by Tami Lund
Some father.
Argyle smoothed his hand over his bald head and then ran it over his face before finally saying, “Your aunt. Pacey. She sent me here. Said the bathtub was leaking.”
“Oh.” Becca relaxed her stance. “She didn’t mention anything to me about it. But, well, thank you. Sorry you had to come over on a Saturday evening.”
“It’s no problem.” He sniffed the air. “Is that ham and pineapple?”
Becca nodded. “My favorite.”
“Mine too.”
Rahu glared at the gargoyle.
“Would you like a slice?” Becca asked and then glanced at Rahu. “I’m sure there’s enough for him to have a slice, isn’t there?”
What was he supposed to say? No, hell no, get the hell out because I want to kiss your daughter?
Didn’t seem appropriate. Of course, neither was impersonating a plumber so a guilt-ridden, absentee father could interrupt their quiet evening at home, either. Did Argyle even know anything about fixing leaky faucets?
“Thank you,” Argyle said, apparently taking his non-answer as acquiescing. Rahu narrowed his eyes.
While Argyle devoured two slices of pizza like it really was his favorite, Becca tugged the wine from Rahu’s grasp, opened it, and poured three glasses. “I assume you’re off the clock for the evening?” she asked.
What was it with southerners and their insistence on being nice to every damn person who crossed their path?
“I am,” Argyle said, accepting one of the glasses. “Thank you.” He took a sip and then said, “So what are the plans for this evening?”
“We’re going to watch a movie,” Becca said brightly.
“Something exciting and full of action, like a Star Wars flick, I’m guessing?” Argyle said mildly before taking another bite of pizza.
Rahu had been planning to dial up 50 First Dates, actually.
“I love Star Wars,” Becca said. “I have them all on DVD.”
“Oh yeah?” Argyle said, beaming at Becca. “Me too.”
If that gargoyle finagled a way to convince Becca to invite him to stay…
A noise from the living room drew everyone’s attention. A moment later, Pacey opened the sliding glass door and stepped into the room. “Hey, Rebecca, are you—? Oh. Hello.” She pulled up short. Their little trio standing in the kitchen, eating pizza and drinking wine probably looked like a casual get-together instead of the infuriating circumstance it really was.
“Argyle,” Pacey said, her brows furrowing as she scanning him from head to toe. Probably wondering why the hell he was dressed like a plumber. “What are you doing here?”
The gargoyle nodded at the wrench he’d placed on the counter. “Fixing the leak in the shower, remember?”
Pacey hesitated and then said, “Oh, right. Of course,” and Rahu knew she was lying. They hadn’t planned this; Argyle had deliberately inserted himself into the situation, probably because he knew damn well what Rahu’s intentions were. Annoying as fuck because honestly, the guy should be out looking for evil-intending warlocks, not worrying about whether Rahu stood a chance of getting to second base with his daughter.
“You didn’t have to make him come over on a Saturday,” Becca said.
“I-I didn’t,” Pacey said. “He, um, said he’d get to it when he had a chance. I guess he had the chance today.” She nodded at Rahu. “What are you doing here? Are you helping him with the leaky faucet?”
“Nope. I was, until you two showed up, about to have a date with your niece.”
It was almost amusing watching the two of them react. Argyle, of course, had to keep his outrage toned down lest Becca wonder why the hell a supposed stranger would be so upset over her dating life. Pacey could react all she wanted, although when Becca asked her why in the world she was being so dramatic, Rahu rocked on his heels and crossed his arms and waited, curious as hell as to what her answer might be.
Because he’s a dragon would be a natural answer if Becca actually knew she wasn’t human, of course. Although, honestly, that was a lousy response even if she did know, and besides, Becca wasn’t the only half-breed in this room, making the dragon comment a moot point.
“Think about your goals,” Pacey said instead. “He’s from Detroit, Rebecca. You’re about to start a new career. Don’t blow it for a man.”
Ouch. Rahu winced. And besides, she was jumping the gun a bit. Becca had been passed out the first time Rahu had ever encountered her, so, technically, they’d been acquaintances for only a whopping forty-eight hours. Hardly long enough to warrant worry over throwing away her future for some guy.
Hell, he would be content if they did nothing beyond kissing tonight.
“Oh my God, Aunt Pacey! Are you seriously doing this?” Becca stared at the other woman with wide eyes.
“Yes,” Pacey said firmly, her arms crossed, her lips pursed, like she was preparing for verbal battle.
Rahu shook his head. This little family drama had officially surpassed his tolerance level. He didn’t need Argyle to be pissed off at him, and he didn’t want Becca to fight with her aunt, and it was damned clear their date wasn’t going to happen tonight.
Placing his wineglass on the counter, he said, “Listen, Becca, I’m going to get going. I’ll catch up with you later.”
He was two blocks away before he realized he hadn’t asked her to move into Antoinette and Ketu’s mansion.
Damn it.
Chapter Eight
Rahu was back, standing on her front porch looking every bit as delectable as he had last night.
Thank God.
She’d been so worried that the plumber and Aunt Pacey had scared him off permanently. But she should have known better. If all the crazy stories she’d told him about her life hadn’t sent him running for the hills, surely an ill-timed shower fix and her embarrassingly overreactive aunt wouldn’t.
“Hi,” she said, standing in the doorway, not acting at all inviting. Every time he stepped foot in her house something went wrong, so maybe they needed to quit meeting here.
“Hey.” He scratched his head and cleared his throat. “Listen, I have a sort of crazy proposition for you.”
“I’m not sure anything you could say would be crazier than the weekend I’ve had so far.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure.”
“Okay, so what’s this proposition?” Maybe it involved going someplace else. Like his place. He’d told her he was staying with his friend until it was time to go back to Detroit.
“Well, I know you’re feeling a little frustrated with your living arrangements.”
“You can say that again.” She glanced past him to the gargoyles perched on the front porch. She could have sworn the one on the left had been on the other side of the steps last night. Which didn’t make sense since gargoyles couldn’t get up and walk to a new location whenever they felt like it. Aunt Pacey must have moved it.
Except Aunt Pacey had gone home through the courtyard last night, and was currently at work.
Becca shook her head. Now she was hallucinating about moving gargoyles. Yeah, she definitely needed to get out of this house, and stat.
“And it sounds like apartment shopping was a bust.”
She shuddered, recalling those guys at the deli. The idea of living alone was fast losing its appeal. But she couldn’t handle staying here, either.
“My friend and his mate—I mean, wife,” Rahu clarified. “Anyway, they live in a mansion that’s probably twice the size of your aunt’s house, and they’re thinking about renting out rooms. Since they have so much space.”
Becca stared at him. “Are you serious?”
He shrugged and nodded.
“How much?”
“How much what?”
“How much are they charging for rent?”
“Oh. Uh, they’re willing to let you move in for free. For now.”
“Free?” This was way too good to be true. This sort of lucky opportunity did not happen to her. Wait,
what was she talking about? Aunt Pacey had let her live in her house, and then the guesthouse, for free since she was eighteen. “What’s the catch?”
“Well, I’m staying there too, so…”
Wait, that wasn’t a catch. That was—or could be—a very, very good thing. Away from Aunt Pacey’s disapproving glare and out of sight of the gargoyles that for some reason made Rahu uncomfortable and, frankly, just plain annoyed her, they might finally get to experience that kiss.
And maybe more.
“You’re telling me you have friends who want to rent a room to me, for free, based solely on your recommendation?”
“Um…yes.”
“I shouldn’t even consider this. It’s too weird. Too good to be true. Hell, too everything.”
He didn’t say anything.
“But you know what? There’s been a whole lot of weird in my life lately. And, honestly, it’s about damn time I did something entirely for myself. I’ve lived this incredibly sheltered life, even more so since my parents died, and it’s time I lived a little. So you know what? I’m in.”
“You are?”
She nodded firmly. “Yes. Definitely yes.”
***
She packed up her clothes, shoes, and toiletries. Rahu assured her she wouldn’t need anything else. She left Aunt Pacey a note because she was too chicken to tell her in person, and then she and Rahu loaded everything into her car and he gave her directions to an address in the lower Garden District.
They pulled up in front of the white-on-white mansion with fat pillars and a long, wide front porch lined with hanging ferns, and she whistled.
“Damn, you weren’t kidding. This place is big enough to be a hotel.”
“You’ll have plenty of privacy and you’ll be safe.”
She didn’t doubt him about the privacy. Or the safety, for that matter. “Well, let’s go have a look at my new digs.” She chuckled and shook her head. Seriously, her life had taken the most bizarre turn this past weekend. Here it was, Monday morning, and so far, it wasn’t getting any more normal.
She was okay with that.
As they walked across the white-painted wooden porch, a gorgeous woman with bronzed skin, smooth, dark hair, and curves that would kick up the heart rate of any man with a pulse opened the front door.
“Hey, Rahu,” the woman said, her husky voice practically a purr. Her gaze flicked Becca’s way, dismissed her, and then focused again on Rahu.
The hairs on the back of Becca’s neck stood on end, and it felt like electricity crackled along her skin as she glared at the woman who leaned against the doorframe and ate up Rahu with her eyes.
The door suddenly swung shut, the slab of wood smacking the woman in the face. She cried out and lifted her hand to her nose. Her fingers came away coated in blood.
“You broke my nose,” she said in a nasally voice.
Becca looked at Rahu. “Who did?”
Rahu placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her around the bleeding woman and into the house. The sense of—what the hell had that been? Jealousy?—instantly dissipated as the harsh electrical currents turned into a low, pleasant hum centered exactly where he touched her.
“Sorry about that, Maria,” Rahu tossed over his shoulder. “Why don’t you ice that?” And then he led Becca through a huge, whitewashed foyer to a curved, double staircase.
“Is she going to be okay?” Becca craned her neck, trying to connect with the bleeding woman.
“Yeah, she’ll be fine.”
“But she thinks her nose is broken.”
Rahu stopped walking and called out, “Maria, you going to be okay?”
The gorgeous woman stepped into view gingerly touching her cheek just below her right eye. The blood had been wiped away and her nose was only slightly swollen, although her eyes were turning black and blue, like she’d broken her nose hours ago instead of a couple of minutes.
“It’s fine,” Maria said, all traces of nasal tones gone. “Tell your girlfriend to pay more attention next time.” She turned and flounced away.
Becca stared at Rahu. “What just happened?”
“Maria hits on every guy with a pulse. It means nothing.”
“Not that—that.” She flapped her hand at the empty space where Maria had been standing. “Her nose. Her voice—and was she referring to me? Because I’m not your girlfriend and I didn’t do anything.”
“Maybe she thinks you pushed the door closed.”
“But I didn’t.”
“You and I know that. Is it such a bad thing to let her believe it?”
If it kept Maria from ogling Rahu again, she supposed not.
“Come on, your room is up here.”
They hung a right at the top of the stairs; at the end of the hall Rahu stopped and opened a door, stepping to the side so she could enter.
The bedroom was huge, almost as big as Aunt Pacey’s entire guesthouse. A four-poster bed was set up across from a brick fireplace. The walls were a pale yellow, and the comforter was a brighter shade of the same color. The bed was white-painted wood with drawers underneath. A chaise lounge sat near the fireplace. A television hung on the wall across from the bed. It looked like she had a private bathroom, too.
“I love it!” Becca dropped her bags, turned to wrap her arms around Rahu’s neck, and puckered up before she lost her nerve or, more likely, something interrupted them.
Rahu didn’t hesitate. He pulled her closer so that her breasts pillowed against his chest, and hip to hip, she could feel his swelling bulge against her sex. Then he kissed her and…oh wow, was it ever magical.
Maybe a strange way to describe it, but honestly, it was exactly right. Becca swore fireworks erupted behind her eyelids. They certainly did in her body. Sparks of energy sizzled down her arms to her fingertips, which curled into the back of his shirt. A moan tumbled over her lips as he gyrated his hips just so.
Oh yes, this kiss was everything she’d anticipated, had hoped it would be. And she most definitely wanted more.
More, more, more.
Judging by the way he was clinging to her and the fact that his erection kept growing, Becca was certain Rahu felt the same.
Good, because they were finally alone and could do whatever the hell they wanted and she wanted him out of his clothes, pronto.
“Close the door,” she mumbled around the kiss.
She felt his leg move and presumed he was kicking the door, which was confirmed when it slammed shut a moment later.
“Too many clothes,” she said next, their lips still locked, their bodies still entwined.
Rahu broke this kiss and grinned at her. “Have I ever told you bossy women turn me on?”
“What I’d prefer you tell me is that I turn you on. And then I want you to undress.”
“Gods, yes.” He wasted no time flipping his shoes off, shedding his shirt and shorts and, after her nod, the boxers too.
And then he stood there in all of his naked glory, hands on hips, like he was posing so that Becca could look her fill. Her mouth started watering, her gazing starting at the top of his shaggy hair, over the anticipation clearly spelled out on his face, down the chest that was far more cut than his lean stature implied, to sharply defined abs and the swollen cock that reached almost to his bellybutton.
Good Lord, she could not wait to be skin on skin with this man. She sent up a prayer that this would not be their one and only time together, because she was certain she was already addicted and they’d done no more than kiss.
“Okay, your turn,” Rahu said, stepping forward and grasping the hem of her shirt. He lifted it over her head and then kissed her again. His hands cupped her breasts through her bra, massaging until she arched her back and moaned against his lips. He slid his arms around her back and unhooked her bra then returned to his massage, adding the occasional tweak to her nipples until she pushed him away and fumbled with getting her shorts and panties down her legs. She needed to be naked with a desperation that was be
yond anything she’d ever experienced before.
This was worse than the need for chocolate while PMSing or the need for caffeine during exams week. This was beyond the need for air conditioning during August. It was desperate and urgent and uncontrollable, and yet it was so very…right.
It made no sense, and yet it made the most perfect sense. She’d never been so certain of anything in her entire life.
She and Rahu were meant to be together, despite all the craziness that had happened around her this weekend. Each second that ticked by reassured her that she was doing exactly what she should be doing at this moment.
“Here,” Rahu said, reaching for her, “let me help.”
She stopped struggling with her clothing and let him strip it from her body. She liked the way he did it better anyway, because he added kisses to her belly and hipbone and trailed his callused fingers along her skin in the process. Sparks jumped everywhere he touched her, adding fuel to the fire burning at her core.
When they were both naked, they stood there for a long time, quiet, drinking in the other. It was…reverent. But, honestly, she didn’t want to analyze it at the moment. She simply wanted to enjoy the experience.
“Condom,” Rahu said, breaking the trance that had fallen over them. “I have some in my room.” He glanced at his clothes strewn about the floor.
“Maybe check the bathroom first,” she suggested. As ridiculous as it was, she hoped to God that there would be one in there because first, what a spectacular sight watching Rahu’s naked, tight ass as he hurried away from her to check, and second, she didn’t want him to have to get dressed again, at least not until after he’d given her an orgasm. Hopefully two.
“Hot damn,” he said when he returned, holding a square packet between his fingers. “How freaking lucky are we?”
“We’re about to be even more lucky.” She snatched the rubber and pressed her palm against his chest, pushing him toward the bed. She’d almost swear there were flashes of light around her hand where it touched his skin. The attraction between them was so undeniable she was seeing things as a result.
