Of Yesterday (2 page)

Jason leaned back in his chair, trying to get the vision of
the most beautiful woman he had ever seen out of his mind. "Listen, Mandy.
I don’t want you going back to that store again. Are we clear?"

Mandy lifted her chin and squinted her eyes. "Why? I
like the witch."

"She’s not a witch."

Mandy crossed her arms against her chest and pouted her
lips. "Yes, she is. You don’t know everything."

Jason took a deep breath. The need to protect his sister,
mixed with the growing frustration of his sister’s naivety was almost too much
for his temper. "I don’t want to see you taken advantage of. Stay away
from the store, and stay away from that woman. I mean it, Mandy."

****

Taylor looked up as the tiny bell rattled above the door to
see the young lady, Mandy, walk in.

"Mandy, you’ve come back."

The young woman in white timidly crossed the threshold and
approached Taylor at the counter. "I needed to speak with you," Mandy
said.

"I’m surprised you’re here. Your brother came in
yesterday and demanded that I never have contact with you again. I’m not really
sure you should be here."

Telling Mandy this was difficult, since Taylor had developed
a liking to her. There was something about this young lady that Taylor could
not quite put her finger on. She almost seemed like a pixie of sorts, juvenile,
mild, and in her own world. Taylor really enjoyed her company. Regardless of
what her brother thought, Taylor would never take advantage. When Mandy walked
in the door a few weeks back, an almost instant kinship was formed.

Mandy smiled in a soothing way, unlike anything Taylor had ever
seen. "My brother is really protective, and can't help it. He’s just
really busy with a big project and he thought you were taking advantage of me,
and well…my brother can be a little bossy." She looked down at her hands. "I’m
sorry."

"Don’t be sorry. I have a feeling your brother’s bark
is worse than his bite."

Mandy looked up with a broad grin. "I like you. Even if
you are a witch."

Taylor couldn’t help but laugh."I have a little secret
to tell you." She leaned in to Mandy's ear and whispered, "I'm not
really a witch."

Mandy whispered back, "I know, silly." She
giggled. "I was hoping I could still come see you. I don’t want to listen
to my brother."

Taylor nodded. "I don’t see anything wrong with being
friends. You’re welcome here anytime."

Mandy nibbled at her thumb nail for a second and said, "My
brother works too hard. And he spends all his free time taking care of me. He’s
just lonely. You would really like him if you just gave him a chance. His
name’s Jason, by the way."

Taylor shrugged, not really sure at what Mandy was getting
at. "I’m sure your brother is a very nice man." Taylor was not
convinced
she really believed that, but she
wanted to reassure Mandy that everything was all right.

****

The blue truck pulled up in front of the store as Taylor was
locking up. She looked over her shoulder and could see the cowboy had returned.
The sun was just starting to set. Pinks, reds, blues, and oranges melded across
the sky, setting a stunning backdrop to his arrival. Striving to control her
emotions, Taylor straightened her back, lifted her chin, and made her way to
the rolled-down window.

"Can I help you? Jason, right?" She bent forward
and placed her arms on the door and casually leaned in.

"Get in." His order was sharp but not aggressive.

She swallowed back an angry retort, and managed to keep her
cool. "No, thank you."

"Now."

"I don't make it a habit of getting into strangers’
cars, but since I don’t think you’ll leave me alone..." She opened the
door and slid in the passenger seat, wondering if she was careless, stupid, or
both. What was it about this man?

The leather seats were hot from the day’s sun. The truck
smelled like pure masculinity, causing desire and arousal to build inside of
her. What was going on with her? This man was infuriating and drove her crazy.
But damn, if he wasn't the sexiest person she ever saw. Taylor glanced at
Jason's chiseled profile in the luminosity of the setting sun. His look, his
smell, his entire presence was downright erotic.

"I asked you to stay away from Mandy."

Taylor focused her eyes on his rugged hands grasped on the
steering wheel and tried to fight back the sexual pictures trying to invade her
mind. "She came to me."

"I'm not going to allow this."

"I wasn't asking permission."

"Are you always this way?" he asked.

"What way?"

"Stubborn, pig-headed, and ridiculously headstrong?"
Jason's jaw tightened and his eyes darkened.

"Is that how you compliment a lady? I'm flattered."
Taylor should have been angry, but only felt aroused. She couldn't stop
imagining his hands on her body.

He turned to face her, staring directly in her eyes. She
took a steadying breath and decided to face him head on. Refusing to break his
glare. He slid across to the middle of the bench seat so he was inches from her
face. He sat so close she could feel the heat from his body, the intensity from
his stare. They were having their own Mexican standoff and she was not about to
let him win.

Taylor wanted to kiss him. She wanted to make the first move,
and throw all caution to the wind. She wanted to feel his lips, his hands and
his body pressed to hers. She wanted to savor in the taste of this incredibly
strong sexual attraction.

Before she could muster the courage to lean forward, Jason
grabbed her by the back of her head and pulled her lips to his. Tunneling his
hands into her hair, he drove the kiss even deeper. The kiss was passionate,
intense, and filled with so much promise of what else this chemistry could
create.

Jason slid his hand to her shoulder, softly running it down
to her hip. She started to tense up, only to have Jason pull her body closer to
his. Caressing her palms against his muscled chest, Taylor desperately wanted
to remove the cotton shirt blocking her access to his silky skin.

Without breaking the kiss, he picked her up, placing her
over his lap so she was straddling his hips. His hardness pressed against her,
driving her need to a whole new level. Jason reached for the buttons of her
shirt and began to unbutton, causing a warning bell to go off in the back of
Taylor's head. This was crazy, she barely knew this man. Impulsive, reckless,
and absolutely insane were the only ways to describe what was happening.

Jason kissed her neck and whispered in her ear, "Tell
me what you want. Tell me exactly what you want."

Taylor struggled to find her voice. Not sure if she wanted
him to stop or continue on. She reached between them at the button of his
jeans, tugging to release the confines, lowering her hands past his briefs,
feeling the light touch of hair.

He grabbed her wrist. "Let me tell you what
I
want.
Exactly what
I
want," he growled.

Taylor looked into his eyes, taken aback by the ferocity she
saw there.

"I want you to leave Mandy alone. Stop seeing her. This
is not a request," he ordered.

Taylor jumped as far away from Jason as she could, quickly
buttoning her shirt. "You're a real ass, you know that!"

Jason's smile made Taylor want to slap him. "When it
comes to protecting my family, I'll be whatever I need to be, Darlin'."

Taylor jumped out of the truck, slamming the door. Never
looking back, she stormed off to her car.

A lawsuit! Taylor stared at the papers that had been served
to her. On the top of the papers was a little note that read,
I warned you.

She could not fight the rising sense of panic as she quickly
read through the document. She could lose her job, her livelihood, everything.
She did not have the money to hire a lawyer to fight this in court. She could
barely pay her bills as it was. Of all the cowardly things! How could that
pathetic excuse of a man do this to her?

Unable to control her rage any longer, Taylor got up and
began pacing alongside the candles, potions, and teas that had gotten her in
this position. She had done nothing wrong. She had sold nothing to Mandy, never
played her typical magic lures on her. Sure, she had on others, but not Mandy.
And it was Mandy that came to her place of business. It was not Taylor who
sought her out. She could not believe that the man had the audacity to file a
lawsuit!

She swallowed the tears back that threatened to fall. He was
going to destroy her. She knew she had done nothing wrong, but it would take money
to prove it. Money she did not have. She could not fight back with money, but
she was sure as hell going to put up a fight.

****

She did not bother knocking. Taylor burst into the kitchen
that belonged to Jason and Mandy, her eyes quickly scanning the room, leaving
Jason startled by the intrusion. Jason instantly jumped out of his seat, ready
to pounce on the trespasser.

"What in the hell are you doing here? How dare you just
storm into my house!" Jason’s voice boomed throughout the tiny space.

Taylor waved the legal papers in his face. "A lawsuit!
You’re suing me?" Her voice matched his.

For a moment, Jason did not think he could breathe. The fury
of having someone burst into his house was quickly replaced with an
unexplainable desire for the beauty that stood before him.

"I warned you to stay away." He did everything
within his power to keep his eyes off of her full lips, wanting to only see
what they felt like pressed to his. Her body was so close that he could smell
her perfume.

He resisted the urge to pull her even closer. All he wanted
to do was to press her body against the kitchen counter and bury himself deep
inside her, despite his rage. Never had a woman had such power over his
emotions. Her skin was flushed with anger. Her green eyes flashed with fury,
and yet he had never seen someone so beautiful in his life.

"I have done nothing wrong you piece of—" She
lunged toward him, but was restrained by his hands on each side of her arms.

"Call me what you will," he interrupted sharply. "I’m
not the scam artist here, preying on the innocent, the weak, and the sick. How
do you live with yourself?"

He could see his words must have stung because, for a brief
moment, all the fight left her body. Sadness darkened her eyes. She paused for
a brief moment before trying to break his hold.

"What do you want from me?" she screamed. "You
want me to stay away? Fine! You win! But for the record, I did nothing immoral to
your sister!" Her body shook under the firm grasp he had on her. Her fight
was coming back with a vengeance. "Are you so little of a man that you
have to bully a woman? Are you so weak and fragile?"

He pushed her back until she was pressed up against the
wall. Placing both hands on each side of her body, he whispered, "Would
you like to see the kind of man I am?" His voice was husky with desire. "Maybe
you haven't been with a real man yet."

 She lifted her nose in defiance and tried to look away. He
noticed the look of unease in her eyes. She licked her lips before rasping, "I’ve
had enough of you. Let me go."

Jason pressed his chest against hers and moved his lips to
her ear. He whispered, "I give the orders here. Not you."

Timidly, she licked her lips, then pressed her hands against
his rock hard chest and attempted to push him away. "And what if I choose
not to follow them?"

Jason had to swallow back the need to just rip off her
clothes and take her right then and there. He hadn't been with a woman in ages
and the temptation from this woman was almost too much to bear. "A
punishment would be in order."

"Really?" Taylor laughed, the sound going straight
to Jason’s loins.

The lure had become too much. He wrapped his arms around
her, his stare drawn to her succulent pout. He watched as she moved her tongue
across her bottom lip, the demand to follow its path conquered him.

His mouth covered hers. Pressing his body hard against the
heat of her essence. His tongue tasted her lips, teasing until she reluctantly
opened her mouth for him. Her breath intertwined with his as they each explored
the other. Their lips moved in unison as the passion drowned out all other
senses.

Never had he tasted something so delicious, touched
something so delicate. All sense of control tried to make a desperate escape
from his soul. He wanted, he hungered. He lusted for Taylor more than he had
ever done with any woman before.

Abruptly, she broke off the kiss. For a brief moment they
both stood there, surprised, gasping for breath.

Jason took a calming breath in an effort to salvage his
control. "I'll drop the lawsuit."

She looked at him oddly. "You will?"

"On one condition." He took a few steps back. "You
stop what you're doing."

Taylor nodded. "I already told you I would stay away
from Mandy."

"No, I want you to stop acting like a witch completely.
I want you to give up that silly little shop and stop taking money from people
who don't know any better."

Taylor lifted up her chin and thrust out her chest. "I
might not have a job I'm the most proud of, but it's a job. I have to make a
living somehow." She approached him and jammed her finger into his chest. "But
I'm not this horrible person that you seem to think I am."

Jason grabbed her hand and squeezed softly. "I don't
think you're horrible. I do think your job is beneath you. I think you know
you're better than that."

Taylor shrugged. "I have to make a living."

"I know, and I have a proposition for you that may just
help."

He could not believe he was actually considering this. He
knew he needed help and could not find the right person. Interview after
interview, and he still could not find someone he wanted to bring along. It was
not like he was looking for the typical nanny or housekeeper. To the average
person, his idea seemed absurd. Why would Taylor think any different? And why
in God's name would he think Taylor was the right fit? What in the hell was he
thinking?