Impractical Magic Part 21

"You're telling me?"

"Hey, Brand." Carter paused beside them and Brand drew away from her. "Got a minute to go over some stuff?"

"Sure." Brand stood, then magically produced a single rose that he handed to her. "Don't go away."

As Rose inhaled the fragrance, memories of the previous night sent heat to her cheeks. She had to get a grip. Use reason instead of emotion.

"So, nothing happening?" Sequoia asked, raising her eyebrows.

Rose gave a casual shrug, belying her tension, and refused to answer.

"Give me a break. You two nearly set the bus on fire."

"Sure that's not coming from you and Ewan?" Rose aimed a telling look at the couple. They sat so close together, she couldn't tell where one started and the other ended. "No, we only set the bedroom on fire," Ewan said. "But we were able to extinguish the flames before any real damage occurred." Sequoia's eyes grew wide and her cheeks stained pink while Rose laughed. That would teach her cousin to tease her. After Brand spent several hours in conversation with Carter, Rose wandered toward the table where they had papers spread. Spotting her, Carter immediately leaned over the papers, scooting them into one pile. She bit back a grin. Magic secrets, no doubt. "Gary says if we take a quick lunch break, we can reach Vegas by dinnertime. Okay with you?"

"The sooner the better," Brand said. "I'm getting a little tired of riding on the bus."

Rose raised one eyebrow. She could fix that. Not that she would. "Only a few more hours."

Meeting her gaze, Brand allowed a wicked smile to spread across his face, his meaning clear. Only a few more hours.

She could last that long. If he could.

But by the time the bus pulled up in front of the MGM Hotel, Rose could have sworn several days had pa.s.sed. Thank goodness Brand's tour ended here with the climax of his moon-disappearance illusion-an illusion she still had to discover.

Or should she try?

No doubt the papers Carter had covered pertained to that illusion. Brand hadn't rehea.r.s.ed it since she'd joined his show, so she had nothing to base any speculation on. Maybe she should let it go and turn in what she already had.

But that meant leaving Brand-something she wasn't yet willing to do.

He caught her hand as they stepped off the bus. "Don't go too far away."

"I don't plan to."

Approaching the entrance, he wrapped his arm tight around her shoulders. "Want to skip dinner?" he asked, his voice low and rough.

"I don't know." She shot him an impish grin. "I'm pretty hungry." Though not necessarily for food.

"Me, too." The gleam in his eyes reflected exactly what kind of hunger he meant.

A surge of desire sparked through her veins. "Well, we could have room service."

Brand lowered his head to kiss her as they stepped inside the hotel lobby. "My thoughts exactly."

His kiss promised fast, hot coupling and long, lazy seduction. Her heart added an extra beat as she lifted one hand to curve around his neck. Okay.

He drew away, his gaze heated. "We-"

"Brand."

They turned and Rose's heart tumbled to her toes at the sight of the approaching couple.

Brand's parents.

Seventeen.

Brand dropped his arm from Rose's shoulders. He'd expected his family to be in Vegas, but not early enough to meet him on arrival. "Mom, I didn't know you'd be here this soon." His mother came to wrap him in a warm hug. "I wanted to have all the time I could with you. We see so little of you anymore. You don't mind, do you?" "Of course not." He adored his mother. It was his father he dreaded spending more than an hour with. "Are Sequoia's parents here as well?"

"We drove down together. They just went to get a drink. Ah, there they are."

Brand turned with his mother to see Liz and Michael Adams approaching. Glancing back, he caught the hesitant smile Sequoia pasted on her face as she went to greet them. The next few days promised to be very interesting.

"Are you checked in already?" he asked.

"Just finished a little while ago. We were heading out for dinner when we saw you arrive. If you want to find your room, we'll wait for you." His mother, Kate, waved at his father to join them.

Brand looked at Rose. There went the evening he had planned. She returned a tight smile, apparently feeling as awkward as he did. "Rose is welcome to join us, too, of course," his mother added. Liz and Michael reached Brand at the same time his father, Robin, did. "Why don't we all go together?" Liz suggested. She had her arm wrapped around Sequoia's waist. Brand never doubted that Sequoia's parents loved her. It was the way they tried to run her life that irritated him. He hoped by now they'd realized she was a grown woman.

"Wonderful," Kate said. She smiled at Brand. "Don't you agree, hon?"

What could he say? "The more, the merrier."

"Can Ewan come, too?" Sequoia asked.

Liz frowned. "Who's Ewan?"

"A friend of mine." Sequoia pointed to the faery while Brand resisted the urge to shake his head. She was actually going to invite that fruitcake along? "He needs a haircut," Michael said, his tone matter-of-fact. Sequoia rolled her eyes. "Dad, I like him just the way he is." "Is it serious?" her father demanded. "Why haven't we heard of him?" Brand caught the hesitation before Sequoia replied, but he doubted her parents did. "There's nothing serious. He's just a good friend."

"Of course, he's welcome." Kate, always the peacemaker, intervened and went to introduce herself.

Grinning, Brand watched her. His mom had a way of making people feel at ease. Between her friendliness and his dad's charm, no normal person, not even a faery, had a chance.

Turning back, he met his father's gaze and extended his hand in a formal gesture. "Hi, Dad."

Robin clasped it firmly, his smile not quite diminishing the sadness from his eyes. "Good to see you, son." Rose had remained silent all this time, but now she saw an escape. "Why don't I go and get us all registered while you talk?" "Good idea," Robin answered before Brand could. Once she left their group, he continued, his tone conversational, but his disapproval clear. "I'm surprised to see her here." Unwilling to discuss Rose, Brand shrugged. His father had long ago warned Brand not to get involved with Rose. It was too late now. "It's a long story."

"One I hope to hear. Soon."

Kate returned with Ewan in tow. "Ewan has agreed to accompany us to dinner. We'll have quite a group."

That was an understatement. Brand met Sequoia's gaze and they exchanged wry smiles. The meal should be very interesting. When Rose returned with the keys, she handed him his with a grin. "You, O exalted one, have the Marquee Suite with a large whirlpool tub."

"Good to know." And Brand could think of several ways to put those items to use-most of which involved getting naked with Rose. How could he want her so much all the time? Was it because she was Fae or because he'd always wanted her?

He turned to his mother. "Shall we set a time to meet somewhere?"

"I've always wanted to try Emeril's," she said.

"Sounds good. Why don't we meet there in about thirty minutes? That will give the rest of us a chance to freshen up first." "All right." Kate linked her arm through Robin's as she faced Liz and Michael. "I think we can find something to do while we wait."

"If you want me to play the slots again...," Robin said.

Kate only laughed as she led him away. "Well, you do have the most extraordinary luck."

Once they were out of range, Brand led Rose to the elevator. "I hope you didn't get a room of your own." He had plans for keeping her close at hand.

"I did." She shot him a sharp look. "I'm not about to share a room with you while your parents are here."

"You'll be there most of the time anyway."

As the elevator rose, Rose stepped out of his hold. "I'm not sure. We need to talk about this, Brand."

His chest tightened. We need to talk had to be the most ominous words in the English language-right along with / have something to tell you. "Why ruin it?"

A hot emotion flashed in her eyes, then quickly disappeared. "I don't want to ruin it. I just want to know where we're going. Is this relationship about s.e.x alone? Or being friends? What? Have you all of a sudden accepted that my magic is a part of me?"

He hesitated. He didn't have answers for all those questions. "I want to be with you." That was true enough. The rest could wait.

Rose met his gaze. "I still have an expose to write. Do you really want me close to you?" Though she kept her voice even, he caught the worry in her eyes.

He'd forgotten about the expose. Stupid of him. He knew how she felt about it.

But he was careful in regard to his illusions. He'd always been careful.

"I want you with me," he repeated. His desire for her wasn't going away.

"Your parents-"

He held up his hand. "Let me handle my parents. They've always liked you."

"They liked me best when we were apart. Though your father helped me quite a bit when I first gained my powers, he also warned me repeatedly about the risks of getting involved with anyone."

"Like he has room to talk." Brand clenched his fists, suddenly anxious to see his father again. It was bad enough his father had lectured him not to see Rose. Robin had no right to make demands of Rose.

Rose touched his arm. "Don't worry about it. My parents told me the same thing. Why do you think you were my first lover?"

The elevator stopped, but he didn't step out when the doors opened. "Then why get involved with me?" Waiting for her response, he caught his breath at her slight hesitation.

Her slow smile triggered the always-present fire in his blood. "Because I couldn't help myself."

He could breathe again. "Must be the Goodfellow charm."

"And here I thought you'd put a spell on me." She jabbed the Door Open b.u.t.ton and stepped out. "My floor. I'll see you later."

The doors closed again, but he didn't push any b.u.t.tons right away, the urge to go after her warring with his common sense. The s.e.x between them was great-better than great-but she was right, it didn't magically make all their differences go away.

He snorted and hit the b.u.t.ton for his floor. Magic. It all came back to that.

And he honestly didn't know how to handle it.

When everyone was finally shown to a table at Emeril's, Rose tried to distance herself from Brand, but he refused to let her, insisting she sit beside him. In actuality, he didn't have to try hard to persuade her, but she couldn't shake the feeling that this family dinner was going to be a lot more than he'd antic.i.p.ated. She'd seen the inquisitive looks Kate and Robin had given her as they took the seats on Brand's opposite side at the round table.

Kate immediately engaged Brand in conversation and Rose sighed. She could survive this. She didn't have much choice.

As if sensing Rose's unease, Sequoia immediately claimed the chair beside her. Rose smiled at her, then wondered who would comfort whom? Her cousin looked even more uncomfortable than Rose felt.

Ewan seated Sequoia, then sat beside her, glaring defiantly at her parents. Was he providing a buffer? Rose studied him, actually taking time to see him as more than an irritant. He didn't appear to be nearly as bold or brash as when he'd first appeared. Was he mellowing? Unlikely. From what she'd been told of the Fae, Ewan's rude behavior was more the norm than not.

Glancing across the table, she noticed Sequoia's parents watching Ewan as well. "How long have you two been friends?" Aunt Liz asked Sequoia.

"Not long. A couple of weeks," Sequoia said with an oblique glance at Ewan.

Uncle Michael frowned at the faery. "Do you work with Brand?"

"No. I have other business."

Rose grimaced. Yeah, making her life miserable. Though she had to admit since Sequoia had started keeping him out of her hair, he'd grown a lot less irritating.

Hoping to give Sequoia a reprieve, Rose jumped in. "How are Mom and Dad?" She'd talked to them just a week ago, but the question at least switched the subject.

Aunt Liz, sister of Rose's father, rolled her eyes. "He's building a greenhouse for your mother. I don't understand it. Maybe you can explain. Ariel already has the best garden I've ever seen. Why on G.o.d's green earth does she need a greenhouse?"

Rose grinned. "Growing plants means a lot to Mom." It was where her mother excelled. "She loves it but can't grow things in Colorado in the winter. Knowing Dad, all she had to do was mention once how she'd love a greenhouse and he was on it."

"That's true. For all his complaining of having so much to do, I think Rand enjoys it," Aunt Liz said. "I know he does. And how are Tay and Jake?" She hadn't spoken to her brothers in ages, usually because none of them ever stayed in one place very long. "Jake was just home last week. Your mom was thrilled. Then he's off to some other hotspot-Argentina, I think." Aunt Liz shook her head. "Rand and Ariel are beginning to despair that any of you will ever settle down." "From what I've heard about Dad, I don't think he has room to talk." Rose grinned. Her father had been a confirmed bachelor... until he'd met her mother. "And Tay?"

"Last I heard he was busy with the ski resort. Snow in the mountains is good this year."

That would make Tay happy. The most athletic of the three Thayer children, he'd missed a berth on the Olympics downhill squad only because he'd broken an ankle during finals. Running a ski resort at Breckenridge filled his life now. "I'll have to swing by home soon." "Do that." Uncle Michael aimed his penetrating stare at Rose, then gave into a broad smile when she quirked her eyebrow. He could never be tough with her.

"How are the twins?" Rose asked. That would keep her aunt and uncle busy for several minutes at least, and it did as they went into detail on Val's and Ginny's accomplishments. The twins were several years younger than Sequoia, just finishing high school, in fact, and Liz and Michael never lacked for stories about their exploits. By the time their meals arrived, everyone at the table was caught up in good-natured laughter.

As they ate, Rose glanced at Brand. She'd deliberately left him to his parents. Though Robin had been a tremendous help when she'd first received her magic, he'd also made it clear at that time that she was not to get involved with Brand. He hadn't wanted to see his son hurt.

And that was inevitable now.

As much as Rose wanted a future with Brand, she wasn't willing to give up everything she was to be with him and he wasn't willing to accept her magic unconditionally. In the long run, they'd end up hating each other.

Brand nudged her side and she jerked around. "Mom asked you a question."