
its own accord and she cleared her throat, annoyed that her libido
was determined to take over. "Are you ready to go?" She nodded
toward the door.

"Yep." In two strides, his hand gripped the
handle of the door, pulling it open for her. "I'm curious. I can't
seem to erase this vision from my mind. Are you in the habit of
tying up men?"

"Only when they ask me to," she teased.

His deep chuckle strummed down her spine
like a caress. God, she had missed his laugh.

Chapter Twenty

The sailboat came equipped with a full
galley, a stove and icebox—all the comforts needed to be out at sea
for the day. Ian was at home on the water, telling her where to
look if he spotted dolphins or points of interest. She brought her
camera and played tourist, snapping pictures of the beautiful
Southern California coast with bluffs and rolling hills.

"That's called the Headlands," Ian pointed
to the unique bluffs overlooking Dana Point Harbor. "It's a
man-made alteration of the Orange County coastline."

"I would have never known. Impressive." She
glanced over to him. "What do tourists do around here for fun
besides sun bathe and sail?"

"Whale watching is big this time of the year
and there are annual festivals like the Turkey Trot in November."
His
way-too-sensual lips
slid into a grin.

"I'm taking it Turkeys don't actually
race."

"No, it's the annual Thanksgiving Day Run.
My brother and I participated in the event the last few years. It
helps raise money for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange
County."

It warmed her to know he was such a good
father figure to his brother. It showed in the way he talked about
Reece and their life together. He was a good man and... Her gaze
slid over Ian with appreciation. His activities kept him in good
shape. "I've participated in a 5k run—well sort of."

He lowered his sunglasses to look at her.
"How do you sort of participate?"

"I stood at a check point and passed out
water." She shrugged. "I wouldn't last a mile running, but I'm a
great cheerer."

"You don't know how wonderful it is to see
the check points in sight. It's pure heaven."

On impulse, she raised her camera and
snapped a picture of him.

"What was that for?"

"I like the way you look all windblown
behind the wheel."

"Oh yeah?" His mouth tipped in a lazy, sexy
smile.