She clung to the bus stop pole fiercely.
Tell me, he asked, if the rumors Ive heard about the owners of the brewery are true?
Thankfully, no one else was out on the sidewalk, and the streetlights illuminated their conversation. Around the corner, the band could be heard singing a Billy Idol tune. Lars would love to give a rebel yell right about now. Anything to release his anxiety over talking to this goddess of a woman.
What? She teased a bright curl about her forefinger and her stance relaxed. That wasnt a motion that Lars could look at for long without wanting to do it himself. Tangle his fingers in her hair, that is. That we spike the beer with a little something extra?
Is that a rumor? Huh. No, Im talking about the one where you bewitch the beers. Because youre witches.
Oh, that one. Her shoulders dropped. The fish purse slid down her arm to dangle near an ankle. A heavy sigh preceded her nod. Well, we try to keep things as normal as possible for the human patrons. But... Her pretty blue eyes dallied with his. You have a problem with me being a witch?
Nope. I was raised by a wolf who was married to a witch.
Which means... She teased her tongue along her upper lip as she eyed him carefully. Im guessing youre not human either, are you?
Lars dared a few steps closer to her. He cast a glance around toward the parking lot across the streetno one in the vicinitythen said quietly. Im a wolf.
Shit. An accusing finger pointed at him and Lars couldnt be sure if it might possess a magical zap. Its you.
He actually flinched. I...dont even know what to say to that.
You were the wolf the other night, werent you? The werewolf in my backyard.
Uh...yes?
Talk about being caught out. Guilty as charged.
Oh, I cant do this. She started across the street but avoided the parking lot.
If shed been waiting for the bus, did she not have a car? Was she veering off course to get away from him? Hed gone about this all wrong. Hed scared her when he had only wanted to meet her and get to know the compelling woman who had not left his thoughts for days.
Muriel, wait!
Its Mireio! And dont follow me, please. Im embarrassed enough as it is.
You shouldnt be. I cant remember much.
What? She suddenly stopped in the middle of the street that stretched down a quiet area between the parking lot and a closed restaurant. So you admit it was you the other night?
I think so? He approached with his hands splayed up and out. When Im in werewolf shape I know things and see them as the wolf, but my wolf mind shares space with my man mind. Things get a little confusing.
Not confusing enough for you to be unable to find me tonight.
It was the lilacs. I smelled them that night. Havent been able to stop thinking about them since. Or of the soft woman I saw standing in the doorway.
Oh, my goddess. You do remember that! I was naked!
He offered a weak shrug. Yes?
You said things were confusing. Do you remember me naked or not?
He wobbled his hand before him. Kind of? I dont have a good image of you, just sort of a memory imprint of seeing something really nice.
I dont even know what to say. Gripping the purse strap with both fists, the fish wobbled before her as she took an exaggerated step backward. You are freaking me out.
I dont want to. Im not like that. Im not a guy who canDo you know how hard it is for me to walk up to a woman and talk to her?
Couldnt have been that hard. You followed me out here!
I wanted to start over and hoped that maybe youd talk to me. He stopped moving closer, knowing hed blown it. He should not torment this beautiful woman anymore. Where the hell were his manners? Forgive me. Ive no talent approaching women. I mean, I do it all the time. Not like a stalker or anythingah hell. I just... Im embarrassingly awkward when it comes to this kind of stuff. I wanted to see the pretty woman who smelled like flowers once more. Sorry to have bothered you.
He forced himself to turn and walk off. Idiot, Lars! Way to spoil the chicks night. And to spoil his chances of getting to know her better. Yes, hed seen her naked. And he remembered that image much better than he would ever admit to her. Soft, generous curves, and so much golden light glinting on her skin, which still had beads of water on it. Hell. His werewolf had been attracted to her. He was attracted to her.
Wait!
Now across the street, he stopped and turned back to her. The tiny witch toed the opposite curb with one of those sexy shoes, and offered a shrugging smile. It was a remarkable beginning, that was for sure. You didnt do anything wrong, Lars. I couldnt be sure if you were leering at me that night
Oh, never, no. I mean, I dont know. Honestly? I might have leered a bit. Youre worthy of a long, lingering look.
She clutched the weird purse tightly, and he realized what hed said.
Im not saying anything right tonight. He checked his watch. Almost midnight. Shit. He had to stop by the compound, and soon. It was nice meeting you, Muriel.
Mireio.
Right. You make great beer. And you have the prettiest blue eyes Ive ever had the chance to look into. But I promise I wont come back to the brewery. I wouldnt want to make you uncomfortable.
He turned away again, and this time when she spoke, his shoulders straightened.
Can we start over? she called.
He nodded, and turned a look over his shoulder. All his anxiety swept downward and flooded out across the sidewalk. Offering her a confident smile, he said, Id like that.
She approached him and, as she did, tugged something out of her purse. It was her cell phone, which she handed to him. Put your number in there for me, and well try again.
He almost shouted score! but controlled his nervous energy. If she knew how much courage it had taken him to cross the taproom to talk to her, and then to follow her after shed run out on him...
And now he was entering his number into her phone. Some kind of awesome, that.
Id like to get to know you better. He handed her back the slim pink phone. What would you think about going out for something to eat tomorrow night?
I have to work tomorrow night.
Oh.
But lunch tomorrow could work. Why dont you stop by my place around noon? I think you know where I live, right?
I should be able to figure that out. He tapped the side of his nose. Lilacs. Thanks for the second chance, Mireio.
Itsoh. Right. Mireio.
He winked at her, because hed known her name since shed first told him, then turned and wandered off. Halfway across the parking lot he turned and waved at her. She remained in the middle of the street. Probably waiting for him to leave before she returned to the bus stop. He wouldnt be rude and force her to wait long. Picking up his pace he aimed for his truck around the corner.
Hed talked to the girl! And it had turned out almost okay. Which was about how he rated his life right now. Almost okay, with a side of what the devil. The almost okay waited for him right now, so he shoved the key in the ignition and fired up the truck.
Hed talked to the girl! And it had turned out almost okay. Which was about how he rated his life right now. Almost okay, with a side of what the devil. The almost okay waited for him right now, so he shoved the key in the ignition and fired up the truck.
As for the what the devil? Hed been having weird symptoms for over a year, more than just shifting without volition, so had finally gone to see a doctor a few days ago. The doctor told him hed give him a call in a week when the test results were complete.
But he wasnt going to worry about that. Hed been invited to a pretty witchs house tomorrow for lunch.
So he did indulge in a shout out loud. Score!
Chapter 3
Lars strode up the sidewalk to the little red cottage placed at the end of a cul-de-sac. He didnt recognize the area by sight, but by scent? Hed been here before. Yet, besides the naked woman, it hadnt been a pleasant experience. He remembered someone screaming, and then the sight of a beautiful womannaked. He wasnt going to tell Mireio that as werewolf he saw things as he did when in man shape. His instincts and thoughts were more animalistic, but he did recall sights and sounds and smells.
And she had the sweetest curves on that tiny package topped with red curls and a Kewpie doll smile.
Now as he took the steps up to the door, he inspected the flowers hed picked up at a gas station on the way here. Blue daisies. He liked blue. Her eyes were blue. But the flowers didnt have a scent and now he studied them closer, they actually looked...dyed.
I cant even do flowers right. Thinking to toss them aside in the little flower garden that hugged the front of the redbrick house, he paused. Shell see them there.
For once he would like to get it right with a woman. It would be a bright spot in his life. And he really needed one. But his nervousness around the female sex could never be allayed by his usual confident alpha surety. Women made him go all stiff and fumble for his words. And hiding the stiff part could sometimes prove a problem, as well.
Smirking at that thought, he grabbed the door knocker and muttered, Please let her like me. Give me this one, okay?
Who he was asking, he wasnt sure. He believed in the possibility of God, so if there existed a higher power, he hoped his words would, at the very least, be noted by some force.
Rapping the knocker a few times, he then waited. After ten seconds the door swung open to reveal the flour-dusted face of a witch who sported a surprised look on her face. Hell, he should have called first. But she had told him to stop by for lunch. He must have misunderstood. Par for the course with him.
Uh...? Thick black lashes blinking over her blue eyes, she glanced to the flowers in his hand. Oh! Right! Lunch! I forgot.
I should have called.
No, thats fine.
You werent expecting me. I can leave and
Dont be silly. She grabbed him by the wrist and coaxed him over the threshold. Come in! I was baking some bread.
It smells great. He followed the scent toward the kitchen more than he followed her. Yeast and warmth and crisp browned crust. Mmm... He scanned the many loaves on the kitchen counter. He counted eight but also noted the oven light was on and there was another loaf inside. Thats...a lot of bread.
I know, its crazy! She flung up her hands in surrender, then noted the flour on her fingers and wiped them across her pink frilled apron, which was covered with a white dusting of flour. Whenever I get the urge to bake homemade bread I always go overboard. I really like the kneading process. She punched the air with a tiny fist. Gets out some of my frustrations.
Lars wasnt sure if he should sit on one of the stools before the kitchen counterthat might seem too presumptuousso he stood there holding the bouquet with both hands. Feeling out of his element and, as usual, awkward. Youre frustrated?
Its because of a decision Ive been mulling over recently. A witch thing. A spell, actually. So, you brought some pretty flowers for me? I love blue.
I do too. I cant smell them, though. Its kind of strange.
He handed her the bouquet and she pressed the oddly colored blooms to her nose, then sneezed. Whew! Nope, no smell, but I think I got a petal up my nose. Ha! Sit down. Oh, we were supposed to go out for lunch, right? She glanced to the oven.
We can do it some other time. I can see youre busy. It was nice to see you again today. I thought I freaked you out last night. I know I handled things wrong.
Dont worry about it. Todays a new day. And I have an idea. Because I certainly need to do something with all this bread. How about sandwiches and lemonade out on my patio?
Spend time with the sexiest woman hed met in a long time? Im in.
* * *
The opportunity to have lunch with the sexy werewolf was just the thing to knock Mireio out of her incessant worrying over how to locate a vampire for the immortality spell. It would also complement the fruitful results of her bread-making endeavors. Sure, she would hand out loaves to her girlfriends, and freeze a couple, but seriously, what witch needed that much bread?
So she sliced up a loaf of oatmeal rye, making the slices extra thick. The steam rose with a seductive invitation as she spread on some cucumber yogurt sauce, covered that with spinach, pickled onions, peppers and some slivered carrots and radishes. Top that all with broccoli sprouts and finely shredded red cabbage, and voilà!
With a glance and a wink to the candle she kept above the stove, she felt as if her mother was watching over her. She lit the beeswax candle once a year on her mothers birthday. It was her way of keeping her memory close.
Ten minutes later, the werewolf didnt seem to mind that there was no meat in the sandwiches. He was on his third half when Mireio returned to the patio with a refill on the blueberry lemonade for both of them.
This is really good, he said. He sat on the wide-backed white wicker chair before the tiny wrought iron table. His big form seemed to suck up the chair and his knees kept hitting his elbows. It was doll furniture for the man. Whats that sour tangy stuff in the middle?
Pickled red onions.
Love them. Thanks, he said as she poured him more lemonade.
Ill send you home with a loaf of bread too, if you dont mind. I obviously have some to spare.
Id like that. He met her gaze only briefly over the sandwich.
He was a shy one, which surprised Mireio after his bold approach last night. But shed sensed his nervousness then, as well. And knowing what hed known about her, it had to have been tough to get up the courage to approach her. Especially when she could have reacted badlyand did.
She noticed his distraction as he looked over the small backyard, framed in on one side by ten-foot-high lilac hedges and low boxwood on the other. As he narrowed his eyes she suspected he was remembering. Merciful moons, she might as well rip off the Band-Aid and get all the painful stuff over with.
Yes, she offered, I was standing right there she pointed over her shoulder by the door that enters into the bathroom.
Sorry. I didnt want to ask. Its the lilacs. They are what brought me to your doorstep today, and to the brewery last night. The scent is heady.