column, and at last understood the unease that had been gnawing at him all day. He glanced, frowning, at the house and willed Willow Evans to hurry.
Nekhat had risen.
Chapter 10
With a quick flick of her wrists, Willie raked the sheers across the French doors, whirled and sagged against them. She half expected Johnny to leap out at her again, but the mirrors held nothing but shadows.
“Johnny,” she called. “Where are you?”
There was no sudden, in-your-face shimmer and nothing in the mirrors but her own wide-eyed reflection. Even in the dusk-darkened dining room she could see the pallor of her skin and the pulse hammering in her throat.
Maybe he’d gone off to have a snit. Well, fine. She planned to have one of her own, a jim-dandy, just as soon as she got rid of Raven. The kick in the pants was she didn’t want to get rid of him. She wanted to spend the night gazing into his luminous dark eyes and licking shaving cream off his ears. God help her.
“Raven wants Beaches, and you want his body,” she said to herself in the mirror. “You know what that means, don’t you? Ifs been too damn long since you’ve had a date.”
Not to mention a reality check. Was the living, breathing, sexy-as-sin and rich young doctor waiting for her on the terrace really a ringer for his ancestor, Johnny Raven? Had she really spent almost an hour talking to a dead guy in a mirror? If she hadn’t, then she was looney tunes. And that was all, folks.
Only Willie didn’t feel crazy. Stressed? Yes. Hot and bothered? Oh, honey. Thrown for a loop and off her pins? You betcha. Maybe even caught in a time warp for all she knew.
She’d wussed out on that one, but she wouldn’t again. She’d ask Johnny point-blank just exactly who or what he was the second Raven left. Right after she took one of the tranquilizers she hadn’t even thought about since Material Girl fired her.
It was that or take a hike, and she’d be damned if she’d let Raven or Johnny scare her out of Beaches. It was enough that she’d been scared out of her wits. Twice.
Willie rubbed a hand over her face and made for the kitchen. Her fingers were clammy, but her cheeks felt hot and flushed, despite the sudden chill that made every hair on her body stand as she passed through the kitchen doorway.
She’d felt the same sensation two days ago when she’d stepped out of the shower, when she’d seen the smudge in the minor that wasn’t there when she’d wiped the glass. She reached into her pocket for the compact, remembered she’d left it on the terrace and spun around on one foot.
“Where are you, Johnny?” Willie demanded, but there was no answering flicker, either in the air or the dining room mirrors. “I’m going to give Dr. Raven a glass of ice tea, then you and I are going to talk. Pull up a comfortable mirror and wait for me.”
She needed a shower—she wanted to slip into something more comfortable—but settled for splashing cool water on her face and the back of her neck. Then she loaded a tray with glasses full of ice, a pitcher of tea, slices of lemon and sprigs of mint.
The sun was gone below the dunes, except for a few last spears shooting through a bank of dark purple clouds. The latter were pushing across the headland from the sea on a muggy, gusty wind. Hallelujah, Willie thought, turning the tray sideways through the French doors, maybe it’ll rain.
She didn’t quite get the doors latched, and felt them blow partway open behind her. She meant to go back and shut them, but forgot all about them when Raven rose to help her and his fingers closed over hers on the tray.
Just for a second. Just long enough to take the tray away from her. Just long enough to make her forget all about the doors.
“Thank you,” Willie said, sinking into the chair he’d turned to face his at the table.
Raven smiled. Already her brown eyes were beginning to glitter. By the time he finished examining her ankle she’d be his completely. He
Nekhat had risen.
Chapter 10
With a quick flick of her wrists, Willie raked the sheers across the French doors, whirled and sagged against them. She half expected Johnny to leap out at her again, but the mirrors held nothing but shadows.
“Johnny,” she called. “Where are you?”
There was no sudden, in-your-face shimmer and nothing in the mirrors but her own wide-eyed reflection. Even in the dusk-darkened dining room she could see the pallor of her skin and the pulse hammering in her throat.
Maybe he’d gone off to have a snit. Well, fine. She planned to have one of her own, a jim-dandy, just as soon as she got rid of Raven. The kick in the pants was she didn’t want to get rid of him. She wanted to spend the night gazing into his luminous dark eyes and licking shaving cream off his ears. God help her.
“Raven wants Beaches, and you want his body,” she said to herself in the mirror. “You know what that means, don’t you? Ifs been too damn long since you’ve had a date.”
Not to mention a reality check. Was the living, breathing, sexy-as-sin and rich young doctor waiting for her on the terrace really a ringer for his ancestor, Johnny Raven? Had she really spent almost an hour talking to a dead guy in a mirror? If she hadn’t, then she was looney tunes. And that was all, folks.
Only Willie didn’t feel crazy. Stressed? Yes. Hot and bothered? Oh, honey. Thrown for a loop and off her pins? You betcha. Maybe even caught in a time warp for all she knew.
She’d wussed out on that one, but she wouldn’t again. She’d ask Johnny point-blank just exactly who or what he was the second Raven left. Right after she took one of the tranquilizers she hadn’t even thought about since Material Girl fired her.
It was that or take a hike, and she’d be damned if she’d let Raven or Johnny scare her out of Beaches. It was enough that she’d been scared out of her wits. Twice.
Willie rubbed a hand over her face and made for the kitchen. Her fingers were clammy, but her cheeks felt hot and flushed, despite the sudden chill that made every hair on her body stand as she passed through the kitchen doorway.
She’d felt the same sensation two days ago when she’d stepped out of the shower, when she’d seen the smudge in the minor that wasn’t there when she’d wiped the glass. She reached into her pocket for the compact, remembered she’d left it on the terrace and spun around on one foot.
“Where are you, Johnny?” Willie demanded, but there was no answering flicker, either in the air or the dining room mirrors. “I’m going to give Dr. Raven a glass of ice tea, then you and I are going to talk. Pull up a comfortable mirror and wait for me.”
She needed a shower—she wanted to slip into something more comfortable—but settled for splashing cool water on her face and the back of her neck. Then she loaded a tray with glasses full of ice, a pitcher of tea, slices of lemon and sprigs of mint.
The sun was gone below the dunes, except for a few last spears shooting through a bank of dark purple clouds. The latter were pushing across the headland from the sea on a muggy, gusty wind. Hallelujah, Willie thought, turning the tray sideways through the French doors, maybe it’ll rain.
She didn’t quite get the doors latched, and felt them blow partway open behind her. She meant to go back and shut them, but forgot all about them when Raven rose to help her and his fingers closed over hers on the tray.
Just for a second. Just long enough to take the tray away from her. Just long enough to make her forget all about the doors.
“Thank you,” Willie said, sinking into the chair he’d turned to face his at the table.
Raven smiled. Already her brown eyes were beginning to glitter. By the time he finished examining her ankle she’d be his completely. He
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