“Okay.” My security concerns settled, I focused my attention on diving my hands under his shirt. With a slight shake of his head, Nick turned again toward the hallway and my bedroom door.
An urgent, tongue-tangling kiss occupied us the second he carried me into the room. It wasn’t enough. Dizzy from more than lack of air, I pulled away, slid down his body, and allowed my feet to discover the floor. We both took a step back to peel off our shirts. Footwear was next; I had to sit on the edge of the bed to take mine off.
Nick simply toed his running shoes off, unbuttoning his jeans at the same time. I watched while tugging my socks free.
“My turn,” he growled while unzipping his jeans. “Wait.”
“Okay.” I paused, fingers on the button of mine. Since he was about to shuck his, waiting was fine by me. Warm golden eyes glued to my face, he worked the denim off his hips and down, neatly ridding himself of socks at the same time.
No underwear; he was a commando guy. I licked the corner of my mouth, gazing at him. “You're circumcised.”
“What?” Nick looked down.
“Nevermind.” For some reason, I hadn't thought he would be. Shifters healed fast—that was something else I knew about them. He was willing to move on, walking toward me and bending, fingers quickly unbuttoning my jeans
Unzipping them, Nick tucked his fingers over the edge of the waistband and grinned. “This is like unwrapping a present.”
No one had ever compared me to a present before. Falling back on trembling elbows, I helped remove my jeans. He tossed them off to the side and crawled onto the bed, over me. “I'm not naked yet.”
“Give me a minute.” Another succulent kiss followed, his hand finding the catch of my bra, which fell loose. It slipped down, and Nick left my lips for my breasts.
“Condom,” I reminded him, eyes closing as he nuzzled skin.
“I remember.” He slipped backwards, off the bed and went for his jeans. While he dug for his wallet and the condom, I wiggled out of my panties, tossing them and bra to the floor.
“Mission accomplished.” He came back, holding up the small package and paused. “Now that's something I haven't seen before.”
“You don't like it? I think it's cute.” I kept a small patch, currently trimmed into the shape of a heart.
“I didn't say that just that I haven't seen anything like that before.” He ripped the package open, quickly rolling on the condom. Re-joining me on the bed, he asked, “Can we play now? Please?”
He took my laugh for a yes. We made out until we were both breathless and hot. Nick slid over me, settling between my legs to push tentatively, and slipped inside a bit. He wiggled like an excited puppy before pushing deeper, snuffling at my neck. In a thick, low voice, he said, “You smell so good, Cordi.”
“Uh hmm.” His first thrust was slow and careful. After a shivering pause, he moved into a firm, quick rhythm that had me panting for air in short order.
It felt fantastic, but when he slid both arms under me, changing the angle just so, it felt much better. Waves of pleasure radiated through me, continuing even when he groaned, thrusting deep and staying. I could feel the spasms as he came. Cheek pressed to my temple, he muttered, “Damn.”
“What?” I was gasping for air.
“I only had the one. I want to do it again.”
So did I, but without a condom, it wasn't happening. “You could go buy some.”
He sighed. “I knew you were going to say that.”
Another minute or two passed before he raised his head. “You're too warm and sweet smelling to leave right now. I'll bring more next time. If there's going to be a next time?”
On board with that idea, I nodded and found the energy to move my hand in a slow stroke down his spine. “Yeah, there is.”
“Good.” He kissed me, and then moved. “Need to borrow the bathroom for a few minutes.”
I sat up. “We could take a shower together, but I’ll want cuddling afterwards.”
He chuckled. “Your wish is my command.”
***
“Cordi.”
“Hm?” I cracked open one eye to find Nick crouched beside my bed, fully dressed. “Is it morning already?”
The shifter grinned. “No, it's almost two. I have to go.”
I needed a few seconds to process that. “Oh.”
“I got a call; there's something I have to go help with,” he clarified before my frown made an appearance. “Pack business.”
“Oh, okay.” Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes. “Where do I need to take you?”
“I've got a ride. I'm sorry I woke you, but I didn't want you to think that…uh, just leaving a note didn’t…” he paused to start again. “I didn't want to go without saying bye or leaving your door unlocked.”
That was sweet of him. “It's okay. Cool.”
“I guess I'll see you in the morning.” Nick leaned, but stopped shy of kissing me. “I had a really good time.”
“Me too.” His lips were on mine, and I almost had my hands round his neck to keep him longer, but he pulled free.
Chest heaving, he backed away and licked his lips. “Don't forget to lock the door.”
“I won't.” As he exited the room, I took a second before following to check again. Yes, the shimmer was still gold. If Zoe were turned, or dead, it would have disappeared.
Five
Everyone arrived more or less at the same time the next morning, so once we poured our coffees, Mr. Whitehaven called a meeting to issue our pay stubs. Our checks were direct deposited; I think he was just old-fashioned enough to like to hand out envelopes.
Slipping hers into a pocket of her ruby red, Fifties-style cap-sleeved dress, Kate asked, “What did you discover yesterday?”
“A vampire lord named Derrick who doesn’t care for telepathic interlopers.”
Nick jumped in. “He must be powerful. Cordi was scared enough to call it a day.”
“Wary enough. It was dusk by then.” They ignored my correction.
Mr. Whitehaven sat back, hands dropping from desktop to arm rests. “Did you locate the missing child?”
“She’s a teenager. No. I couldn’t scan this vampire’s estate.” Before he asked, I checked the shimmer for the third time since I’d woken up. “She’s still alive. Oh, and there was another thing.” I described the meeting with the elf, watching as the boss’s face settled into blandness.
Since I didn’t pry unless necessary in the line of work, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking or feeling. The boss never leaked thoughts. As far as I knew, elves weren’t clients the agency had taken on before.
“We’ll see if he calls.” Whitehaven left it at that.
“Kate, can you try and find out about Zoe’s father? I’m curious as to why he wasn’t here yesterday.” Surely, someone had informed the man about her disappearance. My father would have been all over anything that involved my disappearance, driving people to drink until I was found.
“I’ll do my best.” She frowned. Searches weren’t her forte, but Whitehaven hadn’t found someone to hire as a specialist just yet. “I’ll also see what I can uncover on this Derrick.”
“Thanks. Will you be up to try locating her again?”
“Yes, this afternoon. I have a client coming in, and a lunch date. You need to call Mr. Fent, and set up another appointment to search for his aliens.” She was also our acting receptionist to atone for her familiar’s tendency to crap on select individuals, a habit that had driven the last one out the door.
“Right.” The meeting was adjourned, and learning that Nick hadn’t gotten a tour of the office, I took care of that before making the necessary call.
We took lunch early, Kate disappearing to meet her mysterious boyfriend, while Nick and I settled for burgers just down the block from the office.
Popping a fry in his mouth, he chewed while watching me douse mine in ketchup and pepper. “You’re a fan of tomatoes in all their forms, aren’t you?”
“Yo
u bet. I have tomato sauce running through my veins. Dad’s family came over from Italy.” The opening to tell each other about our families was there, but Nick didn’t take it.
He changed the subject. “I’d like to take you out for dinner after work.”
“That sounds like a plan,” I agreed, picking at my fries and slightly regretting my leap of lust the night before.
We each ate a few bites before he spoke up again. “Sorry I had to take off like that last night.”
“It's okay. Did everything work out all right?”
“Yeah.” The shifter didn't offer any explanation, but whatever it had been probably wasn't my business anyway. We finished eating and walked back to the office to see a limo waiting in the parking lot.
I wasn’t too surprised to find Thorandryll in the reception area. Just by lounging on the harvest gold two-seat sofa he turned our mellow reassure-the-clients-we’re-sane atmosphere into a kindergarten art project. Damn gorgeous elves. Then again, arrogance like Thorandryll’s kind of cut through the glamour. Nick’s polite nod was ignored, and with a little helpful direction from my finger poking his ribs, he headed for Kate’s office.
Left alone with the elf, I smiled. “Have you been waiting long?”
“Not at all. Your employer and I finished our conversation only a few minutes ago.” He’d risen from his seat when we walked in, and began to offer his hand, but dropped it.
So, Whitehaven had given him the zoo speech. It was actually a ‘don’t touch the psychic unless she offers first’ speech, but it reminded me of the signs on certain cages at the zoo. ‘Don’t feed the monkeys’ or ‘Don’t touch the tiger’s glass’. “Good. If you’ll follow me, we can talk in my office.”
“Certainly. It’s a pleasure to see you again, Miss Jones.” He followed, taking a seat when I gestured toward the chairs while shutting the door.
Once seated behind my desk, I asked, “What is it that you need me to find?”
“An item has gone missing from my library.”
“So you want me to find a book?” Sitting back as he nodded, I thought he looked fantastic in the black slacks and a soft-looking green pullover he was wearing. Cashmere, I bet. Or thistle silk spun at midnight on a unicorn spindle and knitted by moths. He was having a terrible influence on me, if I was thinking things like that. “What kind of book?”
“It’s an ancient tome, over two thousand years old.”
“They had books back then? Wow.”
“Yes, some did.” His tone indicated sudden second thoughts about hiring me. I hid a grin, meeting those wintry blue eyes with what I hoped was an innocent expression.
“How long has it been missing?”
“Three days.”
“Okay. Do you have a photo of it?”
“No.”
Not helpful. “How about the title and author’s name?”
“It’s a journal, Miss Jones, so has neither stamped upon its cover nor written inside.”
That was even less helpful. “Could you describe it, or better yet, visualize it and let me see it?”
“Your employer strictly forbade any attempts to mentally share information.” He frowned, obviously not understanding Whitehaven’s rule.
“Oh.” I'd had some freaky episodes after mental contact with centuries-old vampires, hence that particular rule. The boss did the forbidding when a client was over a century old. The rule had come into play after I’d tried to bite him one evening. Even second-hand, the vampiric hunger for blood is a bitch. “Okay, do you have anything I can attempt to get some information from?”
“It's a large tome. The cover is lightly tanned leather. There aren't any symbols stamped upon it.” The elf gestured with long-fingered hands. When he finished, a square of crimson silk formed in mid-air, then whispered down to pool on my desk's top. “The book was wrapped in that for the past three decades. Will it suffice?”
“Yeah, it should.” I looked at the silk. It was older than I was by almost a decade. “No idea who stole it?”
“If I knew that, I wouldn't be here and the book would already have been returned to its place.” He glared through me, jaw clenching and lips thinning. There was no trouble imagining him with a sword in hand, dressed in elaborate armor, and charging into battle.
“Aside from its age, what's important about it? Why would someone want to steal it? Is it worth a lot?”
“Only to a few, with myself being one of them.” He smiled, not a confident curve of lips, but something cute and slightly crooked that called to mind little boys up to mischief. My brain stuttered to a halt. I didn't think he was using glamour to improve his looks, but that wasn't the only thing elves could do with that particular ability.
A quick knock on the door and Kate poked her head in. Her familiar, a parrot named Percival, stood on her left shoulder and Nick was behind her. The shifter focused on Thorandryll after a quick glance at me. Kate ignored the elf in favor of informing me, “I’m ready to try another location spell, Jones.”
“Okay, just a minute.” Their appearance broke the haze. I summoned up a professional smile, aiming it at the elf. “I'll let you know as soon as I come up with anything, and keep you updated on my progress as often as possible.”
Both golden eyebrows rose. “You're not going to attempt psychometry now?”
I wondered if he'd been researching psychic abilities while answering, “I have a previous case to wrap up.”
“I see.” He nodded, gave another brief, devastatingly gorgeous smile and rose from his seat. I shadowed the move, stepping out from around my desk to offer a hand. Thorandryll didn’t shake it. Too common, I suppose. He raised it with a quarter bow, breath and lips oh-so-briefly warming my knuckles. My skin tingled in reaction. “I look forward to hearing from you, Miss Jones.”
“Merde,” Percy remarked, turning his head and rustling a wing. “Il la veut pour lui-même.”
“Is that so?” Kate asked, eyebrows drawing down and green eyes locking on the elf's face as he turned toward the door.
“Oui. Asshole.” The parrot chortled. Nick's lips twitched before he stepped out of sight.
Rolling my eyes, I pointed at Percy. “Manners, bird brain.”
“Cordi, Cordi, Cordi,” the parrot warbled in his Frank Sinatra imitation. “That's amour!”
“You have an interesting pet,” Thorandryll remarked, walking toward the door. Kate stayed put, blocking it. Percy snickered as the elf was forced to halt.
“He's my familiar,” she said, challenge gleaming in her eyes.
“My apologies.” The elf inclined his head, and I sincerely wished I could see his face. Kate held position for a second longer before moving. Percy snickered again, one black eye watching the elf leave.
“What did he say? Was it rude?” I demanded, pointing at her familiar. “Aside from the obvious?”
“Only on the elf's part. Let’s try the spell. I have a coven meeting this evening.” She spun and headed for her office, Percy softly crooning in her ear.
Nick stepped up beside me. “Now that was funny.”
“He's a client. Percy needs to show some manners.”
“He is an asshole.” Catching hold of my hand, the shifter tugged me into walking. His thumb slipped over my knuckles in quick sweeps as we followed the witch. “We’re still on for dinner, right?”
“Absolutely.” I was gearing up for another trip to the Barrows, hoping this time it would end with possession of Zoe, and complete avoidance of the telepathic vampire.
Unfortunately, Kate wasn’t able to locate the girl, in spite of trying for a couple of hours amidst swearing and Percy’s crooning impression of Sinatra to calm her down.
“Are you certain she’s still alive?” Kate eventually demanded, putting the pendant down oh-so-carefully and rubbing the mark the chain had left across her palm.
A check of the filed shimmer gave confidence to my response. “Yes.”
She sighed, flipping strands of hair from one cheek. “Well,
I’m getting absolutely nothing here.”
I had a reprieve, so it was guilt-flavored relief flowing through my veins as I stood up. “Try again tomorrow?”
“Definitely.”
“Thanks, Kate.” Nick followed me out of her office, brow creased in thought.
Six
“I'm starving.” Constantly checking the Zoe shimmer was picking at my energy levels.
Ushering me out into the parking lot, Nick asked, “What do you want to eat?”
“Something heavy. Italian sound okay? I'll buy this time.” Hunger was overriding tiredness. It demanded satisfaction loudly, my stomach issuing a ferocious growl.
Nick chuckled. “I invited you. Do you have a place in mind?”
“Yeah. Did you want to drive?”
Of course he did, given the opportunity. I kept a straight face at his quick “Sure.”
Once we were in his truck, he started digging for information. “I get the impression you’re not very fond of vampires.”
“I’m not. One turned my best friend two years ago. She couldn't take it and asked me to stake her.”
Nick quietly whistled. “Did you?”
“Yeah.” I'd also paid for her funeral. Ginger hadn't been a vampire long enough to turn to ash. She’d just looked dead.
“That had to have been really hard.”
“Let's talk about something else, please.”
“Sure.” He was silent for a minute. “So, what kind of music do you like?”
That and other general topics carried us through dinner, since he avoided any of my attempts to get him to open up on more personal subjects.
It was dark when we left the restaurant, and I looked around while we walked to his truck. The vampire whose mind had brushed mine still worried me.
Nick asked, “Would it be all right if I drove you home and stayed the night?”
“Hm,” I pretended to think about it, and then grinned. “Yes.”
***
“I'll drop you off at work, then run home and change,” Nick said after swallowing the last bite of his omelet the next morning.
Arcane Solutions (Discord Jones) Page 4
