Believe: The Complete Channie Series (69 page)

Great. Just freaking great. It was only 8:30. Channie still had another three and a half hours before she was supposed to meet Josh in the park but if she didn’t get out of this house, she was going to scream. She wrote a note that said,
Gone for a walk. Be back soon,
folded it into a triangle and slipped it under Abby’s bedroom door.

Momma’s light was on but Channie wasn’t worried. Even before Momma started acting crazy, once she went to her room in the evening, she rarely came out until morning. It had always been her “personal” time.

Channie bundled up, then climbed out her window. She nearly slid off the roof when she stepped on a patch of ice, but caught herself in time. She felt better as soon as she stepped into the park.
Much
better.

“Josh?”

“Hey, babe.”

A thick layer of clouds obscured the waning moon, so Channie didn’t see him in the shadows until she was nearly there. He was under the pavilion, sitting in the same spot on the same picnic table as when they’d first met. She said, “I thought we were supposed to meet at midnight.”

“I thought you might show up early.” He slid off the picnic table, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. Their bond was still glowing when he pulled back and said, “I missed you.”

“How long have you been here?”

“A while.”

“You never left, did you?”

“Nope.” He took her hand then led her towards his car in the parking lot.

“Have you eaten anything all day?”

“Breakfast.”

“You must be starving. Let’s go get you something to eat.”

He stepped into a cone of light cast by a streetlamp. The yellow glow illuminated his face and sparkled in his eyes. “I am hungry.” He leaned against the side of his car, slid his hands under her coat and into the back pockets of her jeans, pulling her against him. “But not for food.”

“Josh. We can’t. Not here.”

“Of course not. But I know a place we can go.” He pulled his hand out of her right pocket and opened the passenger side door. “Hop in.”

Channie glanced into the back as she slid into the car. Josh had folded the rear seats down so the cargo area was much larger. But the only things he was hauling back there were a couple of sleeping bags and a pillow. “When did you pick up the bedding?”

“I put it in the car this morning, before school. I like to be prepared for all contingencies.”

Josh parked in a secluded spot that overlooked the city lights. It was miles away from anywhere, but there were two other cars parked amongst the trees when they arrived. Channie said, “What are these people doing here?”

Josh turned off the engine, undid his seatbelt and crawled into the back. “Same thing we’re doing here.”

“What if they see us?”

“Believe me, they aren’t interested in anything we’re doing.”

“How’d you know about this place?” An ugly green glow seeped into Channie’s energy field.

Josh reached between the seats and offered Channie his hand. “Everybody knows about this place. It’s a trail head during the day, and a place for high school couples to ‘strengthen their bonds’ at night.” Josh tugged on her hand. “This is the first time I’ve been here after dark. And I promise, I’ll take things slow this time. I won’t finish before you, even if I have to use magic to control myself.”

“Is that what you did on our wedding night?”

“I think so. I’m still not sure how this magic stuff works, but it seems to respond to what I want — except for cursing people.” Josh zipped the two sleeping bags together then held it open while Channie slid inside. “On our wedding night, and every time after that — except for the last time when you caught me off guard — my most desperate desire was to please you.”

Josh untied and removed his shoes, peeled his sweater off over his head, then crawled into the sleeping bag still wearing his jeans. “I’m so sorry about the last time. I —”

Channie interrupted him with a kiss then said, “No. I’m sorry about last time. I had no idea it took so much effort for you to hold back. And especially the first time. That had to be really hard.” Channie giggled and bit her lip. “I mean difficult.”

Josh smiled, but didn’t make fun of her. “Pleasing you gives me more joy than anything else I could ever experience.”

“But you did enjoy it, the last time?”

“Oh, yeah. Most definitely. Until I realized you hadn’t. I wanted to make it up to you so bad. I still do.”

“Do you have more than one of those … things … in your pocket?”

“I’ve got a whole box in the glove compartment.”

“So … how about we have sex first … and then you can make love to me after that.”

Josh chuckled and said, “They’re the same thing.”

“Not really. I think sex is more about giving in to whatever you’re feeling without holding back. It’s more physical. At least that’s the way it feels when I … you know … finish. Making love is more like cuddling, only more intense. It’s how we usually start out. I’m more focused on you and our connection. I feel it more in my heart than in my gut.” Channie slid her hand from the center of Josh’s chest to his belly.

He grabbed her hand then moved it back to his chest. “Slow down, babe.”

“I want you to enjoy yourself completely. I don’t want you to hold back just because I can’t keep up. Then we can do it again, slower.”

“No. I don’t ever want to feel like I’m using you.”

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea how deeply I’d hurt you until it was too late.”

“And I had no idea how selfishly I’d behaved was until it was too late.” Josh pulled Channie on top of him as he rolled onto his back. “From now on, I will only make love to you. It will never be ‘just sex’ again.”

Channie lifted her head off his chest and gazed into his eyes. “What if I just want to have sex?”

Josh grinned and said, “Then by all means, Mrs. Abrim, go for it.”

And that’s exactly what she did. She gave in to the lusty, sex-starved woman hiding inside her shy, teenaged body and did things she never thought she’d do. And enjoyed every minute of it.

They’d just finished wiggling into their clothes when flashing blue lights filled the car.

Josh swore and said, “Stay there,” then climbed into the front seat. Someone tapped on the window glass with a flashlight. Josh rolled down the window and said, “Good evening officer, what can I do for you?”

“License, registration and proof of insurance, please.”

“You’re giving me a ticket?” Josh’s voice was an octave higher than normal.

“Sex in a parked car is in direct violation of Colorado State law against indecent exposure.” The cop directed the beam of his flashlight into the cargo area, blinding Channie.

She shielded her eyes and turned her head, hiding her bruises.

“I’ll need to see the young lady’s identification as well.”

She moved to her knees and put a hand on Josh’s trembling shoulder. She kept her chin down, and hid behind her hair as she poked her head between the bucket seats. “We’re both fully clothed and you didn’t actually catch us doing anything.” Or had he? Channie’s stomach churned at the thought of this man watching them. She didn’t have persuasive powers anymore, but hopefully Josh would understand her meaning and add his magic to her words. “You don’t want to deal with all that paper-work since we weren’t hurting anyone.”

Josh’s energy warmed the palm of Channie’s hand.

The cop said, “I suppose I could let you off with a warning and a phone call to your parents.”

Josh’s energy faltered.

Channie squeezed his shoulder and said, “You don’t want to call our parents and drag them out of bed. You know how parents are. You don’t need that kind of aggravation. Wouldn’t you rather go have a nice hot cup of coffee?”

Magic flowed out of Josh, over Channie and into the cop.

He lowered the beam of his flashlight and said, “I don’t want to catch you two out here again,” then turned and walked away.

Josh slumped down in his seat and lowered his forehead to the top of the steering wheel. “Oh man. That was close.”

Channie climbed into the front and kissed Josh’s cheek. “You did that! You used persuasive magic to make him change his mind.”

Josh tilted his head to the side, still resting it on the steering wheel and peeked at Channie out of the corners of his eyes. “I thought mind control was impossible.”

“If that cop had been dead set on arresting us, no amount of magic would have changed his mind. All it took was the idea of a hot cup of coffee to crack his resolve. Once a person starts to waver, it doesn’t take much magic to push ‘em over the edge. But next time, cast a misdirection spell before we get too distracted.”

Josh lifted his head and grinned at Channie. “Next time? How about tomorrow night?”

“Sure. Now, let’s go get something to eat.”

Josh leaned over and gave her a quick peck on the mouth. “That’s the second best idea you’ve had all night. How about The Lucky Pie? Feel like Pizza?”

“I don’t want to go anywhere someone from school might recognize me.”

“The bruises?”

Channie nodded. “They’ll be gone in a week or two.”

Josh placed his hands on her cheeks and said, “Let me heal them.”

“No!” Channie tore his hands from her face. “Momma said if anyone healed me, she’d beat me up worse than before.”

Josh’s brimming eyes filled her with guilt. This was more painful for him than it was for her. She couldn’t imagine how she’d handle it if their situations were reversed.

He said, “I’ve never hated anyone as much as your mother. I swear I want to kill her.”

“She’s my momma.”

Josh nodded and kissed her bruised cheeks, barely brushing them with his lips. “I can’t help it. I can’t stand the thought…” He took a shallow breath and held it for a moment, then cleared his throat and swallowed. “I can’t stand the thought of anyone hurting you.”

“I know. And I’m so sorry.”

“None of this is your fault. If I’d listened to you in the first place and just kept driving, none of this would have happened.”

“Josh. Look at me.”

“I
am
looking at you. And I can see the consequences of my stupidity and selfishness all over your beautiful face. Please, Channie. I’m begging you. Let me take you away from here.”

“Abby and Diego are moving out in a couple of months. I can’t leave until they get the trips away from Momma.”

“Is she hurting them too?” Josh’s energy field pulsed then settled into a steady red glow.

“Not yet, but Diego has a job so he can’t watch them all day and Abby’s never been the most attentive mother.”

“I don’t mean to be cruel, but how can you possibly protect the trips without magic?”

“I can keep them out of the house and out of Momma’s way. Thank goodness we live next to a park.”

“What the hell is wrong with your mother anyway?”

“Daddy thinks the Book of the Dead is making her crazy.”

“I don’t doubt it. Look what it did to us.”

“We suffered, but how much of that was because my stupidity? If it weren’t for the Book of the Dead, we wouldn’t be married, and we wouldn’t have done what we just did.”

Josh smirked at her. “We wouldn’t be married. But I’m pretty sure we still would’ve had the most amazing back seat sex in the history of humanity. You’re an animal.”

Channie laughed and smacked the middle of Josh’s chest with the flat of her palm. “Joshua Vincent Abrim! That’s no way to talk about your wife.”

When
Channie climbed through her bedroom window, Abby and Diego were sitting on her bed, waiting for her.

Diego narrowed his eyes and said, “Where’ve you been?”

“None of your damn business.” The words popped out Channie’s mouth before she had a chance to consider the consequences. Abby had never shown any signs of abuse, but that didn’t mean Diego wouldn’t knock Channie around for smarting off. She edged a little closer to the window. If he wanted to beat her, he’d have to catch her first.

He slumped forward and dropped his head into his hands.