Crystal Cove (Friday Harbor #4)(48)

“Nothing, I’m afraid.”

“What if I don’t believe in it?” Jason asked.

“My Neil didn’t,” Sage replied regretfully. “Neither did Justine’s father. It doesn’t matter what you believe, dear boy.”

The words made Justine cold all the way through. She found herself anxiously taking inventory of her emotions. It wasn’t too late. She didn’t love Jason. She would never let herself love anyone if it would turn him into a victim of some supernatural penalty.

Occupied with her thoughts, she didn’t notice Jason’s approach until she felt his warm hand on her back.

“Justine—”

“Don’t,” she said, stiffening, shrugging off his hand.

“Don’t what?”

Don’t touch me. Don’t make me love you.

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” she said in a monotone, averting her gaze. “I want to go home. And then I’m going to do my best to stay away from you.”

Fifteen

The ride to Roche Harbor was lightly choppy, a few cloud breaks revealing flashes of porcelain-blue sky. Jason navigated with care, mindful of the rocks and islets rising through the water. Many of them had been designated as bird refuges for gulls, auklets, oystercatchers, and cormorants. An eagle surveyed the ocean from its perch on a bone-clean tree snag. As the harbor came into view, a wedge of whistling swans crossed in front of the Bayliner, headed to California for the winter.

Jason glanced at Justine, who barely seemed to notice the scenery. She played with the rose quartz bracelet around her wrist, her mouth set and moody. Ever since they had left the lighthouse, she had been remote, as if even the attempt to make conversation might pose a mortal danger to Jason.

They docked in the slip, and two of the red-shirted marina staff came to grab the lines and take care of the boat’s maintenance. Jason helped Justine from the boat and walked with her along the wooden dock. He slung an arm around her shoulders, and felt her tense.

“Sorry about your kayak,” he said. “Maybe it’ll turn up somewhere.”

“It’s probably at the bottom of the ocean.” Letting out a quick breath, Justine tried to sound cheerful. “But at least I’m not in it, thanks to you.”

“Can I offer to buy you a new one while at the same time making it clear that I’m not trying to impress you with my oversized wallet?”

Justine shook her head, a reluctant smile appearing. “Thank you. But no.”

“So what now?” he asked.

Her mouth turned wistful. “We go back to the inn,” she said. “You go to work, and so do I. And … that’s it.”

Jason stopped with her at the end of the dock, his hands gripping either side of the rail as she backed against it. Their bodies weren’t touching, but he knew how she would feel against him, his body remembered the soft radiant heat of hers.

He stared into her troubled brown eyes. “We have unfinished business.”

She understood what he meant. “I—I can’t do that with you.”

“You were willing this morning.”

“I wasn’t thinking straight.” A blush covered her face. “But now I am.”

“You’re afraid you might start to care about me.” He let a trace of sarcasm enter his tone. “And that will somehow put me in danger. Is that it?”

“No. Yes. Look, no rational person would claim that you and I should be together anyway. I mean, would you pick me for you?”

“I just did.”

She tried to move out of the enclosure of his arms, but he wouldn’t let her. “It’s not worth it,” she said, facing away from him. “Jason, I know what happens when a person without a soul dies. That’s it. There’s nothing left of you. Your time is limited enough as it is.”

“How I spend it is my choice.”

“But if I hurt you in any way, I’m the one who has to live with it.” Her face contorted, and she struggled with a sudden urge to cry. “And I couldn’t,” she said thickly. “I couldn’t stand it.”

“Justine.” He pulled her closer, and she twisted away, and ended up with his arms wrapped around her front. His head bent until his mouth was near her ear. “It’s a risk I’m willing to take. This happens once in a lifetime. You meet someone and have this crazy reaction … you touch her skin and it’s the best skin you’ve ever felt, and no perfume on earth could be better than her smell, and you know you could never be bored with her because she’s interesting even when she’s doing nothing. Even without knowing everything about her, you get her. You know who she is, and it works for you on every level.” His arms tightened. “I’ve spent the past ten years being with one wrong person after another—which qualifies me to know when I’ve found the right one.” He kissed the little space behind her earlobe. “You feel it, too. You know we’re supposed to be together.”

Justine shook her head. Incredulously, she felt him smile against her ear.

“I’ll make you admit it,” he said. “Tonight.”

“No.”

Jason turned her to face him. “Find a spell, then,” he said in a low voice. “Find a way for us.”

Justine bit her lip and shook her head. “I’ve already racked my brain. The only thing I could come up with is a longevity spell, and I can’t do that.”