He caught and pulled her to him, steadying her against his chest. Her warmth sank beneath his cotton shirt. Don’t go there. “Hey. Are you all right?” Her aura gave off a scent of fear, but surprising the hell out of him, she hadn’t tugged away. She lifted her face and searched his eyes. “Are you…”
“An angel? No. I’m not.” He knew what she thought, and not because he tried to probe her mind, but because the questions were written plain across her face. She needed to realize right now an angel he was not. He only wanted to help her, make sure she’d get back on her feet, and maybe now kick some jerk’s butt. Her breathing echoed through him, faster and faster.
“Dreams—You—How did you know I thought you…” She took several steps back, yet she stood taller. Oh hell, they did connect in his dream. How in the hell had that happened?
“You called me that on the river bank.” He stepped toward her. “I’m Trace. Trace Stuart.” He paused and then offered his hand.
She stood still. He stood still. Her eyes widened again as though she realized he’d been there at the river. He heard her heartbeat race out of control. He hated to do it, but if she wanted to get out of here, he had no choice. He gently gave a nudge to her mind, encouraging her to relax and trust him completely.
“Oh. Um. Thank you,” she finally said and lowered her eyes. “Thank you for saving my life.” Sliding her hand into his, she glanced up. Again her warmth stirred inside of him. A strange, but nice feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time. The lust that boiled to the surface needed to be caged right away.
He’d really complicated things.
As she slowly slid her hand out of his, she turned and looked behind her. The asshole stood in the hospital doorway. Her eyes widened with fear. “I gotta go.”
Relax. Let me help you.
“Do you need a ride?” The ache to touch her hand again overpowered him.
She hesitated, fighting his persuasion, then she glanced back at the jerk. “Yes. Please. I’d like to pick up my car.”
“No problem.” He helped her into the Yukon and she sank low. He hated manipulating her will, but he sensed her fear. Without the extra push she wouldn’t have left with him.
Scooting into the driver’s seat, he glanced in the rearview mirror. “Who is he?”
She blinked. “Who?”
“The guy you just ran from.”
Open to me.
She stole another peek out the back window and sighed. “My brother-in-law.”
Trace didn’t understand why the idiot acted like this toward his own relative. Humans were messy when it came to relationships. “I hope you don’t mind my intrusion, but you didn’t seem too happy to see him.” Where was her husband?
She fidgeted with her purse strap. He sensed her struggle for the right words.
“No. I wasn’t. I don’t consider Jeff my brother-in-law anymore. He’s um—He’s controlling.” She paused. “My husband died eight months ago.”
“I’m sorry.” He hadn’t seen that one coming, but a piece of him relished the fact that she wasn’t married.
“Jeff is insistent on taking care of me, and I only wish to be alone.”
He saw the confusion in her eyes. He wanted her to have whatever she wished for. Oh and how he could relate to wanting to be alone sometimes.
He took a quick glance at her. Her pale face matched his own, but her eyes were light compared to his dark. A beautiful human and he had no business being near her.
*******
Kira couldn’t believe it. Her mouth had a mind of its own. Her dream man sat next to her. In the flesh. The sweet nights they’d held hands. Held each other like lovers. Her face heated. Maybe, that’s why she’d trusted him enough to go with him. What else explained why she got into a stranger’s car without a second thought. It just wasn’t like her.
She stole a glance at him and rubbed her sweaty palms against her pants as she remembered the special moments she’d conjured up in her mind. Somehow he’d appeared more angelic in her dreams —more real—more true to himself. She couldn’t place it. But she didn’t really know him. All she knew was the man she’d dreamed about for several nights made her yearn for more of his caresses. A man she wouldn’t mind knowing at all if things were different.
But, things were not.
His dark hair brushed his shoulders from beneath the Zephyrs baseball cap. She wondered if his ancestors were part Indian, because of his prominent cheekbones and the angle of his jaw. A powerful display of masculine beauty.
He glanced at her, his dark blue eyes holding her captive for a brief second. He’d felt her gaze. Busted. Her blood warmed again, not only in her face this time. Stunned at the powerful connection she’d experienced with him, she turned toward the window.
At least he seemed to be taking her answers in stride. He hadn’t thrown her out of the SUV, nor had he jumped. Truthfully, she wanted to be alone. Didn’t she? They sat in silence while she stared out the window watching the trees pass. The oaks lined the highway like soldiers standing guard or maybe just keeping watch. She rubbed her temples. Her mind raced, still unable to believe her angel, the man in her dreams, showed up again to rescue her.
In a small part of her, warning bells rang. She’d never trusted anyone like this ever.
Could he happen to be in the right place twice?
I am safe with him.
How could she open up to a stranger this easy? It had to be because of the dreams. She knew she shouldn’t let that judge his character, but somehow she couldn’t stop herself. She couldn’t explain how she seemed to know him on levels that were not possible.
None-the-less, peace surrounded her whenever he was near.
“I’m truly sorry for your loss. I lost someone too.”
Wait. What were they talking about? Oh yeah. Steve. “Is that why you were at the hospital?” Stupid. She hadn’t thought about it before. He was probably going to visit someone when he saw her looking helpless.
He stared into her eyes. “No. I was coming to visit you.”
Chapter 4
Oh crap. She swallowed. “Really?” He was kidding, right? This sexy-as-hell man came to see her? Still dreaming.
“Yes.” His quick as lightning smile lit from the inside.
Then his lips thinned as though debating. “Do you mind me asking why you snuck out?”
She needed to learn how to act better. “That obvious huh?”
Trace nodded.
“I, uh, was trying to leave before Jeff showed up. Since my husband’s death he doesn’t leave me alone.” She inhaled. “I’m fine. I don’t need him to watch over me.” Everything held true except the “I’m fine” part. Since Trace saved her from drowning, he probably already knew that too.
“I know.”
Kira sighed. Yes, she was better, but she still had many things to think about. Like, why she did what she did, and to make sure she never ended up like that again.
“Listen. Life serves hard lessons. You survived yours. All you have to do is hold on, and you’ll get through. You’ll be a better person because of it.”
“How is it you know exactly what to say?” The way he spoke to her was nothing she’d experienced before. As if, he knew her most personal thoughts. His voice penetrated deep into her bones, as though he knew everything about her.
He shrugged. “I don’t.”
“I’m not depressed.” Things had been so…she’d hold on tighter this time. Take things day by day.
“I know.” He said as though he believed her. “Relax, okay?”
Kira rubbed her forehead at the pressure forming between her eyes. Not one for headaches, the pain felt as though her head was caught in a vise grip.
Let loose. It will help you get past it.
“Most of my life I lived day to day. Foster home to foster home.” Words flew. “And when I was old enough I ran away. I’ve been running ever since. I’m tired.” Never had she spoken so freely to anyone. Even to her husband. What is wrong wi
th her? She shook her head. Probably, because Trace had saved her, had seen her at the bottom of the world, then he’d intimately been in her dreams.
“The foster homes —were they so bad?”
“It wasn’t the homes. It was my foster fathers, one in particular.” She paused as the pressure continued. A small crack formed inside her head, and inch by inch split open, allowing her to release painful memories. “I lived with a man for a short while to get out of the house, months later he died in a car accident. I hit the road again, then finally stopped and settled on this town. I got a waitress job, and then Steve came into the diner.” She smiled. “He came every night after and wouldn’t take no for answer. Even knowing things always had a bad ending for me, I said yes, and I was happy.”
“You’ve had hard times,” Trace said with knowing eyes. Kira nodded.
Thirty minutes later, Kira glanced out the back window to make sure Jeff hadn’t followed. He probably wouldn’t, but she’d feel better checking anyway. She released a sigh when there was no sign of him.
Kira reached into her pocket pulling out the necklace sling that a childhood friend, Todd had made. She rubbed the necklace where it secretly held a small stone. Todd had showed her how to sling rocks from the leather rope. He wanted her to be able to protect herself from the bad guys, he’d said. She knew he was talking about her foster father. However, when she became a better target hitter than Todd, that was when he gave her the most beautiful black stone, and told her that one day the special stone would save her life. The day she ran away from her foster father, it had done exactly that. Her aim had knocked him out cold. Kira held back a smile, she had been really proud of her perfect shot. She kissed the rock and then tied the necklace around her neck.
They came to a stop. She scooted out of the black Yukon, and glanced at the railing where she’d fallen—no…jumped. The muddy smell of the Louisiana Mississippi River crawled under her skin. She held back the tears threatening to spill. It hurt facing her insane mistake. Her error in judgment. She blew out a slow breath. How had she ended up on that damn bridge?
Trace tugged his ball cap lower, and then angled his head to see her face better. “You okay?”
She licked her dry lips wishing for a bottle of water. “Yes.” She paused and shook her head. “Not really. It’s not as easy as I hoped.” How did he get her to open up like this? Words flowed to the surface. He deserved the truth, since he was the sole reason she stood here today. She stared into his sky-blue eyes, easily getting lost. Wait, weren’t they dark blue earlier, almost black in her dreams? Whatever. She’d try to give him the truth. No. She wasn’t fine, and she didn’t want to lie anymore. Not to herself or anyone else.
As she turned the connection between them broke. She inhaled deeply. She couldn’t think of Trace as anything other than a friend. No way would she allow herself to get close to someone again. If only she were the type of girl who could handle one-night-stands, that would make things easier. Could she walk away after he’d held her? Just for the night? The thought had possibilities. She’d probably have to wait for another one of those wonderful dreams.
Trace stepped closer, reaching out for her hand, but hesitated, slid his hand back in his pocket. “I’ll help you.”
He’d said that before, and she had no doubt he would try. The fact that he wanted to reach out to her filled her with hope. She’d wished he had found her before her mistake...maybe, they could have been more…
She wouldn’t open up her heart again, she couldn’t afford it. Not ever again.
After noticing a parking violation sticker on her car, she led Trace to the side of the bridge railing. The early morning sun warmed her face, the exact opposite of the day she had tried to die. Thank God and Trace she hadn’t. She leaned over holding the warm railing, watching the sparkles from the sun bounce off the water like blinking stars.
Peaceful. The scene before her appeared so different from the raging river it had once been. She rubbed her temples and heard a mocking bird call out on its flight above the water. She squinted trying to see through the glare as it landed on top of a rock on the embankment.
“I won’t ask why, unless you want to tell me.” He grazed her arm with the back of his fingers. “Tell me to shut up if I’m—”
“No. It’s okay.” She cleared her throat and the pressure in her skull began to ease a little more. Maybe it would help to tell someone. It would probably be better telling a stranger. “For almost a year I’ve barely slept. My daughter, Bre, cried, night after night. I thought I was going insane. I couldn’t handle it…thought I was a terrible mother. My husband couldn’t stay up with her. He had to work during the day. It was my job to tend to her every night.” She let out a tired breath and pushed her hair behind her ears. An ache throbbed so hard inside her heart. She couldn’t deal with the pain again, but something kept pushing her to continue.
Trace squeezed, gently caressing her arm. Somehow, his touch gave her the strength. She wanted to let it all out for the very first time.
Pieces of her heart shattered again. No. She couldn’t. Too painful. She grabbed her head between her hands and held tight. She couldn’t fall apart in front of him. Not here. Not now.
“It hurts.” The pressure stopped immediately. Tears still flowed and she wiped them away.
“Kira, I don’t know you well, but I do know whatever happened it wasn’t your fault. You need to let it go.” His voice soothed her aches as he whispered near her face. He caught her chin with his finger. “Listen to me. Whatever happened, it wasn’t because of you.”
Her hands trembled as she swallowed the huge lump lodged in her throat. She stepped back. A part of her wanted to believe him, but she couldn’t. “It was.” She choked on the words.
*******
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed you.” Trace reached out wanting to curl his hands around her waist, but he resisted. She might not want to be touched by a stranger. The pain she kept inside…he couldn’t stand to see her beat herself up. The urge to comfort her like he’d done in his dreams—to hold her again clawed its way to the forefront, but he couldn’t give in.
It still baffled him how’d they connected. He could feel something, a thin thread of connection between them, a magnetic force inching them ever so closer.
As she fidgeted with her fingers, she stepped back. “I’ve never told anyone…ever. It’s still too raw.” She cleared her throat. “But, I appreciate you listening.”
“Well, what are perfect strangers for, right?”
Kira sighed. “Right.” The word came out in a burst of air. “It’s the oddest thing though. I feel like I know you from somewhere.”
The term stranger didn’t sit right with him either. She was right, he felt it too. A familiarity. She might not be aware of it, but something had formed between them, and remained, even now. He couldn’t place it. He wasn’t even quite sure how to handle it.
One thing he did know, he wanted to be more to her than the angel in her dreams. Not that it was possible, but for the first time, he wanted.
He felt good.
It had been a long time since he felt anything at all over his pain.
But he couldn’t take advantage of her situation. It would be wrong. Still, he thought of nothing but holding her, comforting her.
Comforting him.
Could he be that selfish? Holding her made him feel better. The warmth of her skin, the valley between her breasts when she clung to him. He wanted to lift her shirt and—what the hell was wrong with him?
Kira thought him harmless—maybe even trustworthy. He didn’t want to screw that up, but right this second it took all that he had, not to do exactly that.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
Shit. He hadn’t meant to stare. Idiot. “No. Nothing’s wrong.” He’d better get going before he got himself into more trouble. The Council would already be pissed when they found out he’d skipped his hunt last night. “You ready?” Say no. Say no.
/>
Kira shifted on her feet. Was she stalling? “Yeah, but…”
“You don’t want to go home?” God, he hoped. He could take her to his place. Make her forget her troubles if just for a little while. Damn. She’d just confessed her deepest pain to him and here he thought only of touching her...Holding her. Sick.
She cleared her throat and glanced away. “I’m not going home.”
“I understand. The memories. Do you have somewhere else to go?”
She nodded. “The memories are hard.” She sniffed. “I haven’t decided where I’m going yet.”
He slid a finger beneath her chin. No use to fight it. The sensation grew too powerful for him to stop. “Come home with me.” Say yes. Say yes.
Her eyes widened. “No. I can’t intrude on you anymore than I already have.”
Intrude? She stared at him as though she could read his ill intentions. “I wouldn’t mind if you came home with me,” he said, trying to downplay his need. Oh hell. You hopeless jerk.
She rubbed the back of her neck. “Maybe for a little while.”
He resisted the urge to pull her to him and kiss the living life out of her. “A little while is better than none at all.” He wasn’t talking about the same thing as she. He wanted her in his arms and he’d take that short moment over none at all. Something about her made him forget his problems. His mind was at peace when she was near.
“I’m glad you saved me.” She caught him completely off guard.
He didn’t move. Several seconds passed, his face inches from hers. He wanted to show her how glad he was that she was still here too. Not knowing exactly what to say with simple words. Finally he said, “Me too.”
She smiled and he tried to adjust the gallop of his heartbeat. “I’ll follow you in my car,” she said.
Her smile squeezed the breath out of him. He wasn’t sure he could talk, but somehow he managed. “You up to driving?” Although she seemed fine, he’d rather drive to make sure.
“You mean other than feeling like someone hit me with a bat in the stomach? I’m fine. I want to drive. I’m going to roll down the window and let the wind cleanse the stale air out of the car
Not An Angel (A Poryria Vampire Novel (Book 1)) Page 4
