7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

O livia’s new neighbor was definitely going to be a problem. Nothing she did was able to ease her mind about it.

It had been one day since he moved in and already it was like living under a microscope. What should have been a nice Saturday off was fast turning into an all-out war between her and her magic.

So much for relaxing.

Doing magic, for her, was as easy as breathing. After spending the majority of her life feeling so out of control, learning to wield her magic appropriately was such a great feeling. She had an instinct for casting and creating spells that she worked hard to hone over the past six years, and she took pride in her natural abilities.

But one day with Draven James as her neighbor and all that instinct vanished. She was like a new kid on the first day of school, a little bit lost and a lot confused. Even though she knew Draven couldn’t possibly see her, every time she used magic, she felt like he was watching. It made her clumsy and flustered. Nothing was working as it should.

It started again yesterday with the flowers when she got off of work. She picked up Daniel from his after-school program and upon getting into the car, he’d picked a lily out of her hair. Then, when they got home, flowers kept sprouting from weird places. The sink, the couch. Even the bathtub. Daniel was absolutely delighted by the whole thing; she was not.

When she went out to check the garden, it was the same thing. Roses, lilies, and daisies. Daisies weren’t even in season. She would not be able to explain that away should Draven happen to notice.

Yesterday, after his visit to the bakery, she kept accidentally sending random things flying around the kitchen. A mixing bowl, a whisk, flour. The latter of which ended up in Jill’s face.

Of course, Jill found the whole thing hilarious. As if Olivia was doing it all purely for her entertainment. Why were they friends again?

The whole situation was completely ridiculous. No one had ever made her feel so completely out of control since that day, years ago, with Daniel’s father. Draven’s presence alone was dredging up too many bad memories. She had to think of a way to get this guy out of her life and out of her town and she had to do it in a way that involved as little magic as possible. She had a feeling if he got even a small glimpse of magic, he would never leave and the town would be at risk of being exposed.

But maybe that was his goal?

She agonized over it all last night, tossing and turning in bed. When she did manage to finally fall asleep, Draven was there in her dreams—looking at her with eyes that were far too sweet, whispering her name, tempting her.

She woke up feeling flushed and uncomfortable in her skin. A shower helped a little. But she’d been so flustered and frustrated about the whole thing she burned breakfast.

She checked in with Parker again about the book this morning. It was still safe and in the same place, as it always was. But she would keep checking in. Part of protecting the town meant protecting that book. She reasoned that if Draven were up to anything, the book would be the first thing he would go after.

She would have liked to put a protection spell around the area of woods the book was in. Something that prevented anyone without ties to the town from getting too close. It would need to be imbued with the blood from each of the three original witch bloodlines. But she was afraid to bring it up to her friends. The book was supposed to be accessible to everyone in town, not just those descended from the original witches. She didn’t want to be the one to put an end to that.

Instead, that meant constantly nagging her friends. Sure, she could continue to spy on Draven. She could flirt with him and try to trick him all she wanted. But until he actually made a move? She had nothing to go on but her instincts.

So far, Draven had been in town for a week, and nothing had happened. She should be grateful. But his lack of action only made her more anxious, like she was just waiting for the other shoe to drop, which was what led her to her current plan.

It was her second plan of the day. The first was a deep cleaning of the entire house without the assistance of magic. But even elbow deep in lemon-scented cleaning products, the first plan was a failure.

The second plan was to go outside on this lovely fall day and get some fresh air with a book and a glass of iced tea. She’d considered doing some yard work. But with Daniel occupied up in his room with a video game, it was a great opportunity to catch up on some reading. She had fully intended to do just that until Draven wandered outside in a very tight white T-shirt and started raking leaves.

So, here she was, out on her back porch, watching him while he did yard work, completely ignoring the book she planned to read.

Not that she minded watching him. She took a quick sip of her tea and then leaned back in her chair, just taking a moment to admire the gorgeous day. Breathing deeply, she inhaled the smell of decaying leaves and wood smoke. She took another sip of tea, stretching out her legs in front of her, admiring her shiny leather boots before switching back to watching her infuriating new neighbor.

Not that it looked like she was watching him. She had used a look-away spell. It made the user’s eyes appear to be pointed in another direction while allowing them to actually see whatever they wanted. Essentially, it was spying. And it wasn’t even good spying.

Because every few minutes, he would glance over at her. At first, it made her nervous. Had he seen any evidence of her magic? The flowers? The explosion of dirt she had just created when her heart sped up after their eyes met for the tenth time before he quickly looked away?

The whole thing was very confusing. Her emotions were at literal war. It was exciting and maddening.

The most frustrating part? She did not hate it, his eyes on her, the way he made her feel and how she found herself wondering what he looked like underneath his clothes.

Damn him.

When she looked up at him again, he had moved, trading in his rake for gardening gloves. She wouldn’t have pegged him for the type. Gardening was methodical, peaceful. At least, that’s how it was for her—something she did to bring a little order back into her when life became too much.

But Draven? He screamed chaotic, albeit in a controlled type of way. The kind of person who would uproot their entire life to move to a town he claimed to know nothing about and then lie about why; not the kind of man she wanted or needed in her life. Not to mention Daniel's. Yet, here he was—her freaking next-door neighbor.

Here she was, lusting after him.

It was distracting, to say the least, watching him work. The muscles in his arms flexed as he now shoveled pile after pile of dirt, creating space for a flower bed, the rows neat and even. His grunts of exertion called forth images of their bodies tangled together. Beads of sweat glided down his sun-kissed skin.

It reminded her of the dreams she had last night. His low, rough voice whispering in her ear. His lips on her skin.

She stood from her chair, needing to stretch, needing a little relief.

Her whole body was tight. Her hands gripped the porch railing so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Fuck, he was sexy.

Her attraction to him made zero sense. The one thing she hated more than anything was a liar. Daniel’s father had lied. Speaking words of love one minute and rejecting her the next.

Why would Draven be any different? Why did she even care if he was? He was a threat. Who the hell was he really?

The sooner she figured that out, the better off she would be. His very presence was wreaking havoc on her magic.

Flowers. He was potting flowers. Oh, the irony. She could not hold in her laugh.

He looked up. To him, it would look as if she wasn’t looking at him but instead at nothing in particular.

Shit. She canceled the spell quickly with a wave of her hand and a whispered revelo. He was bound to realize something strange was going on if she was laughing at him without actually looking at him.

Her face grew hot. “Hi,” she said with a small wave.

“Hey,” he said, wiping sweat from his forehead.

He left a streak of dirt behind. She really wanted to wipe it off.

Focus, Olivia, focus.

She met his gaze head-on. Tension bloomed thick in the air between them. His eyes looked dark blue in this light, dangerous and captivating all at once. They locked on her with such a burning intensity that it stole her breath.

Her mouth parted softly, resting slightly agape as he waited and watched her every move. She flexed her fingers, still holding her now nearly empty glass of tea, as he slowly ran his tongue across his bottom lip.

Was he doing that on purpose? Fuck. She should probably say something now.

“Sorry. I just—I’m surprised to see you gardening, I guess.”

Smooth, Olivia. Very smooth. Now he knows you were watching him this whole time.

His brow furrowed. “Why is that?”

She blushed. “Well, it’s just, I don’t know. You’re so, you know, you.”

Good God, she was an idiot. Was it possible to die of embarrassment?

What was it about him that made it so hard for her to think straight? Honestly, she was surprised she was able to form complete sentences around him at all.

He laughed. “It’s something I learned from my mother, gardening. It’s been years since I’ve actually done it. But it’s really just like riding a bike.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Hey, no worries. I see you have quite the garden going yourself.”

She smiled. It was her and Daniel’s little Eden. “Thanks. Daniel and I work hard to keep it up. Sometimes I think he likes it more than I do, though.”

“Daniel?” he asked, brow furrowed.

Just then, the back door flew open, announcing the arrival of her excitable nine-year-old. He came around to duck underneath her arm and stand right in front of her.

She placed her hand on his head.

“Draven, this is Daniel, my son.”

“You have a son?” he asked. He groaned inwardly. She just said that, he was such an idiot.

Daniel laughed. “Yup, that’s me.”

He laughed. “Right, obviously. Sorry. How old are you, kid?”

“Nine, going on forty. Or at least that’s what mom always says.”

The way Olivia smiled when Daniel said that made Draven’s heartache a little. That’s something his mother would have said about him. A nine-year-old who liked to garden? This kid could have been him or Lucas.

“Nine is a good age,” he said. Shit. He didn’t really know how to talk to kids.

“What are you doing, Draven?” Daniel asked, peering over the porch railing and into his yard.

“A little gardening,” he said as he held up the trowel still in his hand.

“Cool! Can I help?”

“Oh, Daniel, I don’t know if Draven wants any help,” Olivia said, narrowing her eyes at him.

“I would love some help, actually,” Draven said with a smile. Just like how he used to help his mother.

“You could help us if you want, Mom,” Daniel offered.

Draven watched as she took in her son’s wide grin; it was clear she’d do just about anything for him.

It was like he won the lottery in getting her to spend time with him. She probably wasn’t thrilled at this particular turn of events. But for some reason, he wanted her to be. He liked the idea of spending time with her and her son, even if he shouldn’t.

“So, what’s the plan here? Are we planting flowers, vegetables, herbs?”

“Flowers. I know a little about gardening from my mom, like I said. But I’m most familiar with flowers. Now, if I remember correctly, roses need a lot of sun. Where do you think a good spot would be, Daniel?”

Daniel ran off, searching the yard for the best spot.

“Thanks for humoring him with this. Once Daniel sets his heart on something, it's impossible to change his mind. Most of the time, it’s adorable. But sometimes, he can be a bit much.”

“It’s no trouble. I’m happy to have the help, really, and he seems pretty great.”

“Do you like kids, Draven?”

He laughed. “Honestly? I haven’t had much experience with them. I’m not much of a people person in general.”

“Aren’t you a journalist? Isn’t that kind of your job? Getting to know people?”

“In a way? But you don’t necessarily have to know someone in order to uncover their secrets.”

“Is that what you do, uncover secrets?”

She stared at him straight on, her eyes narrowed and burning with intensity.

He shrugged. “Sometimes. Sometimes the secrets find you; you know what I mean?”

The wind whipped through the trees, sending leaves flying. She laughed, twirling around to watch them as they went. He found himself smiling too.

She looked at him again, her eyes softening. “I do, actually.” She stepped closer to him. God, she was exquisite. He couldn’t get over it. It wasn’t just her looks that were drawing him in. It was her. The way she looked at him. The way she talked. Even the way she walked with a quiet confidence marred only slightly by a pronounced limp. She must have some kind of disability, though it didn’t seem the right moment to ask her about it.

She radiated kindness. But also, vulnerability. Like she wasn’t quite sure where they stood.

She turned back to him. “How’s everything going so far, with your book? After the fast pace of New York, you must be bored. Nothing exciting ever happens around here.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that. An enigmatic nine-year-old offering to help me garden is pretty exciting to me. Definitely not something that happens every day.”

They both laughed, glancing over at Daniel, who was still methodically searching the yard for the best spot to plant the roses.

“Hey, Mom, Draven! I found a good spot,” Daniel called, waving them over from the very back of the yard.

Not giving Olivia another glance, Draven grabbed a potted rose from the pile he’d made and walked over to where Daniel stood waiting. She watched them quietly, Daniel’s face lighting up as Draven talked. Her sweet boy was completely in awe of Draven.

It made sense. Draven was new and exciting. It wasn’t that Daniel didn’t have any interaction with male figures—he had Malcolm, after all—but Draven was so much more accessible to him now that they were neighbors. It was safe to assume that Daniel was already firmly on Team Draven.

It made her wonder how he would fare if it turned out that Draven was here to cause them trouble or to mess with their magic?

It could be very bad.

Daniel was an amazing kid. He was happy, funny, and so freaking clever. Smarter than she could ever hope to be. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t affected by not having his father in his life.

Over the years, and especially recently, he asked questions, and she tried to be honest. But it was hard to explain to a little boy why their dad didn’t want to be in their life.

She hated the idea of Daniel getting close to Draven, only for him to disappear once he got whatever he came for. Something tickled her leg, pulling her from her thoughts. She looked down. Dandelions. Dandelions surrounded her feet.

She looked over at Daniel and Draven. They were both preoccupied with the roses. But still, her heart raced, her forehead starting to sweat.

Shit. This could not keep happening, especially not where Draven might see. She had to get her emotions under control.

When it came to doing magic, to having magic, control was everything.

“Hey, Mom! Come look at this.”

She looked over at them again. Draven’s head was still turned in the other direction. Hopefully, he hadn’t seen anything.

She quickly vanished the flowers with a wave of her hand and a vanitae , sending them into the house. Then she crossed the yard, coming to stand right next to Draven.

“It looks great, bud. You guys did a really good job.”

Draven looked up at her. “It was all Daniel, really. I just provided the yard space.”

Daniel beamed at the praise. “Should we make some space for more stuff?”

“Daniel, I don’t know if Draven wants—”

“That sounds great, kid. What’d you have in mind?”

The three of them spent the next couple of hours making space for a flower bed off the side of Draven’s front porch. It turned out that the shed in the backyard had all kinds of gardening tools and even a few random packets of seeds.

In the end, the flower bed turned out pretty good and the three of them were sufficiently covered in dirt.

“I think we’re just about done here. What do you think?” Draven asked.

“Yeah. I can’t wait to see it once the flowers start growing. Hey Draven, did you know roses are Mom’s favorite flower?”

“Is that right?”

“Yeah. Maybe once more roses grow from these ones, you can give her some.”

Draven smiled down at Daniel. “Yeah, maybe.”

Daniel grinned up at the both of them, before bounding off into the house to get cleaned up.

Draven turned to her, that same crooked grin from yesterday on his face. “So, tell me, Olivia. How did you end up here?”

Draven hoped the question would throw her off and given the way her eyes widened, it

had worked.

“What do you mean?” Olivia asked.

“Parker mentioned you were initially from New York. Something we have in common. I was just curious.”

Tell me, Olivia. Tell me if you’re a witch just like my mother was. Give me something.

“Jill. She and I met in culinary school. The rest, as they say, is history.”

“So, you just decided to follow her? Why do I get the feeling there’s more to this story?”

She smirked at him. He shouldn’t have found that so charming. It was fun going toe to toe with her in this playful way. “Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t. Besides, I could say the same thing about you. Because the thing about this town, Draven? It’s special.”

Special. That was one way to describe a town full of witches and magic.

“I’ve heard that a lot.”

“Because it’s true. We’re a family here and we protect our family. Me, Jill, Parker. It means everything to us.” Her jaw was set in a determined line, eyes hard as steel.

As frustrating as her mistrust of him was, he had to admire her for it. She had good instincts. It was exactly how he would be if the situation were reversed. Her son was lucky to have her as his mother.

“I can understand that. I’m sorry if my being here upsets you. But in a way, I’m protecting my family too.”

Her eyes searched his, looking for what, he wasn’t sure. But she did not press for more information, maybe sensing now was not the time. Or maybe she was convinced he wouldn’t say any more than he already had.

But he had not expected to find someone here who might get him. Someone who might understand his reasons for why he was doing what he was doing.

He knew she wouldn’t condone his actions and would probably try to stop him if given the opportunity. But maybe she might at the very least understand his need to make things right for his mother, to protect her legacy.

She sighed. “Well, then I guess we’re at a bit of an impasse. It was nice talking to you, Draven. I should probably go.”

Or maybe she wouldn’t understand at all.

“Wait,” he said as she turned to walk away.

He didn’t want her to leave, as odd as that was for him to admit to himself, given that she obviously didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him. But something about her made him feel calm. Peaceful. A feeling he hadn’t experienced since before he lost his mother.

She looked up at him, eyebrow raised in question.

He sighed. But did it really matter what he wanted? That there was this connection to her? He wasn’t here to make friends.

“It was nice talking to you too.”

When she reached her porch, she turned back to look at him, offering a sweet smile.

Then again, maybe she felt it too? It was all very confusing. But he’d take a smile over a frown from her any day.

“Chocolate or vanilla?” she asked, taking him by surprise.

“What?”

“It's a simple question. Chocolate or vanilla?”

“Chocolate. Is there any other answer?”

She laughed a low throaty sound that stole the breath from his lungs. Fuck. She was sexy.

“Well, I’m a vanilla girl myself. But chocolate it is,” she said before disappearing inside.

What the hell was that about?

He discovered the answer to that a few hours later when a basket arrived at his front door along with a note. Everything inside had one flavor in common—chocolate.

“Welcome to Addersfield, neighbor.”