Sensuous Summoning (3 page)

His brow furrowed in concentration as he continued to scan the screen in front of him. Through her drooping eyelids, she watched him frown as he switched to another page. Meaghan set freshly brewed cups of coffee in front of each of them along with sugar and creamer. The comforting scent and the promise of a caffeine jolt helped Rowan shake off the fatigue as she sweetened her drink.

Gwydion, she noticed, sniffed experimentally at his cup before taking a sip. From the look of bliss spreading across his features, this appealed to him far more than the milk or water. He nodded briefly at the other woman before returning his attention to the computer. “My thanks, wench.”

“It’s
Meaghan
.” Glancing at Rowan, she rolled her eyes but couldn’t quite suppress the smile that threatened. “If you guys are all set, I’m going to go catch up on the shows I DVRed this week.”

“We’re fine. And thanks for the coffee.”

“No prob. And I’ll be in the next room if you need anything.”

Rowan suspected that last comment was more for Gwydion’s benefit than hers. A way to let him know that she wasn’t sure she quite trusted him. However, it seemed to be lost on him as he continued to sip his coffee and stare fixedly at the computer.

Rowan turned back to her textbook, fighting to keep the words from swimming before her bleary eyes. Balancing school and work had never seemed so daunting. Of course, she’d never had a distraction like Gwydion, either.

As she drank the coffee as quickly as possible, she couldn’t keep her attention from straying to his large, strong hands and trailing up his forearms. It was impossible not to remember how his touch had felt as he’d traced her lips, the weight of his body pressing her into the earth. She closed her eyes imagining the caress of his mouth…the taste of his lips.

* * * *

Gwydion had lost track of how long he’d stared at the endless streams of information. It was long enough that the sky had begun to lighten and his eyes burned with strain. He’d forgotten how cumbersome it was to be tied to a physical body that required sleep and nourishment. He wasn’t the only one in need of rest. Rowan had fallen asleep, her open book an uncomfortable-looking pillow.

Standing, he stretched his cramped muscles and moved from the table where he’d spent the night trying to find out all he could about the poisoned water. The floorboards creaked under his feet, and she stirred slightly. A flash of guilt prodded him, and he bent forward, slipping an arm beneath her legs and another around her back. She needed to be in her bed. Lifting her into his arms, he ignored the stirring of his cock at the thought of climbing into her bed with her.

She shifted in her sleep, nuzzling his chest with her face and hooking her fingers into the neckline of his shirt, the warmth of her hand seeping into his skin. He could still smell the damp earth and leafy scent that clung to her hair. And he couldn’t forget the feeling of her squirming beneath him, her lush curves cradling his body.

Willing aside his body’s reaction to her, he carried Rowan into the next room. Her friend looked up, eyes wide.

“Where are the sleeping quarters?”

Meaghan led the way down a darkened corridor to a room at the end and pushed open the door. Through the window, moonlight shown on an ornate, brass bed. Meaghan darted ahead of him and pulled back the covers, and he laid Rowan in the center of the mattress. As her weight shifted, she clutched at his shoulders murmuring unintelligibly in her sleep, her lips brushing his neck.

It took every ounce of his self-control not to follow her down onto the bed. Carefully, he tucked the covers around her and followed Meaghan from the room. He needed to find out more about the time in which he’d landed.

Chapter Three

Rowan startled awake to the sound of her alarm clock blaring in her ear. Thrashing, she batted at the offending technology and blinked against the bright glare of the morning sun. She kicked off her covers and struggled into a sitting position, stretching uncomfortably. How the hell had she managed to fall asleep in her clothes?

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and it all came rushing back. The spell gone oh so wrong. Gwydion. The vines around her wrists. His body above hers. The tingling sensation of need she’d experienced last night was back and stronger than ever. That still didn’t explain how she’d ended up in bed with her clothes on.

Pushing herself from the bed, she left the room. The house was quiet, and Meaghan was crashed out on the couch. Moving into the kitchen, Rowan half expected to see Gwydion at the table, still intently poring over the info on the computer screen, but the room was empty. She quietly made her way through the rest of the house searching for him and unable to explain the keen disappointment that tightened her stomach when she realized he was gone.

He’d been so upset at the state of the environment. Not that she could blame him. It was part of the reason she’d performed the protection spell in the first place. She couldn’t stand the thought of the orchard behind her house being turned into yet another over-priced, cookie-cutter subdivision. And even worse, it was her family’s company slotted to do the build.

She’d tried to talk to her dad and brother about leaving the orchard as it was, but they’d been able to get the land cheap. Nothing short of the discovery of a cache of natural resources or endangered species would stop the destruction of the environment. And since Michigan didn’t have much in the way of hidden oil pockets, the natural resources angle was unlikely at best. It was equally unlikely that the nearly extinct animals and insects would make a sudden, inexplicable comeback.

But she’d had to try something. The site was due to be inspected at the end of the week, and there was no way they wouldn’t be given the go ahead to build. Since she didn’t have a legal leg to stand on, magic had been her only option. And that had been a huge fiasco. Not only had she failed to protect the area, she was now miserably aroused.

Maybe she shouldn’t have dismissed his idea of “sacrifice” as quickly as she had. But it was too late for that. Who knew where he was now and if she’d ever see him again? Maybe he’d discovered the world was too big of a mess to even attempt fixing. Maybe he’d given up and gone back to wherever he’d been before she’d summoned him. Burying the seeds of disappointment, she quickly padded toward the shower. If she didn’t hurry, she’d be late for work. Again.

* * * *

Rowan pushed a heavy rack of lingerie toward the sleepwear section at the back of the store. The noise from the busy mall faded as she made her way down the aisle. She’d arrived three minutes late. It had been more than late enough to piss off her boss, and now, Rowan was stuck unpacking and pricing clothes for the rest of her shift. She wasn’t about to admit it to the other woman, but that was fine by her. She had a screaming headache from lack of sleep, and she was distracted by wondering what had happened to Gwydion.

The creaky wheels of another clothes rack approaching pulled her from her endless speculation about the man who’d appeared out of nowhere and had disappeared just as quickly. She turned to find her friend and co-worker, Beth, heading toward the sportswear aisle.

Beth peered around the rack and grinned at Rowan. “So what did you do to piss off the Queen of the Damned today?” Beth asked.

“You mean other than existing?”

“Breathing doesn’t count. She’s always mad that we’re still doing that.”

Kathy, their boss, had a seemingly endless supply of bitterness and anger. In fact, Rowan wasn’t sure she’d ever seen the other woman smile. Ever. Right now, she glared at them from behind the cash register, her lips twisted into a scowl.

“I was late,” Rowan admitted.

Beth rolled her eyes. “Careful. That’s hanging offense as far as she’s concerned.”

Rowan laughed then quickly stifled a yawn.

“Late night?” Beth asked, as she tore the plastic off a shipment of yoga pants.

“Way late.”

“Well, I hope it was at least because of a date.”

“Not exactly. Incoming,” she muttered quietly to Beth as Kathy approached.

Arms crossed over her chest, she scowled at Rowan before turning to Beth. “As soon as you finish putting out that merchandise, you can both move to the storeroom. It needs to be cleaned.”

Both women rolled their eyes as their boss wandered back toward the front of the store. The day dragged endlessly, but it gave Rowan time to think. It was impossible to keep Gwydion from her thoughts. On the one hand, she wasn’t entirely convinced that she hadn’t imagined the whole thing. But the cups he’d used had been sitting out on the table when she’d gotten up. Apparently, gods couldn’t manage to put dishes in the sink when they were finished with them any better than mortal men could.

“Hey. Distracto chick.”

“Huh?” Rowan turned toward Beth, blinking at the storeroom floor she was supposed to be sweeping.

Beth grinned. “What’s going on with you? It’s like you’ve already checked out for the day.”

To be fair, she pretty much had. She couldn’t keep her thoughts off Gwydion no matter how hard she tried. His deep voice had rumbled through her body, waking places in her that hadn’t responded to a man in longer than she cared to admit. There was something about him—the feral glow in his eyes, the sure touch of his hands, the passion for a world that was being destroyed. Of course, if he was so passionate about it, where the hell was he? Had he just decided that the earth was too far gone and ditched the whole planet? It wasn’t inconceivable, she supposed. He’d vanished from the world before. Some nature god he was.

Rowan shook her head and focused her attention on her friend. “I know. I’m a total space case today.”

Beth looked as if she were about to say something else when a familiar voice sounded beyond the partially open storeroom door.

“I would speak with the wench Rowan.” Gwydion’s voice drifted back to her from the front of the store.

A startled laugh escaped Beth. “Wench? What did I tell you about picking up guys at the ren faire?” She craned her neck around the door to catch sight of him.

Nervous excitement tumbled through Rowan’s stomach. He hadn’t left. Of course, right now, he was making a scene at her workplace, but worse things could happen.

Beth stared open-mouthed as Gwydion moved into view.

“You know what?” she muttered. “Ignore what I said about renaissance festival guys. If that’s where you found that one, I’m totally hitting the next faire that comes to town.”

“It’s a long, long story.” She told her friend and stepped from the storeroom and into the main part of the store.

“I’ll be waiting. Desperately. For the details.”

Kathy stepped in front of Gwydion, effectively halting his progress. She turned to look at Rowan, her watery blue eyes narrowed. “You’re not due for a break for at least an hour. Don’t even think about leaving that room. I’ll fire you so fast your head will spin.” Kathy whirled and to face Gwydion again.

Rowan couldn’t make out the exchange, but she could tell he wasn’t about to let the other woman keep him from his objective. He stepped around her and strode toward Rowan. Uncertainty roiled in her middle as he moved closer, heedless of Kathy’s yammering.

Gwydion nodded at Beth as he passed the row where she stood then stopped in front of Rowan with only a clothing rack between them.

“I would speak with you,” he said, his voice a low murmur that stroked her nerve endings.

She turned and checked the time on the wall clock behind her then looked at her boss who’d crossed her arms over her chest and glared pointedly at her. “I’ve got two hours until my shift ends…”

“I’ll wait.” He frowned.

Beth stepped forward. “Actually, the employee handbook says that as long as your shift is covered, you can go.” She glanced at her watch then smiled sweetly at Kathy before turning back to Rowan. “My my shift ends in two minutes. Why don’t you clock out, and I’ll finish up for you? I could use the hours anyway.”

Rowan smiled gratefully at her friend. “Thanks. I owe you.”

Beth leaned close and whispered in her ear. “Yes. You do. Details. And a brother if he’s got one.”

“Fine,” Kathy snapped, her voice tight and brittle sounding.

Smothering a giggle, Rowan looked at Gwydion. “I just need to get my things. I’ll be right back, okay?”

He nodded, his eyes fierce.

Gwydion ignored the stares of the remaining women and watched Rowan disappear through the same door she’d come through moments earlier. The blonde woman’s watery blue eyes were narrowed as she watched him. Her anger and hatred hung heavily in the air like poisonous clouds. It was a wonder she didn’t smother everything around her.

The other woman seemed much more pleasant. With dark hair and bright eyes full of laughter, she seemed the complete opposite of the bitter hag glaring at Rowan as she made her way through the heavy, metal door.

He fell into step beside her as she wended her way through the countless racks of clothing and headed toward the gaping opening where sounds and sights collided to create one of the most unpleasant environments he’d ever experienced. There were so many people and shops. And the noise seemed to echo endlessly off the walls. The smells of cooking food mixed foully with the cloying scent of chemicals and flowers. Grabbing Rowan’s hand, he quickened his pace and tugged her toward the door. The sooner he escaped the press of the crowd and commerce, the better. He took a deep breath as soon as they stepped through the outer doors. The air was still tainted, but it was far better outside than it was in the smothering atmosphere of the building.