Spirit Bound (18 page)

“And Blythe?”

“She’s a spinner. She owns a yarn shop in Sea Haven. She makes the most beautiful quilts as well as sweaters and all sorts of amazing things. Her yarn is sought after all over the world.”

Once again enthusiasm and love poured into her voice. He was a man for detail, and Blythe was respected by Judith. It would be Blythe’s approval that counted the most with Judith.

All around him were rows and rows of vegetables. He caught a glimpse of a house in the distance, but she didn’t volunteer any information about it, so he ignored the structure as well. The road curved around and a lovely little meadow lay in front of them. He could see a large irrigation pond several yards away from the meadow. One side had been sectioned off and a shiny John Deere tractor sat invitingly out in the open.

“The attachment is a plow,” Judith said helpfully. “Lexi’s cultivating this area.”

“How does it work?”

She stopped the trail wagon right there on the dirt road and hopped out. “The plow breaks up large lumps of earth much faster than we could ever do by hand.” She glanced up at him. “I don’t know how much you want to know and I don’t want you to be bored.”

He slid out of the wagon and walked around to get to her side. Leaning in close he caught a fistful of that inviting silky black fall of hair and tugged gently until she took the inevitable step into him. His mouth descended on hers and he had the distinct feeling of coming home. Her body melted into his, her soft breasts pressing into his chest, her arms sliding around him, holding him tightly, clinging as if to a safe anchor.

He wasn’t safe—and neither was she. The moment his mouth settled over hers, the earth moved. Heat flared. The world changed. He was highly skilled at sex, and exceptionally practiced at the art of seduction, a cold, calculated seduction with him in complete control at all times. His brain always functioned and he completely controlled his body. That was all gone the moment her lips moved against his.

He hadn’t ever taken pleasure in kissing. Not like this. Not this shocking loss of self, merging with her until he didn’t want to live anywhere but in her. He didn’t trust instant attraction, yet this was so much more. This was need. This swept emotions he’d forgotten he had into the forefront like a tidal wave.

He tasted innocence in her, tasted home. And that was crazy because he hadn’t had a home since he was boy and probably didn’t know what the word even meant.
Judith.
He was coming home. To her. To this farm. To this little village pulsing with so much power. Did the combination have enough power to save a man like him? A man meant for the shadows? His emotions welled up, real and strong, the intensity shaking him. He lost himself there in her mouth, in the feel of her body moving restlessly against his.

She was reluctant to say they could ever have a relationship, yet her body melted into his the moment they touched. She gave herself to him without reservation. He wasn’t stupid enough to push his advantage any further and God help him, he didn’t want to. He wanted to do this right. He wanted all of her, not just sex with her. The attraction was all-encompassing and he’d been with nothing all of his life not to recognize the real thing when it dropped into his lap.

The photo of her inside his pocket burned through the thin layer of material against his skin, nearly as hot as her kisses. He wanted her with every fiber of his being. He came up for air and took another dive, going under fast. Something stung the back of his neck hard and he jerked back, nearly flinging both of them to the ground, afraid of a bullet, before he heard the angry buzz of a bee.

Lev, you bastard. Back the hell off.

Stefan pressed his hand to the back of his neck. Already there was swelling. “A bee just stung me.”

For just one moment Judith looked carefully around them, frowning, as if perhaps she’d felt that small surge of energy. She was spirit and it would make sense that she might feel power in the air as Lev directed the attack.

“Oh, no. Let me see.” Judith turned her attention fully to him, her expression anxious.

The sting was almost worth it to see that look in her eyes, but he was furious with Lev and rather satisfied that she might be as well.

Who the hell do you think you are? I know that’s you, Lev.

Then leave Judith alone. I know exactly what you’re doing and you can forget it. Find yourself another woman to use.

Stefan closed his eyes, relief flooding him. He had been certain Lev was alive, but there was that small doubt he couldn’t quite avoid. The sound of his brother’s voice, no matter the harsh greeting, sent a surge of happiness through him.

“Are you allergic?” Judith asked. “Because this is already swelling. I need to take you back to the house and put something on it.”

“I don’t actually know whether I’m allergic or not,” Stefan hedged. He was fairly certain he wasn’t, but if it meant getting inside of her house, well . . . he wasn’t in the least opposed.

Judith caught his hand and tugged him back toward the trail wagon. “We should go right away, just in case. Bee stings can be serious.”

He slipped into the vehicle and raised his hand into the air over the top of the roof as she settled quickly into the driver’s seat. He answered his brother with a worldwide, easily understood, finger gesture.

I’ve got you in my crosshairs.

Self-righteous, low-down bastard.
Stefan repeated the finger gesture as Judith whipped the wagon around and sent it barreling over the rough ground, back toward her house.

Lev had
married
his cover, an autistic woman at that. Who the hell did he think he was judging Stefan when he’d committed an unpardonable sin? At least Stefan had a legitimate reason to be undercover in the first place. He’d come to find his idiotic younger brother and make certain he was safe. Now, he might have to take Lev down a peg or two, teach him a long needed lesson about right and wrong.

“You’re upset,” Judith observed, glancing at the muscles tightening in his jaw. “I’m so sorry this happened, Thomas.”

“No worries, Judith,” he assured her, all the while touching the back of his neck to shamelessly remind her of his injury. “I don’t as a rule have problems with insects.”

“You said you’ve never been stung.”

He grinned at her. “Exactly. They leave me alone. That one was unusual, maybe a little vicious and jealous because I was kissing the lady of the realm.”

The corners of her mouth went up and her dimple appeared. “I’m sure that’s what caused the bee to sting you.”

“If I were a bee, I might have gotten jealous. You do taste sweet.” He pretended to frown, thinking it over. “Sweet with a taste of fire.”

She blushed, the color creeping into her cheeks. “You’re impossible. And if we’re going to the hospital, I swear, I’m eating that lunch you brought.”

“And I’m coming back for the tractor challenge. I refuse to allow a bee to keep me from proving to you that I can keep from driving the thing into a tree.” He hesitated. Frowned. Made a show of rubbing the bridge of his nose. Glanced at her.

“What?” Judith asked. “Just tell me.”

“You’re going to think I’m paranoid.” It was time to push just a little bit.

“I don’t know why you would think that, unless you tell me you really did think the bee went after you specifically on purpose because you were kissing me.”

He did think that, but he wasn’t admitting it. “I was in the service, in combat a few times, Judith, and more than that, I have certain gifts. I wouldn’t tell anyone else, but you seem to have abilities as well, we established that the other night . . .”

“And?” she prompted, just like he knew she would.

“Someone was watching us out there in that field. I could feel them.” He hesitated again, deliberately appearing to choose his words carefully. “This is going to sound even crazier to you and at the risk of making you think I’m a lunatic, whoever was watching us was armed.”

Stefan sent her another quick glance and looked away quickly, portraying Thomas Vincent perfectly. A man who had been in combat, with psychic gifts who knew the truth but was afraid of being ridiculed by a woman he was very attracted to.

He cursed himself for manipulating her. How was he any better than Lev? He was taking advantage of his training to extract information from her, playing on her sense of fairness, on her honesty. A woman like Judith would detest making him feel like a fool, especially when she knew it was the truth. Someone
had
been watching them, a sniper’s rifle in his hands.

Judith’s gaze shifted from his. “I’m sorry about that, Thomas.” Her voice was quiet. Guilty.

“You
knew?
”

She moistened her lips. He decided there was no satisfaction in manipulating Judith. It made him feel every bit as low as he thought his brother was.

“I suspected it might happen,” she admitted. “I’m really sorry if it made you uncomfortable. This farm is our sanctuary.” She gave a small sigh. “It really isn’t a big secret, we just don’t talk about our lives to outsiders. My sisters and I met when we were all in a special victim’s group counseling.” Her gaze jumped to his and then shifted away. “Each of us is—was—a victim of violence in some way. A couple of my sisters are still at risk. We’re very careful who we let on the farm—and very protective. I’m really sorry, Thomas.”

“I’m sorry, Judith. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. You didn’t have to tell me that. I appreciate that you did.”

It was a lie and yet it wasn’t. Damn the entire mess. She was being honest with him, honest to the point of revealing things about her sisters she felt guilty about telling him. He
had
meant to probe, deliberately pushing her into a corner until she had no choice other than to lie, leaving her guest thinking she believed him paranoid, or confessing the truth. Of course Lev was out there with a rifle, watching someone coming onto the property, but his intentions weren’t to protect the women. They were to protect himself. Damn Lev too.

Judith drove back to the shed and parked the trail wagon. “Let me take another look at your neck.”

“It’s a little swollen,” Stefan admitted. “And it stings like hell, but I don’t feel like I can’t breathe. Isn’t that what you’re afraid of?”

Judith moved in close again, just behind him. Instincts and years of training honed into his very bones had him turning, catching her wrist as she lifted it to examine the sting site. He forced a smile, his thumb sliding over her skin to prevent bruising. She blinked up at him confused.

“Automatic reflexes are the devil,” he said with a disarming boyish grin.

“Don’t be a baby, let me see.”

He half turned, retaining possession of her hand, forcing her to touch his neck with the other one. The position was a little awkward, but she didn’t protest. Her fingers were gentle on his neck. The sensual brush of her touch went straight through his body. His groin tightened, flooding with hot blood in response to the warm breath against the back of his neck as she leaned in closer to inspect the swelling.

“I think the stinger is still in there, Thomas,” she said, worry in her voice.

“What does that mean?”

He couldn’t think straight and maybe the bee had gotten inside his head because he could hear a loud buzzing growing into thunder. It took a minute to realize it was his pulse pounding so loud. She had a way of throwing him without him even knowing it was happening until it was far too late to guard against her spell.

“It means I’ll have to get it out.”

“Can’t we just leave it in?”

She slipped her arm around his waist, fitting neatly under his shoulder. A slight wind stirred the trumpet trees, drawing his attention to the darting army of hummingbirds. He was going to have to go through that gauntlet to get into Judith’s house. Who knew what else his deviant brother would come up with to torture him in the hopes that he’d leave.

“No, we can’t leave it in,” Judith scolded. “And it really is swelling, Thomas. I need to put some allergy cream on it quickly. Come on.”

Without even hesitating, Judith stepped onto the narrow lane woven through the thick stand of trumpet trees with those nasty little birds just waiting to do Lev’s bidding. Two steps in and the birds flew at Stefan’s head, tiny wings buzzing loudly, the sharp beaks going at his skin, veering away at the last minute. Some protective instinct long forgotten had him wrapping his arm around Judith’s head, covering her face from the attack.

Judith let out a little shocked cry and picked up the pace with his, although she couldn’t see much, her hands up defensively. He used his body to protect hers and his arms to shield her face, his anger growing into a slow burn.

Knock it off, Lev. If she gets one scratch on her I’m going to come after you and you seriously don’t want that.
He meant it too.

Stefan had come to save his brother’s life, to warn him of an assassin stalking him, but now he wanted to punch him right in that smug mouth. Lev thought he had a good gig going here, deceiving these women—Judith’s sisters—well, it just wasn’t going to continue. And if his smartass playing around caused one of the birds to attack her, Lev was getting the beating of his life.

You could try, but I doubt you’ll get more than the first punch in.

Clearly Lev had forgotten who was the older brother and in charge. Judith let out a second little sound of distress. He could feel her fear beating at him. Cold, black fury rose, smoldering just below the surface in direct proportion to her fear, always a bad sign.

You’re scaring her, you bastard.

The birds abruptly backpedaled.

Why the hell didn’t you just say so instead of posturing like a puffed up adder?

You’re right, why on earth would I give you credit for having a brain?
Stefan poured contempt into his voice. He was disgusted with his brother using these women. He took great care to push aside his disgust at himself for thinking to do the same thing.

The connection between them was slipping away over the distance. Stefan made certain to “feel” for a direction. Before he left, he was going to find out just which house belonged to Rikki, Lev’s supposed wife, so he could pay his brother a little visit and toss him out on his ear.