The thought of William suddenly came to mind and how he wished he could get a glimpse of the future. I had the ability but not the know-how to make my visions work. I closed my eyes, feeling completely helpless. Maybe Robert was right, maybe it would take too much time to explain everything to me. I didn’t know anything about the Magical world. I couldn’t even use my own Magic when I wanted to.
My cell phone vibrated across the desk, jolting me back to reality. I took a deep breath and answered. “Hey, Becky. What’s up?” I said after seeing the caller ID.
“I just wanted to check in and make sure you’d be ready to go in about an hour,” Becky replied.
I looked at the time on my computer. It was already five o’clock. How long had I been lost in my thoughts?
“Yeah, I’ll be ready and waiting,” I said, trying to sound excited.
“Perfect. Can you grab a few extra blankets? It’s always freezing at night and Aaron is using all my spare stuff right now.”
“Sure, no problem.”
“Alright, see you in a bit,” she chimed.
“See ya.”
I saved all the changes on my computer and closed out the programs. When I went into the backroom I found Jessie cleaning up and shutting down. I let her know I was heading out and that she should probably head home too.
I turned the lights out as Jessie and I walked back into the front office and I locked the door behind me. Walking over to my desk, I switched off the computer monitor and grabbed my purse. After everything was locked, powered down and put away, I took a deep, reluctant breath and walked to the front of the studio where Jessie and Robert were chatting. I was the last one out the door and turned the lights off before securing the deadbolt.
I looked at my darkened studio through the glass window for a moment. Everything was still and the late afternoon sun made the room glow orange. I felt a small pang of sadness as I turned away from the building and toward my car. A piece of me knew this might be the last time I ever locked up after a long day.
Robert and I stayed quiet in the quick car ride home. As we walked up to the gate I finally decided to break the silence.
“Maybe I shouldn’t go to Yosemite,” I said, keeping my eyes on my keys as I turned them in the lock and swung the gate open.
“No, you should go. If your attacker really is here in Pismo, it'd be best if you were nowhere in sight while we take care of him."
I unlocked the front door and walked inside but didn’t hear Robert’s footsteps behind me. I turned around and saw him standing in the doorway.
“Aren't you going to come in?” I asked.
“No,” he stated.
“Why not?” I furrowed my brow and took a few steps back toward him.
“I have to go by the house and tie up a few loose ends before I follow you.” He laced his fingers around my wrist and pulled me close.
“You’re leaving me alone? Now? With everything that’s going on?” I placed my other hand on his chest, needing to feel his solid presence.
“You won’t be alone. Harriet is just next door and she can protect you until I get back.”
“But Harriet-“
“Is perfectly capable of watching over you for an hour,” Robert insisted, putting his finger to my lips and cutting me off.
“Robert.” His name came in a whisper on my lips. My anger toward him had completely faded. I was terrified of being alone, especially knowing we were so close to finding the man who attacked me.
“It’ll be okay,” he said, pulling me against his chest and wrapping his arms around me. I pressed the side of my face against his warm, solid body.
“It’ll be okay,” I said, repeating his words under my breath.
I started to pull away from him but he didn’t completely release me. Looking up at him, our eyes locked. I felt stupid for being so angry with him earlier. He’d done nothing but try and keep me safe and I’d acted like an undeserving brat every chance I got. I didn’t realize how much I’d grown accustomed to having him around. Having to say goodbye to him, even for just an hour, felt like tearing away some essential part of me.
I started unwrapping myself from the circle of his arms, but never broke our gaze. I couldn’t even if I’d want to. I saw something flash across his eyes as his arms slid away from me. He wrapped his arms tighter around my waist and pulled me back to him. He slid one of his hands into my hair and around the back of my neck. I felt his warmth spreading through me. I didn’t know if it was anxiety at the thought of our parting or the tension that had been building between us since the day we met, but something had finally snapped.
The warmth at the closeness of our bodies burned through every part of me. It was the same undeniable warmth I had felt when he saved me. It coursed through my body, bringing my blood to a boil. I thought I was going to melt into a puddle when he slowly leaned toward me. His warm breath sent a wave of pleasure through me. He hesitated for just a second before he gently placed his lips against mine. Wrapping my arms around his neck I closed what little distance was left between us. Our bodies pressed together, forming against one another and closing the circuit of warmth. Every nerve in my body burst at his touch. I squeezed my arms tighter around his neck, needing to be closer to him. Nothing had ever felt so right in my life, the comfortable feel of his lips on mine, the way our bodies fit perfectly together.
Slowly, he pulled away and looked down at me. His eyes blazed with the same fire I felt inside of me. He kissed me gently once more and then reluctantly pulled away.
“I won’t be long,” he said. He let his hand stroke my cheek then turned and walked away without another word.
Chapter 17
I located the duffel bag in my closet and started packing for Yosemite, still in a haze from the kiss. I strained to focus on the task at hand but it was a lost cause. Robert had completely taken me off guard. I’d known a kiss was in our future but that wasn’t the one I’d seen. My heart sped up at the memory of his lips on mine and I packed on autopilot, completely lost in my thoughts.
Annabel appeared in my living room with a duffle bag just a few minutes before Becky and the girls arrived. I knew Robert would be close behind but not having him in sight made me jumpy. I’d never been more thankful than I was in this moment that Christy liked to hear herself talk. Too many thoughts bounced around in my head for me to be able to participate in a normal conversation, but that didn’t seem to keep Christy from chatting away. Becky kept eying me in the rearview mirror, though. She knew there was something up with me but wouldn’t dare broach the subject in front of the other girls, who were clueless to my mood.
I watched the landscape change colors with the sunset and finally plunge into darkness. I kept looking behind us, hoping I’d get a glimpse of Robert’s car. Since I didn’t know what he would be driving, I soon realized how futile this was. A feeling of dread settled in the pit of my stomach every time I turned to look for him and came up empty. What if he wasn’t following us? What if something held him up? I tried to keep the trepidation building with each passing minute at bay. This isn’t the time or place to have a panic attack, Violet, I told myself.
“He’s right behind us,” Annabel whispered and gave my arm a gentle squeeze.