Moving slowly with an open palmed hand, to signal to her I meant her no harm, I stepped back resting when my body made contact with the coffee table.
“Who the fuck are you?” she asked, relaxing her posture. Once she accepted I wasn’t her enemy, she didn’t hold back on the verbal assault. “And where the fuck am I?”
“I’m just a good Samaritan,” I answered peacefully, knowing that saying my name would mean very little to her. Instead, trying to let her know my intentions seemed like a better option. “I found you in the woods hurt and brought you back here.”
Her vertical position made blood drip onto her cheek. Swiping her hand across her face, she cursed again and I thought immediately that she and Flynn would probably get along.
“So, why were you there, in the woods?” I asked, while she wiped the blood on her jeans like it was something foreign to her.
“Nothing,” she said, still surveying herself. That gave me a better view of her upper body.
She was lean and athletic. Not much on top, but enough. Shaking my head, I shouldn’t ogle her tits. But damn if I could stop myself.
“You had to be out there for a reason and you’re bleeding. Can I call someone for you?” I asked, bringing my eyes upwards.
Focusing on me, she looked me up and down with a predatory eye. I also got a strong impression she was checking me out at the same time. “No, nobody to call,” she said matter-of-factly.
Moving my hands in frustration, I continued trying to get the answers she wasn’t giving me. “You were alone. What were you doing?” I asked. My interrogation was a bit mild, however I couldn’t be absolutely sure yet she wasn’t telling the truth.
She was smoothing her hair at this point and had found the stickiness in it. Pulling a bloody hand away she finally connected the dots, it appeared. Her head snapped back up and eyes focused on me. Determination was what I saw there. “I was backpacking, you know. And I got lost,” she said and it almost sounded like truth.
I didn’t believe it for a minute. Flynn walked in at that moment and came into her view when he stood next to me. Her eyes bugged out and if I wasn’t curious about reading her truthfulness, I might have left them to ogle each other.
“Holy cow, you’re fucking hot,” she said. Flynn laughed and I found myself rolling my eyes. It wasn’t often that girls spoke what was clearly written on their faces. “Have I ended up in California or something?” she smirked.
Flynn, loving the attention, I was sure, said, “No, and why would you ask that.”
Her hands came out in front of her, smeared with blood, but she didn’t seem to be affected. Pointing at Flynn she said, “Well, you are Mr. Hollywood for sure.” Then those slim hands came in my direction, “And surfer boy here clearly belongs on a beach.”
Laughing some more, Flynn said, “I think I’m going to like you a lot.” He handed her the towel he’d brought. She took it and wiped her hands and face, leaving bloody streaks on the tan thing. I looked at the leather couch. It appeared unscathed somehow. There would be no need to clean it.
Our guest flashed him a smile that accentuated the cleft in her chin. Her smiled lit up her face, and the smattering of freckles across her nose brought to life the green in her eyes. “Back at you Hollywood,” she said. “Hey, do you think I could borrow your shower. I think I have blood in my hair,” she asked, very comfortably. Something wasn’t right that she was just so casual about being in a house with two guys she didn’t know and then asking to take a shower bloody or not.
Even so, catching Flynn’s eyes, I gave him my okay. “Sure,” Flynn said. “You can use the one in the second bedroom at the top of the stairs. But if you go into mine, I could always help you wash your back.” His smile dared her to.
“Well, cowboy, I could give you a ride, but I don’t know if you are ready for what I have to offer,” she said, with a wink and got to her feet. “I think it might take the two of you to feed my needs. I’m Seroff by the way. You boys have names?” she asked, with a smirk. Her voice may have been sweet but it was the sticky kind. The kind that gets you trapped and in a hell of a lot of trouble.
“Luke,” I said, not bothering to extend my hand. She didn’t seem like that type of girl. Her hands were now folded across her chest anyway.
Flynn gave his name and said, “Sara.” He was confirming what he thought he heard. I knew that was wrong but waited to see what she would say.
“Seroff,” she said again. “But you can call me Sara.”
She gave us a big smile and turned on her heels making her way to the stairs. Even though she was rail thin, her waist was tiny which made her hip look full. They swayed like a pendulum as she made her way up to the bathroom. We watched her ascent to the top. There, she pulled off her shirt and dropped it to the bottom not facing us. Flynn’s mouth parted and I watch too as she covered her breasts with her hands, yet not shy in the least. What we did see was a marking or tattoo on her lower back, the kind of thing we guys like to call tramp stamps. “Do you have a washer?” she asked, over her shoulder.
The way Flynn was staring, I wasn’t sure he would be able to get out a coherent word without drooling. “Yeah, take it all off and I’ll put it in the washer,” he managed to get out.
She bent down and peeled off her jeans and things got real uncomfortable how I was sitting. Standing with her bare back to us, she dropped the jeans down to us. “Underwear?” Flynn asked.
“I don’t wear any,” she said casually, walking into the room in front of her and closing the door.
Turning his attention back to me he said, “Fuck, man. What the hell did you bring home?”
I was still staring at the spot she vacated when he spoke. My nether regions were so on board with her teasing. It had been a while for a girl to really get me to react just that way. Oh, there was one girl, but she wasn’t here. And now, my brain was fighting lustful thoughts that had me wanting to go into that room and challenge the girl at her own game.
When I finally looked away, Flynn was watching me. “You calling dibs?” he questioned.
“What?” I asked.
“You know, you saw her first, so you want me to back off,” he answered, swallowing. He was hoping I would say no.
“Dude, she thinks you’re fucking hot,” I said, using air quotes. “I’m not going to stand in her way if she wants you.
“Yeah, but,” he started saying.
Shaking my head, I walked over to where her clothes landed. “If you want her, go for it,” I said. I wasn’t that guy that needed my friend’s pass-overs.
“So what, if I go for her, then you’ll go for...” He didn’t finish but I knew what he was going to say. Go for her, the girl we kept debating and dancing around the topic of.
“I think the same applies. If she wants you, you can have her too,” I hedged, while he searched for truth in my words.
Leaving it be for now, he headed up the stairs and I bit back a curse. “I’m going to look for something she can wear. Can you toss that into the washer?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said, quickly walking away. She was really cute and her sharp mouth intrigued me more than I thought it could. If she got with Flynn, I’d have to be okay with it, I told myself while grinding my teeth. I made my way to the utility room past the kitchen.
Turning the thing on, I reached up for the powder that peeked out at me. I started it and dumped her clothes inside. It was just a shirt and jeans. Her pockets were empty. No id, nothing.
The machine wasn’t foreign to me. It was just me and my mom at home. She refused a cleaning service saying I needed to know how to do things around the house. So I wasn’t a stranger to the washing machine.
Walking back to the kitchen, I grabbed a bottle of Johnnie Walker. My intuition said this girl wasn’t human. She was too sure of herself like she wasn’t worried about whether or not we were safe to be around. We were, but the normal human response would be at least a little worried. She wasn’t. Swallowing my first gulp, the bu
rn reminded me of the hell fire to come. The twins would be here soon and I wondered how Flynn was going to juggle the two girls. It wasn’t like he was a stranger to that kind of thing. I, personally, didn’t like to share, but maybe if I got drunk enough…
Chapter Seven – Flynn
My drawers were bare but not empty. I never knew when I might end up here so I kept a few things around just in case. Finally, I found some shorts with a drawstring. That should work. She was quite a bit shorter than me. These would go past her knees once on, I suspected. I grabbed a black shirt that her boobs wouldn’t show through, even though I wouldn’t mind if they did.
She was a little firecracker and I worried about my boy. He had stars in his eyes and that filly didn’t look like she was the type to be saddled. She did however look like she’d give one hell of a ride.
Opening my door, I went downstairs with the clothing I’d found. Luke was sitting on the counter with a new bottle in hand. “Hey,” I said, holding out my hand with the stuff I’d gotten. “Why don’t you take that to Sara?’
The doorbell rang then and Luke hopped down from the counter taking what I offered. He looked like he may have argued the point before, but now he was headed for the hills. Anything to avoid Adelina. That much I was sure of. Chuckling, I thought about her. That girl was like a boa constrictor. Once she had you in her grips, she’d squeeze the life out of you. I owed my best friend a lot for putting up with her.
Once he was safely upstairs and out of sight, I made my way to the door. Opening it, Adriana squealed in delight and hugged me all arms and legs wrapped around my waist. Good thing she didn’t weight much, I was able to step back and let her sister in. The girl’s face seemed to hold a perpetual glower.
Setting Adriana on her feet, she held on long enough to kiss me with the ferocity of her hug. “I missed you,” she admitted.
After that greeting, I found myself unable not to agree and said, “I missed you too.” Heavy emphasis on the you.
“Should we put our stuff in the room next to yours,” Adriana asked with all the innocence that was true and good.
“Uh, no,” I hesitated, remembering our unexpected guest. “Use the third one,” I said gesturing at that door in the upper landing. She looked at me, but I patted her on the ass which made her giggle and head upstairs.
Luke hadn’t come back down yet. I wondered what he was up to or rather into, I thought with a smile. He needed to get laid and maybe he’d relax. I didn’t keep up with the guy’s sex life, but he hadn’t had a girlfriend in a while and he didn’t take to sleeping with random girls.
Finding the bottle Luke drank from, I took a swig myself. This night was proving to be interesting. I wondered what the guy would think when he found out I’d agreed to host an impromptu party down by the lake. The shifters were in the mood and I thought if Luke didn’t have to be stuck alone with Adelina, he’d thank me. Now, this girl has come around and shook things up.
When I heard light footsteps descend the stairs, I was sure it was Adriana. To my surprise it was our guest, hair damp from her shower, eyes on mine like she was offering me something. Her lust was apparent. And from her purposeful steps, I had a feeling she was going to make good on it.
“So, Hollywood, I see you and I share friends,” she said, flipping her blond hair over her shoulder. Walking around the counter and into the kitchen so we wouldn’t be seen from the above landing, I faced the girl that followed me in.
“And what friend might that be,” I said, with a challenge. People generalize that blonds aren’t smart. One in my line of sight, one waiting for me to get back home, and neither of whom were dumb by any stretch of the imagination.
Stepping over to me and pressing her tight body against mine, she snagged the bottle from my hand and took the longest drink I’d expect from a girl before setting the bottle down. Heavy lidded, which was sexy as all fuck, she leaned in. Her need was so thick, eyes falsely innocent, I felt powerless to stop her. Who was this girl?
Her lips were soft and moist from the drink just like I imagined. Her taste was 100-proof that was damn sure, like the whiskey she just drank. She didn’t open her mouth wide but her tongue peeked through and touched my mouth. My hand automatically raised to draw her in with a clasp against the back of her head, but voices had me using both my hands on her shoulders instead to step her back. When her expression changed, I turned to look at the girls who now stood at the counter on the other side. My hands had already fallen to my sides.
Sara was quick. She moved to the counter to extend a hand out. “Hi, I’m Sara.”
Adriana, who was as kind as she appeared, stuck out her hand to meet the other girls. “Hi, I’m Adriana. And this is my sister Adelina.”
Green eyes came back to meet mine. “Nice,” she said, like she figured it all out. “Well, I’m no party crasher,” she announced. “I’ll be on my way as soon as my clothes get out of the washer.”
Adriana looked perplexed but her sister looked like she was going to blow looking at the girl more intently now. “Sara had a little accident in the woods and she got a nasty cut on her head. There was blood and we offered her assistance,” Luke said, rounding into my line of sight.
“Doesn’t she live around here? Can’t she just go home?” Adelina asked.
Rolling her eyes, Adriana said, “Don’t be a bitch, Addy? I’m sure if she could have gone home she would have.”
“She’s camping in the woods if that’s any of your business. And we have more than enough room,” Luke said none to friendly.
“No, it’s not a big deal. I just thought,” Adelina backpedaled.
“Look, I don’t want to start any problems or break up any relationships,” Sara said.
Adriana jumped in. “It’s really no problem. And we aren’t their girlfriends as much as I wouldn’t mind that. We’re just here for the weekend and then we head back home. If you had a nasty spill by falling or something, it’s probably better that you are around people and not alone in case you have a concussion.”
Sara looked at the girl then seemed to decide. “You are a genuinely nice person aren’t you,” she said.
Adriana blushed. “It’s like the saying goes. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
Then the bitch bared her claws. “Ana,” Adelina said to her sister. “Not his girlfriend. Are you serious?” she declared, with hands on her hips.
The other girl looked at her sister in confusion. “I’m not,” Adriana said, while clasping a hand around a necklace she was wearing. Only then did I notice the yellow top she wore with thin straps leaving a lot of skin uncovered. She was shifting on her feet nervously and I caught a view of the short tan shorts she wore.
“Oh, and I suppose Flynn knows that ever since you met him there has been no one else. I mean you gave him your virginity and even though he doesn’t commit to you, you won’t go out with anyone else hoping he’ll throw you a bone. You just go running every time he calls you.”
Adriana paled. She looked sick and embarrassed. And I felt like a shit. She wasn’t dating? I mean we had an understanding. I didn’t force her to come visit me or anything. I just thought we were having a good time. Then another thought filled my brain. Had the girl become addicted to me? According to everything I knew about my species, it could happen. I was well aware of the problem. But I’d been careful. At least I thought I had. A quick look at Luke and he arched a brow at me in question. I turned back to the two girls wondering how this was going to play out. More importantly, I needed to figure out a way to distance myself from Adriana in the future so the effects, if there were some, would wear off.
Color began to fill Adriana’s face. “Well, if we are just putting it out there. Why don’t you tell everyone about that actor’s poster you have hanging on your wall next to the door? The one that looks like Luke here,” she said holding out a hand in the guy’s direction. “The one you kiss everyday on your way out of your room.”
Trying to hold back a l
augh, I saw Luke face drain of color. “The guy’s hot. So what if Luke looks like him,” Adelina countered.
“You didn’t put his poster up until after you met Luke. And not to mention you only date blond blue eyed guys now like you are looking for a substitute.”
The girls stepped to each other and what seemed funny for a second was going nuclear.
“Wow,” Sara said loudly, bringing all of our attention on her. “It’s freaky. I mean. You two are twins right.” She didn’t bother to wait for an answer. The two girls looked enough alike for that not to be obvious. “And you are like an angel with spunk,” she said pointing to Adriana. “And you,” she said pointing to Adelina, “are like hell’s spawn.”
No Mercy (Cambions 2.5) Page 4
