Witches of Three: Charlene by Temple Hogan Read Free Book Online Page B

dark eyes probing.
    She nodded. “Now that you’re here,” she said and threw herself into his arms again.
    It was the only place she wanted to be. They kissed, long and deep without their usual passion. This was a kiss that gave comfort, that reassured, and she was grateful for it. Then she remembered the windows.
    “Oh, my gosh,” she exclaimed. “How could I be so careless?” She hurried to pull the heavy curtains, closing the two of them in safe from prying eyes.
    “I’m not very good at this,” she said, moving toward him.
    “Me, either,” he said quietly, but he took her into his arms and cradled her close.
    They talked, and she went over every detail of the shooting. When she was exhausted and drained, Nick ordered pizza and a tossed salad and made drinks while they waited for the food to be delivered. However, when it came, neither of them ate much.
    “I think Ralph is going to be a problem for us,” she said, pushing her untouched plate aside. “He acts so suspicious, as if he senses something but isn’t sure what.”
    “I know what you mean,” Nick said, frowning. “Don’t worry about him right now. You have enough on your mind.”
    He reached his hand across the table and touched her little finger with his. Just that tiny brush filled her with a glow of gratitude and something she didn’t even want to name right at that moment. It was good enough that he was there, that they were together.
    “Did you get the sense that the group of men were waiting for you guys?” he asked, his dark eyes sharp with speculation.
    “They didn’t seem nervous when we showed up,” she said, casting her thoughts back to that afternoon on the streets. “They watched us like they were waiting for us to do something, and then they would react.” She shook her head. “I don’t know. Geronimo said he’d heard some scuttlebutt and wanted to check up on something. I don’t know what he meant by that. He didn’t tell me.”
    “You didn’t ask?” Nick studied her.
    She shook her head again. “I figured it was something he’d picked up from one of his snitches and thought I should respect that as I’d want him to respect my sources.”
    Nick nodded in approval. “Go on, what else happened?”
    “Well, right away, Geronimo checked his weapon. I thought he was just being cautious, then he got out of the car and told me to wait there, so he must not have expected any trouble.” She paused, thinking it over. “After the shooting, while we were waiting for help, he seemed so surprised it had happened. He hadn’t expected it.”
    Nick remained silent, just waiting.
    “You know,” she said, rubbing her forehead with one hand. “It was so laidback like these were just guys visiting on a street corner. Even when the guy took the gun out of his jacket, I didn’t get that he was going to shoot anyone. He was so casual about it as if it was something he did every day.” She sighed and put both hands in her lap.
    Her pensive mood lasted all evening until they retired. She was surprised and eternally grateful that Nick stayed with her. They cuddled together, her head on his shoulder, his arms tight around her, until she felt his body stir. For the first time since the shooting, she felt like giggling. It felt good to put aside her nagging guilt over Geronimo. He was alive and safe. She could take a breath and get back to her own life and love.
    “Oh dear, Captain Nick, it appears you have a problem,” she said with mock concern.
    “Yes, it’s been happening a lot these past few weeks.” She could feel his grin against her cheek.
    “I hope it’s not terminal,” she teased.
    “God, I hope not,” he quipped, shifting to give her rein over his burgeoning cock. “I’ve had it before and always got over it. There are some things I can do to make it better.”
    “Then hadn’t you better do them?” she asked innocently. “You don’t want it to get worse.”
    “Oh, it’s going to get worse, much