Texas Tea [Del Fantasma]

by Maura Anderson

  Matt reached over and nudged her glass toward her again. She'd only drunk a few small sips, trying to drink slowly so she didn't drink so much she filled her stomach with just water, or drink so fast she made herself sick.

  She was so hot. Now she realized the heat she felt wasn't due to lust. She still had multiple layers of clothing on and it was warm in the restaurant—quite warm this close to the kitchen. A few tugs and she pulled her coat off, draping it over the back of her chair. She was still too warm, though.

  "Where are the restrooms, Matt? I have to get some of these clothes off before I die of heat stroke in here."

  His eyes widened a little as she stood, then he pointed toward the back corner of the room, not far from their table. “Back there."

  She marched toward the area he'd indicated, feeling him watching her all the way. Knowing that his attention was fixed on her, she gave her hips an unfamiliar sultry sway as she walked.

  Chapter Five

  She was almost falling asleep in her seat by the time they'd been served their food. Only his persistent coaxing seemed to keep her eating until he thought she might have consumed enough to constitute a full meal. Too bad even Matt didn't believe his own excuse that he had to make sure she ate enough that Ines’ feelings wouldn't be hurt.

  He wanted to take care of Lara in a way he'd never wanted to take care of anyone else before. He questioned every detail, almost fussing. Did she really eat this little all the time? Did she allow herself to become so exhausted very often? She wasn't wasting away, her figure was lush and full, but she needed to care for herself better.

  Ines was probably laughing in the kitchen at his sudden motherly attitude. Not that he'd blame her.

  Hell, he'd even made sure to not order chips and salsa or anything she could fill up on that wouldn't provide adequate protein and fat. He'd persuaded her to drink so much water she'd had to visit the restroom twice during dinner. But she seemed to enjoy the large plate of Pollo con Crema he'd ordered for her. The rich dish was just what she needed, though it had the side-effect of enabling Lara to give him a hard-on several times when she licked the rich sauce off her fork with a moan of pleasure. It was worth every moment.

  Coyote whined in agreement. She needed care and both Matt and Coyote were the ones meant to be there for her. He gave off the impression of implacable determination.

  Matt watched her eyes slowly drift shut again as he ate the last few bites of his third entrée. Never a creature of small appetites, he'd gone the entire day without much more than some beef jerky and his fast metabolism needed to refuel if he was to have enough energy for shifting and running. The more often he shifted, the longer he spent in Coyote's form, the more calories he needed to consume. It was counter-intuitive since Coyote's form was smaller, but he'd learned that lesson the hard way and had no desire to be trapped in a single form again because he didn't have the energy left to shift back.

  "I need to rest my eyes for a minute, Matt. I'm sorry.” Lara covered her mouth as she yawned heavily.

  She pushed her plate to the side and put her head down on the table, arms crossed to cushion her forehead. A deep sigh followed and he could see the tension in her back slowly ease until she was so relaxed that only the chair and table kept her upright.

  What was it with this woman? She kept putting a wall up between them but it seemed to periodically fail and she would show a little bit of herself that would both surprise and enthrall him. He'd already caught her staring at him several times, but it wasn't in fear or disgust, both of which he was used to from humans. She blushed and looked away whenever he caught her in the act.

  Add that to the way she'd rubbed up against his cock when they arrived at the restaurant, and it made him think that she just might be interested in him. At least interested in his body.

  He'd initially pulled her against him to lay public claim to her in the midst of the crowd of admiring local men. It was an instinctive reaction to satisfy both his and Coyote's oddly possessive feelings, but it also told him how tense and nervous she was near the crowd. He'd not thought she'd be able to feel the erection he'd been sporting on and off all day through her layers of clothes and he'd certainly not thought that she'd react to the pressure by rubbing her rounded ass against it, nearly making him double over with want.

  It had taken a tremendous amount of willpower to release her.

  Ines walked quietly up to the table, interrupting his mental replay. She smiled at the soft, rhythmic sighs now coming from Lara.

  "Your woman has fallen asleep in the middle of your date. If you are that boring, it's no wonder this is the first time I've ever seen you with one.” Her teasing was goodhearted and their banter long-established.

  Matt gave her his most aristocratic, disdainful look. “I'm sure it was the food that put her to sleep. Someday you will learn to really cook and be able to offer a decent meal. In the meantime, I have to keep trying multiple dishes just to stay interested."

  Ines sniffed and tried to look hurt, before she broke into soft laughter and dropped the play-acting. “Is your Lara okay? She didn't eat very much."

  He pulled his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans, extracted a credit card from it and handed the card to Ines. “She's more exhausted than just about anyone I've seen since my tour in Afghanistan. She pushes herself too hard."

  The front of distant concern he'd tried to erect didn't seem to fool Ines and certainly didn't convince himself or Coyote. The older woman's knowing gaze always seemed to be able to see more than he really wanted anyone to and this time was no different.

  "You should give her a chance to know you, Mateo. You are too much alone and I'm more afraid for you each time I see you. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Some are just blessed to be closer to the Ancestors and Spirits than most will ever be. You can't ignore the fact that you belong to two worlds and always will, but that doesn't mean that you must travel through either world alone."

  She looked straight into his eyes, her expression more serious than he'd seen her in a long time. “I have a feeling about your Lara. You are good for each other, but you both have secrets. If you don't trust each other with them, you will be turning your back on what could be a very special relationship."

  A snuffling snore from the sleeping woman broke the tension. Ines took Matt's credit card and disappeared to charge their meal while Matt waited, watching Lara while he pondered Ines’ surprising words.

  Ines had been one of the first friends he'd made in the area after following Cody here. On only the third night since his arrival, while he was out running and learning the local area, he'd come across a couple of young thugs mugging Ines on his way home. Not that she wasn't making an effort to take on the bullies herself. She'd gotten in a few good lumps with the large, heavy purse she carried, but the odds weren't in her favor and the muggers were angry.

  He'd saved her from the mugging. The sight of a large coyote snarling at them had terrified the young criminals into running off almost immediately. After they'd run off, he'd approached Ines slowly, unthreateningly. Once he'd reassured himself that she was only scared and a tiny bit bruised, essentially unhurt, he'd turned to run off as well but she'd stopped him with a touch.

  Her hand caressed his flank, then she spoke directly to him as a person even though he was in Coyote's form, thanking him for risking exposure by coming to her assistance. She knew what he was. She kept touching him while she told him where she lived, that she owned a restaurant and where it was. She even told him that he needed to come there for dinner as a thank you.

  She felt a little different than most humans, but only a little—nothing like what he felt around Cody or other vampires. Nothing like what he felt around other shape shifters.

  He finally ran off anyway, completely nonplussed by the fact she knew his secret and didn't hate or fear it. Her acceptance was complete and without hesitation.

  For several days he'd puzzled over the event until he finally thought to ask Cody about he
r, only to be told just that Cody knew her and she could be trusted. Pressing for more information only resulted in the cryptic admission that Ines had “Other Sight".

  Coyote pestered him endlessly, the animal spirit's natural curiosity pushing him. His own loneliness also beat at him until he stood in the entrance to the small restaurant for the first time. Would Ines know him in his human form? What would his reception be now that there was no threat?

  Ines recognized him instantly, hugging him despite his attempts to discourage her but without offending her at the same time. She completely ignored his attempts to retreat and grabbed him anyway, thanking him again for rescuing her.

  In the years since then, Matt had become a regular patron of the restaurant and only Cody knew him better than Ines.

  His eyes focused on the dark-haired woman sitting across from him. What secrets is she hiding? He'd bet they were nothing like his. They couldn't be.

  He'd never disregarded Ines’ advice before, but this time she had to be wrong. He'd just help Lara get her pictures and information, maybe talk her into a bout of mutually pleasurable sex, then release her back to her normal life with her normal friends and family. She deserved not to lose that normalcy.

  Ines deposited a cup of coffee in front of him and a cup of tea in front of Lara's sleeping form, far enough away so that it might not be instantly knocked over. She set his credit card slip and a pen down on the table. As soon as he signed the receipt, she traded his credit card for the pen and receipt, leaving him just the customer copy. Instead of leaving, she pulled another chair up to the table and sat. Apparently she wasn't done talking to him yet.

  Ines’ silence made him nervous. She wasn't known for being quiet when she had something to say.

  "Your Lara isn't one to relax easily. Yet she fell asleep here, despite the fact the crowds bothered her, despite the fact she only met you a day or two ago. She wants to trust you already and she needs someone she can trust."

  Her words slowed, as if she were analyzing as she spoke. “She thinks she's too weird, too far outside ‘normal’ to be anything but alone her entire life and nothing has taught her any different. No person, no situation. She expects to be hurt and distance is her only defense."

  He looked at Ines sharply, a little offended and a lot surprised. Lara wasn't weird. At least not on his scale of weird.

  The older woman touched his hand for a moment. “Don't hurt her, Mateo. And don't let your fears hurt you both."

  A final pat and she reached over to shake Lara's shoulder. When only a soft groan resulted, she shook her again, a little harder this time.

  Lara sat up with a sudden jolt and swayed a bit as her mind tried to come awake enough to fully control her body. Swaying slightly in her chair, she grasped the edge of the table and looked around with wide open eyes, breathing heavily in response to being startled out of a deep sleep.

  "Oh man, I'm sorry. I was so tired I wanted to rest my eyes for a moment but I didn't mean to fall asleep. Have I been asleep for long?"

  If possible, her eyes grew even wider. “Please tell me I didn't start snoring."

  The look on her face was so funny that both Matt and Ines fought not to laugh. She was obviously horrified at the idea that she might have been making noise while she slept. Her earlier reaction to being laughed at made it clear that it was a sure way to piss her off.

  To keep from laughing, Matt bit his lip and lied. “No, no snoring."

  He pushed her cup of tea toward her, hoping the impression of her watch on her forehead would disappear before she got a look at herself in a mirror. He didn't want to try to pretend he'd not noticed the large circular imprint if she asked him.

  She dunked the tea bag a few times before removing it from the cup to first press the liquid from it, then balance it on the saucer next to the cup. Without adding anything, she inhaled the steam deeply, held it in her lungs for a moment, then exhaled with one of her small moans of delight.

  True to form, his cock stood up and took notice of her pleasure. He tried in vain to focus on anything boring and routine to get his mind off his cock and Lara. Or his cock in Lara. The list of invertebrates that inhabit the local tide pools didn't even seem to have much effect.

  He had to resort to drinking his coffee as slowly as possible while Ines and Lara talked about the restaurant business and where Ines had gotten her recipes. By the time he was done, Ines had scrawled the recipe for Pollo con Crema on a page ripped from the small pad of paper she used to take orders on before she disappeared back into the kitchen.

  He shook his head. He never understood women. He wasn't sure he wanted to understand them, actually. Ignorance may well be the better option.

  "I better get you back to your B&B, Lara. You're tired and I'm getting there."

  He got up without waiting for her to respond. Lara picked up her shed clothing and he helped her out of her chair, then gestured for her to proceed him out of the restaurant. It was time to take her home, but he could still admire the sway of her rounded ass as she walked, made even more delicious since she'd taken off her thermal pants so only her baggy cargo pants impeded his view.

  Arrrgh. He was going to have the bluest balls around if this kept up. Either that or he'd have to buy new jeans after breaking the zipper in these.

  She glanced back over her shoulder and smiled. “I'm sorry I fell asleep, it really wasn't the company. But thank you for ordering tea for me. I'm surprised you remembered that I'm a tea drinker."

  He froze with the door he'd just opened held motionless. How in the hell did Ines know to serve Lara tea instead of coffee?

  Chapter Six

  Lara's head was still fuzzy in spite of the adrenaline and the caffeine in her tea, and she wobbled a bit as Matt helped her back up into his huge truck. From sheer habit, she immediately reassured herself that her camera bag was still hidden behind the split seat and the cameras were still in it. She recalled that her rental car was still at the Park, and she'd need it tomorrow.

  "Umm, Matt, what about my car?” She wasn't sure she was really capable of driving safely but she'd manage if she had to.

  He closed her door and circled around in front of the truck to easily swing up into the driver's seat. A sexy smile made her willpower turn to mush before he responded. “I thought I'd take you back to your B&B for the night, and then pick you up for breakfast tomorrow morning."

  Reminded to buckle her seatbelt by the sight of Matt fastening his own, she concealed her uncharacteristic relief at being able to let someone else deal with a task. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, grateful that the heater was quickly chasing the damp cold away. Her warm clothing was lying on the seat between herself and Matt.

  Removing of some of her layers of concealing clothing usually made her feel exposed, even vulnerable, but tonight that feeling was conspicuously absent. Matt might be quiet and intense but, somehow, she knew she was safe with him. He'd follow through on his promises and he'd already had perfect opportunities to take advantage of the situation and hadn't.

  When was the last time she'd been relaxed enough to fall asleep in anything but an empty and locked hotel room? Even then she'd sometimes be awake for hours, sure that yet another ghost would decide to visit and scare the hell out of her.

  Realizing Matt was still waiting for an answer, she nodded. “Okay. Thanks. It's nice to not have to drive right now."

  He'd been the sole reason she actually managed to eat a decent dinner. Typical as it might be for her to lose weight during one of her deadline pushes, it wasn't healthy and she often got sick as soon as her book was in the mail. When she was exhausted, she had no appetite and would always rather spend time sleeping or working than eating. Food was a distant third.

  She remembered Matt gently chiding her into consuming the tasty dinner he'd ordered for her. Her plate contained more food than she was used to eating over the space of several days. It did taste wonderful and each bite was a treat. A far cry from generic fast food or a pro
tein bar.

  And water. He kept refilling her water glass and pushing it toward her whenever she put down her fork. She thought her kidneys would float away after a while and she'd had to stumble off to the restroom several times. She never really managed to rehydrate well while traveling or working. Unless it was causing her to have a serious headache, she didn't really give it the thought she should.

  Why would Matt want to take care of her? It wasn't what she expected, that's for sure.

  Even when she'd fallen asleep during dinner and richly deserved being made fun of, he'd managed to resist doing so. Maybe he'd realized how much she hated being the butt of laughter.

  Instead, the mysterious Park Ranger had let her sleep until it was time to leave and only then had he and Ines woken her up. In the meantime, he'd finished the rest of his own amazingly huge meal. By the time she'd peeled her head off her arms and persuaded her eyes to focus again, he'd been drinking a cup of coffee.

  Oh hell, she hadn't checked to see just what she looked like now. Past experience had taught her it usually wasn't at all pretty.

  "Matt, please tell me I don't have a fork imprint in my cheek or something.” She blurted out the appeal, hoping she'd escaped that particular penalty.

  He darted a look at her, his face betraying a bit of surprise. “I promise you don't have a fork imprint anywhere on your face. Your cheeks are a blush pink but there isn't a mark on them."

  Was it her imagination or did he look the tiniest bit guilty? “That's a relief. One time I woke up with half my laptop's keyboard pressed into my face."

  She could laugh a little now at just how silly she'd looked. Not that she'd thought it all that funny at the time. It had taken a good hour for the marks to go away enough so that she could go out again.

  Instead of staring out the truck windows into the darkened streets, she contented herself with watching Matt's brow furrow in concentration as he steered the vehicle out of the small parking lot's narrow stall, then out the driveway and into the busy street.