WILLEM (The Witches of Wimberley Book 1) (17 page)

“Sounds nice.”

I smiled as I turned toward the terrace doors. I could see the table set with pink linens and covered carafes of ice water and orange juice. The morning was glorious, a perfect seventy degrees. The smell of cedar scented the air and I inhaled deeply.

Angie followed close behind with the coffee pot. She turned the cup over and poured then carefully set the cream and sweeteners within my reach.

“Lovely morning, isn’t it?” she said.

“It is.”

The door opened and Ravish emerged, wearing white capris and a tangerine-colored tank top. Her hair was in a ponytail. She looked different in casual clothes. No less beautiful. If anything, she seemed more approachable in everyday street wear. A guy could get used to fancy breakfast served on the terrace and a goddess looking at him like he’d discovered fire.

“Willem,” she said.

“Ravish,” I replied. “Let’s start this off right. Call me Will.”

She smiled. “Sure.”

“And Ravish has got to go, too.”

“You don’t like my name?” She didn’t seem hurt, more interested in what I would say next.

“I love it, but I have a strong preference for single syllables. I’m a simple kind of guy.”

As she sat, she took on a challenging look with raised eyebrow. “A simple kind of guy, huh. I’m not getting that, Wille… Will. Perhaps you haven’t had the funds to express your appreciation of fine things, but I’m kind of questioning the simple guy thing.”

I wondered if she was right. She might be.

“So what name have you come up with for me?”

I sat back with my coffee cup in hand. “Rave.”

“Rave?!? It makes me sound like a soapbox lunatic.”

“Ravish makes me sound like a pervert.”

She threw her head back and laughed her sexy, throaty laugh. “If you want to call me Rave, it’s okay with me, Will. Outsiders will think it’s short for Raven, but that’s okay, too. I always liked that name.”

“Rave it is then.”

I felt strangely satisfied, as if I’d just branded my woman by renaming her. It was a rush.

Angie stepped out carrying a tray with two plates of spinach Eggs Benedict, bacon, and gingerbread.

“Good heavenly days,” I said. “How did you know I like spinach Eggs Benedict? And gingerbread? Christ. I don’t know where to start. It smells like heaven.”

“I take that as high praise, Mr. Draiocht.”

“You should. This looks incredible.”

Angie went away beaming.

“I hope you always enjoy things as much as you do today, Will.”

“You mean you don’t want me to get bored and jaded? I’m not a teenager. I think I’ve lived long enough without all this to ever not appreciate it.”

“Good,” she said. “It’s more fun that way. So start at the beginning and tell me everything about you.”

After taking a large bite of gingerbread, I grinned. “Only if you trade me fact for fact. I tell one. You tell one.”

“Deal. You go first.”

“I was born in Alabama.”

“I was born here.”

“Two brothers and a sister.”

“Two sisters.”

“I’m the youngest.”

“I’m number two.”

“I had a nice middle class childhood. My parents weren’t the cool parents who let kids do
anything
, but they were solid, stable, loving.”

“My parents are,” she grinned, “great. I can’t wait for you to meet them.”

I thought about taking Ravish to meet my parents. “Will you want to meet mine?”

She nodded. “After our year is up. When our arrangement becomes permanent, then yes. Absolutely.”

“We could take a road trip. Go through New Orleans. Drive along the Gulf.”

Her eyes sparkled when she smiled like she was picturing the sun on the water. “I’m in!”

I couldn’t help but return her smile. I could picture driving along the coast with Rave in her Spyder, top down. Heaven.

“Okay. So childhood. I played baseball and, don’t tell anybody, but I liked to read.”

“I like to read, too, and I guess I was what some people call a tomboy. I always liked hiking, canoeing, catching June bugs.”

“You have June bugs?”

“Of course.”

I laughed. “For about a week every summer our June bugs would look like one of the plagues from the Bible. There were that many.”

“Yeah. We get a lot. I also liked playing in the mud.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“Okay. Well I would never have admitted that to you, but definitely concur. Playing in the mud is the best!” I held my palm up for a high five. She slapped my hand and giggled.

“Is that why you have that Jeep? You still like to play in the mud?”

She looked up through her eyelashes. “Guilty.”

“Well, Rave, I’m feeling pretty good about this. What are the chances I’d find a girl who likes to play in the mud?”

“What subjects did you like in school?”

“Social studies. English when it involved stories. You?”

“Math and science.”

I laughed. “Well, between the two of us, there shalt be balance. How old were you when you had your first kiss?”

“Thirteen.”

“Twelve. Did you like it?”

“Not really.”

“Yeah.” I chuckled. “Awkward.”

“Extremely. And don’t start asking about other things along those lines. Some things are private, even from you, Will.”

“Noooooo. I’m to be your lord and master. You will do as I say.” She looked at me strangely. “That was a joke, Rave. I don’t expect that you’d ever do what I say even if I was dumb enough to give you an order.”

“Okay.”

“Seriously. You can keep that stuff to yourself. I was kidding.”

“Good,” she said as she bit down on a piece of bacon. “I’m glad we understand each other. So when was your first coitus and who was it with?”

My eyes jerked from the hunk of gingerbread I was holding, to her face. Her eyes were dancing. “I have a better question. Are you ticklish?” She pressed her lips together and shook her head a little too emphatically. “Ooh. I just learned two things. You
are
ticklish and you’re also a terrible liar. Good. To. Know.”

I stood and moved toward her with fingers wiggling. She jumped up and began walking backwards. “No, Will, really. I…”

She feinted left, but though I hadn’t revealed it, I also played basketball. So I was ready for her. She ran right into my arms. I was not merciless. After all, I’d known her for less than twenty-four hours. Merciless tickling required history and trust. Sometimes, as my sisters had taught me, there were elements of head bonking with nearby objects that resulted in needing ice packs.

I turned her to face me. “I didn’t get a good morning kiss.” Without further preamble, she proceeded to kiss me stupid. “Have I told you I like your lips?”

“No.” She smiled. “What else?”

“What else what?”

“What else do you like about me?”

“You mean besides flawless beauty? I like your laugh. I like that you’re so easy to talk to. I like the way your eyes dance when you’re having fun. And I like your Eggs Benedict.”

“That was a good starter list, Will. You want to finish breakfast?”

“Hell, yeah. There’s stuff all over that table still calling my name. I just took intermission for tickling.”

I slid my arm over her shoulder as we walked back. It was familiar. It was affectionate. It was also strange, not the sort of thing I do with women, but it felt natural. And good.

“This gingerbread is getting cold! What kind of household are you managing here?” I chided with enough tease in my voice so she’d know for sure that I was not serious.

Angie appeared at the table within seconds.

“Angie,” Rave said, “could you heat up the gingerbread for Mr. Draiocht?”

“Certainly. So glad you like it, sir.”

She took the gingerbread basket and hurried away while I sat with my mouth hanging open.

“I wasn’t serious.”

“Oh, I know. But gingerbread
is
best when the butter melts on it. And Angie doesn’t mind.”

“How do you know?”

“When she comes back, ask her and look real closely for any signs that she might be shaving the truth.”

“You’re on, mistress of the house.”

While waiting, I scooped up the last bite of incredible Eggs Benedict, polished off the bacon, and gulped orange juice.

“You’ve got an appetite, Will. I may have to put a weight maintenance spell on you. With your permission, of course.”

I stared. “You’re saying you can put a spell on me that would allow me to eat anything I want, as much as I want, and not gain weight?” She nodded with a secretive little smile. I reached down and rubbed my hand over my bulging tummy. “Can you make me look shredded without having to work out?”

She laughed. “No. Some things are beyond me. If you want to be lickable, you’re still going to have to hit the machines. Oh. I didn’t show you the gym. It’s upstairs on the right side of the hall. Got everything you could want and a nice media center, too.”

“Lickable?”

She giggled. “Is that all you heard?”

“Yes. Blah blah blah. LICKABLE! Blah blah blah. Now you know. That’s one of the words that’s a cock tease.”

“Oh? What are the others?”

“We’ll come to that later. Were you popular in school or studious or what? Lots of acquaintances or a few good friends?”

“I was kind of popular, I guess.”

Looking down my nose, I said, “What’s ‘kind of’? Were you a cheerleader?”

“Yes.”

“Did you use magic?”

“No.” She did a crazy eyes thing that looked like she was indignant at the question.

“Okay. Okay. Just asking. Were you prom queen?”

“No. I was senior class president though.”

Angie arrived with warm gingerbread and set it down with a smile.

Watching her carefully I asked, “Angie, don’t you really think I should get up and bring the gingerbread in the kitchen if I want it heated up?”

“Good lands no, sir. That’s my job, isn’t it?”

“Maybe.”

“No maybe about it. I see to the people in this house. That used to be Ms. Ravish, but now it’s you, too.”

“You call her Ms. Ravish?”

“With her permission.”

“Why don’t you call me Will?”

“Mr. Will.”

“No. Just Will.” She looked at Rave, who nodded at her. “Very well, sir. But it don’t really seem right calling you by your nickname.”

“Okay. You can call me Willem. But just you. Nobody else.”

She looked delighted at the prospect of being the only one allowed to call me Willem.

“Very well, sir.”

When she left and closed the door behind her, I said, “So you were one of the unattainable sex icons who prowl the halls of high schools everywhere, never deigning to so much as cast a glance toward poor adoring souls such as myself.”

“Wow, Will. That was practically a soliloquy. You would have been a fine actor.”

“What does math/science girl know about soliloquys?”

“I named my
favorite
subjects. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t learn anything else.”