Chapter 18
Olivia cracked one eye open slowly. The pale morning light filtered through the window, and it took a moment to register what had woken her, but her ring tone blared out again, jarring and obtrusive in the still morning.
Fumbling across the rug for her jeans, she accidentally elbowed Theo in the stomach, who woke with a grumble as she connected the call.
“Lo,” she mumbled, listening to the reply.
“Kay.” She ended the call and dropped the phone.
Holding the thin blanket against her bare breasts she stared up at the cracked paint of the library ceiling.
She could feel the heat of Theo’s body next to her.
She could almost feel the weight of his gaze on her as the silence stretched out between them, heavy and uncomfortable in the cold, pale rays of dawn.
For a moment, she closed her eyes and dragged in a breath, not wanting to speak to him, not wanting to deal with the consequences of what they’d done the night before.
“Who was that?” Theo finally spoke, breaking the stillness of the room with his deliciously graveled tone.
“Jake,” she replied quietly, unable to suppress a shiver. “He’s on his way over.”
When her response was met with silence, she glanced over and found Theo watching her thoughtfully.
“You’re cold,” he spoke after a moment. “I’ll light the fire.”
He stood, fully naked and with his back to her as he reached for his jeans and pulled them on. She sat up, her mouth dry as she tried to swallow.
“Don’t bother,” she murmured. Her gaze flicked to the cold fireplace, and once again it burst into flame.
Theo stared at the fire as it crackled. It still gave him a jolt to see her use her magic, but it was more than that. He could feel her magic; it filled the air with warmth and lapped at his skin, making the tiny hairs on his arms rise.
It should’ve bothered him, but for some reason, it didn’t. He tried to puzzle out why he could accept something that was blatantly against everything he had been taught, but he couldn’t, he just felt it down in his gut.
Maybe because he’d never really been one of them, the Witchfinders. He’d paid lip service when needed, but he’d never really shared their beliefs. Perhaps that was why he’d lost his brother so completely; because at their very core they were too different.
His brother’s life had been nothing but service and duty to God and their community, whereas Theo had done his best to segregate himself and their sister from the rest of the village for fear of them discovering their gift of foresight.
“We should get dressed.” Olivia stood slowly, keeping the blanket wrapped around her naked body.
His gaze raked over her, from her tousled hair to her pale pink cheeks and her smooth, slightly golden skin, and damn it, he wanted her underneath him again.
Maybe he shouldn’t have taken her as his lover, but he found himself unrepentant.
He refused to believe what was between them had been wrong.
He closed his eyes as his mind flashed back to the night before and images of them wrapped in each other, the heat of their skin and the sound of their sighs and moans.
No, he refused to believe it was wrong.
However, he wasn’t so sure how she felt. From the moment he met her, she’d seemed so confident, so in control, but now...
“Olivia,” he began.
“Don’t.” She shook her head, cutting him off. “Look, we both got a little carried away last night. Let’s just forget it happened.”
“Is that what you want?” His head tilted as he studied her. “Do you regret making love?”
“It wasn’t love,” she replied, her belly clenching. “It was sex.”
When he didn’t respond, she swallowed and continued.
“Look, Theo.” She sucked in a breath. “We’re obviously attracted to each other, but anything other than friendship between us is a bad idea. We don’t really know each other, we come from very different places, and we have nothing in common. It’s just too complicated.”
“Complicated?” he repeated.
“I like you, I do.” She frowned. “I realize I gave you some pretty mixed signals last night, and I’m not saying what we shared wasn’t good…
” She closed her eyes briefly and tried not to think about just how good it had been, otherwise she might’ve dragged him straight back to the freezing cold floor.
“I shouldn’t have let you stay these past few days.
” She shook her head. “I’ll admit I was shaken up after what happened in the woods the other night, and I can even admit I’ve been a little lonely since coming back to this house, but you and I are very different.
We were raised completely differently. I think.
..I think it would be a good idea if you went back to Jake’s. ”
He watched her quietly with his dark, patient eyes, and she felt even more naked than she already was.
She didn’t know what it was about him. He behaved nothing like a man from his time period, yet he was nothing like the men from her time, and it confused her.
She just couldn’t work him out and being so desperately attracted to him wasn’t helping.
She needed him out of her hair, out of her space, and God damn it, out of her head.
“I will, of course, leave if that is what you truly want,” he replied finally.
“But I do not think it is good idea. You should not be here alone. If you do not wish for us to be intimate, I will, of course, respect your wishes. But I’m not leaving you alone with a killer loose.
I was brought here for a reason, and I intend to find out what that reason is.
It would be easier if we could discover the answer together as it seems to involve both of us. ”
He was right, she knew he was. She should’ve felt uneasy around him.
With his past in Salem, she still knew very little about, she should be running for the hills, not jumping into bed with him.
Although, technically, they never actually made it to bed, but her mind seemed to be constantly at war with her gut, which despite every indication to the contrary kept insisting she could trust him.
Stupid gut, she wished it would shut the hell up. She wasn’t even listening to her heart, which couldn’t seem to beat in a straight line whenever Theo was near.
Her skin prickled with awareness as he watched her patiently.
A tiny curl of lust raised its head, but Olivia ruthlessly squashed it.
They were never going to achieve anything if they ended up naked every time she looked at him, but damn it, she wanted him again.
Everything they had done last night only made her crave him even more.
If he kept looking at her like that, Jake was going to end up finding them in a very compromising position when he arrived.
Damn it, Jake.
She glanced across at the delicate little carriage clock on the mantel and swore silently. She really didn’t need him walking in and finding them like this. “I should go get cleaned up.” She turned toward the door.
Theo reached out and grasped her arm gently, stepping in close until her back was pressed against the door. “Olivia,” he breathed quietly, his gaze grazing her lips before locking onto her eyes. “I don’t want you to fear me.”
“I don’t.” She paused, shaking her head in denial. “But this thing between us is a bad idea.”
“Do you want me?” he asked slowly.
Should she lie or tell the truth? At that moment she was sure either answer would damn them both.
“No lies, remember?” His fingertips absently stroked her cheekbone, tracing down the line of her jaw.
“Did you think I didn’t feel what you felt last night?
” His voice was low and seductive as his fingertips trailed down her throat and over the swell of her breast, causing her to ache.
“Do you think I didn’t feel what you felt when I was inside you?
” he murmured. “That I didn’t feel it too? ”
Something inside her trembled at his words only to have a sharp knock at the door startle them both. “That’ll be Jake.” She pushed away from him, picking her clothes up off the floor. “You can deal with him. I’m going to take a shower.”
He watched her silently as she stormed out of the room and disappeared up the stairs.
The pounding at the door came again impatiently. Theo bent down and grabbed his shirt, slipping it over his head as he yanked the door open.
Jake took in his appearance as the door opened abruptly, noting his half-dressed state, rumpled hair, and the fact he was still obviously wearing his clothes from the day before. Jake crossed his arms as his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“Where’s Olive?”
“She’s in the shower,” Theo replied.
“You know,” Jake said coolly, “when you said you were going to stay here and keep an eye on her, I assumed that meant you’d be sleeping on the couch. Why do I get the distinct impression this is not the case?”
Theo cursed. “If we’re going to have this conversation, I need coffee,” he muttered, turning. He padded into the kitchen, leaving Jake to follow in his wake.
Jake slid onto a stool at the center island, watching Theo as he switched the coffee machine on.
“Coffee?”
Jake nodded. “So, you and Olive?”
Theo poured a cup of coffee for Jake and set it on the island in front of him.
“Yes.” Theo poured himself a black coffee, enjoying the extra kick. “Me and Olivia.”
“Do I need to shoot you?” he asked seriously.
“I certainly hope not.” Theo’s mouth twitched.
“I thought you Puritans didn’t believe in sex before marriage?”
“And as all of you are so fond of pointing out to me, this is the twenty-first century.” Theo took a deep swig of his coffee and sighed. “Besides, who says I don’t intend to marry her?”
Jake choked on his coffee, spraying the counter and thumping his chest as he began coughing. “Seriously?”
Theo stared at him silently as he drained his cup. “Holy fucking shit, you are serious,” Jake wheezed as the coughing subsided.