“I’d think around here you’d learn to always expect the unexpected.”
He chuckled looking down at the sand in front of him, then he turned to face me with wonder in his eyes. “I usually do, but tonight went beyond anything I ever dreamed possible.”
I knew he was no longer thinking about dead senators or shapeshifting vampires. He was thinking about us and I had to stop him before this went any further. “I think I should probably get going.”
His face fell and he reached out to brush his fingers gently down my cheek. “I won’t push you Angela. I know you must be overwhelmed by everything that happened here tonight.”
I closed my eyes letting his voice and his touch seep into my soul. It was going to hurt so much when I had to say goodbye to him.
When I opened my eyes he looked into them and said, “Don’t say it Angela. Take some time and think about everything that happened tonight before you make any decisions.”
I looked into his black eyes, so warm even with the absence of color, and I wanted to stay here with him forever. It was the perfect fantasy. A beautiful sunrise painted the sky pink and purple while the waves crashed on shore and a light breeze carried the scent of saltwater through the air. All I had to do was say the word and a wickedly handsome man with rippling muscles would pleasure my body until I was blissfully exhausted enough to pass out.
But this wasn’t a fantasy, and I couldn’t stay here forever. I started to speak again but Rook rolled me to my back and covered my lips with his. He kissed me softly with his hand cradling my face while his lips moved against mine with aching tenderness.
When it was over he kissed my forehead then pulled back and searched my face. “Let me walk you to your car just in case Travali is still roaming around here somewhere.”
I agreed because he was right, it wasn’t safe for me to be out here alone. Rook rose to his feet pulling me with him and we brushed the sand off our clothes the best we could. The walk to my car was quiet, and I was glad we avoided most of the police and rescue workers still lingering on the grounds. The last thing I needed was rumors about me and Rook flying around the station.
When we said goodbye the ache in my chest told me I would never recover if I walked away from him now. But I had more to consider than just my own feelings. I had a daughter to support and dating a suspected criminal was a sure way to get kicked off the force. Until I found a solution to that problem, having a relationship with Rook was out of the question. So with tears in my eyes I drove myself home to my empty bed and cried myself to sleep.
* * * * *
Chapter Three
Claire and I were standing by the railing on Dragon’s terrace while she explained her plans to arrange several shows on the beach during spring break since The Gateway would still be under reconstruction. Dragon and Serafina were dancing and talking quietly on the other side of the terrace.
It had been three days since the bombing and things were finally starting to settle down. I hadn’t seen or heard from Angela and that was beginning to worry me. I’d hoped our relationship would finally move forward but it seemed we were just as stalled as ever.
There was a knock at the front door and I called, “I’ll get that,” as I strode through the glass doors into the living room.
When I opened the door Doyle and Solomon were on the other side waiting. We all said hello and headed back out to the terrace. I returned to my spot by the railing and the two of them grabbed a beer from the ice bath on the room service cart.
Popping the top off his beer Solomon asked, “So when do you think you’ll be ready for your next flying lesson Serafina.”
“Oh no,” she laughed lightly. “I won’t be giving you and Doyle anything else to bet on for a while. I’m going to wait until Dragon and I are alone in Alaska before I attempt that again. It’s really much harder than he makes it look.” Dragon kissed the top of her head.
“I still say it’s not a good idea for any of us to travel alone right now. It’s just the kind of opportunity Travali will be waiting for,” Doyle insisted with a mischievous grin.
“Nonsense,” Dragon said. “We’ll be perfectly safe behind the wards Solomon has placed around the cabin. You just want Serafina to stay here so the two of you will have something entertaining to wager on.”
“Well it was pretty funny when you had to swoop in and catch her before she took out the pier.” Doyle chuckled.
I cleared my throat to get everyone’s attention. “Now that we’re all here, maybe we should get some business out of the way,” I started but just then there was another knock at the door. This time Serafina told everyone to stay where they were and went to answer the door.
From the other room I heard Serafina say, “I’m so glad you could join us Detective Ruby, won’t you come in? Everyone else is already out on the terrace.”
My heart stuttered then kicked into overdrive.
“Um, okay.” Angela responded then I heard them walking in our direction.
The two women stepped out onto the terrace and I nearly dropped my beer. When she was on duty Angela wore sleek business attire with her hair pulled up in a sexy twist that left her slender neck exposed. It was a good look that never failed to make me hard within two seconds flat, but this look was even better. Tonight her white blonde hair fell straight down her back and she was wearing jeans and a lightweight pink sweater. I imagined her wearing that tight sweater with nothing but the lacy pink thong from the other night and had to stifle a groan as I discretely adjusted my pants.
“Has everyone here met Detective Ruby before?” Serfina asked the group.
“Angela,” she insisted and my eyebrows nearly flew off my face. “Please, everyone can call me Angela. And yes, I believe I’ve met everyone here on one occasion or another.”
“Would you care for a drink Angela?” Serafina asked.
“Sure, I’ll take a beer if you’ve got one.”
“No problem, why don’t you have a seat?” Serafina indicated the lounge chair and Angela’s cheeks turned bright red then she opted to take a seat near where Solomon and Doyle were sprawled instead. Serafina brought her a beer then sat between Dragon’s legs leaning back against his chest with his arms wrapped around her.
They looked so comfortable with each other and I couldn’t help the tiny spike of envy I felt. I wanted that with Angela, more than I had ever wanted anything in my life.
“I’m sorry I had to manhandle you the other night Angela, but when Rook starts manipulating time we all do exactly what he tells us to do,” Doyle apologized, his manner much more serious than usual.
Angela shrugged and took a sip of her beer. “I understand now why it was necessary so I won’t hold it against you.”
“Angela,” Serafina began, “before we get back to business I wanted to thank you for everything you did the other night. Rook didn’t give us all the details but he did say that without your help I wouldn’t be here tonight.”
She glanced at me and I gave a barely perceptible shake of my head letting her know I hadn’t told anyone what we’d done to save Serafina. Her shoulders seemed to relax after that and I took that as a bad sign. When she’d first arrived I’d thought maybe she was ready to accept what was going on between us but now I had my doubts. A glance at Claire and her serene smile confirmed my suspicions.
“If there is ever anything you need, please don’t hesitate to ask,” Dragon offered to Angela. “You not only saved the life of my mate but also my unborn child. We will be forever in your debt.”
“You don’t owe me anything. There’d already been enough death that night and I was glad I could help prevent any more.”
“Even so, we’ll be here if you need us,” Dragon promised then asked, “Rook, why don’t you pick up where we left off before Angela arrived?”
Doyle and Solomon turned to each other in surprise and I asked Dragon with a look - Are you sure? He just shrugged in response so I resettled myself against the railing and said, “Okay.”
“If you don’t mind Rook, I’d like to begin,” Claire interrupted smiling warmly before I could say any more.
I waved my hand letting her know she had the floor and was honestly relieved to have the spotlight shifted to someone else.
I watched Angela closely while the group discussed the imminent fall of the council as a consequence of Garrek’s death, the Phoenix Prophecy, Serafina’s unusual transformation that triggered the awakening of the beasts in all the vampires sired by nightshifters, the slave girl the demon Kaleb won in The Pit the night Dragon fought Malachi, and whether Clarissa knowingly betrayed us or if she was just an unwitting participant in her sister Ivanna’s treachery.
Angela listened intently piecing together the information she’d gained the other night with what she was hearing tonight. I knew she was missing a lot of background information but she always had been quick to draw the right conclusions. That was why I’d had to spend so much time misleading her in the past. It was actually refreshing to have everyone speaking freely in front of her now and she seemed to be getting more comfortable by the minute. Once or twice she even joined in the conversation.
“Now the question is; what do we do about her?” I asked Dragon about Clarissa as I came over to sit on the lounge chair making Angela blush again. It took everything in me not to smile but I knew Solomon and Doyle would pick up on it and I didn’t want Angela to be more embarrassed than she already was. “She’s one of ours so we don’t need any proof to take her into custody, but I don’t think that’s the right thing to do.”
“I agree. We should keep an eye on her and see if we can find out what they’re planning next. I issued a challenge for Travali to meet me in The Pit, but we all know there’s too much risk involved for him to agree to a match. When the council falls, he’ll be ready for his next attack and we need to be prepared.
The bombing and the attempt on Serafina’s life told me two things. Travali is motivated and he knows our weaknesses too well. I’m sure he wanted Garrek out of the way but the bomb served another purpose. He knew I would be in the blast zone and Rook would have to set time back. Under normal circumstances Rook wouldn’t be able to jump through time again for at least a day. Therefore, under normal circumstances we wouldn’t have been able to save Serafina, his real target, because that’s where his motivation is coming from. Malachi’s death pushed him over the edge and he won’t rest until Serafina pays the price for my actions,” Dragon said regretfully.
“You did what you had to do and I for one think Malachi didn’t suffer enough,” Serafina turned and told Dragon.
“No he didn’t. But now Travali will be gunning for you until we either take him out or he’s successful.” Dragon tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her. I knew him well enough to see the worry in his face.
“There’s a lot being said here that I don’t understand but right now I’d like to know how I helped Rook jump back in time,” Angela asked making Solomon and Doyle start whispering together.
“Now boys, it’s not nice to place bets on the personal lives of your closest friends,” Claire chided them. To Angela she said, “I think that’s something you should let Rook explain to you in private dear.”
Angela looked at me curiously and I wondered if she was ready to step into my world. She was here, but I thought that had more to do with female meddling than her desire to explore a relationship with me.
Deciding there was only one way to find out I finally asked her, “Would you like to go downstairs and take a walk on the beach with me?”
She swallowed hard meeting my eyes and I knew she hadn’t wanted to be put on the spot like that. “Um, sure, why not?”
Before we left I told Dragon, “I think we’re finished here. Everything is set for you and Serafina to leave for your honeymoon tomorrow night. No one will even know you’re gone. With Solomon’s help, I’ll spend a little time each day impersonating you so that the room service staff will see you, and tell everyone the lovebirds have locked themselves away in their bedroom for the week.”
“Thank you my friend, now go take care of your woman.”
Dragon grinned when Angela sputtered, “I am not his woman.”
Doyle and Solomon shook with laughter while Claire and Serafina just shook their heads.
I chuckled and said, “There’s no point in arguing with him. He’s the king, his word is law.”
Angela muttered something that sounded like, “He’s not my king,” but she rose from her chair and went with me through the front door then silently stepped into the elevator.
The lack of conversation in the elevator told me all I needed to know. When we hit the path along the beach the silence continued and I waited to see if she’d say whatever she’d come here to tell me.
When it became obvious she didn’t know how to start I said, “I was surprised when you showed up tonight.”
“Not as shocked as me, I’m sure. I had no idea why I was invited, but I never imagined I’d be sitting in on an informal meeting with Donovan Drake and his inner circle.” She shook her head. “I can’t decide if I want you to explain everything I just heard or if I should just have you set time back so I was never there to begin with.”
“But in your case it wouldn’t matter. You’d still remember the meeting even if we did it again without you,” I pointed out, smiling because her ability to travel through time with me opened up a world of possibilities that I couldn’t wait to explore.
“And why is that Mr. Delaney?” she asked glancing over at me.
Hearing her call me Mr. Delaney after everything we’d been through was like a blow to the gut and it hurt. “So it’s okay for all of us to call you Angela now, but you still won’t call me Rook.”
“I don’t know.” She blew out a frustrated breath. “I feel like we should keep our relationship professional and calling you Rook just feels too personal right now.”
I stopped walking and stood with my jaw tight and my fists clenched in an effort not to shake her. When she finally noticed I was no longer beside her she turned around and approached me cautiously like I might bite her, which honestly wasn’t too far-fetched.
“What is it? Why have you stopped?”
“Can you honestly say there is nothing personal between us Angela?” I demanded ready to explode with anger.
“There is nothing personal between us Mr. Delaney.” She couldn’t even meet my eyes when she uttered the lie. “The other night we did what was needed to save a life, end of story. It won’t happen again, and there’s no reason to discuss it further.”
Before I knew what was happening, ancient words whispered through my mind and my soul burst wide open while Angela and I teetered on the edge of the ether between times. I struggled to stop what I’d set in motion before it was too late, before I went too far and lost any chance to have Angela as my willing partner.
When I didn’t respond, Angela eventually peeked at me through her lashes. Her breath caught and her eyes went wide then locked on mine. I could only imagine what I looked like to her with my hair whipping wildly in the wind and my skin glowing with the essence of my soul. It was encouraging though when the initial fear on her face turned to wonder then the scent of her arousal hit me like a ton of bricks. It took every ounce of restraint I had not to fall on her with the burning lust surging though my body.
After what felt like an eternity I finally regained enough control to come forward slowly and slip my hand under her hair to cradle the back of her head. Then I bent my head down and her lips met mine willingly, tenderly. My other hand reached out and I pulled her warm, soft body against mine. Our lips moved together and she melted into my embrace clutching my body closer to hers.
She could lie to herself all she wanted to, but her body told me the truth every time I touched her.
She gasped when I reached down and picked her up by the back of her thighs. I took advantage of her surprise by sliding my tongue against hers with slow, sensual strokes. As the ki
ss gained intensity I strode forward with her legs wrapped tightly around my hips until her back rested against a tree.
It felt so good to hold her in my arms, to feel her warmth wrapped around me while I teased and tempted her with my mouth and tongue. Our bodies rocked together while our tongues dueled and our breathing turned to moans and groans. Her hands stroked my arms and shoulders while I sucked lightly on her tongue. She always seemed to like that a lot and I wanted to learn more ways to please her, to pleasure her body with mine.
Why couldn’t she see that we belonged together?
The desperate edge of her moans told me she was close so I gripped her ass pulling her tighter against the throbbing erection hidden behind my pants and rocked my hips faster.
Her breaths came in jagged pants then she broke the kiss, “Rook, oh God, Rook...”
Goddess, I loved hearing her call out my name in orgasmic pleasure. I wanted to rip our pants open and bury myself inside her while she convulsed in my arms. The need to feel her inner muscles quivering around my cock and her naked flesh pressed against mine was almost overwhelming.
When she stopped shuddering, her head fell onto my shoulder and I knew it was time to go. If I didn’t get away from her I was going to push her to do something she would only regret in the morning.
I let out a shaky breath then whispered roughly in her ear, “When you can admit there is something very personal going on between us, call me and I’ll explain how you enhance my time travel abilities.”
I pulled back and set her on her feet, then without another word I turned and put one foot in front of the other as I walked away from her. With every step I took, I prayed to the Goddess that I was doing the right thing and that someday Angela would come to me on her own.
* * * * *
Chapter Four
“I give you The Myths and Legends Casino Resort,” I told my new partner Anthony Vaccaro, Tony for short, as I closed my door and leaned back against the car.
Destined for Time (Myths and Legends) Page 4
