River Hollow Landing gaped open and black like a bottomless abyss. No lights shown near the water. The nearest light was a single dim bulb hanging outside a block building Becky Sue knew was the bathroom a couple hundred yards from the river. It was a smaller campground, mostly for the canoe enthusiasts. The options for camp included twenty tent sites and five RV hookups, no cabins or other lodging.
As soon as they landed, Phoenix jumped out and pulled the canoe out of the water. Becky Sue waited as he waded into the darkness. A pair of headlights flicked on and drove up. She helped him load the canoe into the bed of the red Chevy Z-71. The color didn’t escape her notice. She smirked as she remembered he was a firefighter and he drove a red truck. Wee ooo, wee ooo.
“Thanks again for dinner. It’s been a pleasant evening.” Becky Sue said as he tied the canoe down with a ratchet strap. Okay, so it’d been a little awkward and she might’ve been feeling a little guilty knowing Ray was probably ransacking his camp looking for any reason whatsoever for her not to see him again, but she’d been raised on southern hospitality and charm. She smiled.
“This isn’t goodbye already is it?”
“Just for tonight. You know where to find me.”
“Are you sure I can’t give you a lift?”
“I’m sure. I’ll be fine.” She knew she was being vague, but she needed away as soon as possible.
“Thanks for coming. It was nice of you to share your stories. I’ll definitely be coming by soon.” He’d stepped into her personal space again. The thought of his body naked was enough to turn her blood warm.
“I almost forgot to ask, how long are you camping?”
“I haven’t decided. I have a week’s vacation from work so I still have a few days.” He propped his elbow on the truck bed and casually took her in. “Don’t worry. I don’t come from that far away. I’d still be back even if vacation was over just to see you.”
He rose up off his elbow and leaned down, placing a short peck on her lips that were frozen in place. As soon as his lips touched hers, ice sluiced through her veins.
She stepped away and smiled wanly at Phoenix then disappeared into the darkness.
Chapter 13
From the shadows she watched as Phoenix’s taillights disappeared. She waited for a few more minutes to make sure everything was quiet. No stray campers were up taking a pee break. No late night liaisons taking place.
At the edge of the campground she tucked her backpack away behind a bush and after another tentative look around, half expecting Ray to pop up out of the night, stripped her clothes and tucked them into her pack, shivering in the cool night air. An instant later she was a wolf.
Ashburn campground was only another two and half miles downriver. By road it was longer.
She’d picked the wolf figuring it had better chances with night vision and predators, and because four feet were better than two, right? Starting off at a trot she still felt winded from Phoenix’s kiss. Her lungs were depleted and empty. Stopping near the river a little ways from River Hollow, she sat and inhaled a deep breath, willing the wolf’s tenacity into her own. She let out a long, sorrowful howl. It felt good to cleanse her lungs.
Again, she took off at a trot, feeling better this time. A few answering yips from dogs, or possibly other wolves further up the mountain, responded to her howl. Her fangs gleamed white when she smiled. It was good to feel like the predator, not the prey. It was easier to think when you weren’t the hunted.
Ray still hadn’t shown himself yet and she was growing concerned. Had he gotten stepped on in his cricket form? Had he changed into something else and been killed somehow? Was it possible he’d left before she had and was already back? Nah, he was probably back at the cave searching. There were no other viable answers to his absence.
Covering the 2.5 mile trek had been a walk in the park, despite the terrain. No wonder people always used wolves in their shape shifting novels. Being a wolf was spectacular.
A light shown in the cabin window where she’d been staying with Ray. Was he there or had someone come in uninvited? She approached on quiet wolf feet. The windows were too high for her to see in. Drat. She checked the front door. It didn’t look broken into.
It was late. No one else had a light on. Should she risk being caught naked outside the door in order to make sure it was Ray inside and not someone uninvited? Maybe she hadn’t thought this whole thing through before leaving River Hollow. She circled the perimeter. It was quiet.
Here goes nothing. She changed back into human. The cool night instantly made her shiver. She reached for the door knob, but it was locked. That’s when she remembered leaving her key in her backpack. Damn it, Ray. She didn’t want to knock and wake anyone before she could get inside, but she was freezing.
She knocked and instantly began scanning the area, arms crossed against her chest, for any sign that someone might’ve heard her.
The door swung open. Ray blocked her entrance. “What’re you doing here?” His whole countenance was standoffish.
“Can we talk about this inside?” Becky Sue pointed a shivering finger past him.
**
Ray stood in the doorway blocking her path, pissed, but a little surprised she’d had the nerve to come back at all. And what was she doing naked? Had she shifted for some reason? He felt his guard toward her lower a fraction.
He stepped out of the way and allowed her entry. As soon as the door was shut he asked again, “so what’re you doing here?”
“Uh, the same thing we’ve been doing. Creating and keeping your cover.” There was a bite to her words.
“That didn’t seem to be too important to you not long ago when you went on your date with Phoenix,” he shot back.
“Look, you were there. You know I didn’t blow your stupid cover. Why should I put my life on hold just so you can do your damn job?” Her voice barely seemed contained from exploding. “And how did you beat me back here?”
“I left early. I didn’t care to hear any more of your drivel to lover boy.” It was hard to argue with a naked woman in front of him. Her hands had dropped from her chest and started gesturing instead as her temper rose. Her breast danced as she moved.
“What are you talking about?”
“I heard you plain and clear.”
She let out a frustrated sigh. “What did you hear? Please tell me because I don’t know what the hell’s got you all fired up.”
If he admitted to her that he didn’t want her with Phoenix and he wanted her to himself, he’d be admitting to weakness. He was not weak, even for this beautiful, naked, pissed off creature in front of him. Weakness got you killed. But he could keep her away from someone he felt was dangerous even if he couldn’t pinpoint the reason. He just had to make sure he didn’t fall for her for real.
She gave an involuntary shiver. He closed the distance between them without thinking, took her into his arms and kissed her hard on the lips. Her body went rigid for a second before she relaxed, her arms coming around his body and kissed him back. Her breast pushed into his chest. He wanted to cup them in his hands, feel the fullness and weight of each one. He wanted to reach down and feel if she was wet. Every time he touched her he felt the fire. It was driving him crazy. He shouldn’t be so hung up on anyone let alone Becky Sue Hocking. He pulled back before he carted her off to bed. He’d found what he wanted to know. She couldn’t resist him and he couldn’t decide if that made him happy or scared the hell out of him.
“Go get dressed. I can’t talk to you like this.”
She stormed from the room with renewed anger. He grinned. He’d forgotten how much fun it was to get her riled up. Taking up a place on the couch, he waited for her return.
Becky Sue reappeared, fully clothed. He could feel the tension back in the air, but this time he ignored it.
“Have a seat. We need to talk.” His tone of voice was all business, no anger, no play. He almost checked to see if he’d grown two heads the way she looked at him.
She seated herself on the far end of the couch. Maybe keeping distance between them was the best idea.
“What?” Her voice was flat. Devoid of emotion. He kept the cringe he felt from showing.
“You’re off tomorrow, well, today, right?” The clock on the wall showed ten till 1 a.m.
“Yeah, but I have to go check on Mom and probably take a trip to Harrison to pick up groceries for her.” She looked confused and off guard. He wasn’t ready to jump back to their pre-clothed conversation. Keep it work. Keep it business.
“Good. That should work out then.” She gave him the eye. “I need to go by the office. We can ride together. You can just drop me off, do your grocery shopping then pick me up on the way out.”
“Why can’t you go by yourself?” Why did he think this would be so simple?
“Because if anyone is watching me, it’ll look less suspicious if I ride with you like I’m helping out.”
She mumbled something under her breath that sounded like she had a better way to help him out, and it didn’t sound pleasant.
“Fine. Now you going to tell me what you’re all head up about when I came in?”
“Nope.” She glared at him. He couldn’t stop the twitch of a smile. “I must’ve misunderstood what I heard. We’re good.” It didn’t matter what she was telling Phoenix, he knew her better than anyone and her responses to him said she was all his. For now, that’s all he needed. “What time do you think you’ll be headed for groceries?”
**
“Ten, maybe eleven.” She was sulking. Here she thought she’d found a way to get away and be alone for a while and he had to jump on her way out. She needed time to think. She’d thought she could fall for Phoenix, or at least use him to keep her from falling for Ray, but it wasn’t working as she’d hoped. Phoenix was sexy and charming, mostly as long as he wasn’t laughing at her small town thinking, but there was something about him that left her cold and breathless, in a bad way. It’d only manifested itself more plainly when Ray had kissed her a few minutes ago. He’d sent fire through her veins and made her feel irresistible. “By the way, why didn’t you follow Jed tonight?”
“I don’t think he has any direct contact with the maker, or middle man. My guess is they don’t trust him enough. If it was me I’d made sure Jed was no where around when I made a drop to make sure he didn’t mess it up. I need to go through his house and see if there are any clues, but have you seen that nastiness? I’ve been putting it off. If we get back early enough tomorrow, I may drop by and try to go through it. I forgot my gloves at Mom and Dad’s when I packed so I’ll pick some up from the office too.”
It wasn’t what she wanted to hear. She wanted him to say that he was watching out for her at the very least on her date. But he hadn’t. This was business, not personal. “You going to check Phoenix out?”
“I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t.”
The next morning Becky Sue awoke to the sun shining brightly through the bedroom window in her face and a warm body to her back. It was surprisingly comfortable. And she didn’t like it. They had gone to bed together, but the lines had been clear. No more. They were friends, barely, and trying to rid their hometown of a drug problem.
Ray rolled over when she got out of bed. He’d been pulling long hours the last few days. She wouldn’t begrudge him a little sleep. That was until she dressed and realized she still needed a ride to pick up her truck and her things. She walked over to the bed and reached her arm out to shake him, but paused gazing at his face. She looked at him, really looked. He had a couple days worth of beard growth on his face that gave him a rugged look that she found surprisingly sexy. There were dark circles under his eyes. His hard jaw line and the way his eyelashes swept across his cheeks made her want to run her finger along his face.
“Are you going to stand there staring at me or are you going to wake me up?”
She jumped back and put a hand over her racing heart. “Shit. Don’t scare me like that.”
He grinned and opened his eyes. “If you find me so irresistible why don’t you crawl back under the covers with me?”
“I ain’t falling for that again. I got things to do and places to go today. I also kinda need your help.”
“I’m offering my help now, what else do you need?” He held the covers up, his naked chest a work of art she longed to run her lips over, welcoming her into the bed. It was tempting. Oh so very tempting, but she wasn’t willing to pay the price of a broken heart.
She ignored his offer. “I need a ride to my truck and maybe stop off on the way to pick up my things from last night at River Hollow.”
He opened his mouth with a question on his tongue, but seemed to think better of it. Throwing off the covers, he sat up on the side of the bed. “Anything for a damsel in distress.”
She rolled her eyes, walked out to the living room, and waited for him on the couch.
**
It was good thing Becky Sue had left so quickly. After he’d caught her staring at him like that he didn’t know if he could show the proper restraint much longer. His cock was already half mast. The need he had for her was almost palpable. He hated himself for it.
He dressed quickly before playing chauffer. After he dropped Becky Sue at her truck, he stopped at the bait and tackle shop on a whim to chat with Jed.
“Well, well, well, look who’s back. You’ve been quiet. I take it that you got Becky Sue to loosen up for you?” Jed leered.
“Actually, that’s why I stopped. I think she’s immune to my charms. I was wondering if your offer of assistance still stood.”
Jed’s leer turned into a full blown smile. “Never thought I’d see the day, but I got just the thing for you.”
“Great. Do you have it with you?”
“Sure do.” He produced a key from his pocket and kneeled down behind the counter. A moment later he reappeared with a small baggie of white power. “Just sprinkle some of this in her drink and she’ll be all yours.”
Ray paid him and left with a sick feeling in his gut. How many women had Jed used his “magical” powder on? What about others? How many were willing and how many were unsuspecting victims? At least now he could take it to the lab when he went today and see if it was a match to Amy Drake.
Lost in thought he almost ran into a woman walking in. “Pardon me,” he said walking around her.
“Anytime.”
He turned his head to do a double take as that one word purred from her mouth in the sexiest way possible. How did that one word promise so much? She was stunning. Raven black hair hung long and straight down her back to her tiny waist. Her butt bubbled out perfectly. It was just the size of a man’s hands. She turned to him, doing a slow blink, her long black eye lashes swooping gracefully over dark eyes. He felt the stupid grin on his face as he ogled her body. She turned away and walked inside the bait shop. Watching her ass as she walked was mesmerizing.
He shook his head to clear it. Becky Sue was driving him mad and had him so horny he was drooling over a stranger who’d only spoke one word to him. Maybe he should make an excuse to go back in and talk to her. If Becky Sue wanted to find someone else, why shouldn’t he? He had physical needs too.
The only thing that kept him from following her inside was Jed. He’d just been in under the assumption that he was trying to get into Becky Sue’s pants. He couldn’t be seen hitting on another woman. Damn. He was sure that hot body that’d just walked in would take care his needs nicely.
There wasn’t much he could do this morning so he grabbed his fishing gear and went out to the river to pass the time until Becky Sue came back. And maybe he was secretly hoping the hot as hell woman who’d gone into the bait shop would be out fishing soon too and he’d get another chance.
Fishing was one of the few things he found to be calming. He was actually able to relax a little as he baited his hook and cast it out into the water. He made himself comfortable along the bank and tried to let all the contradictory thoughts tumb
ling through his head drift off in the river.
A group of canoers put in a little downstream. He missed the days where fishing and anything to do with the river was part of his normal life. No, he didn’t regret his job. He was needed. There were still people like Jed, and others, in the world that had no respect for anyone. As long as there were victims to drugs, rape, violence, theft and a host of other things, he would have a job to do.
He was deep in thought and almost didn’t hear the footsteps behind him. He turned and as the morning sun shone over the mountains, he saw the Egyptian goddess Hathor approaching him. So it might not’ve been a long forgotten Egyptian goddess, but he was awed once more by her beauty. The woman from the bait shop was coming toward him, alone, carrying a fishing pole and small tackle box.
“Good morning,” she called. “Anything biting yet?”
“Good morning.” He tugged at his line. It was slack. “Not yet. Probably won’t be till the sun comes up higher and warms the surface more.”
She stopped short. “Oh, you’re right. I was hoping to get in a little fishing before floating.”
“Don’t let me burst your bubble though, you’re welcome to try. Obviously I’m not smart enough to take my own advice either.”
She laughed a deep throaty laugh that promised long lingering sex. “Are you from around here?”
“Yep. Born and raised.”
“So you know this area pretty good then don’t you?” Something told him she wasn’t really talking about the mountains and river. Her eyes seemed to feast on his body. He himself could barely keep his eyes off her breast that looked full, and firm peeking out of her low cut v-neck long sleeve shirt.
Legend Of The Sparks Page 14
