Sex Symbol

by Tracey H. Kitts

  Vivid images flashed through my mind. I remembered the way I’d been with Ozzy, biting his neck, asking him to choke me. That wasn’t like me.

  “Um, I was different with Ozzy.”

  Damn, this was hard to say. Even though Eramus seemed fine with the conversation, I was not.

  “Different how?”

  “It was like I was wild.”

  I didn’t know what else to say. That was the best way I could sum up my behavior. I was wild that night. It was like something took over me and took from Ozzy exactly what I needed.

  “How long had it been?”

  His question was gentle and spoken as softly as possible.

  “Seven months.”

  The look he gave me was kind, but his sexy smile gave away his thoughts.

  “I’d say that’s enough to make anyone wild.”

  That was nice of him to say. I reached up to touch his hair and Eramus bent down to accommodate. It was almost to his shoulders. Looking at him was enough to make anyone wild if you ask me.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The rest of the night

  We stood there for what felt like the longest time. The rain seemed to wash away all thoughts except Eramus. There was nothing to keep my mind and my body from him. Maybe if I closed my eyes it could wash away the rest of this night, taking away all but the man who stood before me. I knew this night would always be a fond memory. Not what had happened with Nick, but what was happening now. This moment would live forever in my mind. Even if Eramus disappeared and I never saw him again, nothing could erase what I felt right then. A part of me would always remain in the rain with him. It still does to this day.

  His chest against my face was the only thing real. All of the numbness from before slipped away and as Eramus held me tighter I started to cry.

  “I’ve never seen anyone killed before,” I whispered against his chest.

  “Nick was very disturbed. What he said about the mark could have been an empty threat.”

  He stroked my back and I let his touch soothe me enough to stop crying.

  “You mean he read the same book? I’m sorry, but Nick doesn’t strike me as a scholar.”

  I pulled back to look at him and the truth was in his eyes. Eramus didn’t think he’d read the same book either.

  “It’s possible that he heard someone else mention the mark.”

  Eramus pulled me close again and kissed the top of my head. My throat felt tight and for a second my vision was misty again. His feelings were obvious by the way he touched me. How could he care so much in such a short time?

  As soon as the question crossed my mind I knew that I felt the same. Something pulled me to him like a magnet. Maybe there was something of the wolf in me? Was that so bad? I liked being next to him, of that I was certain. The fact that my life would be endangered because of this…I suspected as much. In that moment I also knew that it was absolutely worth the risk.

  “Thank you for saving my life again.”

  “Guess it’s a good thing I didn’t drink my tea tonight.”

  I laughed softly.

  “I can stay with you tonight, if you want me to.”

  I knew he meant to comfort me, but my heart raced at very thought of him spending the night.

  “I think it might be a good idea if everyone stayed here tonight,” he added. “Especially after what Chase said about Justina’s neighbor. It’d be best if none of us were around when the police find her.”

  “How did you know about that?”

  “I can hear through walls, remember?” His grin was wicked as he added, “And I can hear how fast your heart is beating now. Don’t worry, I don’t plan to ravish you with all your friends in the house.”

  “Oh, really? And why not?”

  “I wouldn’t want your screams to keep them up.”

  My startled gasp was lost against his lips. I moaned as he lifted me to him, crushing me against one of the porch posts with the force. I didn’t hear the door opening behind us.

  “Oh, Jesus, this looks like a bad time. I can come back.”

  Chase was already on his way back in when Eramus lowered me down saying, “No, come back. What is it?”

  “Look, I’m sorry to, um…” He made an awkward gesture to the two of us. “Anyway, Justina was wondering if we could stay here tonight.”

  “Sure. That’s what we were just talking about.”

  Chase put his hands on his hips. “Really? ’Cause it didn’t look like you were talking about anything.”

  “Body language,” Eramus teased.

  “I speak that too,” Chase said boldly. “Would you like an interpretation of what I just saw?”

  “No.” My tone was a little too firm and they both laughed.

  Once we were back inside everyone took turns drying their clothes in the laundry room down the hall. Chase mixed us some drinks, because we could all use one, and we ended up camping out in my living room.

  The only one who didn’t stay was Ozzy. He said that it was very important to take care of Nick’s remains now. That sounded reasonable to me.

  *

  A few weeks passed. The death of Justina’s poor neighbor was chalked up as a robbery gone wrong. I think the authorities were trying to cover up how bad it really was. No details were ever released other than she’d been murdered. But we all knew what Chase had seen that night and were thankful we hadn’t witnessed it too. When Charlie came by the shop I asked him if there were any suspects, just to test the waters. I’ve never seen a man turn so pale so fast. He said they had no idea who could do such a thing and hoped to never find out.

  Eramus and I had started dating. Nothing extreme, just dinner and a movie type stuff. As hot as things were between us he seemed intent on taking it slow. That was sweet, but I wanted him so badly I could taste it. What he was didn’t matter to me, just so long as he was mine.

  As for that crap about a mark, nothing else had been said. Nick had mentioned a pack, which also scared the hell out of me. That meant there were a lot more werewolves around than I’d first thought. I hadn’t had the nerve to ask Eramus about it yet.

  Ozzy seemed fine. Not that he ever appeared to have a problem. He still came over about once a week and had breakfast with me. So did Justina. Usually on the same day, though it was never planned. Nick’s death had been awful, but she looked better each day. I think that every day she woke up and realized she didn’t have to be afraid anymore helped her to heal.

  We’d also hired another girl to help run the shop. Her name was Jenny and so far it was working out. Technically, that meant I could take the day off, but Thursdays were when we got our flower deliveries and I wanted to be there to receive them.

  One of the best things about owning your own business is that you can wear whatever you like. I like jeans, therefore I wear them almost every day. I paired them with a black t-shirt that I tucked in and a black belt. I planned to put on a matching blazer before going into town. The weather had remained unseasonably cool. Sure it was October which meant snow already in lots of places. But this was Mississippi. You could break a sweat around here just walking outside. Though the weather had had a few ups and downs in the past few weeks, it stayed fairly cool. That was fine by me. I’m a jeans and sweaters kind of girl.

  I’d just finished my makeup when someone knocked on the door. My hair would have to wait. I took a minute to fluff my long red curls before slipping on bedroom shoes and going downstairs. Ever since Nick showed up I actually took the time to look through the peephole before answering the door. Ozzy was standing there with his middle finger held high enough that I could see it.

  “Good morning to you too,” I said, opening the door.

  He smiled. “I think you’re being paranoid and I like to tease you, that’s all.”

  “You here for breakfast?”

  “Always.”

  Oz and I had fallen back into our comfortable routine easier than I thought. Once I got used to the idea, it really didn’t
bother me that he was a killer for hire. That probably said bad things about me, but I didn’t really care. I was dating a werewolf, it wasn’t like I had the right to say someone else was strange.

  “Wait ‘til a werewolf shows up at your door, asking to you to just step aside while he kills someone, then we’ll talk about paranoid.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Ozzy was wearing his usual, black slacks and a white dress shirt. He could have just come from a business meeting or he might be on his way out of town to kill someone. Who knew?

  He went to the fridge and started taking out ingredients for breakfast.

  “Why did you come to Peace?”

  “You mean why did I move here or why was I here in the first place?”

  He got down a bowl and started cracking eggs.

  “Both.”

  “I came here looking for a target. His name was Ronald. I wasn’t given a last name, just a description.”

  Ozzy told me his description. When I realized who he was talking about I dropped the fork I had been about to hand him.

  “You know him?”

  “Yes. But the man you described, he’s in a wheelchair. At least, he was when I knew him. We went to school together. I haven’t seen him in years. Not since graduation.”

  “What happened to him, was he always in a wheelchair?”

  “Car accident. He’d been in the chair since he was twelve.”

  Ozzy got another fork and went back to making scrambled eggs. “Anyway, I never found him. After sticking around here for about six months and meeting you, I decided to stay.”

  He’d brought some ham slices with him and as he started to cook these he said, “On a different note, I hear James is back in town.”

  “You hear from where?”

  He laughed. “All right, I’m lying. I didn’t hear it. I saw him.”

  “And?”

  He shrugged and turned back to the stove. “And nothing. I just saw him.”

  For the first time the thought of running into James made me angry instead of sad. I was doing really well. I didn’t need him to come around and fuck it all up.

  “I wish he’d just take his new bitch and his new life and stay the fuck out of mine.”

  Oz took a step back. “Wow. Where did that come from?”

  “Sorry. I guess I’m just sick of hearing about James. How come people think that when a couple breaks up you still want to hear about each other? I mean, is that written somewhere and I just don’t know about it? I wouldn’t walk up to someone and start talking about their ex. Oh, yeah he looks really happy, probably wants a house full of kids and—”

  “Lucy.” Ozzy put his hands on my shoulders and gave me a gentle shake. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  I hugged him, enjoying the familiar smell of his cologne. “I’m sorry, Oz. I’m not mad at you. I’m not sure what I feel. I just think it’s time I stop thinking about James. I feel something for Eramus, something real. That deserves a chance, not a halfhearted effort because I can’t get over my ex.”

  He smiled and nodded his agreement. “Good for you.”

  *

  I meant every word I said about James. But it’s damn hard to forget someone when they won’t go away. I’d just received our shipment of flowers when he came strolling through the front door of Passionate Petals.

  I wanted to hate him. I bit my lip, waiting for anger to ignite. Hoping, praying that I could do something besides want him. I spent three years of my life loving him and one trying to forget how much I cared. How dare he show up now? He left. He wanted to be with someone else. Fine. I had accepted that. I had not accepted the way it hurt me to look at him now or how much the thought of him being with someone else cut through to my soul.

  Damn his sexy smile and his gorgeous green eyes. And damn the way he looked at me, he had no right.

  “Good morning.”

  “It was.”

  He winced and I threw in another curse for the cleft in his chin and his goddamned dimples.

  “I suppose I deserve that.”

  He set a cup of coffee onto the counter. The cup said “Morrison’s.” I knew then why he was here. He’d been gossiping with that old biddy. Damn her too, while I was at it. Couldn’t he just go easy on my heart and walk out now? Was that so much to ask?

  “Why are you here, James?”

  He smiled. “Can’t I bring you some coffee?”

  I never turn down good coffee, even under the circumstances. “You remembered to put vanilla cream,” I said, taking a sip.

  “I remember a lot of things.” His voice was soft and sad.

  I wanted to slap him.

  “You came all the way from Biloxi to bring me coffee?”

  He propped against the counter. It was only a small move closer to me, but it was enough that I could smell his cologne. Memories flooded through my mind. The way he looked in the morning, the smell of his skin—so many things. A familiar ache settled into my chest. I could not let him do this to me.

  I had to look away, but I tried not to be obvious about it. Looking James in the eye was still too painful. A tall flower arrangement was standing beside him and it was my saving grace. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling when I remembered Eramus helping me put it there. Remembering Eramus also brought to mind the way he smelled. My smile grew wider. Perhaps my reasoning was juvenile, but I took pleasure in noticing how far the arrangement reached above James’ head. Eramus was taller and he smelled better. I suppressed the urge to laugh. Could something so simple really make me feel this much better?

  James returned my smile, apparently thinking it was meant for him.

  “I’m moving back.”

  Well, that was a shock. I tried to conjure up the image of Eramus and his sexy smile to calm my nerves. I didn’t want James to see that his comment had unsettled me.

  “And what does Rachel think about that?”

  He hesitated, glancing at the floor before he answered, “Rachel isn’t coming with me.”

  I tried to pretend I wasn’t surprised. So, he came back to tell me that? Bastard. Did he think he could just come back like nothing had happened?

  “I came in earlier to ask how you were.” He paused and his smile looked awkward. “Mandy, wasn’t it?” he asked her as she walked behind me.

  The petite blond smiled. “That’s right.”

  James focused his attention back on me. “Mandy tells me you have a boyfriend. Now, I know I don’t have the right to ask about—”

  “You’re right, you don’t.”

  Before I could say more, Eramus walked in. The bell above the door wasn’t necessary to alert me to his presence. I could feel him. He moved toward us with purpose, as if he knew I was in trouble and needed his help. Maybe he did. He was wearing long sleeves, which was unusual for him. But it was a cold day even for a hot-blooded werewolf. His black jeans matched the shirt, creating a striking image made all the more imposing by his height. I don’t think he’d ever looked better. Black really was his color. It made his eyes look darker and picked up the red undertones in his hair.

  James turned in his direction, but didn’t seem to understand what was going on until he noticed the way I was looking at him. Eramus came behind the counter and when he smiled down at me the ache in my chest went away. I reached for him, not for James’ benefit, but because I simply couldn’t help myself. I put my palm against his stomach, enjoying the way his heat seeped through the material of his shirt and warmed my hand.

  “I brought you lunch,” he said, putting a bag down on the counter.

  He seemed to notice James for the first time, but I knew different. Nothing like that would have gotten past him. Eramus turned to him and to anyone else his smile might have looked friendly.

  “You must be James.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Tonight’s the night

  At first James looked taken aback by the fact that Eramus knew his name. Then he smiled and I hated the smugness in his expr
ession.

  “And you are?”

  “Eramus.” He introduced himself, but he didn’t offer to shake hands. That was probably just as well for James.

  Eramus hadn’t bothered to cut his hair, which I now knew grew at an accelerated rate when he transformed. He left it at shoulder length and I absolutely loved it. I also had such a desire to touch it that I had to put my hands behind my back. Eramus had the ability to make my mind lose control over my body just by showing up.

  “So, Lucy told you about me?” James asked.

  “No, Justina.”

  “Oh.”

  James’ tone said he understood just how unflattering Justina’s description of him probably was. And the look on his face said how upset he was at being recognized by such a description.

  “You must be the boyfriend?”

  The way he said that really pissed me off. But to his credit Eramus remained cool.

  “You could say that.”

  James’ grin was evil. “I was expecting someone else.”

  At that moment I would’ve had no trouble strangling him if I could have gotten my hands around his neck. Obviously what Ozzy said to him before about making me breakfast had really pissed him off. The fact that he would bring it up here just made it easier to be mad at him. In a way, I was grateful.

  “If you mean Ozzy, they’re not dating.”

  It was hard to tell who was more shocked by Eramus’ reply, me or James.

  “And even if they were,” he continued, “I don’t think it’s any of your business.” Without hesitation he smiled down at me. His complete dismissal of James was both comical and smooth. “Are we still on for tonight?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I’ll see you then.” He nodded as he walked past James who was still standing there with his mouth open. “James.”

  He didn’t reply to Eramus, but he did close his mouth. “Ooo,” Mandy said. “Not to get in your business or anything, but that man’s hotter than shit on a sidewalk.”

  I think James turned three shades of purple.

  Justina walked out of the back. With everything that had just happened, I’d forgotten she was there. The look on her face was enough to make me lose it. We both started laughing.