He checked the clock on the dash. “Make it fast. We’ve already wasted five minutes.”
“And there’s the Sam we all know and love.” Chortling, Nikki climbed over the center console and plopped into the driver’s seat. She gripped the wheel and made obnoxious squealing noises as she pretended to buck around in the seat.
Where was the damn Maalox when he needed it? Ignoring the acid churning in his gut, he returned his scrutiny to Cass. “You about done tinkering with that thing?”
“Yep. Everything looks great.” Cass shot a look toward Nikki. “No detouring. Straight home to Sam’s, and make sure you take the cuffs in with you.”
“Yes, boss.” Nikki gunned the engine and grinned. “Ooh mama. Listen to that baby purr.”
His knees wobbled. “I think I’m gonna be sick.”
“It’ll be fine. Come on.” Grasping his clammy palm, Cass tugged him toward the adjacent grocery store.
They stepped inside the cool interior, where he was bombarded with cheesy jazz music while Cass called for a cab on her cell phone. Despite the relative shittiness of his situation, he found himself humming along with the tune. Cass hung up and stared at him.
He frowned. “What?”
“Uh…you were humming just now.”
“Yeah? I’m not allowed to hum?”
“Sam, it’s disco music.”
“No, it’s jazz. Big difference.”
For a moment it looked like she was on the verge of arguing, but finally she just shook her head. “Whatever. The cab’s on its way. In the meantime, I was thinking we should pick up a few things while we’re here.”
He grunted. “Yeah, I’m low on dish soap.”
“Smartass. Not what I meant.” Snagging his wrist again, she towed him toward the produce section. He was starting to feel like a damn dog on a leash. Without warning, she slammed to a halt next to an end cap displaying flower bouquets packaged in colorful cellophane. “Which do you suppose Marabella would like more?”
He squinted at the back of her head as she stooped over a bunch of red roses and sniffed loudly. “What the hell are you doing?”
“They may look pretty, but sometimes they have zero smell. A true test of the perfect flower goes beyond mere visual beauty.” The look she tossed him over her shoulder hinted that he was possibly a moron for not already being in on the ground floor of this amazing revelation.
He gritted his teeth. “I meant why are you buying flowers for her?”
“I’m not. You are.”
“Why would I do something like that?”
“Because it’s romantic and thoughtful.”
He gifted Cass with a suspicious glare before stepping back from the floral display like it was stocked with poisonous vipers rather than innocuous daisies, carnations and roses. “Get any and all matchmaking ideas out of your head.”
“This one is nice.” Studiously ignoring him, Cass plucked a fat bouquet of pink roses, ferns and some kind of weird spiky purple flower from one of the plastic containers and moseyed toward the registers. Growling, he stalked after her and the dripping trail of water leaking from the bundled flowers.
They reached the checkout, and he dug his wallet from his pocket with a barely caged snarl. “I’m shocked you don’t want me to bring her chocolates too.”
“Oh, thanks for reminding me.” Cass snagged a Kit Kat bar from the side rack and added it to the flowers on the conveyor belt.
Son of a bitch.
Several seconds later, they walked back outside and hopped into the cab waiting for them at the entrance. After giving the driver directions to Bella’s Boutique, Sam slouched in the seat and tried not to think about the horrible offenses Nikki was putting his car through, or his upcoming reunion with Marabella.
Why the devil had he agreed to this? Then again, Cass hadn’t exactly given him a choice. Yes, the logical part of his brain knew she was right in regards to Marabella offering a possible clue to what Pricilla was up to. But an even larger part of him was leery of the magnetic pull he experienced around Marabella.
Leery? Hell, try terrified. He’d fallen victim to lust and desire plenty of times in the past. But that didn’t hold a candle to whatever this was between him and Marabella. Anything that could consume him this way wasn’t to be trusted, much less courted. The sooner he dug to the bottom of things and put Marabella firmly behind him, the better.
The biggest question was what role Marabella played in whatever scheme was cooking in Pricilla’s devious head. Pris had obviously been intrigued to learn a witch broke his seal, to the point she let him go free in hopes of him leading her to Marabella. But to what purpose?
His brain beginning to ache from the multitude of unresolved questions piling up, he groaned and rubbed his temple.
“I think we’re here,” Cass whispered.
He opened his eyes. Sure enough, the cab had coasted to a halt in front of Marabella’s shop. His heart started beating in double time. Unable to defeat the strange compulsion drawing him, he scanned the front windows for sign of Marabella. He spotted her hanging sparkly suncatchers in the room where they’d made love.
Correction, fucked. He didn’t make love, for devil’s sake. Just like he didn’t bring a woman damn flowers and chocolate.
His surly musings grew fainter as he continued to stare at Marabella. No matter how desperately he tried, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. A shiny cascade of golden strands brushed the soft upper swells of her breasts. He remembered the feel of those luscious mounds as they nestled in his palms. Remembered the sweet, addictive taste of her beneath his tongue. An urgent surge of hot need speared low in his belly.
Fuck, he wanted to peel off her clothes and devour every inch of her all over again. Once she was breathless and screaming for release, he’d bury his cock deep inside her. Right against the windows, so the entire world would see that she was his.
That unwelcome and disturbing thought jarred him from his trance.
“Sam, is that her?”
He turned his head to see that Cass was also gaping at Marabella. “Yeah.”
“Oh man. I think we’re in a shitload of trouble here.”
He snorted. “Welcome to my world.”
“You don’t understand. I can’t read her.”
He blinked. “Say what?”
“There’s a security block on her soul that’s denying me access.” Her eyes wide, Cass shifted her focus to him. “Who the hell is this girl?”
Chapter Fourteen
Satisfied the crystal suncatchers were securely anchored on their hooks, Marabella inched down from the stepladder. “Looks pretty darn good, if I say so myself.” She gave herself a mental pat on the back just as the chimes announced potential customers. Thank the goddess. Sales had been below mediocre the past couple days. Sure, it’d given her plenty opportunity to work on the bid she was placing on the Alliance Headquarters job, but that certainly wasn’t paying the bills in the meantime.
Straightening the hem of her yellow polka-dotted skirt, she casually made her way to the front of the store. And jerked to a wobbly halt when she spotted Sam. Their gazes crashed into each other. Yes, it was cheesy and cliché to think it, but she truly swore the Earth stopped revolving.
She’d grown complacent with the notion of never seeing him again. Goddess knows, it would have been better that way. Because then she might have actually been able to continue deluding herself that the mere sight of him didn’t make her heart and stomach perform simultaneous somersaults.
Somehow she managed to get her tongue working again. “W-what are you doing—?” Suddenly recalling that Findley Cosgrove was due to stop by to return a few power cords she’d borrowed for the ball, Marabella gasped. “You being here—incredibly bad idea.”