“Honey,” he said, “if I were fifty years younger, I’d chase you all around this bar.”
“And if I was fifty years older, your heart still couldn’t handle me,” she said and patted his hand.
The man whooped with laughter, and Willow turned toward him. Declan felt like she’d socked him in the gut when those twinkling eyes landed on him. She was aware of her effect on these men, but he doubted she realized how much she affectedhim.
“Ready?” She prodded Declan when he stood and stared at her like she was some oddity he couldn’t explain.
“Ahh… yeah… yeah, of course.”
The devilish smile she gave him caused a domino reaction in his body that he’d never experienced before. His heart beat faster as he resisted the urge to crush her against him. It had been centuries since he experienced the comfort of another, and he wanted it from her more than he wanted his next breath.
Willow’s smile faded when that awful torment filled Declan’s eyes again. It was the same look he had right before he kissed her. It was as if he couldn’t stand being anywhere near her but couldn’t stay away.
That look caused her heart to ache, and she yearned to wrap her arms around him and hold him close, but she feared it would only make things worse for him. Then his mouth quirked in a small smile as his eyes returned to hers. For a second, his hand stretched toward her before falling again.
Pretending she hadn’t seen that look in his eyes or his hand coming toward her, Willow smiled and acted like nothing happened. “Let’s go call home. I have to make sure Vicky’s okay, and I’mdyingfor a shower.”
“First, let me change their memories. I don’t want anyone recalling we were here,” Declan said.
Willow waited by the door while he used his ability to weave new memories into the minds of the people gathered around the bar. The air grew thicker from the power he exuded, and waves of it brushed against her skin while he erased them from their memories.
When he finished, he walked over to join her and held open the door. She walked out the door, and though she wanted to rub against him like a cat, she was careful not to touch him. She couldn’t stand seeing that distressed look in his eyes again.
She spotted Gus sitting in a pickup with a rusted fender, a bumper held on by string, and more dents than a golf ball. Despite looking like a pothole might break it in half, Willow smiled at the truck. It had seen better days twenty years ago, but it was returning her to civilization where she could use a phone to let her family know she was okay and find out about Vicky.
She couldn’t think about what her family was going through right now, but their worry would soon be over. That thought put a little extra spring in her step, and she practically skipped over to the rusted, passenger side door.
When she reached for the handle, Declan grasped it before she could. He opened the door for her and stepped back while she slid inside. Tufts of yellow cushion poked through the black fabric, and a spring poked her in the ass, but she could’ve been sitting on the roof, and it wouldn’t have dampened her good mood. She’d probably be safely back at the compound by morning, and she felt like dancing on the spring because of it.
Willow’s excitement beat against Declan as she tapped her fingers on her legs and grinned at him when he climbed into the vehicle. He closed the door behind him and turned to examine the fishing poles, tackle boxes, and cooler in the sagging bed of the truck.
“My wife is going to be surprised to meet you two,” Gus said as he shifted the truck into first gear.
“Will she be mad you’re bringing us to your house?” Willow asked.
“Nah, she’s always bringing home strays; I guess it’s my turn.”
Willow laughed and settled back against the seat as he guided the truck down a dirt road about a hundred feet long. The hunting cabin sat in a clearing at the edge of the field, but as they travelled down the road, the woods surrounded them again.
At the end of the road, he turned left onto a narrow country road that wound past large maples, pines, and oaks. As much as she loved the wilderness, she hoped not to spend any time in it for at least another month.
Leaning forward, Gus turned on the radio, and an old George Jones song came on. “Is this okay?” he asked.
“I’ve always liked The Possum,” she said.
“You know who he is?” Declan asked.
She laughed as she rolled her eyes. “Of course I do. I made it a mission to listen to as much music as possible.”
“That’s a good mission,” Gus said.
She shrugged. “I was trying to find out what music my siblings hated the most and use it to torture them. But it had the bonus of introducing me to a lot of music I never would have listened to otherwise, and I fell in love with some of it.”
“I enjoyed torturing my siblings too,” Gus said. “I superglued one of my brothers to the toilet seat.”
Willow laughed. “That must have been fun.”
“It was worth the spanking my dad gave me afterward.”
