Chapter Six
I was right. Sandmanis pure TROUBLE. All caps. He’s growing on me. Flirting with him could easily become my favorite pastime, and I only technically just met the guy. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he truly invoked my love spell. I had forgotten all about it and what I wished for. It has to be a coincidence. That’s the only logical explanation.
“I’m driving.” He snatches the keys from my hand after putting my stuff in the trunk.
“No way. No one drives, BB but me.”
“You named your car BB?”
“Short for Black Betty.”
“I’ll allow it,” he informs me like his opinion and permission mean something. He struts to the passenger door in dark jeans and a black leather jacket that’s scuffed and worn like he’s had it for years and holds it open. “Ladies first.”
“Oh, gee thanks, but you aren’t driving my car. I don’t know if you have a license.”
Sandman tucks a finger under my chin, forcing my head up. “Look at me, kitten.”
I give him my full attention, but my gaze zeros in on his mouth. Part of me hoping he makes a move. The other half terrified of how I’ll react if he does. My hormones are telling me to climb this dickhead biker like a tree and stake my claim on him. My heart flaps wildly like a hummingbird has replaced the organ. Anticipation flows through my veins hot like lava. Electricity crackles between us.
The pole light by my car keeps making a buzzing sound like it may explode.
“Need you to listen. I’m a man. Only way a woman is driving me is if I’m incapacitated or dead. It’s the way it is. You can stomp your foot and get all in a snit. And I can spank your ass if you decide to give me any lip, but when it’s over I’ll be behind the wheel, and your ass will be glowing red from the passenger side.”
My jaw practically hits the pavement. “Did you say you’d spank me?”
“You already cursed my dick figured you can’t do much worse to me.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“Baby, if you’re feeling froggy then leap.”
I scowl at him, but he rewards me by coming in for the kill with the most magical kiss I’ve ever experienced. Our lips meet full of fire. His kiss is soft yet demanding. When his tongue invades my mouth I grab onto his biceps for dear life, because I’m afraid I’m going to levitate, I’m so high on him. Sandman kisses me deep with lots of tongue, but there’s a sweetness to the act even though my body is tingling all over desperate for more.
I pull away needing to catch my breath.
“Get in the car, kitten.” He pulls his bottom lip, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger before hitting me with a sexy smile that says he really enjoyed kissing me.
“Okay,” I whisper and do just that. Sliding into the passenger seat of my car for the first time. No one has ever driven my car but me. I watch as he rounds the hood and opens the driver’s side door. The first thing he does is scoot the seat back and start fucking with the mirrors before he slides in. I have to admit seeing him behind the wheel is a lot sexier than I was envisioning. His tattooed knuckles grip the steering wheel, and I squirm in my seat thinking about them fingers touching me. The way he kissed me...I hope it is the first of many and more. Much more.
There’s a dangerousness to him. An edge that says fuck around and find out. Damn it if I don’t want to discover everything about him. To fuck around and find out if he does other things as good as he kisses.
“Where to?”
“Farnsworth Drive.”
“The road to the cemetery?”
“Yeah. Earlier when I went home after I found the bracelet, I did a reading on Mariah. I kept drawing cards about money, a new relationship, secrets. Like maybe she was hurting for money which would line up with what you said about her dancing at the strip club. She made poor decisions. Feels trapped. When I asked if she was still alive my pendulum pointed to yes.”
“So why are we going to a cemetery? Isn’t it closed till morning?”
“Technically it’s closed but I know a way in. We just need to be careful not to get caught. I can’t explain it. You’ll think I sound crazy, but I tried asking my spirit guides where she is, and I kept being drawn to one spot. The Old Circle area of Spring Hill. I figure we go in. I do my witchy magic and see what happens.” After I tried the cards, I laid out a map of Charleston to see if she’s still in the area and my pendulum kept going to the cemetery.
“If you say so. You’re the expert.”
“You’re learning. Keep that in mind.”
He drives us to the historic Spring Hill Cemetery, dating back to 1869. Maybe its morbid but it’s one of my favorite places to visit. I can spend hours walking the grounds, exploring, reading all the old headstones. Some of them are well over a hundred years old.
“The gate will be closed when we get up there. Gram has a friend who lives in the last house by the gate. We can use her parking spot. She doesn’t even own a car anymore. I already called and cleared it with her. It’s totally fine. I told her that I was meeting a friend and needed to park my car. She’s old and doesn’t ask any questions.”
“A girl with a plan.”
Sandman parks and gets out, doing a scan of the area. It’s not the first time I’ve snuck in after hours, but it’s probably been a few years. In high school we’d sneak in and get drunk. I’d practice my tarot skills on the more famous of the dead buried here to test how good my intuition is.
“If we go in here, it’s not a far hike to Old Circle.” Our destination is a big oak tree some call the hanging tree.
“Give me that.” Sandman takes my backpack out of the trunk. He gives me a don’t be stupid look when I reach for it.
I’m not going to complain if he wants to carry it. I brought the basics. Water, candles, flashlights, matches and my favorite deck of cards. The clouds move in over the moon. The darkness providing us cover to enter the perimeter without being seen.
I wrap my fingers around Sandman’s. “Follow me.”
Leaves and twigs crunch under our boots as we move uphill, fighting our way through the brush. “Fuck. We’re going to have to do a strip search for ticks later,” he mutters.
“Is this your way of trying to get me naked?”
“You can bet on it, kitten. End of the night you’ll be naked willingly.”
“Okay. I’m down with that.”
“Good. Learn it fast. I’m a man who takes what he wants.”
A shiver moves through me at the thought of him doing exactly that.
The trees part and up ahead I see a familiar gravestone. One of an angel and a large cross. Not far behind it will be a mausoleum. Then an obelisk shaped monument. After that is the hanging tree. I pause for a drink of water.
“So a witch and a biker walk into a cemetery,” Sandman jokes.