Page 21 of Charmed
“Sit.” This from Ana as she pulled out a chair.
“Outnumbered.” Sighing, Morgana sat. “Are you enjoying Monterey?”
“Very much,” Boone told her, and his gaze shifted to Ana. “More than I anticipated.”
“I always enjoy having more than I anticipated.” With a light laugh, she patted her belly. “We’ll all have to get together very soon, so you can tell me things Nash doesn’t want me to know.”
“I’d be glad to.”
“Babe, you know I’m an open book.” He kissed the top of Morgana’s head and winked at Ana. “That the stuff Morgana’s been waiting for?”
“Yes, all of it.” Anxious to keep her hands busy, Ana turned to the pile of boxes. “I’ll unpack it for you.Morgana, I want you to try out this new violet body lotion before you put it out, and I brought extra of the soapwort shampoo.”
“Good, I’m completely out.” She took the bottle of lotion from Ana and unstopped the bottle. “Nice scent.” She dabbed a bit on the back of her hand and rubbed it in. “Good texture.”
“Sweet violets, and the Irish moss Da sent me.” She glanced up from her unpacking. “Nash, why don’t you show Jessie and Boone the shop?”
“Good idea. I think you’re going to find a lot of this right up your alley,” Nash told Boone as he led the way to the door.
Boone shot a look over his shoulder before he passed through. “Anastasia.” He waited until she glanced up from the boxes. “Don’t run away.”
“My, my, my.” Morgana settled back and smiled like a cat with a direct line to Bossy. “Want to fill me in?”
With a little more force than necessary, Ana ripped through packing tape. “On what?”
“On you and your gorgeous neighbor, of course.”
“There’s nothing to fill in.”
“Darling, I know you. When I walked into this room, you were so wrapped up in him I could have called out a tornado and you wouldn’t have blinked.”
Ana busied herself unpacking bottles. “Don’t be ridiculous. You haven’t called out a tornado since the first time we sawThe Wizard of Oz.”
“Ana.” Morgana’s voice was low and firm. “I love you.”
“I know. I love you, too.”
“You’re never nervous. Perhaps that’s why it’s so fascinating—and concerning—to me that you’re so nervous just now.”
“I’m not.” She rapped two bottles together and winced. “All right, all right, all right. I have to think about it.” She whipped around. “He makes me nervous, and it would be ridiculous to deny it’s the fact that I’m very attracted to him that’s making me so nervous. I just have to think about it.”
“Think about what?”
“How to handle it. Him, I mean. I have no intention of making another mistake, particularly since anything I do that involves Boone also involves Jessie.”
“Oh, honey, are you falling in love with him?”
“That’s absurd.” Ana realized too late that the denial was too forceful to be taken at face value. “I’m just jumpy, that’s all. I haven’t had a man affect me like this, physically, in …” Ever. Never before, and, she was very much afraid, never again. “In a long time. I just need to think,” she repeated.
“Ana.” Morgana held out both hands. “Sebastian and Mel will be back in a couple of days from their honeymoon. Why don’t you ask him to look? It would relieve your mind if you knew.”
Resolute, Ana shook her head. “No … not that I haven’t considered it. Whatever happens, however it happens, I want it to be on equal terms. Knowing would give me an unfair advantage over Boone. I have a feeling those equal terms would be important, to both of us.”
“You know best. Let me tell you something, as a woman.” Her lips curved. “As a witch. Knowing, not knowing, makes no difference with a man, once he touches your heart. No difference at all.”
Ana nodded. “Then I’ll have to make sure he doesn’t touch mine until I’m ready.”
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