‘Jax,’ she breathed, gaping. She had to be hallucinating. She shook her head and blinked, but when she opened her eyes, he was still standing there. Staring at her … like she had grown a second head.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked, his deep voice running over her like aged whiskey. ‘Should I call an ambulance or something?’
The jarring sound of a needle being dragged across an old record album rudely interrupted her daydreaming as she realised he was staring at her mouth not with longing but a look of grave concern.
She lifted her hand to tentatively brush it across her lips.Oh God! Is that … drool?
Bel straightened abruptly, knocking her cup of coffee, which flew across the counter and splattered across the front of his crisp white shirt. ‘Oh God!’ She grabbed a fistful of tissues, raced around the counter and began to wipe furiouslyat the brown stain spreading across the expensive fabric that covered a firm, flat torso.
He grabbed her wrist to still her frantic rubbing. Her skin burned beneath his touch. ‘It’s fine. Thank you.’
‘I’m so sorry.’ She stared at him, utterly mortified and mesmerised. Jax Lexington was standing in front of her, in real life.
Then it hit her like a bolt of lightning. The list. She’d manifested him.Holy crap! It worked!‘I can’t believe you’re here,’ she said, swallowing hard.
‘I, uh … Do I know you?’ he asked, looking up from his shirt, which he’d taken over trying to dab clean.
‘I’m Bel,’ she said, thrusting out her hand and making him flinch.
‘Tate,’ he said, reaching forward to give her hand a brief shake.
‘Tate?’
‘Yes. Look, I was just after some directions,’ he said hesitantly.
‘Oh. Okay,’ Bel said, belatedly noticing her hand had oil or something on it from when she’d been cleaning up around the bowsers earlier. She rubbed it as inconspicuously as she could on the thigh of her baggy jeans and gesticulated awkwardly towards the road with her other hand to distract him. ‘Where were you headed?’
‘Glentoberon. Apparently it’s a property around here somewhere? I think I missed the turn.’
Bel’s eyes widened. ‘You know the Buckleys?’
‘I’m here for a wedding.’
‘Larkin’s wedding?’ she asked, as her heart rate picked up.
‘Yes,’ he answered cautiously. ‘I’m Tristan’s best man.’
‘Get out oftown!’ Bel said, pushing his chest, then immediately staring in horror as he stumbled slightly and knocked into a stand of sunglasses, sending a number clattering to the floor. He quickly righted the stand and cleared his throat.
‘I’m so sorry,’ Bel said, horrified. ‘No, please, don’t worry about that,’ she added as he moved to pick up the glasses on the floor.
‘Uh, so, directions to … ?’ he started uncertainly.
‘Oh. Yes. Of course. Head down the main street and then turn right at the intersection. Follow that road for about fifteen kilometres and you’ll see the big gates with Glentoberon written on them. You can’t miss it.’ The enormous new gates had been installed a few months earlier. The only thing it needed now was uniformed guards standing out the front.
‘Right. Okay. Thanks. Uh, is there anywhere around here I can grab a quick bite to eat?’
‘There’s a cafe across the road. If you’re quick, you might catch them before they close.’
‘It’s not even two o’clock,’ he said, glancing over his shoulder to search for the cafe.
‘They close up at two.’ Much to every out-of-towner’s disbelief, and something Bel hoped would be addressed at the next progress committee meeting in preparation for the tourist boom they were hoping the much-debated statue would usher in.
‘Right. Thanks.’ He nodded, turned and walked out of the store, leaving Bel to stare after him as she released a long, unsteady breath.Holy. Crap.She’d gone and conjured up her dream guy.
Grabbing the phone, she called Emma, tapping her fingers on the countertop as she waited for her to answer.
‘Hey.’
