Haunting Magic (Ink Book 6) (9 page)

I’ve been asleep for four years and I am going on a date with Slade—if you want to call it that. I don’t know what he is calling it. He broke up with his girlfriend and technically I have been stalking him.

Karsen lent me her favorite black dress and black heels. And I pulled off a hairstyle from the magazine I have been reading.

I admire my messy bun in the mirror and debate taking it down and wearing my hair in the usual style. My dad is in the doorway of my room. He has his arms crossed, and he is watching me the same way he did when I was little trying to do my hair.

“You look nice, Hope. I sure hope this guy appreciates it.”

I turn to face him and start on the earrings I plan on wearing with my dress. Tiny black stones. “I need to do this.”

Dad knows I have this strange fascination with Slade. That I am convinced that he is the man I love. I can’t shake the love in my heart for this stranger. He isn’t a stranger to me. Maybe he doesn’t know that we met and shared this amazing life together—but I want him to know me. I believe he loves me.

“My daughter deserves the best. And don’t forget that,” he says. He kicks off the doorway and leaves me alone.

***

Twenty minutes later Slade walks up my porch steps. He knows where I live—he wasn’t lying. He’s not holding flowers, not that I expected him to be.

He’s wearing a navy blue t-shirt, dark blue jeans, black hat and aviators. Tattoos out for the world to see. I wonder if he works out because guys don’t naturally look like that.

“What?”

I didn’t notice I was staring at his biceps. I shake my head and open the door. But he doesn’t come inside.

“I didn’t think you would come.”

He shrugs. “Why is that so surprising?”

I laugh. “Because I am the crazy girl who woke from a coma and stalked you.” Dear god, I
really
just said that to him.

“You wouldn’t be the first stalker I had,” he slips a hand into the front of his pocket. “Are you ready?”

I nod and he lets me go down the steps first. Which means he is checking out my ass. And this makes me panic because what if it doesn’t look nice? Why didn’t I check my ass out in the mirror before he got here? I look at him.

And he gives me a thumbs up. “Looks good from here.” I die a little. And then I do my best to make it to the black truck parked out in front of my house. I am sure I will break a heel or ankle on this sand. Why didn’t I wear sandals? He’s not overly dressed.

He opens my door and looks at me. “Are you coming?”

I move forward and force a smile and climb into his truck. And while he is walking to the other side I check his truck out. It’s a normal truck, a few bits of garbage on the floor: receipts, napkins. A gym bag in the back. I poke the fuzzy dice hanging from the mirror.

He climbs in on his side. And I can smell him. He smells like soap and Axe body spray. The good kind though, not the ones that are so strong that they give you a headache.

“You never drove a truck,” I inform him.

He takes the keys from his pocket and starts the engine. “You mean in this fantasy you had of me?”

I nod. We can call it that. I will not argue with him about what we are calling this relationship.

Music crashes through the car drowning out my racing mind and any chance of talking to him. This isn’t how I expected things to start. I grab for my seat belt, but it jams and I can’t get it across my lap. Shit.

But he helps, he leans close and goes for the belt giving it one swift tug. I look at the side of his face. His neck, so strong and free of tattoos.  I’ve kissed it. He has a chiseled jaw, and just a trace of facial hair. His body presses against mine and I exhale loving the feel of him against me. It feels good.

He secures my belt and shoots a glance at me before throwing the car into drive. “So what kind of food do you like to eat?”

I bite down on my lip considering my options. I could be honest and tell him what I eat or go for a safer choice. “Pizza.”

He nods. “A cheap date.”

I nod. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”

“It’s a good thing, I clean hospital rooms for a living.” He grins and makes a left.

We make it to the pizza place in record time. Slade parks between two trucks and gets out without a word. He walks to my side and opens my door. I can’t believe he has enough manners to do such a thing. But I’ll take it.

He tells them we need a table for two and we stand there watching everyone else eat.

“What’s your favorite topping?” I ask.

“Mushroom.” He leans against the wall. “You?”

He’s asking me stuff. “Pepperoni. I know boring.”

“What was it like to be in a coma for four years?” He looks at me and raises and eyebrow.

I wish my hair was shielding my expression right now. I look away. I don’t know how to tell him what it felt like because he wouldn’t understand. I’d be crazier than he thinks I am now.

He kicks off of the wall and releases the clip securing all my hair in place and it falls all around my shoulders. I look at him confused.

“You shouldn’t be hiding your hair. It’s great hair. And I might want to pull it later,” he grins. “Are you going to tell me about this coma?”

The waitress motions us forward and I walk behind him toward our table. My heart is trying to escape now that he touched me.

“I will give you two a few minutes,” she tells us sitting down the menus. “And I will be back with the waters.” He nods and I nod and I sit.

“My coma didn’t feel like one at all.” I pick up the menu and stare at it. “I lived an entire life… with you.” I blush.

“Say that again,” he tells me.

“I guess for four years I believed I met you and we shared this incredible relationship.” I sigh. “And you were a witch. Well, you practiced black magic.”

He scratches his head. “That’s fucked up.”

“That I loved you or the magic?”

“Both.” He narrows his eyes on me. “If you knew me you wouldn’t love me.” He thinks that is funny, but it’s not.

I say nothing.

“So was the sex hot?”

This bothers me. He’s not taking this seriously. “Is that all you think about? Should we forget the pizza and just fuck?”

He raises and eyebrow at me. “I’m hungry.”

I sit back in my seat. I want to go home. I don’t want to be here with him anymore. “So eat and then take me home. This was a big mistake.”

He stops looking at his menu and looks at me. “What were you expecting? A story book romance?”

“No I wasn’t because you weren’t prince charming. But I still loved you because despite being an asshole we understood each other.”

He touches the base of his neck. “This is the most random thing I have ever heard.  And you are mad at me because I don’t believe it?”

I sigh. “No. I’m not mad at anything.” I stand. “I got to go. Don’t worry about me I will walk home.”

I realize soon after leaving the pizza place that the walk home is way longer than I expected but I am too stubborn to admit that to Slade. He doesn’t deserve my admittance.

I stop walking and yank the heels from my feet because they aren’t comfortable.

“What are you doing?” Someone yells. That someone I soon realize is Mr. Andrews. He slows to a stop. “Are you really going to be that stubborn?”

“Yes. I am.” I tell him. “You are treating this entire thing like a big joke.”

He makes a face proving to me he can’t handle my emotions like the original Slade could. He rubs a hand down his face and sighs. “Get in the car before I throw you in the car.”

I shake my head. “Absolutely not. And I like that you think you are so badass you could abduct me but I would put up a fight.” I didn’t wake up after four years to get taken out again. I am prepared to claw his eyes out.

“I would crush you, small fry.” He rolls his eyes at me.

“I would kick you in the balls,” I report, ignoring the growing crowd on the boardwalk. I maneuver around them and ignore Slade. He picks up speed in his car and follows.

“I’ll scream.” I warn him.

“Wouldn’t be any different than what you will be doing later.” He clamps down on his bottom lip and sets me back a few. God, he is one sexy guy. “Get in the truck.”

“Why?” I stop walking and he stops moving and I cross my arms. “Why is this a good idea after what happened back there?”

“What happened?” He’s holding up traffic, and he doesn’t care. “I offended you and you ran away like a little kid having a fit.”

“That is not what happened,” I tell him. “You were a jerk.”

He stops the truck throwing it into park and opens his door. There is no way he is about to throw me in his truck. He keeps his eyes on me as he walks around.

“Do you want this the easy way or the hard way, because I can do either.” He steps even closer. He’s not backing down. “You can get in the car  or I can toss your ass in. Either way, I will get you home.”

I roll my eyes. “This wasn’t the point of any of this.”

“Right. We were supposed to be rekindling our love for one another.” He shakes his head and smirks when he realizes he was close to the truth of the matter.

“I’m getting in the truck only because you wanting to make sure I get home safe is sweet.” I walk toward the truck and turn around. “That’s the Slade I remember.”

He crosses his arms. “Shit. Let’s get this over with.”

“What?”

He steps forward and grabs me around the waist tugging me to him. Our bodies so close I can feel his heart is beating against me. I swallow, trying to figure out what the hell is going on inside his head.

“I’m going to kiss you. And when I do, you will see I am not the guy you fell for.” He moves my hair from my shoulders and grazes my neck with his thumb. “There will be no connection, no feelings or butterflies. You will see we are two people put together by your dumb ass falling into the ocean.” He tugs me closer and licks his lips studying my mouth. The mouth he is about to devour.

He presses his lips against mine, and all the pieces come back together. The way his hands move, the way his body tenses up and relaxes when our tongues meet. The way his fingers grip the fabric of my dress even tighter. He brings a hand to the back of my head, he does what I imagined and holds on.

He presses me against his truck and his lips against mine so hungrily that I believe nothing he said before this kiss anymore. There is no way a guy who thinks nothing of me could kiss someone the way he is kissing me.

I can’t breathe and I don’t care because I want to kiss him. He backs off long enough for me to intake some air and dives back in, bestowing that glorious tongue upon me again. He makes kissing an art the way he does it. Our kiss deepens, and his hands are touching me, caressing me, holding me.

I let out a moan and take hold of his t-shirt, tugging him against me. We break apart and I raise an eyebrow daring him to say he didn’t feel what I did. He thumbs my bottom lip and presses another kiss—a soft one—into the corner of my mouth. And then he backs off giving me space.

“Thoughts?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Next time less clothes,” he says with a smirk. He adjusts himself in his pants and we both climb into his truck.

I buckle up and wait for him to do the same before I say anymore. “Do you see how this isn’t so crazy? Do you see how this could be possible?” What a dream come true. How amazing would it be if Slade was the guy for me? And not a crazy fantasy my head played out while I was in a coma?

“No I don’t.” He shakes his head. “Now we kissed. Are you ready to give up on this theory?”

He knocks the air from my lungs. I drop back in my seat.

“I’m just the guy that cleans hospital rooms for a living,” he says with a shrug. “And you’re the girl who came out of a coma. You can do way better than me. I’m not the guy you think that I am. And shit, I’m sorry about that.”

We make it back to my house in perfect time because if I stay in his car anymore I will cry in front of him. And I do not want to look anymore stupid than I already do. I don’t know how to get over something that was so engrained in my head.

“Looks like someone is having a party,” Slade points out, two cars are in our driveway that weren’t there when he showed up the first time. I shrug and open the door.

“Thanks for… taking me out.” I climb out of the car and give him one last look, one last chance to realize I am the one for him. Maybe he’s a slow learn, maybe he’s taking longer to realize what I have. Or maybe I am just nuts.

“See ya.” He gives me a pathetic wave and drives off leaving me standing in front of my house embarrassed.

I throw my purse on the table by the front door and drop my heels right there. I smell food, and that’s strange because my dad doesn’t cook. Or have company. But a lot could have changed in the years I have been away.

I follow the smells to the kitchen and stop shocked to see him and a woman laughing over a pot on the stove. Or who I see sitting in the chair.

“Hey, Hope. We didn’t expect you back so soon,” dad says. “This is Rachel.”

I force a smile and look at the guy at the table. The guy at the table stands up, he’s tall, lanky and ready to introduce himself. “Hutch.”

I move back. I have to be losing my damn mind.

“So nice to meet you… awake,” Rachel tells me. “I’m…” She looks at my dad for the right word to describe who she is.

“Rachel is my girlfriend.” Dad clears it up no problem. “And this is Hutch, Rachel’s son.”

Rachel pulls me in and wraps her arms around me. “We are so thrilled to see you.” She rubs my arms and releases me.

“Hutch found a job in town so he moved to Cherry recently,” Rachel explains as if that makes any sense to my fragile mind.

“So you both are new to the area,” dad jokes. I’m not laughing. “Maybe you can venture out together and take in Cherry.” He gives me the kind of look that tells me I have little choice in the matter. And I give him the kind that tells him I wish he told me he had a girlfriend.

“You know, I am a little tired,” I lie. “I was hoping for a nap.”

Dad shoots me another warning glare. I force a smile and shake my head dismissing my first answer. “But what the hell. I’m sure I can handle a little sightseeing.”

I go for my room and promise to return after I switch out of my date clothes and into something more comfortable. I pull a tank top out of the drawer and a pair of shorts and slip out of my clothes in a hurry to get the night over.

My dad has relationships and food on the stove and things he want to do alone. I hop into my shorts and button them and search the room for my shoes. My mind settles on the window remembering the way I felt when Slade used to slip through it in my perfect world. I pull my top on and sit on the bed fastening the straps of my sandals.

My dad knocks and opens my door checking to make sure I am decent before he enters the room and shuts the door.

“I was going to tell you about Rachel,” he says. Like it hasn’t been weeks since my recovery. She would have been a nice thing to know about. “Hutch is a nice kid.”

I raise an eyebrow. “He wasn’t in my dreams. He was an arrogant jerk that fucked my life up.” I wonder if that makes me crazy to think Hutch is not a good guy. “But what the hell do I know?” I stand up and study myself in the mirror. “I thought Slade was my one and only and made out with him on the boardwalk only to be told I am crazy for ever thinking such a thing.”

My dad shakes his head. “I do not want to hear this. Just have a good time. That’s all you should be doing.”

“Okay. I will have a good time.” I push my hair behind my ear and smile in my dad’s direction to assure him I will be okay. “See you in a little bit unless real life Hutch
is
a monster… then I may not.”

Dad rolls his eyes. “Hope, we know what the doctor said. Your brain has been through trauma. These things are normal. It will pass.”

But will it?

***

“So let me get this straight,” Hutch says, walking in front of me down the boardwalk. “I was an evil brit who made you kill your father?” He shakes his head at the thought of such absurdity.

“You are forgetting the part about magic,” I say with a grin because now that I am talking to Hutch it’s silly.

He’s not British, he isn’t a pompous jerk—we get along well. I don’t mind hanging out with him.

“That is all kinds of messed up,” Hutch tells me, he stares at the water his hand running through his brown hair. “Really messed up.”

I nod in agreement. I take the spot next to him and we both just stare at the water.

He looks over at me. “And then you find out my mom is dating your dad.”

“She seems nice,” I say. It’s not that big of a deal. “And he deserves nice after the hell he went through back in Georgia.” One thing remains true. My mother and my father’s relationship sank like a ship on a choppy sea and four years later it’s still at the bottom of the ocean.

“She’s pretty nice,” He admits. “I’d hate to call you my step sister if I have to be honest.” He grins, an impossible to ignore set of beautiful teeth show themselves and I take note.

“If I’m not mistaken I think you are flirting with me, Hutch.” I grin and give him a shove.

He shoves me back and we walk closer to the water. And everything is going  well until I realize the water took away four years of my life.

My heart pounds in my chest, my throat is dry, everything closes in and I am about to fall over—I sit down in the sand.

Hutch sits next to me. “I totally forgot.”

“It’s all right. I didn’t even realize.” We ‘ve been having such a nice time talking my accident took a back seat. “Why the name Hutch?” I do what I can to take my mind off of the water and find out more about him.

“It’s short for Hutchinson.” He scratches his head. “My great grandfather’s name. My parents were trying to honor the family. My middle name is even worse.”

I raise an eyebrow waiting for him to tell me. But he shakes his head. “That is not something you will ever know.”

I drop my head back and roll my eyes. It couldn’t be that bad of a name. “Oh come on. Tell me what it is.”

He takes in my smile, I bite my lip feeling self-conscious, and looked at him. “What?”

“Good to see you laughing.” He lays down throwing his hands behind his head staring up at the stars. “I don’t think this ever gets old.”

“What?” I look at him, admiring him lying there enjoying everything. I wish I could be so relaxed.

“Looking at the stars. Every time is fucking glorious.”

I sigh. I need to relax. I need to see the beauty in something. So I lay down next to him in the sand and look up. He’s right, no matter how many times you have seen the stars on a dark night it still is amazing. It still is a beautiful thing that reminds you how lucky you are to be alive. It also reminds you how small and insignificant you are in the grander scheme of things.

“What if it’s all a lie?” I ask no one in particular. “What if life is just one big sleep we are waiting to awaken from? Maybe we are meant to move on to the next world.” Maybe I am not meant to be here. Maybe that was the world I belonged.