Bewitching You(20)

Hell, he’d figured that out last night when she’d wrapped her legs around his hips, allowing him to feel the heat between her thighs. But the blushing showed it wasn’t something she did often, if at all.

Just like in the dreams, she was completely innocent. And sweet.

She squeezed some dish soap into the sink and grabbed the plate out of his hand, nudging him out of the way.

He grinned, adding playful to the list of things he liked about her.

“Now, what kind of man would I be if I allowed you to do everything?” He nudged back.

“You wash. I’ll dry.”

“Fine with me.” She laughed and tossed a dishtowel at him.

Gray caught it and swatted her jean-clad bottom with it—faded jeans that showed off her heart-shaped ass. He secretly hoped that snug white t-shirt would get a little wet while dishwashing. She wasn’t exactly fashionable, but whatever she wore, she looked sexy as hell.

Shame she wanted him to leave. They could have a lot of fun together. Gray smiled to himself. Having fun hadn’t been high on his priority list for a long, long time. It hadn’t been part of his idiotic life plan. However, the woman beside him inspired him in ways he hadn’t imagined. Besides, he didn’t exactly have much going on in his life now. He could put off moving to San Francisco for a month or so. Live off his savings, well, whatever was left of his savings after he paid back Rachel’s parents for the chunk of change they put into the wedding that wasn’t going to happen. Her heartless actions may be the reason the wedding was off, but he could see now that she’d done him a favor. Marrying Rachel would’ve been a huge mistake.

Now his life had no limitations. Maybe he could convince Sofia to go out with him a few times. Show her who he really was, and who he could be if given the chance.

Anything was possible.

“Sofia, can I take you out on a—” Before he could finish, the faucet made a clanking sound and fell off into the sink, spurting water straight up and onto Sofia.

Gray dropped to his knees and threw open the cupboard door. He spotted the valve that shut off the water and turned the knob until it wouldn’t go around anymore. The sound of Sofia laughing hysterically brought him back up to his feet just as fast.

“What could possibly be funny?” he asked, but couldn’t help but chuckle along with her.

Her shirt was drenched, more wet than Gray had hoped, but he wasn’t complaining in the least. Underneath, a white lace bra sparsely concealed her ample breasts.

She slapped a hand on her thigh and continued her hysterics.

Gray chuckled. Her good mood was contagious. “What?” he managed to ask finally.

“Oh my gosh.” She took in a breath. “Ever since I realized I was wearing this shirt, I’ve been looking for a reason to change.”

At that, they both doubled over. Gray laughed more than he had in years. Not since his college days with Hayes. Sofia had a spirit and liveliness that reminded Gray of his brother. Hayes would’ve liked her, there was no doubt.

Hopefully, not as much as he had taken a liking to Rachel.

But that was a different story for a different time. Right now, all Gray wanted to do was be close to Sofia in any way she’d let him. If he wasn’t going to be able to dream of her anymore, he’d need to step up his game in real life.

Taking a chance, he leaned in and dared to kiss the side of her lips.

She stepped back, halting the laughter altogether.

Damn. Undoing the damage he’d already done wasn’t going to be easy. “Why don’t I fix the faucet while you change?” That would give him a little extra time.

“You don’t have to.” She paused. “Are you sure?”

“It’s no problem. I’m pretty good with my hands.” He winked at her, and she blushed again.

Fourth time, but who was counting? “Your grandma have a tool chest?”

“It would probably be in the shed out back, but she keeps it locked up for some reason.” She pulled out a set of about ten keys from a drawer. “One of these might open it. But you don’t have to put yourself through all that trouble. I’ll get it.”

“No trouble at all.” Gray grabbed the keys from her and waved her away. “You go change into some dry clothes.”

He couldn’t rip his gaze away as she sprinted from the room. Curvy hips, narrow waist and an ass that had him biting his lip. Shaking the desire ratcheting his body, he headed to the shed.

The mid-July day was warm, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. The lake west of the house had a small pier with a rowboat attached. He wondered if there were any fish in the water. He hadn’t been fishing since he was a kid when Dad took Hayes and him camping.

Living in the city didn’t give Gray a chance to be by the water he loved. He wondered for a moment if he could charm Sofia into letting him have a couple hours out on that rowboat. She seemed determined to get away from him, though. To stop her dreams of me from happening.

He wasn’t sure what to think about her claiming she dreamed of the future and had the ability to change the events she saw in her dreams. It was all a little far-fetched even for him to believe, and he considered himself fairly open-minded.

After everything was said and done, he couldn’t deny there was something mystical about the dreams that had brought them together. Something he couldn’t explain in any sensible terms. Something he wasn’t ready to rationalize.

For once, he planned to go with the flow. Hayes would have been shocked.

The old wooden shed was indeed locked. The padlock wasn’t very big, so one of the smaller keys might fit it. And if they didn’t, Gray didn’t think it would take much to simply lift the dilapidated door right off its loose, rusty hinges. He could screw it back on properly when he found the tool chest. Luckily, he didn’t have to worry. The third key he tried worked. He carefully pulled the door open and walked in.

Sunlight shone through the many holes and cracked spots in the wood, allowing Gray to see what the shed consisted of. Very odd. Next to the lawn mower was some sort of altar.

Along the walls were shelves filled with bottles of herbs, oils, and some burned candles. He leaned forward to see if any of the bottles had labels, but none of them did. Moving on, he spotted a decorative saber knife hanging on a nail above a shelf. Curious, he picked it up and gently ran his finger over the sharp, shiny blade. The handle was adorned with various colors of gemstones. Beautiful. He hung the knife back up. Just below was a silver chalice engraved with some sort of circular design.

Did the old woman perform rituals in here, or what? Freaky. A chill crept over his spine. He shrugged it off, then jumped when the cat appeared out of nowhere, jetting under and around his legs before shooting back out the door. Freaky cat too.

“Are you in here?” Sofia walked in and glanced around wide-eyed. She’d changed into a white cotton mini-skirt and a blue top with a moderately low V-neck that showed a sliver of cleavage. Her hair fell over her shoulder in damp ringlets. Damn.

He tried not to stare. “Do you know what all this stuff is?”

“Huh.” She glanced around. “My mom always said Nana was a witch, but I thought she was kidding. Dang. She really does practice witchcraft. I had no idea.” Her gaze landed on Gray. “Do you ever truly know a person?”

“That’s an excellent question. I’ve been deceived by the only two people in my adult life I’ve ever gotten close to.”

“Your fiancée and your brother? What were their names again?” she asked, while swirling her finger over the dagger’s design.

“Ex-fiancée,” he corrected. “Rachel, and my brother’s name was Hayes.”

Her nose crinkled as she wiped her hands together. “Well, Rachel and Hayes were fools, if only for a night.”

Before he could reply she pointed to a rusted toolbox covered with cobwebs. “There it is. Let’s get out of here.”

~ * ~

Sofia ran her fingers through Sam’s fur and watched Gray work on the faucet. It was a hot day, so he’d taken off his shirt and thrown it at her, chuckling after she gave him a dirty look.

And now he was shirtless. Half-naked yet again.

The muscles in his back and biceps flexed as he twisted the wrench. Sofia sighed. The man was a work of fine art to be observed and appreciated. For sure.

He turned his head to smile at her. “Hey, sweetie, can you get me a drink of water?”

Sweetie? “Sure, darling.” Sofia snickered and jumped to her feet, sending Sam to the floor. She opened the gas-powered refrigerator she and her mother had purchased for Nana two Christmases ago to replace the old icebox. They were always on the lookout for appliances that didn’t require electricity. Nana was getting up there in age, and anything that made her life more comfortable was a godsend.

Sofia pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to him.

“Thanks,” he said, and chugged half of it down. “Hot day, today.”