Witching Hour (6 page)

Her words hit home, and he had to look away, the rawness in her eyes stabbing through his heart. She was right. He’d done little to heal the hurt he’d caused, and there wasn’t a damn good reason she should have trusted him to come, despite the fact he never could have turned her down.

He released a weary breath, nodding as he finally raised his gaze. “You haven’t changed much, other than get even more beautiful.”

She smiled before she seemed to realize her reaction. “And you still think you can charm your way out of any situation.”

“Ouch. Am I that rusty?”

“Embarrassingly so.”

He chuckled. “Don’t suppose you’d be willing to call a truce long enough to get you back to your hotel room?”

“I’m free to go? I thought you said I got arrested?”

Apparently, the latter part of the night was still the foggy part for her. He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “In a matter of speaking. Turns out the deputy in charge is an old friend of Dylan’s. He’s calling the judge as we speak to get permission to release you into my custody on the condition that I guarantee to have you back here on Monday to get this little matter of trespassing cleared up.”

“I’m being released? Into
your
custody? Are you serious?”

He couldn’t hold back his smile. “What can I say? Looks like the universe has a sense of humor after all.” He crossed his arms on his chest. “Unless you’d rather spend the next seventy-two hours here, enjoying the Salem police’s impeccable hospitality?”

Jordan ran a hand through her hair, finally giving him a genuine smile. “Guess there could be worse consequences than having you chauffeur me back and forth to the hotel.”

“Not just chauffeur, sweetheart. You aren’t leaving my sight until I’ve kept my promise.”

His statement had a visible effect on her. Her body tensed as a blush teased her skin, coloring it a pretty pink. His gaze dropped to her chest, and he cursed his impetuous decision. Tight, hard buds peeked at him through her sweater before she mimicked his stance, crossing her arms on her chest and hitching one hip out to the side. It looked innocent enough, but he knew she was trying to hide the fact the idea of spending time with him aroused her.

He groaned inwardly, willing his growing erection away. She wasn’t the only one feeling a bit desperate, and he wondered how long he could be around her before his dick started talking for him.

“If hanging with you is my only ticket to freedom, then so be it.” She walked forward, stopping as she placed a solitary finger on his chest. “But consider yourself warned. Our previous discussion is far from over.”

Cal nodded, curbing the smile that tugged against his mouth as she strode past him and out the door, her hips swaying seductively as she walked. He stared after her, wondering how his life had gone from pulling a prank with his brother, to being what appeared to be the butt of some cosmic joke. Either way, he was bound to Jordan for three days or until she finally killed him.

Chapter Four

Jordan waited beside a small booth as Cal arranged to have her car brought out from the police impound yard. He’d taken care of everything. Signing the papers to get her released, assuring all her belongings were present and accounted for. He’d even managed to change her basic hotel room to a suite, muttering something about not spending the next three nights on a crappy couch. Either way, it was clear he had no intentions of allowing her any form of freedom that didn’t involve him as her constant companion…at least not until she’d been cleared of all charges by the judge.

She sighed, wishing the pounding in her head would ease enough she could think clearly. She hadn’t been lying when she’d confessed that most of the night was still fuzzy. It was as if a portion of her memory had just been wiped clean, leaving nothing but empty space in its place. It didn’t help that the missing pieces included her arrest, leaving her unable to confirm or deny the account that had brought her to the station.

She mulled the thoughts over, trying to resurrect the missing time when a hand landed on her shoulder. She jumped, spinning around as she brought her hands up in defense. Cal frowned, eyeing her with the same expression he’d had when they’d talked in the station. Either he thought she was completely crazy, or he was just as confused about their unexpected reunion as she was.

A flutter trembled through her stomach as she lowered her hands, pausing to take a look at him. A good look. He’d filled out a bit since she’d seen him last, any lingering hints of boyhood long gone now. His hair was longer and darker than she remembered, the thick strands teasing his eyes and collar. A scattering of fine lines graced the edges of his mouth, making his lips look more luscious than ever, and he had an air about him that beamed confidence.

Her gaze swept down his body, taking in his broad shoulders and a lean waist. He looked as if he’d been hitting the gym pretty hard, not that he’d ever been weak. But seeing the way his muscles bunched the fabric of his shirt made her hands itch to trace each band until she’d memorized every inch of his physique.

Cal cleared his throat, drawing her attention to his face. His blue eyes studied her, scanning her face as if he could read her thoughts by the way she watched him. Hell, maybe he could. She’d heard rumors about his little brother, Avery. That the man had some kind of psychic ability, though she didn’t have a clue what that even meant, let alone if it was true. She’d spent plenty of time around all the Smith boys, and she’d never witnessed anything out of the ordinary. And she doubted Cal shared his brother’s oddity if the guy possessed something truly unique, else Cal would have known how she’d felt about him all those years ago.

An annoying voice echoed in her head, subtly reminding her that he’d run halfway around the world to get away from her, and maybe, just maybe, her feelings toward him were part of the reason. But she ignored it, choosing to focus on the way his lips pursed into a slight frown as a crease appeared across his forehead.

She shook her head, nodding at him. “Do you always scare people like that?”

Cal graced her with a stunning smile. “Do you always assume the worst?”

“Only around the living.”

He laughed, the rich, deep sound igniting the fluttering in her stomach until it felt as if a thousand butterflies had taken flight. He seemed oblivious to how his presence affected her, and she clenched her jaw in an effort to hide the truth from him. A truth she wasn’t prepared to examine just yet.

Cal held out his hand, shaking a set of keys. “Guess it’s a good thing I took a taxi from the airport. You look like you’re about to fall down and definitely not in any shape to drive. Let’s get you back to the hotel. A warm bath and some quality sleep might make that head of yours bearable.”

“Who says it’s bothering me?”

“Sweetheart. You lie about as good as you fall. Now get your ass in the passenger seat before Deputy Peters decides I’m not quite as trustworthy as he thinks I am.”

Jordan held her tongue, following Cal over to her car. He opened the door, motioning her in, before leaning over and buckling her up. His body pressed against hers, the close contact making her heart thrash in her chest. His knuckles brushed against her breast as he eased back, raking across one hardened nipple in the process. A deep moan bubbled in her chest, but she managed to crush it before she’d made more of a fool of herself. It was bad enough he’d ridden to the rescue. She didn’t need him knowing that she still harbored feelings for him. Hell, that she’d never really stopped loving him.

Cal swallowed, his breathing raspy in the tight space as he backed away, avoiding her gaze as he made his way around the car. He kept his eyes focused forward as he revved the engine then pulled onto the road, joining the afternoon traffic. Jordan sighed and stared out the window, watching the scenery pass in a hazy blur. The sun was already dipping toward the distant horizon, a layer of clouds hinting at the promise of rain. She closed her eyes, listening to the steady drone of the tires against the asphalt. The constant hum soothed some of the rawness from the previous night, shuffling images in her mind. The moon gleaming off the old farm windows. Flashes of light in the attic. Something cold in her hands as she tumbled down the stairs.

“Damn it!” She slammed her hand on the dash, wincing when the pain echoed in her head.

Cal spared her a glance, his eyebrow raised in question. “Do I want to know what or who you’re cursing?”

She scrubbed a hand down her face, easing back in the seat. “There’s something in that house. I just can’t remember exactly what it was.”

He mumbled under his breath, taking the next left. “You never should have gone there alone.”

“It’s not like I planned it. But Nigel bailed on me at the last moment, and I wasn’t about to let what might have been my only opportunity to investigate that place just slip away.”

“Nigel? Who’s Nigel?”

Jordan turned to Cal. There’d been no mistaking the jealous tone to his voice, or the way his gaze bored into hers for two heartbeats before focusing back on the road. A smile tugged at her lips, but she had a feeling now wasn’t the time to entertain that line of questioning. Hell, with the knock to her head, she might well be imagining the entire trip.

“He’s my partner.”

Cal’s neck bobbed as he seemed to force himself to swallow. “Partner? In your business or…”

She couldn’t stop the smile from spreading this time. “Or what, Cal?”

He grunted, stopping for a red light. “You know damn well what.”

“And whether Nigel and I are partners in more ways than one is important because…”

He looked at her, his mouth drawn tight, his knuckles white around the steering wheel. His lips parted as if he was ready to talk when he cursed and turned away. “You’re right. It’s none of my business. As you so clearly pointed out—I’ve been gone. You don’t owe me any kind of explanation, least of all if you’re sleeping with
Nigel
.”

She laughed this time as he drew out the man’s name, shaking her head at the scowl he flashed her. “You Smith boys don’t like to lose, do you?”

“That’s not a bad trait.”

“Not until it sends you scurrying halfway across the globe in search of answers you’ll probably never find. Like the cause behind what really happened in that house ten years ago.”

His shoulders tensed, and the color drained from his face as he turned onto another street. “I’ve already told you what happened. Dave fell.”

Anger burned through the pain bouncing in her head, and she slammed her hand on the dash again, unclipping her seatbelt as she palmed the door handle, pulling it open. The chime sounded inside the car as the overhead light winked on, the noise of the rushing wind filling the space.

“Fuck, Jordan!”

Cal swerved off the road, skidding to a halt in a blinding cloud of dust just as she launched herself from her seat, stumbling onto her feet. Her momentum carried her a few steps away, and she managed to catch her balance before falling face first on the ground. A door slammed behind her, drawing her attention as Cal stormed out of the vehicle, rounding the front faster than she’d anticipated. He reached her side and grabbed her shoulders just as she swung her hand, connecting her palm with his cheek. His head snapped to the right, a smear of dirt marking his cheek. His jaw clenched, and his grip tightened, but he didn’t let go or retaliate. Instead, he spun them both around and backed up, finally pinning her against the car. The occasional truck whizzed by behind them, but all she could focus on was Cal.

He released her shoulders, moving his hands to her wrists, preventing a second round. “What the hell was that for?”

She snorted. “Let’s see. Maybe it was for running away. For leaving with nothing more than a mumbled apology. For lying to me about how Dave died. For not so much as calling me once over the past ten years. Take your pick.”

Pain and regret flickered across his expression before his hands loosened, cupping instead of clenching. He took a couple of heavy breaths, somehow maintaining eye contact while managing to look through her. A weary sigh sounded between them as he leaned closer, his lips brushing across the shell of her ear. “I can’t change the past, sweetheart. I wish I could. But I’m here now if you’re willing to give me even a modicum of trust.”

She tried not to shiver at the sensuous feel of his mouth against her skin, resisting the urge to turn her face and press those lips to hers. A whisper of air feathered over her neck, stealing her breath and sending a finger of awareness straight to her core. Ten years hadn’t stemmed the overwhelming desire he stirred in her with nothing more than his voice and a passing touch.

Jordan rested her head against the car, closing her eyes against the sudden prickling feeling threatening to send a cascade of tears rolling down her cheeks. How many times had she wanted to be in this exact position? Only out of passion instead of anger. To feel his body snugged against hers, his breath hot on her shoulder, his hands holding her close. No other man had ever made her feel this off-kilter, and she knew if given the chance, she’d still jump blindly in without a moment’s hesitation.

Cal didn’t move, just stood there, his body holding her prisoner, his lips caressing her neck. She took a few fortifying breaths, praying he couldn’t feel her nipples poking into his chest with every inhalation. It wasn’t until she sighed that he finally pulled back, his gaze once again meeting hers.

She stared into his blue eyes, knowing she’d never be able to deny him anything as long as he looked at her the way he was now. As if she held his fate in her hands. “How about we make a deal?”

His only reply was a raise of one brow.

“You finally level with me on what happened inside the Winslow farm, and I’ll be completely honest with you.” She frowned at the stern look on his face. “And I won’t try to jump out of the car again. Not until it stops.”

His mouth twitched upward before pulling straight again. “Be careful what you wish for. It might turn out to be worse than the lie.”