by Dahlia Rose
Chapter Six
“I don’t like this.” Leo looked ahead with his hands wrapped around the steering wheel in a grip so tight his knuckles were pale.
Lettie leaned back in her seat and stared at the brightly lit adobe front of the restaurant. A little patio buried in shadows was adjacent to the structure. The nights could get close to freezing in the desert. She understood why no one sitting outside to eat. She wrapped her arms around her middle just thinking about how chilly it could get. The Strawberry Cactus was supposed to be a hybrid eatery that put a twist on urban cuisine by melding it with Mexican fare. She briefly wondered if ox tails would taste good in a lime-and-cilantro-based sauce. Leo cleared his throat and she was drawn from her thoughts.
“Leo, it’s okay. I’m all right. My truck bit the dust but all in all everything is fine.” There was no way in hell she would fill her twin in on what really happened. At the library she discovered the myths of the Thunderbird, an old Native American legend that varied from tribe to tribe but the basic information was the same. They were called Thunderbirds because when they flew their flapping sounded like rolling thunder. They appeared as warriors to protect their people in times of trouble and their wisdom was second to none. That was as far as she’d gotten before Leo showed up to pick her up in a rented car. She never did have any luck finding a pay phone. Thank heavens the librarian allowed her to use the phone.
“No it’s not. Some strange man answers the phone and talks to me like I’m somebody’s child before informing me he isn’t waking up his wife. His wife! What the fuck? For a minute I thought you’d been kidnapped and sold into the sex trade. Then it dawned on me you ain’t white, you sure as hell ain’t petite, and you’re not blonde. Plus, who would want to listen to you for any length of time that isn’t related to your stubborn ass?”
She heard the controlled anger in his voice and knew he was worried. He was upset and now she had to find a way to allay his fears. “Hey I can be delicate! But I am good.” Lettie held up her hand and wiggled her fingers. “See all my fingers and if you want I can take off my shoes and show you all my toes.” She cocked her head and waggled her brows.
“You’re as subtle as a sledgehammer on a good day.” Leo released the wheel. “You just got lucky that cop with the eye patch didn’t believe me. He thought it was a college prank as if I would stoop so low. That asshole had the audacity to tell me that if you didn’t show up within forty-eight hours he would reconsider taking a statement.” Leo sniffed. “As if.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that. Like I said a nice couple helped me out. I think someone in that household was probably just playing joke. Stop worrying and I will gladly reimburse you for the date change on your airline ticket as well as this rental car.”
“Damn right you will.”
Lettie cleared her throat. “So, umm, Leo is it okay if I go on my date now?”
“Ha-ha, very funny. I want a call if you’re going to be past eleven, earlier if you need a ride. You do have that cheap phone we bought at the corner store on you right?” Her brother held her gaze.
“Aye, aye , and yes I do. I also want to add you need to seriously get on a plane and fly the hell out of here because if you talk to me like you’re my daddy again, I will strangle you in your sleep.” She offered him a salute before jerking on the lever to open the door and slipping out the car.
The temperature was already dropping. She smoothed down her sweater and grazed her hands over the flowing cotton skirt she’d been holding onto for a special occasion. Her cowgirl boots and a few pieces of turquoise jewelry completed the ensemble. She hurried across the courtyard and could feel Leo’s gaze burrowing into her back from his position in the parking lot. Headlights shined through the glass door as she opened it. She caught site of the taillights of the vehicle as he pulled off into traffic. Her shoulders slumped, and she hadn’t realized she had tensed up.
Patting her pockets to make sure she had her slim wallet and small cell phone, she marched up to the maître d’ and offered him her most dazzling smile.
After a few moments while he shuffled papers, he finally glanced up at her and cocked his head. “And how may I help you?”
She narrowed her eyes. “My dinner date is waiting for me. Christophe…”
“Lettie, there you are. I was starting to think you weren’t going to make it.” Christophe walked up next to her. He absently spoke to the attendant. “Ms.…?” He looked at her expectantly.
“Washington,” Lettie responded quickly to the implied question.
“Ms. Washington is here, you can seat us now.” Christophe spoke quietly and the host bobbed his head enthusiastically. Her date placed his hand against the small of her back and urged her forward.
The bite at her throat burned, and she rubbed her fingers against it, adjusting the jewelry to cover the mark. The wound hadn’t bothered her since earlier in the day when she found herself in Christophe’s company.
“He leaned over and nuzzled the spot below her ear. “You look earthy with the way your hair flows freely down your back along with the simple skirt and sweater. I like it.”
Why did some men think a few well-placed words would go a long way in getting her to spread her thighs? An easy lay she was not. She stalked forward and out of his grasp. Lettie pressed her lips together at the disapproving look the host offered her. They followed the stern man through the different areas. She’d had to deal with those stares all her life as a free spirit growing up in public housing. So many times she’d listened to the neighbors or her mother’s friends question her tired mom about how she or Leo acted. Rosie, her mom, would simply shoo them away and tell everyone to mind their own damn business.
She watched her mother work two jobs, coming home just long enough to fix them something to eat. When they were old enough, she didn’t even do that. Not because she didn’t care. Lettie knew in the secret place where she buried all her feelings that her mama loved them but she had to struggle to make sure they kept a roof over their heads, bills paid, and food on the table. Their father wasn’t in their life and Rosie only mentioned him once, when an envelope arrived with his name. Her mom didn’t bother to open the mail. She marched over to the gas stove and lit the eye, promptly burning the paper.
From the age of six they learned they had no one else to rely on except each other.
That was why it was so important to get educations and find good jobs. Between the two of them she and Leo had managed to put enough money together to place a down payment on a house for their mom. It wasn’t in the best part of town, but it wasn’t on the worst side either. What she really wanted was for Rosie to move out west with her. The dry heat would do wonders for the arthritis that riddled her mother’s body. Rosie, however, wasn’t having it, choosing to stay where she was because she had never been anywhere else.
They were led to an intimate table set away from the other diners. Heavy curtains were pulled shut at the windows and large pillar candles surrounded by glass were placed at the center of the table. Thin flames licked the air and she could see a faint spiral of black smoke rise from the small fire’s tip. Chair legs scraped the wood floor as they were pulled out. Lettie took her seat and slid up against the table. She discreetly peered at the other patrons. Unlike the room they crossed, this area didn’t have many tables and high wooden partitions between them insulated them from the other people around.
“A penny for your thoughts.” He waved a hand in front of her face.
“It would be closer to a dollar and a half. You can’t discount inflation.” She smirked and picked up the menu.
“You were gone for a few minutes.”
“Really?” She looked around. “I wasn’t aware I’d left.”
He chuckled. “You know what I mean. So tell me, what is such a stunning woman doing here in a town that most folks have probably never heard of?”
“Others might not have heard of Satin Canyon but their college has one of the best botany progra
ms in the country. I’m a botanist, specializing in forensics, who happens to be working toward her PhD, and thank you for the compliment.”
“Impressive.” He leaned back in his seat.
The waiter appeared and angled his body toward Christophe. “May I interest you in a bottle of house wine?”
Christophe turned his attention toward the wine list. A comfortable quiet settled over the table as the server waited patiently. Her date laid the menu down and lifted another one. “Bring us the Pink Moscato. I also want the vegetable and gourmet cheese selection as an appetizer.” The server nodded and ambled away from the table.
Lettie waited until he left and tilted her head. “What if I don’t drink?”
“Then we can order water or another beverage of your choice and I will enjoy a sweet glass of wine.” Christophe placed the menu down. “Different wines are a lot like different women. There are sweet ones and tart ones and ones well worth their six-digit price tags and some that aren’t. One shouldn’t pay the cost of the three-dollar sticker that you can’t pull off the bottle.”
“Interesting, but I think I’m missing your point.” Lettie placed her hands on the table and twinned her fingers. The more her date talked, the crazier he sounded.
“What I’m trying to say is everything has value and I’m wondering if you’ll be that tantalizing burst of fruitiness or have that sour aftertaste the borders on vinegary. It’s not often that I find a woman so intriguing.” He quickly flashed a smile and the whole tone of the conversation changed. “You said you specialize in forensic botany. What does that entail?”
She ignored his wine-comparison tirade. But discuss plants? Finally something she would enjoy talking about. “I can take the organic debris from a body, or anyone for that matter, and after analyzing it, tell you were it came from and how it grows. Vegetation can yield so much information.”
She was getting animated, waving her hands in the air as she spoke. The waiter brought the wine and appetizer while she talked. Christophe asked questions that sent her into a flurry of explanations about the local area, especially the canyon. Their server returned, collected their order, and left again. Christophe entertained her with tales from his youth growing up in Europe, but would always circle back to the florae she studied. Lettie responded to his interest by explaining how her thesis was on cacti and their possible medicinal qualities.
He chuckled. “Well there is definitely plenty of desert to find your particular item.”
“True, but for some reason there are a few that only grow on the res.” She snapped her jaws shut when she accidentally mentioned that the best specimens could be found on the Supai reservation.
He narrowed his eyes. “Is that why I found you walking alone and never passed a vehicle that appeared to be in need of service?”
“No, I flipped over when I was trying to climb a ridge and made my way to the highway.” Her reply was a lie. She didn’t trust her dinner date and she’d be damned if she would cause trouble for Jace and his tribe. Lettie leaned against the back of her seat. What did it matter if Christophe knew she could get on and off the reservation? She peered at the man and realized he was studying her. That little voice from her subconscious whispered through her mind that something was off with Christophe. She would choose her words more carefully and later she would analyze why she felt anything for that damn bird.
“I didn’t see any bruises on you.” The server brought their entrees. Christophe was quiet as their food was set before them. When the attendant left, he leaned forward. “Have you been crossing over into the canyons without Supai permission? You’re a naughty girl. Tell me how you do it.”
Lettie glanced at her food. The thick steak she’d ordered had lost its appeal and the pain in her neck was now shooting spikes up the side of her face. “Excuse me, I need to find the ladies’ room.” She rose from her seat and hurried toward the open doorway, leaving Christophe only able to nod in agreement.
Turned around as she navigated between the different rooms, she found doors half hidden in shadows. She chose one and pushed through to the patio. Cold air nipped at her cheeks. Lettie glanced around. In the dark, the outline of patio furniture looked foreboding. She exhaled and twisted around to yank on the knob. The door it didn’t budge. A growl of frustration escaped through her lips when she realized she would have to walk around to the front and find her way back to her table. She wrapped her arms around her torso and took a few steps.
“You’ve been bad, Leticia.” The rough tone of Jace’s voice caught her off guard. She placed her palm on the stucco exterior to keep from tripping.
“Hello-o.” Startled, Lettie spun in a circle and tried to see into the dark corners. He couldn’t be there. She had to be hearing things.
“Sugar, I want more than a salutation, I want an answer. Why did you run?” Jace separated from the side of the building and she saw the darker shadow of the man. The soles of his boots clacked on the concrete tiles as he walked.
“How the hell did you find me?”
He lifted his head and took a deep breath. “You’ll learn, baby, I have my ways.”
* * * *
Jace parked his patrol car at the edge of the lot and exited the vehicle. The restaurant’s name, Strawberry Cactus, was chiseled into a large boulder a few feet from the French doors and surrounded by small cacti and low shrubs. Leticia was there. It took a moment to catch her scent but he had her now. He wrinkled his nose; there was a myriad of odors attached to hers, however one in particular was almost foul. The stench gave him pause. He’d caught the smell before at the casino. Hell, he’d got up close and personal with it. Following her trail, he stalked closer to the structure’s entrance and quickly changed directions when he caught a stronger whiff of her drifting from the patio.
He leaned on the corner of the building and watched her try a door while mumbling under her breath. She grunted and stared at the barrier, as if willing it to unlock. Leticia had a temper and it was cute. His amusement was replaced by annoyance when he noticed her attire. Her hair was unbound and flowed down her back in one thick mass of curls. A scarf tied around her head kept the tresses out her face. Turquoise earrings hung from her lobes and a bulky stone necklace rested right up against her throat, covering his mark. His beast stretched its wings and opened his beak, irritated that his mate chose to hide their connection. He watched as she turned around and marched toward him. In the dark she couldn’t see him and although his sight wasn’t meant for pitch-black darkness, his night vision was still better than humans. He allowed her to come within a few feet of him before speaking.
She grabbed the wall and shuffled back at his response. He prowled forward. “You have led me on quite a chase, so tell me, do you want your spanking now or later?”
Her head snapped up. “Pardon.”
“Now, you say. No problem.” He moved to within inches of her and reached out to graze her cheek with his fingers.”
Leticia squinted up at him. “Dude, you’re delusional.”
“Am I?” Jace crowded up against her side.
She scuttled back and he heard a light thump. He caged her with his arms, pressing his palms into the concrete exterior, and leaned forward to touch her forehead with his. Briefly he closed his eyes and reveled in the skin-to-skin contact. When he opened them he met her anxious gaze. Slowly he lifted the heavy necklace off her neck to stare at their mate mark. His cock hardened, making the crotch of his jeans tighter. She moved her arm between them and locked her hand around his wrist. The turquoise dropped from his fingers. His condor spread its wings and dropped its head back in his mind. His animal was ready to play.
He cupped her jaw with his palm. “How do you want it?”
“Want what?” she arched a thin brow.
“This.” He pressed his body against hers, slipping a thigh between her legs.
“You can’t be serious.”
The heat from her puss flowed through their clothes, warming his leg. Jace nuzzled th
e spot behind her ear and whispered. “Sugar, we need to establish an understanding.”
“About what?” She sighed.
He skimmed his knuckles down her rib cage and grasped a handful of her skirt, gently inching it up. “Us.”
“There is no us and my brother damn near had a meltdown thanks to you.” She spaced her words out.
“Baby.” He palmed her ass and realized she wasn’t wearing panties. What the fuck? Jace reared back and peered down at her. “Where is your underwear?” His tone deepened with each word.
“Huh.” She shook her head. “I have on a thong. Wait a minute…”
He skated his hand up and felt narrow elastic. Jace sucked in a lungful of air and tapped down the anger that instantly welled up in his gut. Motherfuckers were going to die if he thought for one minute his mate was with another man. Talons erupted from his fingertips. He crooked a digit, snapping the thin material.
A slight moan escaped through her lips. “We can’t do this. Now…?”
Jace interrupted her statement. “We can and we will.” He moved back and spun her around, shoving her up against the glass and hiking her skirt up over her hips. “We are two halves of a whole and I will murder a bitch if they try to get between us.” Jace uttered the words as he shoved the remaining remnants of her panties down her leg. Holding her in place with a palm flush to the center of her back, he gazed at the smooth expanse of her ass and undid his jeans with his other hand. His dick sprang free and bobbed in the night air as he shoved the denim over his hips.
“You make me want to do things I shouldn’t want to do.” A haze hung beyond her lips as she spoke the words.
He gripped her sides, pushing his digits into her soft skin, and yanked her pelvis toward him. She threw her hands up, slapping the surface of the window. Jace caressed her butt cheek, slipping his hand between her legs and urging them apart. He dipped his fingers between her labia. “Already wet for me, sugar.” He traced her folds, coating his fingers before pulling his hand free. Jace pressed his digits in his mouth and the slight hint of cherries flowed over his taste buds. His beasts screeched in his head and he dipped, sliding his cock against the inside of her thigh.
