Dreams of Seduction (6 page)

The best of the dishes had been listed online for sale and there was already quite a bit of interest in them.

Maybe she should feel bad for selling some of her grandmother’s things, but she didn’t think the other woman would mind. In fact, she’d probably encourage Maggie to fill the home with things that made her happy.

Maybe she’d stop at the hardware store and peruse the paint chips. She’d moped long enough. These past few days she felt as though she was moving forward.

For one thing, she no longer thought about her ex. No, thoughts of Jed now filled both her waking and sleeping hours. “Stop it,” she commanded herself.

She kicked at the loose gravel with the toe of her sneaker as she walked down the side of the road. A robin flew past her, gliding on the breeze before landing on the grassy bank off to her right. Maggie stopped and smiled as she watched the bird peck at the ground for worms. That’s what she needed. A purpose.

She’d worked with an advertising agency back in California, but she didn’t want to go the corporate routine again. Plus, that would mean she’d have to move. There were no large advertising companies in Burnt Cove.

Maggie didn’t want to leave. She liked it here. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed the place until she’d moved back. It had been like coming home. She could still remember the moment she’d pulled up in front of her grandmother’s cottage, well, her cottage now. Tears had filled her eyes and the knot in her stomach had eased as a sense of peace enveloped her.

No, Burnt Cove was home, and fortunately for Maggie, she had the money to stay here whether she ever worked another day in her life or not. She owned her home, owned her car and had a sizeable chunk of money invested wisely, thanks to the money she’d inherited from her grandmother and her parents. When added to the money from the sale of her condo in California, Maggie was doing all right.

Then there were the good friends she’d made. Both Rhiannon and Esther were the best friends she’d ever had. There was nothing phony about either of them. They were real and genuine and giving.

Which brought her thoughts around to breakfast yesterday morning. Rhiannon had called early and invited both her and Esther to her place. After the three of them had enjoyed pancakes and bacon, Rhiannon had spilled the latest news in the ongoing saga between her and Ryland. Maggie wasn’t certain the great sex was worth all the drama and heartache. But that was Rhiannon’s choice to make.

She gazed out at the ocean, watching several small vessels make their way out to sea. A shiver raced down her spine and she wrapped her arms around herself.

After what she’d seen yesterday morning, she could no longer discount the idea that Rhiannon really was a witch. That made her uneasy. Because if she really was a witch, then the candle-magick spell might have worked.

Of course, neither she nor Esther were inundated with would-be lovers. So there was probably nothing to worry about.

She shook herself out of her pensive mood. It was time for her to change her life. She’d started with the house, but it was now time to work on herself. Not that she regretted the lost time. She’d needed those months to heal from all the heartbreak and tragedy she’d been through in the past year.

But life went on, and she wasn’t used to doing nothing all day long. She didn’t have a family or kids, nor did she have a job. Heck, she didn’t even have a hobby. She took it as a sign she was feeling much better that she was starting to think about such things.

Maggie was ready to really start living again.

As she resumed walking, she mulled over the things that she used to do when she was younger.

Drawing was the obvious one. Working for an advertising agency had allowed her to indulge her artistic pursuits somewhat, but they’d always been reined in by the needs of the client. Maybe she’d buy some art supplies and let herself go wild.

She’d always wanted to learn how to bake as well. She grinned as she remembered her attempt at scones. The blackened biscuits had been hard even with the crust cut away and nowhere near edible. Not even the gulls would eat them and they’d eat anything. She’d been forced to toss the two she’d set out for the birds into the garbage.

Her grandmother had plenty of old cookbooks in the kitchen, along with her handwritten notebook.

Maybe she’d have another go at it. Only this time she’d set the timer on the oven.

A car horn blew and Maggie waved before she even recognized the driver. This was Burnt Cove.

Chances were she knew who it was. Sure enough, as the truck rolled past her, Amos Peters shot her a toothless grin. The man was ninety if he was a day and continued to live independently in his cottage just beyond hers.

Traffic was getting thicker the closer she got to the center of town. Not that it ever got anywhere near the traffic in California. A traffic jam in Burnt Cove was four cars reaching a four-way stop at the same time. Grinning, Maggie dodged across the road and headed straight for Clancy’s Bakery. What she needed was a cup of coffee and something sinfully delicious to go with it.

Jed saw her coming in the distance. Her red jacket was a splash of color matching the cloak of the maple trees as she walked up the side of the road. It should have clashed with her hair, but somehow it looked right on Maggie. Her red hair was braided, the long, thick tail falling over her shoulder and almost touching her waist. She was wearing jeans and sneakers and looked young and carefree as she crossed the road.

He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She continued to haunt his dreams night after night. Her ample breasts filling his hands, her lush curves pressed against his hard body. Her long, shapely legs twined around his hips as he pumped into her, both of them sweaty as he pushed them higher and higher until they came.

His cock stirred, pressing against the zipper of his jeans. “Down boy,” he muttered. He hadn’t purposely traveled outside his body since that first night, but that hadn’t stopped Maggie from invading his dreams.

He’d done a lot of thinking about those dreams and he was almost certain that she was sharing them with him. There was a sense of connection, of actuality, that was too real to be denied.

Somehow, someway, they were sharing these hot, erotic nighttime escapades. Jed awoke after each, mentally and physically spent, the evidence of the encounter spewed across his stomach. The loss of control should have been embarrassing, but because it was Maggie in the dreams, it just felt right.

It would feel even better when it happened in reality. If it happened.

He watched her go into Clancy’s and decided he needed a coffee to start his day. He planned to spend the day working on several new paintings he had in various stages of completion, but first he needed to make his first real connection to Maggie.

His long legs ate up the sidewalk as he zeroed in on his destination. He said hello and nodded to several folks who passed him, but he didn’t stop. His entire being was focused on reaching Maggie.

Maggie ordered a large French roast coffee and a blueberry muffin. Clancy himself was manning the counter this morning and he chatted about the weather and the upcoming Halloween celebration as he served her. Clancy was six-foot-six and built like a linebacker, an unlikely candidate to run a bakery. But the man had a golden touch in the kitchen. She paid for her breakfast and carried it to one of the small café tables.

She dumped her purse on the empty chair and settled into her seat by the window. Rubbing her hands together, she picked up her knife and cut her muffin in half before slathering creamy butter over the golden brown sides. It melted immediately over the warm muffin. This was going to be good. She reached for her coffee to have that all-important first sip of the day.

“Morning, Clancy.”

Maggie froze with her cup an inch from her mouth. She knew that voice. Heard it in her sleep on a nightly basis. It couldn’t be. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The scent of the rich coffee filled her nostrils, teasing her senses. She opened her eyes and took a quick glance toward the counter. It was
him
.

Jed Bearson leaned against the counter, his hip resting on it as he chatted with Clancy. She glanced away and tried to catch her breath. Her heart pounded and her hand shook. Slowly, she lowered her cup back to the table before she spilled her coffee over everything.

Okay. Just relax. There is nothing to worry about. Just pretend he’s not there.
Easier said than done.

She grabbed her purse and yanked open the zipper. Rummaging around, she dug out a notepad and pen.

She’d pretend she was working on something, that way she didn’t have to look at him.

“This seat taken?”

He couldn’t be talking to her. He couldn’t. But she knew he was. Notepad and pen clutched in her hands, she turned and came face-to-face with a silver belt buckle. And, whoa, a very impressive bulge just below it. Maggie swallowed hard.

“Maggie?”

His voice had lowered to an intimate whisper. Oh God, he’d seen her staring at his crotch. Heat crept up her cheeks and Maggie didn’t need a mirror to know that her face was as red as her hair.

“Maggie? You okay?”

Her head shot up and she could see the concern in his amber-colored eyes. He was even more magnificent in person than he was in her dreams. The sharp angles and planes of his face made him look hard and tough, not the kind of man you wanted to piss off. The seams of a crisp white shirt strained at his shoulders, the color making his bronzed skin appear even darker. His wide chest tapered down to a narrow waist. And his legs…his legs were long with thick thigh muscles outlined by the faded denim jeans he wore.

She was acting like an idiot and all because of a few dreams. What had he said? “I’m fine.” Her hands began to ache and she glanced down at them. Her knuckles were white where they clenched the pen and the pad of paper. She loosened her hold and carefully set both on the table.

“May I?” Not waiting for a reply, Jed pulled out the chair across from hers and sat down, placing his coffee cup on the table beside hers.

You can do this. You can talk to him. He doesn’t know about the dreams.
“What brings you to Clancy’s this morning?” That was lame, but she was honestly pleased she could put an entire sentence together.

This wasn’t like her at all. In her former job she’d dealt with all manner of handsome men, models, athletes and superstars, and not once had she been this tongue-tied. Of course, she hadn’t spent the past few nights naked with any of them in her dreams either, so she decided to cut herself some slack.

Jed raised his cup and took a sip. “I needed a cup of coffee to get my day started.”

Maggie picked up her cup, grateful that her hand was no longer shaking, and managed a mouthful.

Thankfully, it was no longer steaming hot as she gulped it down. She needed the caffeine rush to get her brain firing on all cylinders.

“How are you settling in?” Jed wrapped his fingers lightly around the large paper cup. Maggie couldn’t stop staring at them. His fingers were long and thick, the skin slightly calloused. They’d grazed every inch of her body in her dreams, rubbing the tips of her nipples until they were sharp points of desire.

Her breasts swelled and her nipples rubbed against the cups of her bra. Maggie was profoundly thankful that she was wearing her fleece jacket over her plain white T-shirt. Wouldn’t that have been embarrassing? The man sits down to share her table and her nipples pop out to greet him.

“I’m settling in fine.” There. She managed another sentence. Granted, it was only four words long, but it was something. She glanced around the room and realized there were several empty tables. Why had he sat down with her?

“That’s good. It must feel strange to be home again?”

Home. There was that word again. He’d said the same thing that she’d been thinking on her walk here this morning. “Yes, it is good to be home again. Jed?” She picked at her muffin, no longer hungry. “Why are you sitting here with me? Not that I mind,” she added. “I’m going to shut up now before I make even more of an idiot of myself.” She slapped her hand over her mouth. “I said that last bit out loud, didn’t I?”

she mumbled.

The corners of Jed’s mouth tipped upward and his entire face changed as he smiled. His eyes warmed, the amber tone deepening as he nodded. “You did.”

Maggie buried her face in her hands and groaned. “You’ll have to forgive me. I haven’t been sleeping very well the past few nights.”

“I know what you mean.” His voice, low and intimate, sent shivers racing along every nerve ending in her body. Her breasts tingled and a deep throbbing began between her thighs. She was so focused on her physical responses it took her a second to comprehend what he’d said.

Her head jerked back up and her eyes met his. Surely he didn’t mean the same thing she did. Of course not. There was no way he could know about her dreams. She cleared her throat. “You’re not sleeping well?” Feigning a nonchalance she didn’t feel, she tore off a corner of her muffin, popped it into her mouth and began to chew.

“Dreams.”

It was only one word, but he said it just as she started to swallow. Maggie coughed as she began to choke. Jed reached over and patted her back. The light contact sent heat rocketing through her limbs.

Cream seeped from her core, dampening her panties.

Waving him away, she grabbed her coffee and took a sip. “I’m fine,” she gasped. “Just went down the wrong way.”

“You sure?” Jed was still way too close for comfort, his large body hovering close to hers.

“Positive.” She sat back in her chair, putting more distance between them. She let out a sigh of relief when he leaned back in his chair. That relief only lasted as long as his next words.

“You sure it wasn’t something I said?”

Once again, she felt her cheeks heating, along with the rest of her body. “I’m sure.”

He nodded, although a smile played along the corners of his mouth. He looked like a man with a secret. “To answer your first question, I’m here with you because I want to be.” He leaned forward again and rested his hand on the table alongside hers, not quite touching it, but she could feel the heat radiating from it. “Now that you’ve had time to settle into your home, I was wondering if you’d have dinner with me.”