Cena tried to match his long strides as he walked them toward the parking lot. “So is mine. It would be better if I followed you. That way it would save the time of you having to drop me off here later to pick it up.”
“All right. What kind of food do you like?”
“There’s a small restaurant not too far from my place that serves Egyptian food, if you’re up for something new.”
Kysen slowed his steps and grinned. “Being from Egypt originally, it won’t be that new to me.”
“I thought your accent sounded Egyptian.” When he looked at her askance, she quickly added, “When I was young my parents took me and my sister to Egypt to see where part of my mom’s side of the family had come from. I loved it there and still have fond memories of the trip.” It was also around that time she’d started to dream about her dream man.
“I see,” Kysen said as he stopped their progress when they reached a shiny, black suped-up Ford Mustang. “Here I am. Where is your car?”
Cena reluctantly pointed to her older-model Suzuki Swift. The once bright red paint had faded to a flat, lighter version of itself from sitting in the sun. The compact car had seen better days, but it still got her where she needed to go.
“The red Swift is mine,” she said as she pointed to it parked on the other side of the parking lot. “You want to follow me to the restaurant or should I give you the address and I follow you?”
“You said the restaurant was close to your place?”
“Yes.”
“How about I follow you home, you park your car and I’ll drive us both to the restaurant?”
She thought it over and slowly shook her head. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather drive myself and have you follow me to the restaurant.”
“All right. Lead the way.”
Cena left Kysen at his car and hurried over to hers. By the time she’d gotten inside and had it started, he’d pulled out of the space and moved to the side for her to get in the lead.
As she drove to her restaurant, she kept checking her rearview mirror to make sure Kysen was still behind her. Even though the traffic turned out to be heavy since it was late Friday afternoon, he managed to stay on her tail the whole way.
At the restaurant, Cena pulled into one of the spaces. Parked, she took a deep breath as her heart sped up with the prospect of being alone with Kysen again. She didn’t want to blow this. To have a man as good looking as he ask her out of the blue on a date was a rarity. And the chances were slim to none it would ever happen again in the future.
Chapter Two
Kysen pulled into a parking spot next to Cena. He then watched her get out of her car and walk toward him. He kept his gaze on her, looking for further similarities between her and his Acenith. So far there were more than a few. What were the chances that Cena not only looked like his love, but also was of Egyptian descent and had a form of Acenith’s name? It was too much of a coincidence. But a niggling thought deep in the back of his mind said if she were truly Acenith he’d be showing the signs of her being his mate. On the other hand, Ra knew nothing about the woman Kysen had loved and lost. He hadn’t even told any of the other warriors about her. His loss was personal, not something he wanted them to pity him for.
He got out of his car when Cena drew even with it. “You managed to keep up with me all right,” she said.
“I’m not that easy to lose.” He would have cut people off, not caring if he caused an accident if it kept them from being separated.
“Good. The restaurant is small, but since it’s early we should be able to get a table, no problem.”
“Shall we go then?”
“Sure. I’m starting to get hungry just thinking about the food.”
As she’d said, the place was small, but well-kept on the outside. He looked up at the sign on the front of the building. Along with the name of the restaurant—The Pharaoh’s Hall—there were hieroglyphs and paintings of the pharaoh Ramses II. Whoever had done the sign, their artwork didn’t compare to Takan’s, but it got the point across about what type of restaurant it was.
Stepping inside, Kysen looked around. The walls of the restaurant were white and had more of the hieroglyphs and ancient Egyptian scenes painted on them. Taking a closer look at some of the glyphs, he had to hold back a laugh when he read a section that said something about an old dog’s farts smelling bad. Either the person who did the hieroglyphs didn’t know how to read them and just painted any glyph, or had a good sense of humor.
Turning from the hieroglyphs, he focused his attention on the middle-aged woman who wore a large smile as she came to greet him and Cena. Not surprisingly, she looked to be of Egyptian heritage with her black hair, brown eyes and tanned complexion.
“Welcome to The Pharaoh’s Hall,” she said cheerily. “A table for two?” Her accent was much thicker than his.
“Yes,” he replied. “Something at the back of the room, if that’s okay?”
The woman turned her head as she led them to the table he’d requested. “Though your accent is slight, you must be Egyptian.”
“I am, but I’ve lived in the States for many years now.”
She then said something in her native language, which Kysen easily responded to. Even though his first language was what had been spoken during ancient Egyptian times, he and his brothers-in-arms had learned the modern dialect as the old one died out. Being immortal, they’d had to change with the times.
After the hostess seated them, Cena asked, “What did she say?”
“She asked if I got a chance to travel back to Egypt often. I told her I hadn’t been back since I emigrated.”
“Really? You haven’t been back? Not even once?”
“No. I’ve hadn’t had the opportunity to do so.”
Being charged with the job of protecting mortals from the undead who existed only to steal their souls was a full-time job. And with two of Apep’s demons, Sek and Mot, whom the demon god had unleashed on the mortal realm many, many years ago here in Phoenix, going back to the land of their birth wasn’t something Ra’s Chosen had the luxury of doing. With one of the demon god’s minions eliminated, the end of their battle with the dark side seemed like an eventuality. Something none of them had ever thought would happen.
A younger woman—who looked similar enough to the hostess to be her daughter—arrived at their table and asked them what they wanted to drink. Much to Kysen’s pleasure, Cena ordered a beer. He ordered one as well, not having to worry about the small amount of alcohol affecting his ability to drive. Given what he was, it took a shitload to get him even remotely drunk.
Once the waitress left, he looked over at Cena. “What are you going to order?”
She looked down at the open menu in front of her. “Of course I have to start with the falafel. Then I’ll have the stuffed chicken, ferakh mahsheya,” she said stiltedly before she lifted her head and smiled. “I probably butchered that all to hell.”
Kysen grinned. “A little, but it was close enough. And what you’re ordering sounds good so I’ll get it as well.”
The waitress returned with their beers and took the rest of their order before leaving them alone once again. Kysen took a sip of his drink, savoring the taste of it. Being Egyptian, he liked his beer.
To start the conversation rolling again, he asked, “Have you been working at the tea house for long?”
Cena shook her head. “No, only a few months.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
“Yeah, I really do. There’s no stress with it, something I had a lot of with my other job. I used to work in a retail store where I had to sell a set amount of stock or have the manager breathing down my neck. Plus Emiko, the tea master, is great to work with. She’s teaching me how to perform the tea ceremony so I can become a master as well, though I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do the movements as gracefully as she does.”
“I’m sure with enough practice you’ll be able to do it.”
Cena chuckled. “Thanks for
the vote of confidence, but you haven’t seen any of my attempts. I end up sloshing tea all over the place when it comes time to mix the leaves with the water. I can be a bit on the klutzy side.”
Acenith had been as well. Her father had been a brewer and sold beer to the public out of his small brewery. The day Kysen had met Acenith, she’d dumped a whole cup of beer in his lap when she’d served it to him. Her attempts to pat his kilt dry with a rag had come close to putting him in an embarrassing situation.
Their appetizers arrived and the conversation lagged while they ate. Just about finished with his falafel, Kysen said, “This is really good.”
“It is. That’s why whenever I feel like having Egyptian food I order takeout from here.”
“You don’t eat in the restaurant?”
“Not usually. I’m one of those people who are too self-conscious to sit in a restaurant by myself. I’d rather take the food home to eat.”
“You do that a lot?”
Cena blushed. “More than I like to admit. Doing this,” she waved at the two of them, “eating out with a man, doesn’t happen very often.”
Needing to touch her again, Kysen reached across the table and picked up her hand. “I find that surprising. I would think you’d have a ton of men clamoring to ask you out.”
Her blush deepened. “Then you thought wrong. I’m not exactly a guy magnet, by any means. The last man I dated was over a year ago and I’ve never been in a serious relationship. To be honest, I’ve never been interested enough in a man to want one.”
Kysen found a great deal of pleasure hearing Cena hadn’t dated seriously before. It also meant he didn’t have to feel jealous about some unknown man. “You might not be a guy magnet, but you made an impression on me.”
The air seemed to become charged around them when Cena lifted her gaze to meet his. A surge of arousal shot through him, making his cock jerk in his jeans. Kysen decided right then and there he’d get a taste of her lips before their date was over. He needed to feel her body pressed to his as much as he needed the air around him to breathe.
When the waitress returned to their table with the entrées, Cena pulled her hand from his and put it in her lap. The sound of Cena’s rapidly beating heart filled his ears while he ate. He also detected the slight smell of her arousal. At least he didn’t have to worry about her rejecting him later when he took the next step to get to know her better.
The conversation shifted to the mundane while they ate. When they were finished, Kysen signaled their waitress for the bill. Once she brought it and he put enough money onto the tray to cover the cost of the food and a tip, he stood and helped Cena to her feet. With his hand on the small of her back, he guided her through the restaurant and outside to her car.
She looked at him with uncertainty written all over her face. “Would…would you like to go back to my place? We could go up to my apartment for a drink.”
He picked up her hand and linked their fingers together. “I’ll follow you back to your apartment and we can sit in my car to talk for a bit. I’d love to have a drink with you, but I can’t. I have to be somewhere once it gets dark.”
“That won’t be for a while yet.”
“I can’t be late,” Kysen said, for once wishing he didn’t have the responsibility of having to hunt the undead.
“Okay, I understand,” she replied softly.
At Cena’s apartment building, he reversed into one of the visitor parking spots.
He watched her drive her car to the other side of the lot and park. He unlocked his car when she reached him. She slipped inside and shut the door.
They sat in silence for a few seconds before she asked, “Are you sure you don’t want to come upstairs?”
“I wish I could. I really do have to leave soon.”
“All right. I won’t push. I had a good time.”
She reached for the door handle, but he stopped her by giving her hand a tug. “I said I couldn’t come up to your apartment not because I didn’t want to. If I did that, I know full well I wouldn’t want to leave and I’d forget I have a job to do tonight.”
“Oh,” she breathed.
Kysen undid his seatbelt and leaned in to brush his lips against hers. When she shivered, he claimed her lips fully. He angled his mouth across hers for a better fit as he swept his tongue along the seam of her lips. They parted, allowing him entrance. A low moan rumbled from him at the taste of Cena in his mouth. One of her hands came up and fisted the front of his shirt to pull him closer.
His fangs dropped. They ached to be inside her as much as his cock did. The image of him sinking his fangs into her neck the same time he sank his shaft deep inside her pussy cranked up his libido another notch. He wanted her more than he’d wanted a woman in a very long time. One kiss and he was lost.
Cena whimpered against his mouth. That small sound made his cock even harder. Not caring that they were in a public place where anyone could walk by and see them, Kysen gathered her in his arms and pulled her across the seat to straddle his lap. Her pussy settled on the bulge in his jeans, causing him to lift his hips into her.
He trailed his hands down to the bottom of her shirt and shoved them under it. He stroked the soft skin of her back as he ground against her. Cena rubbed her jean-clad pussy against his erection with enough pressure to make pre-cum leak into his pants.
The sound of a car revving its engine nearby had Cena pulling away and throwing herself back into the passenger seat. Kysen kept his mouth tightly closed to hide his extended fangs as he fought to bring himself back under control. It didn’t help him any when he looked over at Cena and saw her kiss-swollen lips along with her cheeks flushed with desire. The heady scent of her arousal filled the small confines of the car. It was enough to have him wanting to drag her back into his arms and finish what they started.
A full minute ticked by before his fangs receded enough to enable him to talk to Cena without her seeing them. “I want to see you tomorrow, spend the day with you. If not for the job I have to do tonight, I’d have you in your apartment, giving you what we both ache for.” The sight of her nibbling her bottom lip made his still-hard cock twitch.
“You could come back tonight after you work if you want,” Cena said quietly.
Kysen closed his eyes for a few seconds and drew in a deep breath as he tried to fight back the rush of desire that washed through him at her words. He shook his head. “I won’t be finished until close to dawn. It would be better to wait until tomorrow.”
“If you have to work that late, what time will you get up?”
“I’ll be up before noon. If you give me your phone number I’ll call you once I wake up, then we can set up a time to see each other.”
“Any time will be fine with me. I don’t have to work tomorrow, but you can call if you want.”
Kysen pulled out his cell phone from his front jeans pocket and saved the number Cena gave him. That done, he snapped it closed and put it away. He slid across the seat and kissed her thoroughly. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Cena nodded. “Have a good night at work.”
She opened the car door and got out. He took one last look at her standing outside, really not wanting to leave, before he started the Mustang and pulled out of the parking spot. As he drove away, Kysen glanced in his rearview mirror. Cena stood where he’d left her, watching him.
When he reached the street and headed for the warehouse that was Ra’s Chosen’s headquarters, he for once looked forward to the dawning of a new day.
* * * * *
Cena stood in the parking lot until Kysen’s Mustang turned the corner and disappeared from sight. With legs that shook a bit from the intense desire that had swamped her while he’d kissed her, she walked to the entrance of her apartment building. She still felt the aftereffects of what they’d shared in the car. Her pussy was wet and ached to be filled by the big cock Kysen had ground between her legs. Even her breasts felt fuller while her nipples remained taut.
&nbs
p; She pulled open the door of the building and walked up the stairs to the second floor. God, she hadn’t made out in a car since she was a teenager. And that inept fumbling didn’t compare to Kysen’s kisses. With the first brush of his lips, her body had burst into flames. She’d forgotten where they were, forgotten everything but the feel of his hard body pressed to hers. All that mattered was making the throbbing need that built deep inside her grow.
Once she’d let herself into her apartment, Cena closed and locked the door behind her. After she flipped on the hall light, she leaned back against the door. Her body had yet to settle. For the first time in her life, she’d found a man’s touch to be the stuff of hot romance novels. As teenagers, she and her sister had gone through a stage where they couldn’t get enough of reading romances. They’d shared books and whispered about what they would do if they ever found a man of their dreams like the heroes in the books.
Those romances had ended up setting the bar too high for what she wanted when it came to passion, though. Cena had yet to find a man who really turned her crank, with the exception of Kysen. Everything about him reminded her of the virile heroes she used to read about. Pushing away from the door, she shook her head at where her thoughts were going.
“Time to get your head out of the clouds,” she berated herself. “If you aren’t careful you’re going to set the bar too high again and end up disappointed.”
Cena hoped that wouldn’t happen with Kysen as it had with all the other men she’d dated. They were off to a promising start. She didn’t want her impossible expectations to get in the way of something that could be the beginning of a great relationship. She hoped, anyway. Kysen wasn’t anything like the type of man she usually attracted, not that she found anything wrong with that.
Still keyed up from her date, Cena decided a nice long soak in the tub with a glass or two of wine was what she needed. It was either that or take matters into her own hands to relieve the tension Kysen’s kisses had stirred inside her. She much preferred to do something about it with him tomorrow. Decision made, she swung by the kitchen to grab the half-empty bottle of red wine off the counter and a wineglass from the cupboard on her way to the bathroom. Hopefully the long soak and the wine would relax her enough to find some sleep.
Reincarnated Hunger Page 2
