Maximum Witch

chapter Three


Max observed the stunned look that fell over Willa’s face and knew with absolute certainty she couldn’t be faking it. He’d done plenty of interrogation in his days, something that’d gifted him with the ability to tell if someone was attempting to pull the wool over his eyes. Which presented a big quandary, since he could only come up with one explanation for her expression.

She hadn’t known she wasn’t human.

Shit. Hefting to his feet, he shot Boone a desperate glance. The unhelpful dickwad returned it with a don’t-look-at-me-this-is-your-f*ckup glare.

“What do you mean I was breathing?”

He returned his attention to Willa and noticed how she seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilating.

“That isn’t possible,” she whispered, echoing his previous sentiment.

“Maybe Max was confused. It wouldn’t be the first time.”

He glared at Boone, silently delivering his assessment of that remark. There was no mistaking damn bubbles coming out of someone’s mouth. Or the lack of water clogging their lungs. He was about to point that out when Boone shook his head, his eyes flashing a warning before he slanted a pointed look in Willa’s direction. Max got the message loud and clear. Boone didn’t want him upsetting her any more than he already had. Damn. He hated admitting Boone was right about anything, but Willa had been through enough today. It’d be wrong to give her one more thing to stress over. He’d drop the issue, at least for the time being.

“If you’re ready, I’m going to give you the antivenin now.”

A loud gulp shot from Willa, and at first Max considered chewing Boone a new one for giving him a hard time for frightening her. But then he took in the way her wide-eyed focus was pinned to the approaching needle. He begrudgingly acknowledged that Boone’s pronouncement had managed to do the impossible—steer Willa’s thoughts away from her previous worries. The needle slowly pierced her pale skin, and she sucked in a sharp breath, her fingers digging into the bedspread. Unable to temper his desire to comfort Willa, he crossed to the empty spot next to her and rubbed her shoulder.

He didn’t understand this constant need to touch her but decided to just go with the flow. Particularly since she glanced up at him with gratefulness shining in those beautiful, teary eyes. They continued staring at each other for a long stretch, until a cough from Boone shattered the moment.

Shaking off the strange fascination that’d gripped him, Max jerked his gaze to Boone and bit back a growl at the grin overtaking his friend’s mug.

“One down, one to go.” Boone reached into his medic kit for a fresh syringe and vial of antivenin.

Catching Boone’s meaning, Max shook his head. If there was any chance he could avoid that needle, he sure as hell was going to use it to his advantage. “I wasn’t infected.”

“Better to be safe than sorry. Now drop your pants, you big baby.”

Max’s gaze veered back to Willa. There was no way he could go along with Boone’s command without awarding her a prime viewing of his privates. “Uh…”

A pink stain crawled along Willa’s cheeks as she apparently caught on to his dilemma. “If you don’t mind, I’m just going to wash up a little.” She launched herself off the mattress and hightailed it into the bathroom.

The second the door shut behind her, Max scrunched his sweats down. “Is this really necessary? Or do you just like the idea of jabbing me with that big-ass needle?”

“Both.” Flashing his teeth with a suitably evil grin, Boone sank the tip of the syringe into Max’s flesh.

Once he was done administering the antivenin, Boone soaked several sterile pads with antiseptic so Max could clean up the wounds on his calves. By the time that task was finished, Willa abandoned the bathroom and sat down next to Max. He could smell his body wash clinging to her skin, but he hadn’t heard the shower pop on. She must have settled for a sponge bath.

Max’s thoughts immediately drifted to Willa standing naked in his bathroom, running a sudsy washcloth over her skin with slow, sensuous movements. His cock stirred at that mental image, and he stifled a groan. He tore his focus from Willa and noticed Boone was watching him with a knowing look.

His expression turning sly, Boone capped the syringe and shifted his attention to Willa. “You’re going to require close monitoring for the next twenty-four hours. Think it’s best if you stay here so Max can keep an eye on you.” Boone cocked an eyebrow at him, his lips twitching. “You don’t mind checking our girl’s vitals throughout the night, right, good buddy?”

Judging from the wicked humor dancing in his eyes, Boone knew exactly the kind of picture he’d planted in Max’s head with that suggestion. A*shole.

“But I—I can’t stay here.” Sudden panic streaked across Willa’s face. “Oh my Goddess. My car.” Swallowing hard, she stared at them. “I just remembered. I left it at the lighthouse. Unlocked, with all of my stuff inside.” A frantic wail bubbled from her.

“Hey, that’s great.” Max held up his hands when she glared at him. “I mean about you starting to remember. Not your car.”

“I have to go get it, before someone stumbles across it and decides to take it for a joyride. Or worse.”

She started to scramble to her feet, but he gently prodded her back in place with a firm palm planted on her shoulder. “You’re in no condition to go anywhere. Boone and I will take care of it.”

“Now?”

Clearly there was only one way to calm her. Nodding, he caught Boone’s eye and hitched his chin toward the doorway. “Mind driving?”

Boone repacked his bag and spoke briefly with Willa, giving her a stern lecture about getting plenty of rest and taking things slow and easy the next couple of days. Satisfied his edict would be obeyed, he stood and preceded Max to the exit. Outside, they hopped into Boone’s Land Rover and began the journey to the lighthouse, the ever-present roll and shoosh of the Atlantic floating through the open windows.

After a brief silence, Boone drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, keeping rhythm with the jazz number on the radio. “What do you suppose is the story with her?”

“Hell if I know.” He slashed his focus toward Boone. “How could someone not realize their DNA isn’t completely human?”

“Maybe her parents didn’t want her to know.”

“Why?”

Boone’s shoulders lifted in a slight shrug. “Afraid I’m about as clueless as you are in that regard, bud. But I’m willing to bet she’s going to have a sit-down chat with them real soon.”

Max grunted. “That’ll be an interesting conversation.”

A companionable quiet descended on the vehicle again before Boone rapped against the wheel a second time. “She’s cute. You should ask her out.”

“What are you, my mother? Besides, I discovered firsthand that Willa’s got a mean left hook. Don’t know how I feel about dating a woman who can kick my ass.”

Boone chuckled. “I was wondering why your nose looks a little off kilter. What’d you do, try to cop a feel while she was passed out?”

“Suck my dick, a*shole.”

Laughter hooted from Boone. Fortunately the lighthouse came into view, managing to shut him up. They pulled into the parking lot and braked behind an older-model silver Ford Taurus, the only other vehicle in sight. Boone rubbed his chin. “Huh. Not exactly the kind of car I’d pictured her having. It’s kind of…bland.”

He felt compelled to agree with the evaluation. The car was, in a word, boring. It in no way matched up with Willa’s personality. Then again, what did he really know about her beyond the fact she could wield her fist good as any guy and looked like his every wet dream come to life? His cock stirred, obviously in full accord with that last assessment. Gritting his teeth, he released the seat belt and climbed from the Land Rover. He approached the Taurus, his scrutiny moving from the driver’s side door to the shadowed outline of the dunes in the distance. When he’d first pulled her from the Atlantic, he’d assumed she must have been walking on the beach or maybe fell off a boat slip somewhere prior to the leviathan grabbing her. But given how she’d left her car an unlocked target for theft, those previous assumptions seemed highly doubtful.

And there was her odd parking job to consider. She hadn’t come close to squeezing between the lines—or anywhere near an actual parking space, for that matter. Frowning, he gripped the handle and tugged the door open. An annoying series of dings assaulted his eardrums and the overhead dome popped on, splashing light on the interior. Slumping onto the seat, he eyed the steering shaft. Sure enough, a keychain dangled from the ignition. He removed it and the dinging immediately stopped. Tension pinched above the bridge of his nose. “Why the hell would she leave her key in the ignition?”

The car shook slightly as Boone planted his elbow on the roof and leaned inside. “Another mystery I’m sure we’ll be kept in the dark about. At least until her memory returns completely.”

Max slid his gaze sideways and noticed her purse lying on the passenger seat. He had no patience for mystery. Given his profession, he was a firm believer in solving things in a precise, methodical fashion. So he only felt a niggle of guilt when he reached for her bag and thunked it onto his lap before inspecting its contents.

Boone clucked his tongue. “Think she nailed you before? That’s nothing compared to the hurt she’s going to bring if she finds out you went snooping through her purse.”

“I’m not snooping. I’m searching for clues. Big difference.” He pulled out her wallet and flipped it open. Her license was snugged into the front compartment. He eyed the little square picture, doing a double take. The prim individual staring back at him barely resembled the woman he’d left back at his place.

Boone scooted closer. “What do you know, she wears glasses. I’ve always had a thing for the sexy-librarian look.” He responded to Max’s growl with another chuckle. “Yeah, you don’t have an interest in her. At all.”

Ignoring Boone, he scoped out her address. She lived on the island, something he hadn’t been expecting. Not that he knew every resident of Tybee, but it seemed a cruel trick of fate that they’d practically been neighbors all these years, and if not for chancing upon her today, he might never have met her. The possibility of that disturbed him more than he cared to analyze. Instead, he returned to rummaging through her purse. He located her cell phone, one of those fancy PDA numbers that came with more buttons than he knew what to do with. By some small miracle, he figured out how to power it on.

“What are you intending to do? Go through her contacts list looking for possible boyfriends who might give you too much competition?”

Offering Boone another suggestion for what he could do south of his belt, Max skipped through the menu until he located the box he wanted. “I’m checking her most recent calls to see if anything came in shortly before I found her.”

“Why? Think someone might have phoned Willa and told her to go jump in the ocean?”

When put that way, it sounded damn ridiculous. But he had little else to go on. Sometimes even the tiniest clue that at first light appeared completely inconsequential ultimately offered up the biggest solution to the puzzle. He scrolled through the entries but found nothing dated before yesterday, and that number was linked to her work listing. Reluctantly admitting defeat, he stuffed everything into Willa’s bag and returned it to the passenger seat. He glanced up and caught the wry twist to Boone’s mouth.

“I’m going to give you the same advice I gave Willa. Relax. Her memories will come back soon enough, and she’ll be able to fill in all those missing blanks that are driving you crazy. In the meantime, you’ve got a sexy, beautiful woman lying in your bed. Wearing your T-shirt and some skimpy panties.” Boone’s grin turned wicked and challenging. “Why the hell are you still sitting here?”