Writing Witchy (Witch Hunters) (2 page)

“
Ugh. With the morning sickness and queasy tummy, I’ve probably lost weight. But my doctor says it’s nothing to worry about. I’m starting to get my appetite back.”

“Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl?”

“No. We’ve decided to wait to find out.”

“I’m so excited.”

“Me, too. I’m so tired all the time, though. I can’t wait for summer vacation.” They chatted for several minutes about Thea’s pregnancy. “You know what would be perfect?”

“No. What?” Imani took a sip of her tea.

“If I had a boy and then you had a girl and they fell in love and got married.”

Imani choked on her tea. She put down the cup and glared at her friend.
“You’ve got to warn me when you’re going to say stuff like that.” Thea was a hopeless romantic. Imani couldn’t blame her. Once upon a time, she was a romance junkie. She couldn’t get enough of it. The guestroom closet was filled with boxes of her old romance novels.

“
Hear me out. The librarian at our school broke up with his girlfriend. A librarian! It’s perfect. You love books. He loves books.”

“No, thank you. I’m not interested in being some guy’s rebound.”

“You never let me set you up.”

She shrugged. “I’m a loner.”
Which was not the same as being lonely, she reminded herself. And she wasn’t lonely. Not really. She had friends. But there were times when she wished she had someone to go to movies with. Times when she longed for a dinner companion other than Asha. Someone to cuddle with on chilly nights. Maybe one day she would have the companionship she desired, but that was a long way off.

“You just haven’t met the right guy.”

For some reason, her eyes drifted to where Keith Savage’s novel rested on her coffee table, his handsome face smiling up at her from the back cover. She flipped the book over. No need thinking of him. He wasn’t likely to approach her again. “That very well may be, but I don’t see any reason to rush things along.”

Thea scrunched her cute face.
“You’re so patient and practical. It’s disgusting.” She stood. “I’ve got to go. It’s my turn to cook.”

As dreams went, this one was tame and boring. Imani was at work. It was closing time. She locked the front door before beginning her routine tour of the library. Visitors often left books, magazines or newspapers unreturned to their proper locations. Occasionally, she found a purse or a cell phone.

Imani rounded a shelf and came face to face with Keith Savage. She gasped and clutched her chest. “
Why are you here? The library is closed.” Closer inspection of him almost had her gasping again. He was the same, yet somehow different. Same mesmerizing bright blue eyes and jet black hair. For a moment, she couldn’t put her finger on what had changed. Maybe it was the clothes. He wore a black t-shirt that molded to his broad shoulders and flat tummy. His black jeans were so tight, they bordered on indecent. The impressive bulge between his legs was giving her heart palpitations. She tore her eyes off him before her wayward thoughts could become obvious. “Come with me. I’ll unlock the door so you can get out. I’ll be more than happy to help you with your research tomorrow.”

“I’m not here for research. I’m here for you.”

She blinked in surprise. In a million years, she wouldn’t have credited Keith with the ability to make such a straightforward comment. Her dream-Keith was more confident, more assertive than the real Keith ever would be. “I thought I made myself clear.”

“Imani, you and I are meant to be.”

Great, another romantic.
Imani barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes. “Trust me. You’ll be much happier with another girl. I’m not the woman for you.”

He took her hand. A crackling sensation like static electricity zinged her fingers. She yelped,
in equal parts from discomfort and shock. Tugging her hand away, she looked into Keith’s eyes. They appeared to be glowing.

The dream shifted and they were in her bedroom. They were still holding hands
, only she was naked. With a cry she grabbed a fluffy pillow encased in a cream-colored sham and hid behind it.

“Don’t. You’re beautiful.”

She closed her eyes to avoid taking in his bared assets. “You should put some clothes on and leave before I call the police.”

But instead of leaving, he came closer. His arms wrapped around her, the pillow trapped in between.
Her eyes flew open as his hands caressed her spine. He ended by cupping her bottom in two large palms and pulling her closer.

“You have no idea how much I want you, Imani.”
He gave her buttocks a light squeeze.

She shook her head, causing
her curls to tumble from her bun and bounce around her bare shoulders. “I’m sure you’ll get over it.”

His eyes seemed to glow. “I’ve wanted you since the first time I laid eyes on you.”

“Really?” Even in a dream, she couldn’t help but be skeptical. She didn’t dress to impress at work. In fact, she did the opposite. But she also couldn’t deny the thrill that raced through her at being found attractive by such a good-looking man.

“Mm
mm.” He ran the backs of his fingers against her cheek. “Milk-chocolate skin, big amber eyes.” He plucked her glasses from her face and then grinned. “I can’t wait to eat you.”

Her body pulsed in response to his deep voice and the thought of his mouth on her. But she wasn’t fooled.
This would never work. “No.” She released her death grip on the pillow that separated them and shoved against his shoulders.

The pillow slipped. Keith pounced on the opportunity. G
rasping the corner, he yanked it from between their bodies and tossed it across the room. He was swift to close the remaining distance between them. Skin to skin, he swayed so that his chest hair teased her nipples, his hard belly rubbed against hers, and the thick bar of his erection found a home between her thighs. He shifted his hips so that the bulbous head stroked through her pussy lips, taunting her clit and cunt with the possibilities of what could be.

“You’re so wet,”
he groaned. He bent to kiss her neck. Leaning back, he studied her body. “Damn, you’re gorgeous.” He brought his hands up to cup her breasts, tugging and flicking her nipples. She moaned helplessly. His hips never stopped moving. His erection glistened with her juices.

Imani was trembling with an oncoming orgasm when he maneuvered her so she was lying on her back. He spread her thighs wide and slid between them. She blinked at the sight of his cock.
He was large. The visual was enough to keep her silent a second longer. Keith fit himself to her opening and began to push. The head breached her, stretched her, when she suddenly remembered. She slammed her hands against his shoulders to halt his progress. “But I don’t like sex,” she cried.

Imani woke with a jolt, just as she did whenever she’d had a dream that she was falling. Breathing harsh, she clicked on the bedside lamp and looked around her bedroom. That dream had seemed so real. Her heart raced, her nipples were tight, and her cleft was slick with her moisture.

“Unbelievable.” She’d never been so aroused
or so wet. Not before, during, or after sex. Instinct told her that the kind of want she was experiencing could not be satisfied with her hand. For once, she wished she’d gotten up the nerve to buy a vibrator. She’d shopped for them and thought they were too expensive.

As she’d stated in her dream, she didn’t like sex. It was messy, sweaty, embarrassing, and ultimately unsatisfying. She didn’t see the need to bother. Cuddling and kissing were fine, but that was as far as she desired to go.

With shaky hands, she squeezed her breasts, gasping when she came into contact with her sensitive nipples. Lying back, she turned off the light and tugged the turgid tips as Keith had done in her dream. The thought of him had her pussy clenching in hunger. Moaning, she pressed her legs together to assuage some of the ache.

She slid one hand into her panties, teasing the swollen bud of her clit until she was gasping and arching. When that was no longer enough, she thrust a finger into her
empty cunt. Penetration was a slick glide, as she was so wet and slippery. Her climax taunted her, always in reach but forever evading her. She remembered the dream and the feel of Keith as he began to penetrate her. Imani envisioned what would have happened if she hadn’t awakened. Keith would have taken her, filled her full of his cock. At the thought, she convulsed, her hips riding her hand. Her pussy clamped around her finger and she cried out at the sudden orgasm.

“Damn it,” she panted. She’d come
, thinking of him. Had called his name as though he were responsible for the incredible bliss running through her body. Forcing languid limbs into motion, she got out of bed and went to the bathroom to clean up.

What could have brought on such a dream? She
never
had wet dreams. Residual desire continued to strum through her veins despite her recent orgasm. Imani washed her hands and then splashed cool water on her face in an effort to cool down. This was not acceptable. She’d never be able to look Keith in the eye again. Hopefully, he’d be just as eager to avoid her since she’d turned down a date with him.

Chapter Two

Keith Savage growled in frustration.
Imani had booted him out of her dream, the abruptness of which jolted him out of a deep sleep.
She didn’t like sex?
She could have fooled him. Her response to his touch had been explosive, their chemistry every bit as incendiary as he’d known it would be.

Yet, he didn’t doubt her declaration. Her aversion to sex had to be strong in order for her to have
kicked him out of her dream. Wooing Imani and making her his mate had just become more difficult. Wasn’t it enough that she was human and he was a warlock?

He’d known from the moment he met her that she would be his. One look into her
copper eyes had told him all he needed to know. That instant of recognizing a soul mate was hard to describe and impossible to ignore. She drew him. Over a year ago he’d visited Montesano as part of research for a book. He’d wandered into the library simply because he liked any place where he could be surrounded by books. Stephanie, the head librarian, had gushed over meeting a published author. And then he’d caught his fateful first glimpse of Imani. Their gazes had locked for seconds but for him, time, his heart, and the world stopped. Only when another customer had passed between them, breaking the eye contact, was he able to breathe. But he was forever changed. He no longer felt complete. Completion would come when Imani was his in every sense of the word.

Since then, it seemed like one event after another had intervened to keep him from claiming her. He’d had a deadline to meet.
There was his book tour. His brother had needed his help with his mate. And of course, Keith couldn’t refuse when Sean had asked him to be his best man at his wedding. Then Harlow had popped up, as she had a habit of doing every few years. She was a brilliant witch and he enjoyed talking with her as a friend and conferring with her about spells. It wasn’t until it was too late that he realized that she had a crush on him. He’d totally missed all the signals. Well, except for when she’d come out of her bedroom completely naked. That had been an awkward and embarrassing turn of events. Though Harlow was beautiful and smart, he wasn’t attracted to her. Harlow was too detached and passionless. He felt like being with him would be nothing but an experiment for her. That the two of them coming together was simply what she felt was logical.

Logic.
Maybe he should apply it to his non-relationship with Imani. He needed time to analyze the factors and decide on the best course of action to win his mate. But first, he had a more pressing issue to handle. His cock throbbed painfully. Keith pressed a palm to his aching erection. Giving in to temptation with a grunt, he kicked aside the sheet and freed himself from his pajama pants and underwear. He ran his thumb around the tip, gathering up the moisture there. Closing his eyes, he thought of Imani. During the dream, she had shielded her body from him. It didn’t matter. He could, and had come, from memories of her beautiful face alone. He stroked himself, imagining his cock buried deep in Imani’s sweet pussy. Would her full lips part, emitting moans with each hard thrust? And her lovely copper eyes, how would they look when she reached fulfillment? Would the color darken, grow more intense?

Keith sped up his strokes. It wasn’t long before he was arching his hip
s and crying her name as his come shot from his dick. Gulping for air, he turned on a bedside lamp. He was a mess.

After a quick shower, he changed into fresh briefs.
It was dark out. Keith settled back into bed and the sound of rain along with the pleasant buzz from his recent release lulled him into sleep.

In
the morning, he still had no more answers about what to do concerning Imani than he’d had when he’d gone to bed the night before. Giving up was not an option. She was his.

He got out of bed
. As his feet hit the floor, his dog Bear raised his fiery red head in anticipation. Bear was predominantly Chow. He had thick red fur, a black tongue, and the straight back legs indicative of the breed. His lack of pure breeding showed in the imperfect curl of his tail and his floppy ears. Keith thought it also caused Bear to have a sweeter disposition, but he realized that he was more than a little biased. He gave Bear a good rub and a scratch behind the ears. “You’re such a good boy, Bear.” He seemed to agree with this, taking Keith’s adoration as his due. Keith put on his robe and checked Bear’s dog dishes. He tossed the water and replaced it with fresh bottled water. Bear lapped the new water as it splashed into the dish as if it somehow tasted better in motion. He sat once this was done, his black tongue hanging out, as he waited for Keith to fill the food dish. Keith scooped out some dry food and then covered that with half a can of gravied glop that claimed to taste like London Broil. He patted Bear’s broad forehead as he began to eat.