Bewitching You

chapter Five



“Go right in,” the perky blonde said to Sofia, as she pointed to a door flanked by two windows.

Gray was frowning through one of them as he shut the blinds.

That probably wasn’t a good sign for what was to come. Too bad she couldn’t have dreamed of this, so she could prepare herself.

What was the worst that could happen? Well, other than ruining her own destiny. She rubbed her clammy hands together, ignored the tight uncomfortable knot in her stomach, and briskly walked to the door, giving it two hard knocks.

He opened it right away and gestured for her to walk in. Sofia smelled his musky, smooth cologne as she brushed by him, since he hadn’t given her much room to walk through. He looked impressive in his charcoal suit and striped navy and red tie. Sofia supposed it would have to be professionally tailored, since he was such a big guy.

Tall and muscled like an athlete. From head to… She shook the familiar naked image of him out of her head.

His office was typical with a desk, a computer, a small bookcase to the side filled with nonfiction marketing and advertising books, a picture of his stupid fiancée on his desk, and sadly, no windows to let in any sunlight. How depressing.

Fluorescent lights lit up the room, and Sofia wondered if this were partly why he was such a butthead. A vitamin D deficiency could do that to a person, ya know?

“What do you want, Sofia?” he asked.

“You’re not very polite,” Sofia muttered under her breath. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked anywhere but into his cold eyes. Poster boards were sitting against the wall decorated with sketches of weird looking hamburgers and French fries.

“Excuse me?” he asked.

“Did you draw those?”

“What do you want?” he repeated, not making any effort to answer her.

“I draw too. And paint.”

His lips twitched to what might have been a start of a smile, but then flattened out again.

“Listen. I’m sorry if I was the reason you were fired from your job. Is that why you’re here? Do you want some sort of compensation?”

“What?” She finally met his dark, gloomy gaze and saw only a stranger. “No, I thought maybe we could become friends, since we have something in common.”

“Do you mean the dreams?” He leaned against his desk and crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing in on her.

Sofia crossed hers tighter. Two could play at that game. “Yes, I’m assuming you have them as well. Is that right?”

“I do, and I want them to stop. I’m getting married in a month, and I don’t need or want to be dreaming of a woman who isn’t in my future.”

Don’t roll your eyes, Sofe. If he only knew.

“How can I say this?” She pondered for a moment whether to tell him about her gift, but thought not. Gray didn’t seem to be the open-minded type. But she wasn’t sure how else to get her point across, or how she could convince him to spend more time with her so he could fall in love with her… If that were even possible.

“I’ve got a meeting to get to. Why don’t you just tell me what I have to do to get rid of these dreams?” He edged toward her with his perfect lips pursed into a thin line. His hands fisted at his sides. Sheesh. Where inside him did the gentle man from her dreams exist?

“I can’t get rid of them.” She started to back away. Her hands itched to swipe the perspiration from her forehead, but she kept them at her sides.

“Can’t or won’t? What is it you want from me?”

“I, uh—” She found the wall behind her and stared up at him as he moved within centimeters.

Her heartbeat thrummed through her veins and pulsed heavy in her head. She couldn’t think. The loving man from her dreams was so close, yet still out of reach.

Minutes passed, it seemed, as he stared at her with a cool dark eyes.

Finally, he lifted his finger and brushed it across her bottom lip.

Sofia froze, startled by his touch.

“Do you know what I do to you, what you do to me in these dreams?” A familiar spark of hunger flashed through his eyes, but other than that, it was difficult to describe the look on his face.

“Yes. I know exactly what we both do.” She pressed her hand to his chest for two reasons—to keep him from getting any closer and to see if he, at least, felt like the man from her dreams.

He did. He was warm and really solid, and his heart beat ferociously under his crisp shirt. As he lowered his head down to her lips, Sofia inhaled his familiar scent. It was her Gray. And yet it wasn’t.

His lips lightly brushed her mouth, and she closed her eyes, reveling in the possibilities.

Should she kiss him? Grab him by his neck and force it? Was she going to fight for him? Was it worth it?

It was. She knew it was, but before she could do anything or say anything, his lips grazed her ear.

“Did you know?” He paused to pull in a breath.

“What? Did I know what?” Her fingers trembled against his chest as she forced herself to hold them still when they so wanted to touch every part of him.

“Did you know that you…that you had my cock in your mouth last night?” He whispered and stood motionless.

A sharp breath gushed from her lips at the bluntness of his words. Yep, she’d had that dream as well. The act had been loving and meaningful. Not a tawdry affair between strangers. Not like how he was treating her today.

Damn him. The only explanation for his behavior was he was trying to scare her away. He wasn’t ready for her yet. But she was too stubborn to give up now. She wouldn’t leave here without letting him know that he didn’t break her.

“Did I like it?” She bravely skimmed her hand down to his noticeable erection. At least this part of him wanted her. In time he’d grow to love her. Fate would show them the way.

Before she could grasp him, he grabbed both of her hands and pinned them above her head. He pressed her body against the wall with his steely frame. His muscled leg slid between her thighs.

Her body reacted, both startled by the sudden invasion and thrilled to have him so close. Her legs trembled against his as her pulse thrummed. She licked her lips, waited for his next move. Would he kiss her?

A myriad of emotions passed over his face, none of them soothing. “Is this what you want, Sofia? Do you want me to f*ck you? Will that stop the goddamn dreams?”

She tensed, mortified. Her stomach flip-flopped, sick with disappointment. But she was not going to cry. She wasn’t going to let him win. “I wish I could stop them,” she said, gritting her teeth. “I wish I dreamed of a different man, a man who wasn’t a piece of work.”

“Then you have to stop them.”

“I can’t!” Her eyes burned with unwanted tears. Damn it.

“Why not?”

“Because I dream of the future, you ass. And apparently you do, too, now.”

Well, that did the trick. He released her hands and stepped away, shaking his head. “Please, just leave,” he said in a low voice, as he reached for the door handle. “I don’t want to see you anymore.”

“Fine with me.” Sofia regrouped by sniffing back her tears and heading toward the door.

Maybe this would prevent her future with this…this jerk from happening. Maybe the dreams would stop now. Because letting him touch her again was the last thing she ever wanted to do.

But before she could yank the door open, he grabbed her arm and stopped her from leaving.

“Hey,” he whispered softly, confusing her. “I’m sorry I made you cry. I didn’t… I’m just sorry. But you’re not the woman for me.”

Sofia tore her arm from his loose grasp, but didn’t dare look up at him. He didn’t deserve to ever see her again. “I hope you’re right,” she said, and left.

~ * ~

With his pulse pounding at his neck, Gray watched Sofia rush through the lobby and hit the elevator down button repeatedly. She didn’t look back when the doors opened and then closed behind her.

He’d hurt her. And, damn, seeing her shake, seeing her eyes tear up, had knotted something inside of him. His stupid f*cking mouth. He hadn’t expected tears. He hadn’t expected to regret pushing her away. It was easier to pretend she was of no importance when she was simply a vision in his head. But each new second he spent with her in reality forced him to recognize she was more than that. Much more. She was a human being with feelings. And he’d purposely pulverized them.

Gray knew better than that. Even if she was a little nuts, thinking she could dream of the future, he should’ve handled the situation better.

Instead, he’d been cruel.

What the hell was wrong with him? What was he becoming? He’d never treated a woman that poorly. Truth be told, in the past he’d been considered the nice twin. Friends had gone to him when they needed a shoulder to lean on. They’d gone to Hayes to have a good time.

Now, neither of those men existed.

“Um, Mr. Phillips.” Sandy stood in front of him with one of her penciled eyebrows vaulted dramatically.

Gray stopped and glanced around. He hadn’t realized he’d walked out into the lobby toward the elevators. What was he going to do? Follow her?

Give in to the thoughts that had been flooding through his mind while he’d had her backed against the wall?

He’d almost lost control in his office. Her enticing sweet vanilla scent, her blue eyes staring up at him, her glossy full lips pouting, her hand on his chest lowering to feel his stiffening erection, the softness of her breasts as he pressed up against her—it was all Sofia in the flesh, not some dream.

Authentic. Tangible. Sensual.

Stop.

He had to think of Rachel. I might be an ass, but I’m not a cheater.

“Mr. Phillips?” Sandy waved her long artificial fingernails in his face. “Anybody home in there?”

“Sorry.” Gray straightened his tie. “I was, uh, thinking.”

“I could see that.” She slid a red fingernail down the seam of her low v-neck sweater. “That wasn’t your fiancée, was it?”

“No.” He didn’t bother explaining. It wasn’t any of her business. “Do you need something?”

Her lips curved coquettishly. Gray knew that particular smile quite well. It was the same one he’d gotten from numerous women who’d ended up in his bed over the years before he met Rachel.

“I do need something,” she winked, “but it’ll have to wait. You’re late for a little appointment. Mr. Linden called while you were in your office with that woman. I didn’t want to interrupt. The conversation seemed pretty heated.”

“Oh, shit.” Gray hurried to his office to grab his materials. The clock on the wall said he was fifteen minutes late.

Damn.

He picked up his boards, closed the office door behind him, and ran directly into Mr. Linden.

Mike Linden was a small man. Five and a half feet tall, and he couldn’t have weighed more than a hundred and ten pounds judging by the way he dropped to the floor like a feather.

Gray apologized, and sweat beaded his brow. He held out a hand for Linden to take, but his boss proudly pushed it away and rose to his feet on his own. The small elderly man dusted off his suit jacket as he glared up at Gray.

“Phillips,” he said, while sweeping back a lock of silver-streaked hair, “you screwed up.”

“It won’t happen again, sir.” Gray hated groveling, but he had screwed up and needed to dig himself out of the hole he’d created. “Is Bud B. still here? I’ll apologize to him myself. I’m sure he won’t mind once he sees—”

“Nope.” Linden put his hand up. “He left. He’s a busy man, and you making him wait put a dark cloud over this entire company.”

“Then I’ll call him and explain.” There had to be some way. Gray couldn’t simply give up.

“Don’t you dare, Phillips. Luckily, Beaver stepped in and handled the situation. He’ll be taking over the project.”

It wasn’t until then that Gray noticed his nemesis smiling smugly a few feet behind Linden. No way was this happening. In a matter of minutes, Gray had mucked up his chance to be promoted and this moron was reaping the benefits.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Gray muttered.

“I assure you, I’m not,” Linden said. “I had high hopes for you, Phillips, but if you can’t even arrive on time to an important meeting, how can you manage an entire department?”

Beaver, over Linden’s shoulder, lifted his eyebrows as if waiting for Gray’s answer. The nerve.

Gray clenched his fists at his side and tried to ignore Beaver. The heat of anger rose up his chest. “You’re saying not only do I not get the account, I don’t get the promotion either?”

“Why don’t we talk about this at a later time? You seem upset.”

“No. I want to know now. I’ve worked my ass off for this company, and I deserve that promotion.”

Beaver stepped to Linden’s right. “That’s highly debatable, Phillips,” he said while shaking his head. “Mr. Linden saw for himself just how unreliable you can be.” He smirked and silently mouthed, “You f*cked up.”

It was all Gray could take. If he was going to fall, he’d drag Beaver down with him. He tightened his fist and swung, hitting his colleague square in the jaw. And damn, did it feel good.

If only for a moment.

~ * ~

Papers flew across the driveway after Sofia stumbled over her own feet. Of course an afternoon shower had just poured through, leaving the ground wet and ruining all of her job applications.

“Just great.” Sofia looked around at the damage and began picking up each piece, crumpling them all together into a sopping ball. Her entire morning had been wasted. Why, again, hadn’t she filled out the applications while she was there? Oh, yeah, she’d wanted them to look perfect before she handed them back in, with her resume she’d designed on the computer attached. The template had cute pink swirls and… She sighed.

What about her life was ever less than disastrous?

Evidently, nothing.

“Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Sofe.” She tossed the applications into the trash before heading inside. If Sofia Good was anything, she was resilient. Strong.

Strong enough to stop rapes and murders from happening, and strong enough to attempt to peel the thought of never being loved by that man from her mind and her dreams.

However, she was not strong enough to deal with her mother and her grandmother talking about her as she walked through the door. Not today. The whispers echoed into the hallway from the den. They didn’t even bother to stop when Sofia leaned into the room and cleared her throat.

Her mother held up a finger. “Sofia doesn’t need a man in her life. She’s got me.”

They sat on either side of the large walnut desk, inclining toward each other as if that would stop Sofia from hearing their every word.

“Need a man? No,” Nana said, “but she deserves a little happiness.”

“You can stop now,” Sofia cut in before they could continue. “I have no idea why you’re discussing this, but it’s pointless. Sofia doesn’t need or want a man, especially Gray Phillips.”

Geez, it disgusted her to say his name aloud. She hoped she never saw him again, eyes opened or closed. As of this morning, he was nothing to her.

But then why did it hurt so much?

Maybe because this could be her only chance at love.

“Oh, honey.” Nana stood up and held out her arms for Sofia. She’d obviously read her mind. “Come to Nana.”

Dang it. Times like this she wished she knew her mother’s trick to block Nana out. Her mother had learned it in high school, and it had something to do with envisioning someone naked. Was it Rodney Dangerfield?

“Sofia, don’t do that.”

“Sorry, Nana, but I’m really not in the mood to be read.”

“I’ll try not to, but I’m worried about you. I can see that he’s hurt you.”

“I’m fine. Really.”

“If he’s been having the dreams, too, then he’ll come to you eventually,” Nana whispered and rubbed Sofia’s shoulders.

Now, how did she know that? No secret was safe in this family, not even the ones in her head.

“I don’t want him to. In fact, I’m going to prevent it from happening. I can do that, you know. I can control my own destiny.” And her mind. Rodney Dangerfield, Rodney Dangerfield.

“What happened?” her mother asked as she walked toward them.

“I don’t want to talk about it, Mom. It’s over and done with.” Sofia willed back the unwanted tears forming in her eyes.

It was no big deal, she told herself. That relationship simply wasn’t meant to be. That was all.

Her mother moved in and caressed her cheek. “Darn it. I never should have told you to go after him. Men are nothing but closed-minded nimrods. They’re all testosterone-driven a*sholes, and it sounds like this guy isn’t any different. He’s not worthy of you, just like your father—”

“Laura,” Nana interrupted. “Please, show a little self-control.”

Sofia glanced from her mother to her grandmother and wondered for the billionth time how they could possibly be related. One short and overweight, the other tall and lean. Sofia was somewhere in between them, leaning more to the short and, okay, slightly chubby side—so maybe eating cold pizza for breakfast hadn’t been the best decision. The only characteristic that truly bonded them was the blue eyes.

And, of course, there was the whole no-man-will-ever-love-them issue. Psychic powers weren’t exactly on a man’s list of top ten reasons to stick around.

Her mother was right. Who needed a man anyway? All Sofia required was a job and the two women in front of her.

“Sofia,” Nana began in a cautious tone, “I’m going out of town for a week or two. An Amish family in Allen County needs a midwife for a difficult pregnancy, and I agreed to help. I was wondering, since you no longer have a job, if you could housesit for me and take care of Sam? Besides,” Nana eyed Sofia’s mother, who was fuming from being cut off and was most likely planning another desperate attack on poor Herbert to take the edge off, “it might be good for you to have some alone time away from everything.”

~ * ~

Penny Jones pulled up to her home after driving from her daughter and granddaughter’s house. She knew what she needed to do for Sofia.

Something she’d only done once before.

Something to help Sofia find her own true love, just as Penny had many years ago.

It had worked its magic then, literally. Now it was time to do it again. Sure, magic spells took a lot out of Penny, and she wasn’t as young as she once was, but this was important.

She walked inside her home on a mission to bring her granddaughter happiness. She was determined to make it so Sofia didn’t suffer the same bitter fate as Laura. She’d already picked out the necessary materials. Items she usually kept in her shed out back, along with all of her other magical goodies, were spread out on the floor. She sat down in front of them, close to the Earth.

Penny didn’t practice witchcraft often. Her mother had taught her less was more. She’d taught the same to Laura, who decided for herself and Sofia that magic was not going to be a part of their lives at all. Their gifts were about all Laura could handle. Anything else was unnatural to her, abnormal.

Penny never argued, never undermined. Until now.

Each magnet lay out on the hardwood floor before her. One represented Sofia, the other Grayson Phillips. Penny closed her eyes and slowly breathed in and out, letting the energy rise inside of her.

This is interesting. A masculine voice vibrated into her head.

Penny opened her eyes and glanced around, but there was no one to be seen. “Hello?” she called out. It had been a mind she’d read, rather than an actual voice she’d heard. She could tell from the vibrations.

Can you hear me? he asked.

“Yes, but I can’t see you. Are you a spirit, by chance?”

“I am. But you’re not frightened?” He spoke this time in a deep and youthful tone.

“No.” Penny chuckled. She’d heard her share of ghosts in the past. In fact, her late husband had spent a week on earth after he’d passed, before fulfilling his unfinished business and moving to the light. “No, I’m not frightened by you one bit. However, I am curious why you’re here. Who are you and what is your business?”

“My name is Hayes Phillips, Gray Phillips’s brother. I need to see to his happiness before I can cross over, and I think your granddaughter, Sofia, can help with that.”

“Oh? How do you know of my Sofia?”

“She’s the palm reader’s daughter, right?”

“Yes, she is.”

“Well, I’ve been watching her.” He paused and laughed an infectious laugh. “Not in a weird way or anything.”

Penny smiled. “That’s good to know. Go on.”

“You see, I was angry with the palm reader at first. I’d been to her a month before my death, and she’d told me to be careful. That’s it. She hadn’t warned me of my looming death. She hadn’t even given me a hint. So, I brooded in their home, watching them, wanting to get even with the so-called psychic. But as time passed, I was more entranced by the daughter. She was sweet, innocent, and pretty in her own way. Not really my type.” He chuckled lightly. “Definitely perfect for my brother, though. I began to think how lucky he would be if he were to find her. Then I remembered.”

The young man stopped talking, but Penny continued to read his thoughts. He’d remembered how selfish he’d been, leaving his brother. And Rachel. He’d gone to see them after the spirit world had taken his body and saw the ring on her finger. They were engaged to be married, but neither of them was happy with the idea.

How could they be?

Penny nodded as she came full circle with the rest of the story. “I understand why you’re here. We have the same goal then, don’t we?”

“Yeah, I think we do.”

~ * ~

Rachel braked hard, nearly hitting the school bus filled with children on their way home from school. She’d been so consumed with her thoughts she hadn’t noticed the light was red.

What was wrong with her? She was going to kill someone if she couldn’t get it together.

Hayes. He was the problem. She couldn’t get him out of her head. All night and all day during class, visions of the intimate time they’d spent together had manipulated her mind. Kissing. Wanting. Spreading her legs for him and letting him have whatever he desired.

Seeing him again had been agonizing. If the man in her room really had been Hayes, if his words had all been true, then he’d loved her. Who knew what would have happened if he’d lived to tell her? It wasn’t fair to her, and especially not to Grayson. How could she ever go ahead with the wedding, knowing what she knew? After everything was said and done, she couldn’t imagine letting Grayson into the space in her heart where only Hayes had been.

It wasn’t right, and it had been ridiculous of her to ever think it would be.

The car behind her honked twice, letting Rachel know the light had turned green. She pressed the gas pedal and carefully continued home.

The phone call to Grayson this morning had been a pathetic attempt. As soon as she’d heard his voice over the line, she’d chickened out. Not only did she not want to hurt him any more than he’d already been hurt, she didn’t want him to think poorly of her. She didn’t want to see that look of disappointment she’d become so familiar with.

He hadn’t always been this way. Remote and irritable. Before Hayes died, he was a kind, loving man. Rachel had loved that part of him. If only the passion had been there—the little thing called chemistry. Then she would’ve never slept with Hayes, and she wouldn’t be in this predicament right now.

Her cell phone chirped on the seat beside her, and she pulled off the road into a convenience store parking lot to answer it. No sense in adding another distraction to her already preoccupied mind.

“Hello?”

“Rachel, it’s your mother.”

“Hi.” Darn it. Why hadn’t she checked the caller ID?

“I can’t talk long, dear, but don’t forget to meet me at the bridal shop at five for your dress fitting. Olga has a tight schedule and doesn’t like waiting.”

“The dress fitting,” Rachel repeated absently.

Seeing her wedding dress was the last thing she wanted to do.

“Don’t tell me you forgot. How many times have I told you to write down appointments in the day planner I gave you?”

“I can’t do it, Mom.” There. She said it.

“It’s a simple task that saves a ton of grief and keeps you organized, Rachel. I don’t see what the big deal is. I’ve done it since—”

“I’m not talking about the day planner, Mom. I can’t… I’m not feeling well. I can’t make the dress fitting.” Her excuse was only partially true. There wasn’t enough courage in the world to tell her mother the real reason she wasn’t going.

“Well, take some ibuprofen, have a short nap and meet me there at five.”

“No. I can’t make it. Not today.”

“But Olga—”

“Tell Olga I’m deeply sorry, and I’ll be sure to refer every bride-to-be I know now and in the future to her because she is such an understanding, caring, and highly skilled dressmaker.”

“Well…”

Lying to her mother was never easy, and in the past, she’d avoided untruths at every cost. Today was the exception. “I have to go, Mom. I’m going to throw up.”

A familiar chilled wind crept up Rachel’s back and underneath her hair before finally resting like a heavy hand on her neck.

Rachel snapped the phone shut and dropped it in her lap. “I’m losing my mind,” she said through fresh tears.

“Let me find it for you.” Hayes’s deep voice filled the car, and Rachel felt an invisible but very tangible finger wipe the tear away.