WhiskeyBottleLover (24 page)

“He attacked her,” Hayes added in an angry tone. “That
bastard hit her in the back with something and then started rippin’ at her
clothes. If I hadn’t been here,” Hayes stopped short, swallowed hard and fisted
his hands. “I tore him off her, drove my fist in his face and warned him to
never touch her again.”

“Yeah, he said something about a man that wasn’t a man
attacking him. Green eyes, floating above the ground, smoke rolling off his
body. The man has a real vivid imagination. So I’m going to assume it was you
he was talking about.”

“Do you honestly think there’s someone like he described
roaming around?” Chance had to work hard at hiding her smile. Old Bill really made
himself sound like a nutcase. Too bad it was all true, but she wasn’t about to
say anything.

“No. I think he’s got a problem with you and he’s a few
bricks shy of a load. I’d watch myself if I were you. I still can’t understand
why he called in a fire or how it all fits into his crazy thinking, but I’ve
learned over the years not to dismiss these kinds of actions. It’s usually a
precursor to something bigger.” The officer turned to Hayes. “Do me a favor,
next time don’t hit him. Call the police and we’ll take care of it.”

“With all due respect, sir,” Hayes said, stepping up beside
her and slipping his arm around her waist. “If he touches her again with the
intent of physical harm or exactin’ his price for a favor, I will do whatever
is necessary to protect the woman I love.”

Her mouth dropped open. Did he actually say that? To a
stranger? The officer nodded as he put his hat back on, not at all rattled by
the warning.

“Just try not to mess him up too bad and let us handle the
rest. Have a good evening, folks. Don’t hesitate to call if Day shows up
again.”

“Thank you, officer,” Chance said, shutting the door behind
him. She rested her forehead against the cold wood and sighed.

“You need to eat and then rest.” Hayes tugged her into his
arms, wrapping her in warmth she didn’t ever want to leave. “It’s been a long
day with some extra unnecessary excitement.”

“I’ll get supper started,” she muttered against his chest.
Really all she wanted to do was curl up in bed with Hayes and get lost in him
for a while.

“No need.”

Hayes snapped his fingers. Suddenly she heard the snapping
and popping of a fire in the living room as the aroma of pot roast and potatoes
filled the air. The table had been set with candles and wine. Having a genie
around sure did come in handy.

After dinner they sat sipping wine for a moment when Hayes
handed her something wrapped in a rag. She unfolded it, gasping in awe at the
hand-carved figurine of herself and him. “Exquisite,” she whispered. “I love
it. Thank you, Hayes. It’s the best gift anyone ever gave me. I’ll treasure it
forever.”

Her fingers skimmed over the carving of him behind her, his
arms open wide as if ready to take her in an embrace. Her likeness held his
bottle close to her heart and she knew without a doubt no matter what happened
between them, he would forever reside there. How had he managed to capture so
much in such a small carving?

“I can feel the passion in it.” Maybe his magic had
something to do with it, or perhaps, and she’d love to believe this, he’d
poured everything of himself into each scrape of the wood. Either way she felt
a warm, loving vibration holding it.

“No matter what happens,” he whispered in a thick, emotional
voice, “know that I love you.”

Tears welled and when she gazed at him through blurry eyes,
she saw his honesty. How had she gotten so lucky to find a man who touched her
soul and heart so deeply? There had to be a way to save him. If it cost her
everything, she would find it.

“I have another surprise for you.”

Hayes took her hand, gently tugging her from the chair.
“I’ve never done anything like this before.” He led her toward the hall,
stopping in front of the bathroom. “I hope you like it.”

When he opened the door, Chance gasped. Her tiny, plain
bathroom had been transformed into a vast, sprawling meadow complete with
chirping birds, wildflowers, brilliant green grass and the smell of nature. The
sun shone down on a pond with a towering weeping willow tree next to it. Unable
to look away, she took it all in, but when she finally did gaze up at him she
could tell he was anxiously awaiting her response.

“It’s, Hayes, it’s breathtaking.” She couldn’t think of
anything else to say. How many women were treated to such natural splendor in
November with the cold air beating at their door, much less in their home?

“Come on.”

He led her through the door. Immediately she felt the touch
of the sun on her face. Nothing fake about any of this. Even the grass gave way
under her feet and sprang up again. Beyond blissful, she ran ahead of him,
reaching down to let her fingertips brush against the pretty flowers, twirling
like a giddy schoolgirl. Hayes laughed as he strolled carelessly toward her.

“It’s perfect. I love it.” She ran toward him, launched
herself and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you.”

“I have more to show to you.”

His husky voice sent thrilling shivers down her spine.
Instantly her body responded to him. The only thing she wanted to see right now
was his naked body.

Hayes scooped her up into his arms as if she weighed
nothing, carrying her toward the pond. As they got closer she could see how
beautifully blue and clear the water was. The limbs of the weeping willow tree
swayed gently as if welcoming them.

He set her down at the edge and she dropped to her knees,
eager to dip her fingers into the natural beauty made especially for her. To
her surprise it wasn’t cold, not even chilly, but warm and inviting.

“Wanna go for a swim?”

“Are you kidding?” Chance jumped to her feet, jerked her
sweater off over her head and began shedding her jeans. Hayes stood there
grinning like a fool with his thumbs hooked through his belt loops. “Are you
afraid of a little water?” she teased, unhooking her bra and tossing it at him.

His eyes went from beaming with happiness to smoldering with
lust. He took her bra, rubbed the material between his fingers and then
caressed his cheek with it. Chance physically shivered at the promise of
unbridled pleasure in his gaze.

“Not at all. I’m enjoyin’ watchin’ you undress.”

“Well, you watched, now how about returning the favor.”

His fingers went to his shirt and started working the
buttons free. Anticipation tickled her stomach as a fine sheen of sweat popped
out over her flesh. It had nothing to do with the warmth of the sun. No, he
made her hot, the kind of heat that consumed her from the inside out, leaving
her internal organs quivering with excitement.

Hayes stripped off his shirt, tossing it aside. Chance
couldn’t stop her gaze from wandering over his body. As he unfastened his jeans
she marveled at the way his muscles rippled beneath his taut flesh. When he
bent over to remove his boots she moaned at the way his abs bunched. Power. It
emanated from him and not because of his magic. Hayes exuded strength all on
his own.

With his boots tossed aside, he returned to the task of ridding
himself of the jeans. The anticipation grew inside her. Her breasts ached, her
clit throbbed, even the muscles in her thighs quivered. When he lowered his
jeans, exposing that delicious V that ran from his hips to his groin, she
licked her lips. She genuinely wanted to run her tongue along that sexy line.

“Keep that up and we won’t make it in the water,” he
growled.

Was that a bad thing? Not to her. Hayes shucked his jeans
down his thighs, freeing his erect cock. She didn’t bother stifling the moan.
No point in hiding her desire, he clearly wasn’t. His soft flesh pulled tight
over his steel shaft and head, beckoning to her, causing her inner muscles to
ripple with need.

“We have all night,” he said, taking two steps toward her.

He quickly swept her up in his arms, cradled her against his
chest and walked into the water. Each step took him deeper until she felt the
warm liquid touch her bottom. She moaned and he stopped.

“If it’s too hot or too cool I’ll fix it. You only have to
say the word.”

“It’s perfect.”

He carried her farther in until the water lapped around
them. Hayes let her go until her feet hit the bottom. Instead of gooey mud as
she expected, it was smooth, solid but soft. Like a pool but better. He’d
planned for her every comfort. All the residue of her day melted away, the
hectic pace of work, stress and anxiety of the fire, gone.

“Thank you,” she whispered on a sigh.

Hayes pulled her tight against him. His hard arousal
cushioned against her belly as he massaged her shoulders. She let her head fall
against his chest, enjoying the moment of being utterly content for the first
in her recollection. Sure, she’d been happy, but the need to be ready for
anything always simmered below the surface. Not now.

After a few moments of complete attention she pulled away,
tossed herself back in the water and sank below the surface. When she emerged,
Hayes was smiling. Feeling playful, she splashed some water at him. Next thing
she knew they were in a game of chase.

Their laughter echoed through the meadow as she
halfheartedly kept away from him. They moved from one end of the pond to the
other several times before Hayes disappeared. She looked around, dunked under
the water, searching, but he was nowhere to be found.

“Hayes?” She stood still, listened and shouted again.
“Hayes!” Panic rose fast, causing her heart to palpitate out of control. Had it
happened? Did they run out of time? “No,” she whimpered, working her way to the
center of the pond. “Hayes, where are you?”

He couldn’t have vanished that fast. He would have said
something, alerted her to the fact that it was happening. Wouldn’t he? An
enormous chasm opened in her chest, threatening to swallow her. “Hayes!” she
shouted once more. “Not again.”

Frightened more than she’d ever been, Chance splashed her way
toward the edge of the pond. A terrified, painful sob ripped from her chest.
“Hayes! Damn it, don’t leave me.” He’d been gone a matter of minutes and
already she wanted to curl up in a ball and stop breathing. “Don’t leave me,”
she begged. Annie’s hurt, confused feelings added to her own, mixing and
churning until she wanted to vomit.

As she clambered her way out an arm slipped around her
middle, tugging her back. A scream tore from her throat as she fell against a
hard body.

“It’s okay,” he murmured in her ear. “I’m here.”

She struggled, splashed and twisted in his arms until she
faced him. He hadn’t vanished. He was here. She held his face in her hands,
letting the feel of his flesh convince her she wasn’t dreaming.

“It’s okay, darlin’.”

“I thought you were gone,” she managed around her heart
wedged in her throat.

“I’m sorry.” He took one of her hands and kissed the palm.

“Don’t ever do that to me again,” she pleaded and then
pressed herself against him, holding tight.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to frighten
you.”

The flood of relief had tears streaming down her cheeks. She
couldn’t get close enough, feel him enough. “I thought I’d lost you forever. I
thought we ran out of time. God, Hayes, I wanted to vanish too.” The reality
that she’d become so attached to him frightened her slightly, but not nearly as
much as the thought of living without him.

He picked her up and she clamped her legs around his waist
while nearly choking his neck with her arms. He could try to put her down but
she wouldn’t go, not until she knew for certain this wasn’t a dream. Carefully
he walked them out of the water and into the warm sunshine. Out of nowhere a
mammoth, lush bed appeared covered in a white sheet.

Hayes pried her legs from his hips, lowered her down on the
bed and kissed his way up her tummy, between her breasts, up her neck, across
her jaw until he found her lips. Desperation overcame her. She assaulted his
mouth, dug her fingers into his biceps and devoured him. He let her, returning
the frantic kiss with scalding heat.

It wasn’t enough, never enough. Chance pulled him to the
bed. Using all her strength she rolled him on his back, straddling his body
where she began a hungry exploration of every inch of his flesh. In the back of
her mind she knew she must look pathetic but Hayes allowed her to do what she
had to do.

Teeth and lips scraped over hard muscles on his pecs. She
licked the water from his nipples, sucked the hard little peaks before moving
on. Beneath her Hayes groaned, fisted the pure white sheet and dug his heels
into the soft mattress. Each desperate, agonized sound rolling from his chest
drove her on.

She devoured his taste, inhaled his scent deep into her
lungs and committed every hard plateau and rise of his body to memory.
Whimpers, gasps and grunts accompanied writhing but she never relented. As she
reached his hips she groaned when his rock-hard cock rubbed between her
breasts.

This time she would do what she longed to. Digging her
fingers into his thighs and bracing them so he couldn’t squirm away, she
trailed her tongue along the sexy V toward his groin. Hayes bucked, shoved his
fingers into her hair and tugged.

“You’re killin’ me,” he grunted. “Fuck, Chance, you feel too
damn good.”

Skillfully moving around his bobbing erection, Chance licked
her way up his other hip and back down again. Even under the weight of her body
he managed to thrust his hips forward. She knew what he wanted but in her mind
he deserved a little more retribution for scaring the hell out of her.

Ignoring his most eager cock, she kissed her way down his
thighs, moved to the inside and was rewarded with another round of curses. She
wanted him to tell her what to do. She needed to hear him plead with her for
it. Her tongue lashed out, caressing his tight balls as she brushed her
sensitive nipples over the fine, thick hair on his thighs.