Willow: June (2 page)

W
illow was pulled away
from the numerous coven proposals spread out over her kitchen table, and the monthly calendar she was trying to fill, by a knock at her front door. She glanced at the huge clock on the wall, and saw it was a little after nine in the morning.

She frowned. “I wonder who that could be?” She asked her cat Edward, who was curled up on a set of papers she’d given up hope of going over at the moment. Edward flicked his tail lazily and yawned before closing his dark eyes.

“Of course, you don’t care. Must not be someone you want to suck magic from.” She stood and went to answer the front door. Thankfully, whoever it was wasn’t in a hurry. They didn’t knock repeatedly, impatient for her to get there. Sometimes her visitors could be dicks if she wasn’t there after the first rap on the wood.

She squinted, looking through the peephole. Whoever had been there clearly wasn’t anymore. She shrugged and turned to head back into the kitchen when there was another knock.

Not bothering to check to see who it was, in the hopes of catching them, she unbolted the lock and swung open the door. She poked her head out, as she didn’t see anyone on the porch. A look to the left revealed the source of the disturbance, and her day went from promising to shit in a matter of seconds.

Cedric Stone, the man who lived to annoy her, leaned his fine ass against the end of the porch railing, a lazy smile on his face. Mischief danced in his forest green eyes, and she knew just by looking at him, she wasn’t going to like whatever reason he had for being on her front porch so early in the morning. In reality, he should still be in bed with whichever bimbo, or bimbos, he was romancing at the moment. They fell at his feet like trees during deforestation. They were about as smart too. Even when he tossed them aside for someone new after a week or two, they clung to the hope he would allow them back into his life.

She fervently hoped Cedric wasn’t the Goddess’s answer to Willow’s desire. If so, then she wanted her money back. Willow just didn’t get what was so amazing about him.

The tiny voice in the back of her head laughed hysterically at the lie she told herself, and anyone else if they bothered asking.

Okay, so the man looked like a Greek God with his chiseled features, hard-packed muscles and crazy tousled, just rolled out of bed hair.

As if knowing the direction of her thoughts, he pushed his fingers through the thick mane and smirked.

Willow frowned at the direction of her thoughts, and shook her head to clear them. She was still pissed at him for that debacle of a date he had set her up with. Could it really be called a date when the guy clearly had no interest in her? “What do you want?”

“Ah, Wills, is that any way to greet the man of your dreams?”

“For the millionth time, stop calling me Wills,” she said, frustration edging her voice. He had been calling her that ever since they started elementary school together. He had said she looked like a boy and should have a boy’s name. The rest of his little cronies laughed and followed his lead. At the age of five, Cedric already possessed a commanding personality that sucked people in by the hordes.

Damn warlock!
She took a quick breath. “And for the record, you are
not
the man of my dreams, so get that idiotic thought out of your head right this minute!”

“I think you’re lying. I see the way you look at me. Those coy smiles and heated stares.”

She pressed her lips together in annoyance. She knew his game. He would take anything she said to the contrary, and spin it to sound like she was desperate for him. “No, it’s more like I want you to fall off the edge of the earth. That is a bit of a dream of mine when it comes to you. In that regard, you might be right.”

“You wound me,” he said, pressing his hand to his heart. He pushed away from the railing and came toward her. He had one of those loose-hipped swaggers that drew attention, which had women drooling while imagining how damn good he would be in bed. And, she had heard from multiple sources…he was
really
good. Like off the charts, ruined-a-woman-for-any-other-man good.

Damn it!
She didn’t want him in bed. She didn’t want to know how much of a sex god he was. She wanted him gone.

Off her porch.

Off her property.

Out of her life.

Liar!

She crossed her arms and stood her ground, intent on keeping him out of her house. She had cleansed it with sage not even a month ago after his last visit; she didn’t feel like doing it again so soon. Not when she had other things to worry about and occupy her time.

The Summer Solstice celebrations started in less than two weeks, and there was a ton of work to do. Like the previous year, she volunteered to help out. She knew which permits were needed. Had obtained the contacts with the fire department already. Knew the best way to wrangle newbie witches who had recently upgraded from their learner’s permits—a keeper, they always needed a keeper.

Dealing with Cedric and whatever inane request he had wasn’t going to happen. Not this time. She didn’t have the patience for it. And she was finally…
finally
putting her foot down. He stressed her out on a normal day; during the Summer Solstice celebrations, she’d go gray prematurely and probably a lot batty.

He stopped in front of her, forcing her to look at up him. She cursed her shorter stature that allowed him to tower over her. He was almost a full foot taller than her five foot six frame, and it pissed her off. Gah! Everything about him pissed her off.

Keep telling yourself that girlie
, the little voice in the back of her head taunted.

Willow ground her teeth together. “I doubt the wound is deep. Tell me what you need so I can tell you no and you can leave. I have a lot to do today and no time for whatever foolishness you have in mind. And no, I will not teach any more of your dippy girlfriends spells. And I will not let any of your idiotic friends stay here during the celebrations because your place isn’t big enough. You should have thought about that when you decided to get the apartment with your brother.”

“Ah, come on, Wills. Why do you have to be such a stick in the mud?” Cedric reached out and brushed a lock of her wayward hair from her face. She jolted at the contact, and her moonstone warmed against her skin. Her hand drifted up, and she grasped it between her fingers.
Please, don’t tell me it’s reacting to him.
Heat flared, then it cooled within seconds. She breathed a sigh of relief.
False alarm.

C
edric followed
the path of her hand, and was surprised when he saw her clutch a pale blue moonstone resting against her creamy skin. Mystics, along with humans-in-the-know, that wanted to attract true love, were known to wear the stone. It was said to arouse passion, enhance fertility, as well as protect sensitive emotions. Some people even had it enchanted with a love spell, even though there was no such thing in the world. A smart Mystic knew to leave that up to Fate and the Gods and Goddesses.

So why the hell was she wearing it?

He knew the necklace and stone were new. She hadn’t been wearing it when he showed up a month ago with…
damn, what was her name?
He thought for a second, but it didn’t come to him. Her name didn’t matter in the long run. The girl had been a means to an end, something to parade in front of Willow to get a reaction. It was his bad luck that every reaction from his beautiful green-eyed witch was one of irritation.

He also hadn’t seen her wearing it when he saw her a couple weeks earlier at the café during her date from hell. That had been a fiasco of great proportions, and something he regretted…a little.

He didn’t know why he still antagonized her after all these years. Maybe it was born from habit stemming from their childhood. Maybe it was because he didn’t know how else to get a response from her at this point in their relationship. The woman drove him nuts, and not in the crazy
I want to tear my hair out
way. No, he’d realized over the past few weeks that she drove his libido wild. Had him constantly on edge and craving her attention, especially when she held it back.

He wanted to press her on her bed, or up against a wall or door…any place he could ravish her would do, really. He hungered to feel her magic slide across him as it blended with his. Her hands caressing every inch of him. Her lips and teeth tasting and nibbling. He wanted to see her head thrown back in ecstasy, and hear his name tumble from her sweet lips like a prayer.

It wasn’t all about conquering her sexually. Even though he could admit he’d wanted to do that for a
very
long time. There was more to it than that. There was a drive in the core of him pushing to be near her just for the sake of spending time with her. A basic need to get to know her without the jokes and jabs, the sneers and witty comebacks. He ached to see her smile at him genuinely. Be happy to see him.

Fuck! He wanted to be her damn friend.

“Whatcha got there?” He asked, nodding at the necklace. Needing to know the meaning behind it, and afraid of what he might hear.

She dropped the stone like it was on fire, letting it bounce off her breastbone; a cool mask fell into place on her face. The one with the dead eyes and thinned lips. He fucking
hated
that look.

“It’s nothing. What do you want, Cedric?”

He reached out and took hold of the stone. It heated between his fingers, and snaps of electricity arced down them. “It doesn’t feel like nothing.” As a matter of fact, it felt like something pretty damned important. Something magical. Something enchanted.
Had
she put a spell on it? Was she really trying to find love?

Willow didn’t need the help, regardless of what her family and friends said or thought. If she’d open her eyes, she’d see it standing right in front of her. He was ready to make her his one and only. He had a feeling she wouldn’t believe him though.

It had taken him a long time to sort out how he felt about her. The day he jokingly told Reid to go out with her, then witnessed the devastation on her face when she found out why he’d asked her out, Cedric felt like he’d been hit in the head with a two-by-four. It gutted him that he was the reason for her distress. She refused to talk to him when he had jogged after her. In fact, this was the first time they’d spoken since that day. She had ignored all of his phone calls and texts.

She batted his hand away and closed her hand around the stone. “What. Do. You. Want?”

“You aren’t still mad at me, are you?”

“What do you think?” She glared at him, and he wondered for half a second if she was silently hexing him.

Nah, Willow would never do that. I would feel it if she did anyway.
Nothing like having a magical early warning system to tip a person off. “I didn’t know Reid would take me seriously about the spell thing. He never has before when I said stupid shit.”

“Then why did you show up and watch the entire time with a huge smile on your face?”

Cedric grimaced and shrugged. He didn’t have an answer for her. At least not one he wanted to give her. Reid told him he’d taken his advice and asked her out. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Cedric demanded the details. He only showed up to make sure they didn’t hit it off. The smile—well, at first, he’d been pleased to hear Reid say he wasn’t interested in her. He had grinned like an idiot knowing he didn’t have to worry about his friend flirting with her and being successful. He hadn’t been smiling by the end of the faux date, though, but she probably hadn’t seen. There was no way he could miss the tears shimmering in her big eyes as Reid told her he’d never be interested in a woman like her. Cedric wasn’t sure what that meant, but it had pissed him off enough that he’d almost sent a bolt of electricity through the guy that would trigger his shift. It would have been comical to see the guy bust out of his clothes and turn into a bear right there.

“Of course, you don’t have an answer. I don’t know why I bother giving you the time of day. You’ve caused me nothing but grief and heartache since the age of five.”

“Come on, Wills. It hasn’t been all bad.” At least he didn’t think so. “I’ve always thought of us as great friends.” He liked it when they bantered back and forth. She was one of the few women who didn’t simper and fall at his feet.
Now, if she wanted to fall to her knees…
he had to stop that thought before it finished. He wasn’t here to seduce. He was there to get back into her life and good graces. A week without talking to her or hearing from her wasn’t too horrible, but a couple…well that was simply too long.

“Really? I don’t know how you remember our history, but there hasn’t been one good moment with you—
ever
. As for being friends, I would hate to see how you treat your enemies. Now please, tell me why you’re here. It certainly wasn’t to apologize.”

He thrust his hands into his front pockets and suppressed the urge to argue. He should tell her he was sorry, but without that eye-opening moment, he wouldn’t have realized he was crazy in love with her. “I thought I would check in with my partner.”

Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. “Partner? For what?”

“To help out with whatever it is you’re doing for the upcoming celebration. The coven felt it would be best if we worked together to ensure the event went off without a hitch.”

“I know how the coven feels. I was at the monthly gathering when it was decided, which is more than I can say for you. I haven’t seen you at one in months.” She paused and took a breath. “But, I’m getting off track. I already have a partner. Not that I need one or he’s been much help.” She mumbled the last part, her disgruntlement easy to hear.

“No, you have a
new
one. Perry was called out of town, and I’m his replacement.”

Her dark eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Did someone con you into it? Tell you it would get you laid or something equally juvenile?”

If the Gods are on my side, yes
! Cedric knew enough not to say that out loud. “I volunteered.”

Willow snorted indelicately. “No way. Volunteering isn’t in your DNA. Tell me what really happened.”

He was a little offended she thought he was lying. “I’ve offered to help with things before.”

“Oh, please! Wanting to run a kissing booth isn’t helping. It’s a celebration, not a carnival game to see how many skirts you can go up.”

He grinned when she reminded him of his proposal from the previous year. He’d done it on a dare and to get under her skin. He didn’t know what she did with the proposal, but would bet she incinerated it with a touch of her finger.

“I thought the kissing booth was a brilliant idea. I would have let you cut to the front of the line every time. I know you’ve been dying to kiss me.”

Instead of smiling, her frown deepened. She shook her head and a look of disappointment washed over her face. “When are you going to grow up?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but she cut him off. It was a good thing too, since he didn’t think she’d like what he had to say.

“Never mind. Don’t answer that. I swear, you have Peter Pan syndrome. Back to this partner thing, I don’t need your help, so I absolve you of your obligation.”

“Nice try, but that isn’t going to work, Wills. I gave my word to the coven I would help you out, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I never go back on a promise.”

“Stop calling me, Wills. I’m a girl, damn it.”

Her temper flared and Cedric’s dick responded. Hell, it responded to most things she did, but when she was feisty—it turned him on even more. She would be a spitfire in bed; he just knew it. He couldn’t stop the smirk curling the corners of his mouth. Nor could he stop himself from moving into her personal space. The dig about not ever having a good moment with him replaying in his mind, eating away at him. He would give her something to remember with fondness. “Trust me. I know you’re a woman,” he said, his voice thick with lust.

He wrapped a hand around the nape of her neck and pulled her to him. A soft gasp escaped her lips. Her hands landed on his chest. And their pelvises made contact when she stumbled forward. The action pulled a tortured groan from him. If he thought he was hard before, he was sorely mistaken. His dick filled beyond its limits, and he swore it would burst through the zipper of his jeans at any moment. It was pure heaven and complete agonizing hell. He wanted skin-to-skin contact. Her breasts pressed into his chest. Her silky smooth legs wrapped around his waist. His hands on her delectable ass, as he rocked into her.

Without letting much thought go into his actions, he dipped his head and brushed his mouth against her slack one, once then twice. He felt her respond, bringing her lips together grazing his, and a shiver worked down his spine. As he pressed into her mouth with his tongue, he felt something zap his ankle. It wrapped around both of his feet and pulsed up his legs in small shockwaves of needle-like pain.

He shoved away from Willow and looked down at his feet, sure he would see a live wire or dragon’s tail wrapped around them somehow. Neither of those was there. There
was
a larger than normal black cat curling around his legs, butting and rubbing its head against him.

“What the fuck?” Cedric stepped back to get away from the creature, but it followed him, letting out a plaintive meow. It threaded between his legs, rubbing its big body against him. More waves of pain shot up through him. It was as if the cat was trying to scare him away.

Willow chuckled. “Edward, stop. You can’t have his powers.” Willow bent and scooped the power-hungry kitty up into her arms, nuzzling her face into its fur. “Or, can you? He
is
a warlock after all. Is that what you were?”

Cedric stood dumbfounded as she cuddled the creature. “He’s a familiar?”

Willow’s dark eyes collided with his; they flashed silver for a second, then she blinked it away. He wasn’t sure if it was a trick of his mind or real.

“Yes. Most witches and warlocks have one. You should know that, even though you don’t.”

“I didn’t want one. And most of the witches end up falling in love with their familiar; the creature shifts and turns into the man or woman of their dreams.”

“Yeah. So?”

“So, you haven’t?”

Willow laughed. “Goddess no. Edward isn’t your typical familiar.”

He eyed the beast again. Yeah, he could see that. Black, soul-sucking eyes stared back at him. The cat shimmered in her arms, shifting from black to deep purple. That was not a normal familiar. “How do you know?”

She looked down at the fur ball in her arms, and tilted her head to the side in thought. A smile tugged at his lips. She had been doing that move since elementary school. A trait of hers he found completely endearing…once he stopped making fun of her for doing it. When she looked back at him, her brows were furrowed. “I don’t know. I just know that isn’t my path with him. I got him from my Aunt, who said she got him from her mother, who got him from
her
mother. You get the picture. He’s been with the family for so many generations that we aren’t even sure how he came to us.” She shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, but Cedric made note to keep an eye on it. He wouldn’t put it past the cat to try and suck every last bit of power from him while he wasn’t looking. He might possibly feel it though.

“Anyway, back to the issue at hand and your reason for being here. I don’t need help, so you can leave,” she said.

“Sorry, babe. You’re stuck with me until after the Summer Solstice.” And, hopefully, beyond that if he could convince her they were destined to be together, which he fully believed. There was a reason he never let her drift away like all of the other women over the years. A reason she was never far from his thoughts.

He wanted her in his life permanently, as in forever, never going to let her go. His desperation to have her was what drove him to fix up Perry, her previous partner, and sneak his way back into her life. He was ready to grow up, but only if she was along for the ride.