Charmed Spirits (8 page)

“I
can’t sleep with you tonight, Matt,” she whispered, a frown on her face.

Though
he wanted to groan, he held back his tongue. “I know, baby. This is only our
first date.”

She
smiled. “This time.”

“This
time. But we don’t want to rush. I understand. My cock may explode, but it’ll
be okay.”

She
rested her head against his. “I’m sorry I’m such a tease.”

He
pulled her back so he could kiss her softly. “You’re not a tease. You’re a
woman who knows what she wants. Don’t worry. There will be plenty of time for
this.” He held back a wince at the reminder that they
didn’t
have much
time, but he ignored it. “What do you say we watch an old Hitchcock movie and
hide under a blanket?”

“As
long as you keep your hands to yourself.” She winked. “Mostly.”

“Sounds
good to me, baby.” He kissed her nose and got the movie ready. They sat in the
dark, wrapped in each other as the first scream pierced the room from the TV.
He wouldn’t rush her, but he didn’t want to let go of this. And, frankly, he
shouldn’t have to. Maybe it was time to figure out just how to keep his Jordan
here to stay. Because if she left, he didn’t know what he was going to do.

Chapter 6

“Why
is it the smell of crayons always reminds me of school?” Jordan asked as she
sorted another section of half-used crayons into its colored bin for Abby. “I
mean, I get the fact that we used them in school, but I used them outside of it
as well.”

They
were in Abby’s classroom going through boxes of school supplies to give to the
after school art program that Jordan had volunteered to help with. She loved
working with the kids, and some of the parents had even started to warm up to
her. Jordan would have rather been reading her spell book or working on her house,
but Abby had needed her.

Well,
maybe not for the mundane activity of sorting, but the moments where they could
just sit and talk to each other were few and far between. Sometimes they just
needed some girl time to talk about the men in their lives or, rather, trip
over that thin line where they didn’t
actually
talk about them but
merely alluded to them—because Jordan didn’t know what was going on with her
and Matt. One minute they were trying to be friends without talking about their
past. The next minute they were humping each other on her couch. Not that it
wasn’t great humping—because it was. She held back a sigh. Fabulous humping.
But she didn’t know if they’d go further than that. She was leaving… wasn’t she?

“Okay,
stop thinking in your head and think aloud,” Abby said as she closed a full
plastic container for crayons that were beyond salvaging for her classroom but
could be used in the art room and be melted down for different types of art..

Jordan
raised a brow. “I thought the whole point of thinking was to do it in your
head. Plus, even if I am thinking aloud, I have to think of it in my head first.
Your logic is flawed.” She bit her lip to hold back a smile. God, she loved
teasing Abby because the other woman did it right back. Their words weren’t malicious
with hidden meanings. Jordan would never harp on Abby’s lack of boyfriend, and
Abby would never harp on the fact that Jordan was a witch…unlike the rest of
the girls in town.

Freaking
Stacey…

“Just
shut up. You think you can get around telling me what’s making you look like
you lost your best friend by pretending to be on
Dawson’s Creek
and talking
your way out of it.”

“Oh
my God, did you just use a
Dawson’s Creek
reference? It’s been off the
air for like a decade.”

Abby
blushed and straightened another box of crayons. “I’ve been watching it on
Netflix at night.”

“Okay,
we need to get you out more.”

“I
can’t help it.” Abby batted her eyelashes and stared off into space dreamily.

“If
you’re picturing Dawson right now, I’m going to smack you.”

Abby
looked appalled, and Jordan laughed. “Heck, no. Joshua Jackson’s Pacey all the
way. Besides, Dawson always looked like his head was blown up wrong or
something, like Frankenstein’s monster.” Abby tilted her head and gave her a serious
expression as if their conversation had any merit in the real world.

Jordan
burst out laughing until tears fell down her cheeks and her side ached.

“Oh,
God, I needed that. True, Pacey was dreamy. I’ll give you that. I used to make
Matt watch it with me.” That familiar ache settled around her heart, but it wasn’t
as painful as it usually was. Maybe because she was thinking about actually
getting horizontal with the man?

And
then her stomach turned. Oh yeah, then she was leaving, probably not the best
avenue for her thoughts to take.

“Okay,
for the love of God, tell me what you’re thinking. I’m using my best stuff over
here and you’re only laughing for like a minute.” Abby shifted on the little kindergarten
seat, her body too big for the seat, but she still looked cuter than Jordan did
with her long legs wrapped around two of them.

Jordan
let out a breath, not wanting to talk about her love life. Or the fact that she
even had a love life, considering the whole point of coming to Holiday was to
find
herself
…not a man.

Stupid,
stupid Cooper men and their sweaty bodies when they took off their shirts while
they worked on her house.

“I
think I love Matt,” she blurted out, trying to get the image of her tongue
running down the hard ridges on his abs out of her mind. She could practically
taste the salty goodness.
Bad Jordan.

Abby
blinked. “And?”

Jordan
stood quickly, the little chairs sliding in every direction. “What do you mean
and
?
I just told you I was in love with my old boyfriend, and all you can say is
and
?
What the hell?”

Abby
straightened and moved the chairs back in place. “Jordan, it’s not a secret.
Anyone could have told you that you loved him. I’m pretty sure Matt could have
too, though he wouldn’t because he’s an honorable man. You two were childhood
sweethearts who didn’t get a chance to see where things would go. Your story is
a legend in this town. Even I heard about it, and I was a few years behind you
in school. It’s only natural that you’d come back and find yourself in love
with him.”

Jordan
crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed. She wasn’t that transparent, was she?
Damn.

“The
question is,” Abby continued, “what are you going to do about it?”

Jordan
waved her hands in the air, holding back the tears that wanted to come with her
frustration. “I don’t know. That’s the problem. Don’t you see? I can’t stay
here, Abby. I can’t.”

Jordan
sat down on Abby’s desk chair and wrapped her arms around her knees, her memories
trying to take hold, but she couldn’t let them.

“Talk
to me, Jor.” Abby knelt before her, her eyes pleading. “Tell me what happened.
Why did you leave?”

“I
can’t.” Jordan’s voice broke, and she shook her head. “Not yet.”

Abby
nodded and brushed a lock of hair from Jordan’s face. “Okay, then tell me
something else. Anything. Ease your burdens. It’s what I’m here for.”

Jordan
took a deep breath and wiped her eyes. She hated crying, hated looking weak. It
was a real indicator of how much she liked and trusted Abby that she’d broken
down in front of her. Or maybe she just needed to cry a bit. Most likely, it
was a mixture of both.

“What
do you want to know?”

“Well,
since you won’t tell me what is really bothering you, why don’t you talk to me
about being a witch?”

Jordan
froze, a metallic taste on her tongue. She didn’t talk about her craft with
anyone
.
She used to be able to talk about it somewhat with Matt, but now she was afraid
to. She’d seen the look in his eye when they’d talked about it before. It hurt,
but she could work with it. Being a witch was who she was. Or who she was
supposed to be.

Abby
bit her lip and shook her head. “I’m sorry. That was crass, wasn’t it? Damn. I
didn’t mean to make you feel worse. I’m just interested, you know?”

“Because
I’m a freak?” Jordan bit out, angry at herself more than Abby. Why did she let
herself get into situations like this? She should have known better. Any time
she got close to someone in this God-forsaken town, they turned on her. They
all wanted to know more about the witch and her powers and what she could do
for them. If one of the townsfolk wasn’t scared she’d put a hex on them, they
wanted to be her buddy so they could get a charm or a spell for themselves.

“What?
No! That’s not what I meant at all.” Abby stood, her eyes watering. “I just
know you’re a witch. I want to know things first-hand, rather than just what
I’ve heard. It’s a part of you, and you never talk about it. I thought you’d
want to since we’re friends. I mean I’m here for you.”

Jordan
knew better. People didn’t want to know about her. No, they wanted to know what
she could do for them. She’d seen it all before. She’d thought she’d known
better this time about who she could befriend. Apparently not.

The
best defense was a good offense. “Let me guess. What could you want from me?
Maybe a love spell? Can’t get a man on your own, huh? So you had to come to the
witch to get help?”

Abby
paled, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Jordan…” Her voice cracked, and she
backed up.

God,
she knew she was overacting; she fucking knew it. Abby had done nothing wrong,
but Jordan couldn’t stop. Years of frustration poured out of her. “Well, I’m
sorry. There’s nothing I can do for you. You’re destined to be a virgin forever,
aren’t you?” Energy pooled around her, her fingers sparking as magic swirled.
She tamped it down, or at least tried to.

The
unused magic in her system—the kind she’d been hiding since that fateful night
eleven years ago—seeped out, ignited by her anger. Her magic had always been controlled
by her emotions. It seemed, this time, her magic was the one fueling her
emotions.

“Jordan,
stop it, please,” Abby pleaded.

“I
can’t get you Tyler, Abby. I can’t. I don’t know why you even tried being my
friend, but I can’t create love with magic and supply you a lover. Get a man on
your own.”

“That’s
enough, Jordan.”

Tyler’s
deep voice startled her, and her magic kicked up a notch at the sound, emitting
a flame that licked the room, leaving a scorch mark on the wall.

She
deflated, her body going back to normal. It was if the magic within her had
built up with its lack of use and turned into something nasty and cruel. That
wasn’t her. That couldn’t be her. “Oh, God, Abby. I’m so sorry.” She reached
out to the other woman, tears running down her cheeks. What had she done?

Abby
shook her head, her gaze on Tyler. Oh, fuck. How much had he heard? Damn, she
hadn’t meant to say anything. She liked Abby. Fuck.

Abby
wiped her eyes and straightened her shoulders before walking to the door.

“Abigail…”
Tyler whispered as she walked past him, his hand out as if to touch her. Abby
walked faster, not listening. When she left, Jordan sank to the floor, her mind
rolling and her body shaking.

Oh,
God. She hadn’t meant to do that.

“You
have a lot of fucking nerve, Jor. Fucking nerve.” Tyler walked in the room, his
gun on his hip and his sheriff’s badge gleaming in the light. She gulped. She
knew he wouldn’t use his gun, but it burned a hole in her. She had a weapon of
her own, and she’d used it in anger. What was wrong with her? “I should arrest
you right now for what you did to Abby. You didn’t control your magic and you
could have killed her.”

“Tyler…what
you heard…” How was she going to fix this?

“No,
shut it. I don’t want to hear it. Abigail has been nothing but nice to you. She
already faces a lot of flak in this town because she doesn’t talk to everyone.
She’s quiet, Jordan. Nice. Don’t you realize that? She’s your friend. Or was
your friend. Because, after that little show, I wouldn’t be surprised if she
didn’t join Stacey’s version of a welcoming committee and kick your ass out of
town. I just might join her.” Tyler’s eyes turned cold as his anger radiated
off him in waves.

“I
don’t know what came over me, Ty.” She looked at the sheriff, who was also the
easy- to-laugh ladies’ man. But she didn’t see that side of him now. No, the
man who smiled and laughed was gone. In his place, stood a man blazing with pure
white-hot anger.

“You
could have fucking killed her. Do you realize that? You don’t have your magic
in check, and you fucked it up. You might have killed the only woman who can
stand to talk to you.”

Talk
about twisting the knife, but she deserved it. Her insecurities about her
identity were apparently greater than she’d thought. She was the worst of the
worst and felt like something on the bottom of someone’s shoe. She didn’t
deserve anything. Not Matt, not friends…not anything.