A Late Summer Bloom (10 page)

Julien stopped pacing.
“Unless of course, she’s not
thinking about it.
She’s done a lot around here, subconsciously. Today,
when her anger flared? Did you see how the elements reacted? I could feel the
energy sizzle in the air. So I guess I have to piss her off to get her cooperation.
Although that hasn’t worked to well either.
No wonder
she doesn’t answer back when I’m acting like an asshole.”
Because she doesn’t want to hurt me
.

“Hmm.
You are lucky Miss Desiree isn’t the tenth power.” Simon chuckled.

“Shut up Simon.”

“See what I mean?”

Julien shook his head at them. “How can I earn her trust after the way
I’ve been acting? I need to get a rise outta her to ignite her power.”

“Or,” Desiree fell back into her chair. “You can give her something she
wants.”

Julien lifted one eyebrow. “Tell me, woman. Don’t leave me hanging. How
can I get her to trust me?”

“It will be a great test of your strength, Julien. Are you up for the
challenge?”

“I was born for a challenge. Tell me.”

She crossed her arms over her breasts. “Seduce her. Sex is the one
experience she wants to have before she meets her fate. And you, Julien, happen
to be in the right place at the right time.”

Unnerved, his eyes widened. “I can’t do that. It’s not fair to Giselle.
She needs someone to love her. I’m not capable—of love.”

“Oh, you men are all the same. It’s not marriage,
it’s
sex. Giselle can have her pick of any man.
If she lives.
That’s where you come in.”

Julien wasn’t sure why Desiree’s statement angered him. Was he jealous?
Did he care for Giselle? That feeling was so foreign to him, he questioned his
own emotions. “So you’re saying
,
I should let her use
me for sex? Then she’ll cooperate?”

“
Merde
,
Julien.” Desiree scratched her chin. “How can I make you understand? Giselle is
falling for you. As a matter of fact, she might be in love with you. Any fool
can see it. Right, Simon?”

Simon cocked his head. “Are you saying I’m a fool?”

Julien stood in Simon’s view of Desiree. “What do you think, Simon?”

Simon smirked. “Sometimes we travelers have to take one for the team.”

Desiree snorted. “Ugh! That’s so vulgar, Simon.”

“Isn’t that the way you like it?”

Julien put his hands up in a stop motion. “Stop it you two. I’ll do it.
But I’ll do it my way.”
If only I knew
what that was?

Chapter Sixteen

Giselle awoke to the aroma of coffee and pancakes. Throwing back her
covers, she yawned as she got out of bed. She searched for something to wear,
then
meandered into the cottage’s kitchen. To her surprise,
Julien was busy cooking.

“Do my eyes deceive me or are those pancakes you’re flipping?”

He glanced at her, looking her up and down. Turning back to his
skillet, he grinned. “My old shirt looks good on you.”

She wore an old tattered shirt from one of the draws, and yanked it
down over her thighs. “Thanks.”

“I’m making my specialty.
Pancakes
ala
Julien.
Do you like blueberries?”

“Yes.
Very much.”
She licked her lips, hungry
for the first bite. A chair moved itself out from under the table, and a
steaming mug of coffee appeared. “Have a seat, Little Witch.”

He waved his spatula in the air, pointing to the new and improved condition
of the cottage. “You do this?”

As she sat down, she looked around.
“Nope.
Just
sorta
morphed into this great little
space.”

He dished out the pancakes, “I think you did it.
Sorta
unconsciously.”

“Unconsciously?”

Placing her breakfast in front of her, he held up an empty glass.
“Orange or pineapple?”

“Pineapple, please.”

He poured her juice, then pulled out a chair across from her and took a
seat, handing her a napkin. “If I’m right, I think you might be creating a lot
of changes around here without putting a single effort into doing so.”

Giselle picked up her fork and stared at the delectable food in front
of her. Somehow, she knew she was responsible for the changes to the estate but
couldn’t tell him she was clueless as to how it got that way. So, she avoided
his statement and took a bite of her pancake. With a full mouth, she moaned.
“
Mmm
.”

“Good?”

She took a second to swallow before answering. “Very.”

With his elbow resting on the tabletop, he fisted his hand under his
chin. “I thought about the way I’ve been approaching your training, and I
wanted to apologize.”

She took a swallow.
Am I
dreaming?
“Apologize?”

“
Ya
know, the last few days I did a lot of shouting
at you—out of frustration, of course— and you kept your wits about you. How do
you not lose your temper?”

She shrugged her shoulders.
Mother
always said never get angry.
“Guess I’ve got a good tolerance level.”

Julien nodded his head slowly, studying her.
“Hmm.
I’d like to practice this morning—”

Ugh!
Back to being a pain
in the ass.
Bring nice Julien back.
Giselle cast her eyes down, but quickly looked up and
smiled when he added, “in the magic gardens.”

“Really?
Oh, Julien—I mean, Mr. Beaumont. That would be
great.”

He reached over to gently sweep a long, dark wisp of hair out of her
eyes. “Call me Julien. Unlike you, my temper always seems to get the best of
me.”

Is he for real?
She offered him a tight lipped smile,
“Okay, Julien.”

He slid his chair back and stood up. “I would also like to take you to
dinner tonight.”

Surprised, she choked down a bite of pancake. “Uh-huh,” was all she
managed to mumble.

He was devastatingly handsome when he smiled. “Great. I will meet you
in the garden in an hour.”

Giselle nodded as she watched him walk out the door. Filled with excitement,
she decided to try to trust Julien. Her visions were not only giving her hope
of a great love, but hope that the veil could help her prophesize the future as
well. That still remained to be seen. Afraid to be too happy, she found herself
questioning his motives. She shook her head, dispelling the thought.
Don’t ruin it! It’s what you’ve been
dreaming about.

An hour later, Giselle arrived first in the magic gardens. Feeling her
life might hold some meaning after all, she strolled along the flowered path
with a new appreciation for the magic around her. There was something about
Beaumont Plantation that energized her. Or was it Julien? Smiling to herself,
she allowed a momentary lapse into thinking her vision might not be a fake
prophecy after all.

Stopping on the path, she noticed a patch of flowers looking as if they
didn’t belong. The little Iris flowers drooped toward the earth, their need for
water crying out to her. She stopped and stared. Empathy flowed through her
body,
tingling sensations climbed her limbs until they
reached her fingers. Each tip was filled with so much energy, the need to move
her hands came as natural as breathing. Concentrating on the flower patch in
need of water, Giselle felt her physical and emotional auras align. With a
determination to explore this newfound awareness, and not suppress it, she kept
her concentration. She envisioned a shooting flute of water cascading over the
gardens ensuring every living thing drank in its life giving essence.

Feeling happiness and light, her laughter bubbled up as she raised her
hands up to the heavens. To her shock, up from the ground shot a stream of
water, mushrooming over the greenery. Giselle stood back, watching the water
dance over the gardens, gently caressing the flowers at her feet. Unable to
contain her excitement, she closed her eyes and twirled around and around in
the water’s spray. Wet from head to toe, she smiled and laughed like a little girl.

“I knew you could do it.” Julien’s deep melodic voice broke into her
thoughts. Opening her eyes, Giselle saw that the traveler stood smiling at her
display. Without thinking, she ran straight into his arms.

Wrapping her arms around his waist, her joyful reaction seemed to
trigger something in him, because he hugged her back. “You see, Little Witch.
Your power can be used to save the dying.”

She looked up into his eyes and saw his desire. She needed his kiss.
Her body was screaming for his attention. The feel of
her own
need was overwhelming. She felt her blood rush to every erogenous zone, leaving
her breasts heavy and aching, her nipples puckering as they brushed against his
hard chest. She bit her bottom lip in an effort to think of something else. “Did
you come here and cast a spell to make those flowers wilt.”

“
Ahh
.
I’ve been found out.” Placing his hands on
her waist, he turned her around, pulling her back against his chest. The water
sprayed down,
its
cool drops soaking her skin, and she
quivered when Julien dropped his head to whisper in her ear. His warm breath
sent shivers down her torso, and an ache settled between her legs. “Look at
what you’ve done. We must explore this potential together.”

Feeling his hands travel down to her hips, he pressed his lips to her cheek.
Running his open mouth along the nape of her neck and up toward her ear, her body
quickly heated up. Resting his hands on her pelvis, fingers splayed on her
inner thighs, he traced her most intimate part with his thumbs. Giselle allowed
her head to fall back, leaning into him. As she tried to turn her body, he held
her in place.

“Giselle, if I kissed you, would you be willing to explore more magic
with me?”

Her body hummed with excitement. She wanted this man.
Wanted him to kiss her, to fill this new need in her.
“Umm, mm.”
She
answered,
her voice
breathy.
Dreamy.
She wanted to make magic with him,
just as he said. Julien let her go and slowly walked around to face her. He
placed his hands on her cheeks, leaning in for their first kiss when her mind
snapped to attention. Her hands shot out thumping his chest, pushing him back.
“What exactly did you mean by that, Mr. Beaumont?”

****

Simon lazily stretched his legs out on a hammock as hung beneath the
trees. The sun was especially warm today. He was neither hot nor cold, he felt
just right. It occurred to him that this wasn’t such a bad assignment. Getting
Desiree to agree to not interfere wasn’t as difficult as he’d first thought. And
their plan just might work.

Lucky
for Julien.

Whether the arrangement is successful or not still remains to be seen.
In the meantime, he would relax. He’d been much too tense around Desiree, and
that was because he wanted to sleep with her.
No—hook up. I want to hook up with her.

Simon closed his eyes swinging serenely, without a care in the world. He
drifted off, his imagination wandering, retracing the moment he saw Desiree
standing in the darkness, touching her body, wanting him. Simon’s erection grew
while he fantasized further about her rounded, full curves, very unlike the
skinny, muscular women of this decade. He imagined the two of them naked, spreading
her thighs and tasting her for the first time. Squirming, making urgent, needy
sounds under the delight of his tongue, she would encourage him to take her.

Continuing to indulge in his daydream, Simon pictured her breasts in
his hands, pleasuring her, pinching her erect nipples between his—suddenly his
hammock swung with a great force. Clutching the sides, Simon tried his best to
hold on, but was unsuccessful as the hammock overturned, sending him tumbling
to the ground beneath him. Bewildered, he scanned the area. The breeze was
slight but not strong. It had to be—

“
Merde
!
Get off your duff, old man! We have a problem.”

Sure enough, Simon watched as Desiree came storming toward him. With
her hands in the air, bracelets clanging, she cussed in French.
Oh boy. She looks pissed.
Not wanting
her to see his erection, he stayed seated on the grass, fighting the urge to go
to her. He pushed his cock to the side and brought his knee up, resting his arm
across his leg. Nonchalant, he drawled, “What is the problem now,
mon
ange
?”

“I asked you to stop calling me that,” She snapped.

“My apologies.
You want to tell me what is going on? I thought
things were, uh, how do you say it, good to go?”