“Hey.” He leaned against the doorframe and gave me a smug smile.
Cocky bastard. I raised one eyebrow as I eyed his overconfident stance. “Whatever you’re thinking, you’re wrong.”
He laughed. “You sure about that?”
“Yes.”
He stepped back and waved an arm, gesturing for me to come in. “It’s pretty chilly out there. You’re welcome to warm up in here.”
I stepped over the threshold and eyed my keys, which were lying near a side table. There really was no reason for me to stay. Except not even a demon could’ve dragged me away from him right then. The sexual attraction I’d felt last night seemed to intensify to magnified proportions. I couldn’t explain the phenomenon, and after the day I’d had, I didn’t even want to.
Vaughn clasped my hand and tugged me through his shotgun-style apartment, all the way into the kitchen.
“Coffee?” he asked.
I nodded, leaning against the counter.
He filled a cup and placed it near me with a bottle of creamer and a bowl of sugar. As I doctored the coffee he said, “I’m glad you were able to track me down.”
“Excuse me?” I took a small sip of the coffee and met his gaze.
“Rick said you came by the shop earlier.”
“Rick?” I frowned. “Your shop? I don’t even know where you work.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. A wrinkle creased his brow and he mirrored my frown. “You didn’t come by to see me today?”
“No.” I chuckled. “I’m not a stalker.”
“Really?” His lips twitched. “But you’re here now.”
“I left my keys. I came to pick them up.” I couldn’t let him think I was one of those weird, clingy girls who thought one night in the sack meant some sort of relationship. Hell no. We barely knew each other.
His face turned stormy, and I had to fight back a laugh. He wanted me here. And it didn’t appear to be some misguided ego boost either. I mean, seriously. He clearly wasn’t lacking in self-confidence.
“I see. So does that mean your friend is waiting for you?”
“What friend?”
He took a step closer, his eyes burning into me. “The one who picked you up in the middle of the night last night.”
Oh. Right. “Um, no. I took the streetcar.”
That smoldering gaze dipped to my mouth.
I took my time, wetting my lips just to see what he would do.
His right arm flexed, but to my disappointment, he raised his gaze and took a step back. Then he stuffed his hands in his pockets. It was almost as if he were forcing himself to not touch me. Damn. There was that disappointment again. I took another long sip of my coffee.
Finally he asked, “Are you hungry?”
What a loaded question. Hell yes I was. But not really for food. “What did you have in mind?”
He took the coffee cup from me. “There’s a French restaurant on Magazine.”
“Yeah, sure, I could eat.” Because if I didn’t go, I’d be ripping his clothes off in two minutes flat. Desperation didn’t look good on me.
His shoulders relaxed and some of the tension eased from his face. “Good. It’s been a busy day. I haven’t eaten.”
He took off through his apartment, and I followed. We had to pass through his bedroom on our way out, but when we got there, he sat on the edge of his bed. Memories of what we’d done the night before filled my head. I couldn’t stop the heat from burning my cheeks. I hadn’t been in this position before. How was I supposed to act? Did dinner mean he expected a repeat of the night before? And what would I do if he didn’t? Seduce him anyway?
Once he had his shoes on, he stood and placed a hand on the small of my back. “Ready?”
“Sure.” His touch was so comfortable and oddly familiar it put me at ease. And suddenly, I wanted more than the life I’d been leading. I wanted someone to drop in on. Someone I cared about enough to spend more than one night with. Brandon was a possibility. He was a nice guy, but this natural chemistry that I had with Vaughn was missing. We’d bore each other before too long. I vowed right then and there to enjoy myself while I was with Vaughn. Consequences be damned. Was it so terrible to care about someone?
“So,” I said. “You had a mystery woman come by your shop. Who do you think it could be?” The obvious answer was some other one-night stand who couldn’t seem to stay away either. But I was comforted by the fact that he’d immediately assumed the person had been me. Plus he’d clearly been pleased to see me.
“I have no idea.” He ran a hand through his dark hair. It fell in short waves over his forehead.
I had to stop myself from brushing it out of his eyes. “Ah, secret admirer. Exciting.”
“Or irritating.” He laughed.
I gave him a mock look of horror as we turned onto Magazine Street. “What? You don’t like random women just showing up out of the blue?”
His eyes gleamed with mischief. “It depends on the woman.”
Oh, I could play this game. Warmth spread through my belly with the knowledge he was going to enjoy this just as much as I was. “So you’re into stalkers then? You like being chased, rather than do the chasing? Seems about right considering how things got started last night.”
“Ha!” His body shook with mild laughter. “I seem to recall someone doing her best to torment me and then spending her time fawning over some Ken doll. If I hadn’t taken your not-so-subtle bait, I’m pretty sure I’d have ended up alone last night.”
It was my turn to scoff. “Right. Alone. That seems likely.”
The humor vanished from his face and he turned serious eyes on me. “You’d be surprised.” But before I could question him, heat filled his eyes again and he added, “At least last night anyway. After that body shot, I had to find out what was under that skirt.”
My body had such a visceral response to the memories of the night before, I bit my lip to keep from moaning right there on the street. Goddess, he was winning again! I couldn’t have that. I brushed my fingers down the inside of his arm. “And did you like what you saw?”
He stopped in the middle of the block, wrapping his fingers around mine.
“I thought we were getting dinner,” I said with a teasing smile.
He stared at me, his smoldering gaze searing me from the inside out. “You should know I spent most of the day replaying the image of you undressing for me. I think it’s safe to say I liked what I saw.”
Well, that was… hot. I didn’t have a snappy comeback. My mind was too busy recalling last night’s events.
“If you keep looking at me like that, we’re not going to make it to dinner.” Vaughn took a step closer and clasped one hand around my neck as he caressed my jaw with his thumb.
I cleared my throat. “I thought you were hungry.”
“That’s a fair assessment.” His husky voice was low and full of promise.
Excitement shot through my core. How fast could we get back to his apartment? His fingers were tracing my neck, sending shivers of pleasure from the exact spot he’d bit down on twice the night before. I knew there was a small mark there from his love bites and wondered if he knew it, too. “Kiss me,” I said, my voice just as husky as his.
His hand slipped lower, but my neck continued to tingle as he leaned in and granted my request. His kiss was hungry, sinfully demanding in the way he pulled me closer and lifted me onto my toes as he pulled me up to meet him. I matched his intensity, catching his lower lip between my teeth. Who needed food with this guy around?
He let out a small groan and tightened his arms around me. We were lost, overtaken as the world around us slipped away.
That is, until the whooping started from a small group of tourists across the street, followed by the squeal of brakes from a car sliding to a stop mere feet from where we stood.
“Son of a bitch!” Vaughn cried and yanked me out of the way, causing me to stumble and fall on the uneven sidewalk.
“Dude! What t
he fuck?” an angry male voice shouted from the car.
Vaughn ignored him and helped me stand.
Pain pulsed through my knee and when I went to inspect it, I found torn jeans and blood. “Ouch,” I yelped as I grazed my fingers over the wound.
“Vaughn!” the man yelled again, the anger in his voice intensifying. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Making sure you don’t kill my date, you asshole.” Vaughn’s tone was laced with a dangerous edge. “What’s your problem?”
The dark-haired man in his early thirties jumped from the car and slammed the door. “I’ve been waiting for your phone call. Dude. You have a job to do.”
“I’m working on it.” Vaughn tucked me to his side, placing a protective arm around my shoulders. “When I have something for you, I’ll be in touch.”
The man’s nostrils flared in disgust. “You and your skanks. Man, that dick of yours is going to get someone killed one of these days.”
“What did you just call me?” I pulled away from Vaughn’s grasp, power pooling in my palms.
He finally gave me a long look and recognition dawned as his gaze landed on my hands. “Are you helping him?” He spun and glared at Vaughn. “What are you doing with a witch?”
“Mitch, get the fuck out of here before I beat the shit out of you.” Vaughn took a menacing step forward. “And don’t ever talk to her like that again. Show some goddamned respect for once in your life.”
I tamped my magic down and took a step back. “Clearly you two have something to work out. I think I’ll be on my way.”
Vaughn clasped his hand over my wrist. “No. We don’t. And if he has any sense at all, he’ll get back in his rust bucket and leave.”
I was startled at his possessive grip and panic flashed through me. But not because of the obvious dominance. Oh no. Because I liked it. When had anyone of the opposite sex had the balls to take charge in my life? Never. They were too busy doing whatever I said in the hope they’d get laid later.
Mitch scowled. “We don’t have time for this. Things are getting… out of control.”
“Not my problem,” Vaughn said through clenched teeth. A muscle in his neck pulsed.
Mitch gave me one last look of disdain and then pursed his lips in a flat line before saying, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Then he climbed back into his circa-1990s Toyota and sped off down the street again.
We stood on the sidewalk staring at each other for a moment. I wasn’t sure what to say.
“Well. That was… uncalled for.” Vaughn held his hand out. “Are you still up for some food? And maybe I can explain what that was about?”
As attracted as I was to him, I wasn’t going to sign up for a relationship that came with a generous helping of the criminally insane. No thank you. I was about to shake my head no when he let out a frustrated sigh. “He’s my stepbrother, otherwise I would’ve cut ties with him years ago. It’s hard to ditch family.”
Now that was something I could understand. Against my better judgment, I took his still-outstretched hand. “Dinner sounds great.”
Chapter 9
Vaughn
I led Matisse into the neighborhood corner bistro. Vale, the maître d’ who happened to be a good friend of mine, was on the phone and waved us into the dining room. I chose a secluded table in the back.
A waitress appeared, handed us menus, and took our drink orders. Abita Turbodog for me and a sweet tea for Matisse.
She sat back in her chair. “So…”
I scanned the menu, avoiding her gaze. There was no need. I always ordered the same thing, but I needed a moment to collect my thoughts. How much should I tell her? Not that I was a bounty hunter. Not yet. I had a cover to maintain. But I could explain about Mitch.
“Good evening.” The tall platinum-blond waitress pulled out a pen and a faux-leather tablet. “Would you like to hear the specials?”
Matisse flashed the waitress a sweet smile that made me want to reach out and caress her lips. “Sure.”
Dude, get a grip.
The waitress rattled off four or five things, none of which I retained. I was too busy watching my date. Date. That’s the second time I’d used that term in the last ten minutes. What would she say to that?
“And for you, sir?” the waitress prompted.
Right. Matisse had just ordered one of the specials. “Shrimp and grits, please.”
“Excellent choice.” The waitress wandered off once again.
Matisse cleared her throat. “You were going to fill me in on what happened back there?”
Better to just start at the beginning. “I already told you Mitch is my stepbrother. He’s also a witch.”
“It’s hard to believe you two are related.” She seemed more interested in my family history than the fact that he was a witch. Though, she’d probably already sensed his magic anyway.
“We don’t really get along all that well.”
Her eyes lit up as she laughed. She seemed so fresh and relaxed. It was even more alluring than the natural attraction that was running rampant between us. “That seemed fairly obvious.”
I grinned sheepishly. “I guess so. Anyway, I do contract work for the, ah, company he works for, and I gather he’s under a lot of pressure from his bosses.” I shrugged. “Apparently I’m not moving fast enough for them. But since I only get paid when I deliver, it’s not like they can fire me or anything.”
She raised a skeptical eyebrow. “And yet you’re here with me instead of working on the project?”
“I’ve been working on it all day.” I ignored the nagging doubt in my mind that I should be doing something more to find the rogue witch. But since I didn’t have anything else to go on at present, it wasn’t like I’d just dropped the job. Besides, I was right where I wanted to be. “There isn’t much more I can do today anyway.”
“Gotcha.”
Our waitress brought our drinks and set them down hard enough that Matisse’s tea sloshed onto the table. The waitress’s friendly demeanor had vanished, replaced by a scowl. She didn’t even apologize for spilling a third of the liquid.
We watched her stalk away. Once she disappeared into the kitchen, Matisse turned her attention to me. “Looks like someone’s having a bad day.”
“I guess so.” I handed her an extra napkin as she mopped up the tea.
When she was done, I was completely captivated as she wrapped her lips around the straw. She had to have felt the heat rippling from me because she lifted her gaze to mine and sent me her seductive smile. The same one that had lured me in so well the night before.
I placed my elbows on the table and leaned in. “Matisse?”
Her smile widened as she sat back, crossing her arms over her chest. She knew exactly what she was doing. “Yes?”
“Come here,” I commanded.
She didn’t move. Her eyes never wavered from mine. And for a minute, I was certain she wasn’t going to give me what I wanted. But then she placed her hands flat on the table, leaned in, and brought her lips inches from mine. “What exactly is it you want, Mr. Paxton?”
“I think you know the answer to that.” I inched closer, stopping just shy of pressing my lips to hers, tormenting both of us. I wanted her lips on me. Wanted to throw her down on the table and rip her clothes off.
Her breath caught. Was the witch reading my mind? Goddamn, I hoped so. The tip of her tongue glided over her lower lip as she stared at my mouth. I felt my lips curl into a self-satisfied smile.
But she didn’t seem to notice. Or if she did, she didn’t give a damn, because she inched forward and pressed her lips to mine, her hot tongue slipping into my mouth, tasting and exploring at her will.
I let my eyes close and breathed in her light honeysuckle scent. It was so subtle and not at all exotic, but it was intoxicating and made me want to taste every inch of her.
Bam!
The table shook as dishes crashed onto the surface. Matisse and I jerked apart to find our waitress with
wild, red-tinged eyes glaring at us. Our plates had been slammed onto the edge of the table with most of the food splattered on the floor.
Matisse jumped up. “What—”
The waitress growled, and her form morphed into a gnarled, wrinkled version of herself as her jaw elongated and her nails grew to pointed daggers on her fingertips.
“Jesus!” I sprang out of my chair, but the demon reached out, slicing through Matisse’s sweater. Streaks of blood seeped through the white cotton.
“Son of a… Fuck!” I reached for her, but before I could intervene, Matisse let out a roar of pain. Magic sprang from her raised hands, and a flash of light encircled the demon, momentarily trapping her.
“You’re mine, dirty witch.” The demon spat green-tinged mucus at Matisse’s feet. She jumped back just in time before the mucus exploded into a puff of smoke.
Holy shit. Exploding mucus. I glanced around. Where was everyone else in the restaurant? The place was eerily empty except for the three of us. Without any idea of how to battle the magical creature, I grabbed a chair and swung.
My arms reverberated with the massive impact. The demon fell to her knees, but as she went down, red lightning shot from her mouth and caught Matisse’s leg. Matisse went rigid and convulsed in place as the demon cackled with victory.
Protective rage filled every inch of my being. My hands tightened around the solid wood chair, and with a force I hadn’t known I’d possessed, I swung. The makeshift weapon splintered against the side of the demon’s head. The demon sat there, stunned, as the chair broke apart around her.
“Dammit!” With one hand I grabbed a broken table leg and fisted a fallen steak knife with the other.
Matisse had slid to the floor and was clutching her leg as her body trembled with shock. The utter pain on her face cut me to the core. But there was no time to waste, because the demon had her sights on me now and was on her feet, coming straight for me.
“Come on!” I taunted, wielding the knife and crude wooden stake as if I’d been training for this my entire life. The defensive stance seemed so completely natural it was unexplainable. I’d taken a few boxing lessons, but nothing that would explain why I seemed to be trained in combat.
Demons & Djinn: Nine Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Novels Featuring Demons, Djinn, and other Bad Boys of the Underworld Page 56
