Writing Witchy (Witch Hunters) (10 page)

    God, she didn’t want that to happen with Keith. She liked him more than she’d ever liked anyone. If she could have sex with anyone, it would be him. But taking that risk wasn’t something she could do right now. Or
, maybe ever.

This was all her fault. She’d pushed him too far.
It was just that his kisses made her so…
hungry
for more. His gentlemanly manners only increased the burn. She wanted to feel his hands on her everywhere. Not just at her waist. So she had let herself get carried away while they were in Seattle. Her nipples had ached unbearably as his tongue stroked against hers. She’d needed his hands on her. The mere memory of his hands…and
oh, God his mouth
on her breasts made her flush with heat. If he’d wanted to make love to her in Seattle, she wouldn’t have been able to say no.

“Ug
h,” Thea groaned. “I’ve got to go to the bathroom.
Again.
Wait here for me?”

Brought back to the present, she cleared her throat.
“Sure.” Watching her friend’s retreating back, she shook her head. With effort, Imani dragged her mind out of the bedroom and inspected a three-pack of gowns. The colors were gender neutral. She held on to them to show to her friend when she returned. Thea had purchased so many baby items and she wasn’t sure if she didn’t already have pajamas.

“Should I be congratulating you and Keith?”

Imani turned to find Harlow behind her. She blinked. The surprise made her gauchely ask, “What are you doing here?” They’d just run into the woman in Seattle this weekend. Why was she here in Montesano so soon? Did Keith know she was in town?

Harlow smiled. If she intended for it to come off as friendly, she failed. Imani thought she
more closely resembled a snake baring its fangs. “I go where business takes me. So…bun in the oven?” She arched a well plucked brow and nodded toward the pile of diapers, stuffed animals, and blankets.

“No, this is for a friend.
You know, you never said. What is it that you do for a living?” After dinner and the tense two-hour drive back to Montesano, she’d forgotten to ask Keith more about her.

“I guess you could call me a personal advisor.”

“And how did you help Keith with research?” She’d read every one of his books. She didn’t recall an advisor being in a single one of them.

“In my line of business, you run into many different types
of people. My experience is vast. We have much in common, Keith and I.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, we share many interests. Horticulture, for one. I’ve helped him with his plants on many occasions. Do you have an interest in gardens?”

“Sorry. Strolling through them is the extent of my experience.”

“Mmm. Curious.” Harlow narrowed her eyes and studied her. Tilting her head, the other woman scanned her from the roots of her curly hair to the tips of the sensible flats she’d worn to the library.

Imani frowned. She’d never been so thoroughly scrutinized. Not even by a man. This went well beyond sizing up the competition. It was downright creepy. What the hell was this woman’s deal?

Gaze locked with hers, Harlow stepped closer until she was infringing upon her personal space. “About you and Keith…”

“I hate public restrooms,” Thea announced with a shudder. “Thanks for waiting for me.” She paused when she saw Harlow. “Oh, hi, I’m Thea
.”

“Thea, this is Harlow. She’s a friend of Keith’s,” Imani said by way of introduction.

“And soon to be one of yours also, I hope,” Harlow added with a small smile.

“My husband and I think the world of Keith.”

“He is pretty extraordinary.” She glanced at a slim gold watch on her wrist and winced. “Well, I must get going.”

“Oh, you’ve got to have dinner with Keith and me before you leave town.”

Her eyes glittered with some unknown emotion before she murmured, “Oh, you can count on seeing me again.”

Imani and Thea watched her sashay away. “Ug
h,” Thea muttered. “I’d hate for Dwayne to have a female friend like
that
.”

“Tell me about it,
” Imani agreed. And she couldn’t have shown up at a worse time. Harlow’s flirtatious, sexy nature only served to highlight Imani’s shortcomings. And there was something about her that was . . . familiar. She just couldn’t put her finger on what it was. Prior to Seattle, she was certain that their paths had never crossed. Imani was good at recalling faces. She would have remembered her.

***

Keith stripped off his sweaty, dirty clothes and dropped them in the hamper in the corner of his bathroom before climbing into the shower. Puttering around in his garden usually helped him clear his thoughts. He liked to do it while plotting his next novel and so he’d had hopes that it would be just as effective at helping him plan what to tell Imani. Being with her was torture. Exquisite torture, but torture nonetheless. How did he explain that to her, without her misunderstanding? He didn’t want to break up. Hell, he didn’t know what he wanted besides to have Imani as his bonded mate. How he would achieve that, he didn’t know either.

It was enough to give him a headache.

He could deal with no sex. That was fine. But making out with her was a temptation tantamount to asking a person to taste the most delicious ice cream on earth. And then pointing a gun at their head and demanding they spit it out.

He squeezed a dollop of shampoo in his hands and lathered it up before washing his hair. Of course as soon as the suds were flowing down into his eyes, Bear started barking. Bear only barked for a reason. Otherwise he was silent.

“Damn.” He rinsed the soap from his hair in brisk motions before flinging back the shower curtain. Eyes closed, he felt around for a towel.

“Looking for this?”

He jerked and almost landed on his ass. Once he regained his balance, he hid behind the curtain and tried to blink the water from his eyes. “Harlow, is that you? What are you doing here?”

“I was in town doing a little shopping and decided to pop in.”

Keith took the towel from her and dried his face before hastily wrapping it around his waist. He was beginning to regret allowing her first visit. Because of that, she had a standing invite. She could decide to magically materialize at any time.

“Shopping in Montesano? You were just in Seattle.”

She shrugged. Her eyes ran over his body without shame. “I didn’t say I bought anything. But you’ll never guess who I saw…”

He felt crowded in the bathroom. It was almost impossible to avoid physical contact with her. He led the way to his bedroom but didn’t feel any more comfortable in that room. Especially since she got in front of him and sat on the bed.
Picking a t-shirt and shorts out of a drawer, he said, “I don’t have to guess. The only other person you know in town is Imani.”

She crashed back onto his mattress. “Why did you say she was worthy? She clearly is not.
So far from, it’s laughable. She’s just some ordinary human.” Bear sniffed at her foot tentatively and she kicked at him.

He scampered over to stand behind Keith. Keith
put his clothing on the dresser and bent to give him a reassuring pat. Bear was really just a big baby. He’d never bite anyone. “What she is,” Keith said, his voice firm, “is my mate. Human or not, I won’t deny that.”

She whipped her head up. “You’re fucking kidding me
, right? You want that weakling? You’d taint your line with her?”

Without even thinking about it, he lashed out with his magi
c, binding her arms and legs to her sides. He lifted her off his bed and brought her to float in front of him. “What she is, is my
mate
,” he reiterated. “I will caution you to remember that when you speak of her.”

Her gray eyes filled with heat. But not the heat of anger. No, it was admiration and desire that filled her gaze. “Excellent. You’re as good as I knew you would be.
Can you imagine how powerful we’d be together?”

He rolled his eyes and released her. He made his way to the den
, hoping that she’d follow. He didn’t like the sight of her reclining on his bed. “It wasn’t meant to be. Has it occurred to you that fate chooses our mates for a specific reason? We’re both strong witches, but we weren’t paired with equals. It’s nature’s way of ensuring a balance of power.”

“You can’t tell me that you weren’t disappointed when you realized that she had no magic.” He hesitated for a split second and it was all she needed. Harlow laughed. “I knew it!
Nature’s way
, indeed. Admit it. You thought of walking away just like I did.”

Ke
ith flushed. “My initial reaction was less than ideal, but that doesn’t matter. She’s mine. I love her.”

Harlow closed in on him so that he was trapped between her and the back of the couch. He gripped his towel. She reached out and ran her nails down his chest. “You think you do.
Whatever it is, it’s temporary. Being with me would allow you to reach your fullest potential.” She curled a hand around his towel and yanked. “And I’ll keep you so satisfied, you won’t be able to remember what’s-her-name.”

“That’s not how it works.”

Her index finger swished back and forth like a metronome through his pubic hair. He covered her hand and managed to pull it away without losing his towel. “Keith, if it’s her you want…” She began to glow and when she reappeared she was Imani’s spitting image. “I’ll do this for you whenever you want.”

He recoiled. “Are you really so desperate for power?”

She smiled. “It’s the greatest aphrodisiac.”

Hearing Harlow’s voice coming from Imani’s face was
nauseating. “God, turn back.”

She did so immediately.
“Is this about your male vanity? You needn’t worry about that. I do find you sexually attractive. But beauty isn’t high on my list of priorities. What makes my pussy purr about you is your magic.”

“Harlow, I’ve made my choice.”

“It’s a poor one. Lucky for you, I’m such a good friend that I will guide you in this matter.” She reached up and filled her hands with his hair. Tugging on the strands, she stood on tiptoe and fitted her mouth to his.

***

Imani filled Asha’s box with fresh kitty litter. Asha watched this procedure for a moment before taking off for parts unknown. The cat had a habit of disappearing for hours. Imani suspected that Asha was napping under her bed, but she had yet to catch her at it.

She shoved the litter box into the corner of the bathroom where she wasn’t likely to bump into it. She put the container of kitty litter away in the small closet in the hallway
before returning to the bathroom to wash her hands.

She contemplated her options for dinner.
Concentrating on any topic but one proved impossible. Imani heaved a sigh. She wasn’t in the mood to cook. And she wished she were with Keith. She made a disgusted face at herself in the mirror. They hadn’t talked much since arriving back in town on Sunday. Keith never got around to discussing what was bothering him. And she was afraid to ask again. “Coward,” she muttered at her reflection. Was the knowing, really worse than being in this limbo between hope and despair?

Running into Harlow this evening had increased her feelings of anxiety
regarding her situation with Keith. Despite Harlow’s offer of friendship, Imani couldn’t ignore the signs. That woman wanted her man.

Imani wondered if Keith knew that Harlow was in town. He hadn’t mentioned it
, if he did. Would he feel it necessary to tell her? He might not, as he only considered Harlow a friend. Keith might not even realize that the woman was after him. At times like this, his modesty could prove to be dangerous.

She opened her fridge, hoping to find a snack that wouldn’t be too much trouble.
Nothing appealing jumped out at her. Actually, she was too tense and keyed up to eat. She closed the fridge. Asha brushed against her leg and meowed.

Imani got her cat treats out of the cabinet and gave Asha
a few. Once they were gone, Asha went to her water dish. Imani sat on the couch and turned on the television, but soon found that she was too restless to concentrate.

Maybe she should call Keith.

She flipped the channel. Or she could go over. He had given her a standing invitation. And a key in case he ever locked himself out or was out of town and needed her to feed Bear. Would it be considered jealous girlfriend behavior for her to pop over without any warning? Would it be stupid girlfriend behavior to avoid a painful truth?

Turning off the telev
ision, she stood. She grabbed her purse and keys.

Chapter Ten

It was only as she parked behind Keith’s car that her doubts resurfaced
, but only for a minute. Frustrated with her own indecisiveness, she growled and got out of the car before she could change her mind.

At the door, she could hear Bear barking on the other side. He’d probably heard her pull up. But his human companions had not.