“Because it’s the same thing,” she said dryly. Turning to face him, Allie crooked her finger. “Hey, lean in, Tiger.”
“Why?”
“I want to kiss you.”
Donovan tipped toward her. At the last moment, she arched up and kissed his bruised eye.
“That vase on the side table, huh?” she asked, reaching for her door handle. “That bastard stings, doesn’t it?” She got out with him still gaping at her. Leaving him off-balance was almost too much fun.
He’d fumbled for his door and was getting out when Allie reached his side. She extended her hand, but he reached out, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tucked her against him. His lips pressed a quick kiss to her temple and he whispered, “I don’t believe you’re ever in a tender mood.”
“Oh, c’mon, you were hoping for the slutty mood from that mistaken impression. Don’t lie.”
“A guy might like to be pampered.”
Allie gazed up at him. “I’ll schedule you a facial and a hot stone massage right away.”
“No stranger is touching my stones.”
“No, it’s…” and she didn’t get any farther because Donovan lowered his head and kissed her right on her open mouth. Allie really hoped this wasn’t part of the act. She was wrong about soulmates—they just might exist. She was wrong about Donovan not being a Prince Charming. Well, cartoon princes generally didn’t cup the back of the ladies’ heads so they could tangle their tongues up. Then again, cartoon princesses probably didn’t go up on their toes and moan. For a first kiss, it was mind-blowing.
Warmth tingled through Allie’s veins, and she wanted to laugh at the giddy joy of kissing him. More. More. And yes please. Neither of them really needed this many clothes on. He bit her lip—yes. Oh, the near pain flamed her longing into pure need. Yes. Mmm. She could just climb this man.
Donovan’s free hand slid down her back and clenched her shirt right above her jeans. He pulled back. “I almost forgot where we were,” he murmured.
She looked around, swallowing. “Earth. I think. Maybe.” Whoa. Wow. She hadn’t known it would be that good. Hopefully that was enough to compel Donovan into giving them a real chance.
He laughed. “How about we get this woman and her kids moved out and then discuss that.”
“Okay, but you’re going to have to keep your tongue out of my mouth if you’re hoping for a quality conversation.” Reaching behind her back, she grabbed his hand. “You were about to grab my ass.”
His grin was that of a naughty little boy. “I was. Then, I remembered the kids might be watching us.”
Allie looked over at the window. The woman had stopped peeking around the curtain and was staring unabashedly. Allie waved. Her cheeks felt hot. Oh yeah, this’d make the rounds at the women’s center. “Normally, I try for a little more of a professional appearance than this. Believe it or not.”
“She doesn’t look intimidated,” Donovan pointed out.
“No. She really, really doesn’t.” Titillated—possibly. Envious—maybe. But if the other woman was intimidated it was nowhere near how much Allie was. There was a high probability that Donovan might break her heart.
He was beginning to see their relationship, because they definitely had a relationship now, as a series of skirmishes. But, they weren’t like the typical confrontations that he was used to. There were no winners. Or, rather, they both seemed to win. Sort of. Maybe. Okay, Allie might have won the battle when they first arrived at her condo. At the very least, her vase had come out ahead.
They approached the house and from the moment the door opened, a cool mask of efficiency had slipped onto Allie’s face. She’d started corralling the family into moving. When the little boy had balked at trusting Donovan with his possessions, she’d calmly knelt in front of the five year old and explained that while her “friend” was indeed a pirate, he didn’t steal treasure that didn’t belong to him. Having his status elevated to pirate granted Donovan far more cooperation than before. It also earned him a sidekick who asked him questions about pirating while running along beside him. Donovan made up seadog stories, incorporating some of his declassified mission details. If he ever saw Larson again, Donovan would have to tell him that he made a great second mate.
He’d started to think this was no more monumental than packing a family up for a short trip elsewhere when the woman, Maylee, gasped at a red truck barreling toward them at a fast clip. Hell.
“Hey, bud, how about you get in the van and buckle in beside your sister?” Donovan suggested. The other child was only eighteen months old and had been watching from a car seat while steadily eating Cheerios.
The boy, Payson, nodded, but said, “That’s my dad. He’s going to be mad. He said he’d kill my mom if she tried to take us away.” The matter-of-fact way he said it made Donovan see red. No man had the right to speak to the mother of his children that way. No man.
“We’ll take care of it.” He helped the boy into the van and shut the door.
The truck pulled in across the driveway, blocking in Maylee’s small economy car.
“May!” the man roared, getting out of the truck. “What the hell are these people doing in front of our house? Tyson from up the street saw you bringing out the kids’ stuff.”
Someone had ratted out her escape? Oh, he might need to have a chat with that fool too. Donovan moved to block this bastard’s path toward his wife, who was visibly shaking beside Allie.
“Get back in your truck and let her go,” Donovan said when the man pulled up short, noticing him for the first time.
“Who do you think you are? This is between me and my wife.”
“Maybe it was, but the moment you threatened to kill her in front of your son, you lost the right to be her husband and their father. Now, turn around, and get back in your damn truck before you do something you’ll regret.” Well, he’d regret Donovan’s reaction at the very least.
The moron was a good foot shorter than him and while he wasn’t scrawny he also wasn’t a demigod of war. Maylee’s husband considered his situation. And because he’d gained his confidence beating on women, he figured he had a chance.
That was his second mistake.
“Get out of my way. You’re on my property, and I have a right to defend my property.”
“Your wife isn’t your property.”
“I’m calling 911, Mr. Thomas,” Allie said, holding up her phone. “Your wife is filing for divorce and having a restraining order put on you. Let us leave or you’ll regret it.”
“Oh yeah? And who are you?”
“Her lawyer and he’s my assistant. We were invited onto the property by Mrs. Thomas. If you want us to get the police involved, we can. Right here. Right now. But she is leaving.”
For a moment, he thought the man was giving up because he turned and headed back toward the truck.
“Gun! Gun!” Allie yelled. “Donovan, gun!”
Donovan bolted after the man, slamming him against the door before he could get into the truck and grab the rifle behind the seat. “Wrong move, man.” Behind him, he could hear Allie on the phone with 911.
The idiot swung at him, but Donovan dodged it easily. It wasn’t a fair fight. Donovan had his rage firmly under control thanks to the time spent with Allie, but the other man didn’t know when to quit. He kept swinging and missing and then he dove at Donovan’s midsection, which moved the demigod about six inches before he wrestled the weaker man to the ground and pinned him with his arms behind his back.
Then, the police showed up.
When Maylee’s husband realized they weren’t going to side with him, it got real ugly. Donovan yanked the man off one of the cops—who hadn’t expected the about-face. The bastard went for his rifle again, which earned him getting his arm slammed in the door. The cops had him cuffed shortly after that.
“Are you private security?” one of them asked while his partner was reading her husband his rights.
Donovan nodded. Close enough.
He’d be coming along on any of these rescues going forward. “I’m here with Ms. Mason, who is Mrs. Thomas’s attorney.”
Narrowing his eyes, the cop asked, “Military?”
Donovan smiled. “Green Beret.”
“That how you lost the eye?”
He shrugged. “It’s classified. I’d tell you, but I’d have to kill you.”
Allie came up behind Donovan and linked her elbow around his. “Stop threatening the police, Rowe, they don’t find it as cute as I do.” She winked at the young cop. “You guys got here fast. Thanks for that. My associate had him down but he wasn’t about to leave in peace.”
The cop seemed to grow in stature under her praise and Donovan could feel a hint of her energy in the air. Later, after they’d wrapped up everything to do with the Thomas family, and were back in her Mustang, he called her on that. “Mediation, my ass. You were using your power to charm that cop.”
She’d put on sunglasses but the sexy demigoddess tipped her head down to look at him over the top of them. “Why, Rowe, you can’t be jealous. You kicked some serious ass today. Mrs. Thomas stopped just shy of throwing you a parade, and her son named his dinosaur after you.”
“He named his dinosaur ‘pirate.’”
“After you. He thought you were a pirate. Don’t tell me you didn’t play that up. I overheard that boy telling his mom a story that I know he didn’t think up on his own.”
Donovan cleared his throat. “I’m just saying, it’s cheating that you’re using your powers to influence people into doing what you want. I felt your energy.”
“Okay, kitten, I know you only use your powers for helping little old ladies cross the street, but some of us get a leeeetle bit more hazy on the good/bad thing. And I have to maintain a good relationship with law enforcement because they save my ass now and then.”
“And that’s another thing—you’re not doing that without me again. I thought you were conning me earlier with that story about the scar, but that escalated fast.”
“It did, but that was unusual. That doesn’t normally happen.”
“Yet, you knew he was going for a gun.”
She shrugged. “He didn’t seem like the type to give up. Though I think having another man at his place was part of what escalated it.” Allie licked her lips. “Thank you. You may have just saved Maylee’s life.”
His cheeks felt hot. “Like you said, me being there escalated it, and you probably would have called 911 the moment you saw his truck if I hadn’t been there.”
She shook her head. “Not that. Though that was great too. Maylee and some other abused women get used to seeing a certain type of man because they start a pattern and can’t break out. Today, she saw someone willing to go toe-to-toe with her abuser because the way he treated her wasn’t right. She saw the way you treated me, the way you were with her son. I don’t think she’ll go back into the pattern like some other women do.”
“Men shouldn’t treat anyone that way.”
Allie shot him an amused look. “You’re not the most vicious of war demigods.”
“There are honorable casualties in a noble fight. Women and children are not honorable. Innocent civilians are not honorable. It happens in war. It should never happen in peacetimes. And that’s the goal of war after all—peace.”
She sent him a long look of approval and, while he didn’t appreciate her taking her eyes off the road to do it, Donovan also felt like a hero. He’d enlisted at eighteen and spent a decade fighting. Most of his missions were considered an unqualified success. He was good at fighting. But it came naturally and violence didn’t feel like something that should be inborn. He’d never felt like a hero until right now. Well, and earlier when the kid had named his dinosaur after him. Not everyone got a dinosaur named after them. Not even paleontologists, otherwise dinosaurs would have pronounceable names like Chuckasaurus or Tommydon.
“Why are you smiling?”
Donovan shrugged rather than explain.
Allie shifted in her seat. “So, we’ve been spending a lot of time together today.”
“Yeeeees.” Where was she going with this?
“I need to… burn off some energy. Your kinetic energy is making me really hyper. I was thinking when we get back to my place, we could work on that together.”
He fought a smile. “I think I can handle that.” Yes! Being a hero had some definite perks.
Thirty minutes later, Allie swept his feet, and Donovan landed flat on his back. The fall knocked the wind out of him. “You know, when you said working off energy, I didn’t think we’d be sparring.” He bounced to his feet. “And, I’m going to work off most of my energy trying not to hurt you.”
Allie launched in a fury of roundhouse kicks that he blocked while half-stumbling backward. Hell, she was fast. What she lacked in strength, she made up for by being everywhere all at once. Finally, he grabbed her foot and yanked her off her feet. She landed with a whoomf. It was good this room was so well padded.
“So? It’s like a handicap then. You have to stop me from kicking your ass, without actually damaging your chances of getting lucky in the future.”
The sassy woman got to her feet and shook her arms out before dropping back into a fighting stance.
Donovan frowned at her scrutiny. Normally, he’d approve of where her gaze had settled, but not now. “Same goes for you. Any of those kicks land below the belt and you’re not getting laid anytime soon.”
“You say the sweetest things.” Then, she aimed an uppercut at him that certainly cast doubt on that.
He blocked it. Of course he did. But she was fast.
“What do you say we make it more interesting?” she suggested.
“I’m listening.”
“Each pin, or drop in my case, the loser has to answer a question honestly. Most losses in a half an hour makes dinner.”
“Okay.” He blocked a nasty jab that might have broken his nose. “Nice.”
“Thanks.” Her strength was really in her legs. She distracted him with punches so he didn’t see a well-timed kick or a leg sweep coming. It took her a minute, but then he was flat on his back and wondering how he’d arrived there. Her face appeared above him. “My question. Does me being rich bother you?”
Sighing, Donovan pushed to his feet. “Yes. But you don’t flaunt your money, other than the car, and I’m trying to be okay with it.”
“I restored the car myself,” Allie said. “I found it with weeds growing out of the engine five years ago. Did it all on my own.” Oh. Wow. She’d just gotten hotter.
“There’s also the condo,” he pointed out as they circled each other.
Another flurry of kicks that he blocked. “I got this condo for basically nothing.”
“I don’t believe it.”
She stopped and grinned. “It’s true. But I do own the building.”
He had her pinned within seconds. She got sloppy when she got cocky. “My question.” He didn’t let her up. Holding up her right arm, he pointed to the inch-long faded scar. “This scar? How’d you get it?”
She smirked. “I was on a Harley—racing this snotty trust fund jerk who was known for doctoring co-ed’s drinks. He’d borrowed his daddy’s Harley. I clipped a mirror during the race, and it tore into my skin.”
“Did you win?”
“Hell yeah I did. Then, I sold his daddy’s vintage Harley to pay off the student loan of the last girl he raped. It was also the last girl there he raped. I had the bastard tossed out. The dean and I had a very convincing conversation.”
“You used your powers on him,” he stated.
“Well, that and the dean had a teenage daughter the monster had been eyeing. It wasn’t a hard sell since I had proof.”
Donovan got up and held out his hand to help her up and ended up on his back again for it. “Damn, you fight dirty.”
She laid down on top of him, stacking her fists and resting her chin on them. “Yes, but not as dirty as I’d be fighting if there weren’
t certain parts of you I’d prefer were unharmed.”
They were both warm from exertion and sharing his energy, and it was turning him on even more. “Your question.”
“Are you staying because you want to or because I’m your match and it might eventually kill you if you leave?”
“Can’t it be both?”
“You tell me.”
“I want to stay, but I might have bowed out if the other guy was someone you trusted.”
She rolled off him, and he could tell she didn’t like his answer.
“It’s not you,” he said. “It’s just that I didn’t actually plan on living my whole life.”
“Why?”
“When you’ve seen what I have, even if I’m only seeing it through one eye now, it doesn’t seem right to see it for centuries.” Donovan grinned. “Also, when I first arrived I thought maybe I’d be a bad influence on you, and you’d be better off with someone less morally ambiguous. I’ve rethought your moral superiority.”
Allie narrowed her eyes.
“You lied about the scar!” He gestured. “Heaven knows what else you’ve lied about.” He looked around. “You’re probably squatting here while the real owners are in the Caribbean.”
She groaned. “Do you know how much sex I had last night, Rowe?”
He raised his eyebrows. “I’m not sure if this is a trick question. If the answer is a lot, I’m going to need definitions and possibly descriptions.”
“None! I had none!”
“Yeah. Me too. Funny that.”
“It’s not funny. Do you know how sexually frustrated I was this morning when you pulled your ‘I can’t be expected to hold your hand’ crap? I was asking you to hold my freaking hand, not do me against the van.” With a growl, Allie turned away from him.
So, Donovan tackled her.
She snarled at him when he had her pinned. “Really? You’re going to pin me now?”
“My question.”
“Screw you.”
“Are you backing out of the agreement to answer questions?”
Allie’s stony silence suggested he’d better get on with it or he’d get kneed real quick.
Magic Flame (Enchanted Book 3) Page 3
