by Amy Sumida
She huffed, “I think you’re missing the main point here, Seth.”
His green eyes widened, forcing his eyebrows up, “I am?”
“Yes,” she stood up, placing a hand on his arm, “That was a threat, directed more at your guys than me, I’m thinking. I’m so sorry. I’ve put you all in danger.”
He stared at her seriously for a moment before throwing his head back and laughing uproariously. What the hell? Maybe she had been wrong about him. Maybe he was unstable because that was not a normal reaction to learning a psychopath had their sight set on you, “Seth!”
“I’m sorry. You’re just so funny, sweetheart. This is what we do for a living. We’re supposed to draw out your stalker. If he focuses on us – all the better. We can look after ourselves, trust me,” he patted her on the head as if she were a small child or a good little doggie.
She pursed her lips, “Fine.”
He may have a point but she was still worried. The thought of any harm coming to her three bodyguards made her break out in a cold sweat. Damn, she was really getting attached.
“Ivory?”
“Hmm?” she looked up when he said her name, only to take a quick step back. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought there was lust shining in his eyes.
“Thank you for caring about us. It’s nice,” he smiled, advancing the one step she had retreated.
“I don’t care about you,” she was quick to defend, before mentally slapping her forehead; that was rude.
“You don’t? Well, I’m sorry to hear that. Maybe this will change your mind,” he gripped her by the upper arms and lifted her until her lips were at the exact same height as his. She felt his lips brush against hers, once, twice. They were soft and so very warm, and she swayed forward as if hypnotised … only to jerk backward at the last second, averting sure disaster.
“Put me down,” she demanded, and was promptly placed back on her feet, “What is this? I’m not going to be the other woman. Besides, I can’t believe you would cheat on your partners,” she chastised, telling her foolish heart to stop its crazy beating. He shrugged, the action far too casual for her liking. She was beginning to understand why Seth’s laid back attitude pissed Vaughn off.
“It wouldn’t be cheating,” he informed her, unapologetically, “We’ve all spoken about it. If any of us were given the opportunity to be with you, it’d be cool with all of us.”
“Wait … You’ve spoken about it? You’ve all discussed what would happen if I gave you a chance at the goodies?” A part of her was thrilled, while another part of her was pissed at the sheer audacity. The pissed part was winning. She narrowed her eyes, “Let me get this straight, the three of you sat around like some kind of sugar daddies, talking about the best way to get into my pants? Without consulting me?”
Seth’s dark green eyes widened and he quickly looked around the room, as if he were hoping someone or something would save him, “Um …”
“I’m not some kind of sex toy, you know,” she informed him primly, despite the evil angel on her shoulder who whispered; please, please, please make me your sex toy, “I won’t be a passing amusement to three gay men who have suddenly decided they want some salad to go with their meat!”
“Meat? Salad? Say what now …?” he backed up a step under her feminine fury.
“You know what I’m talking about, mister. Maybe you’re all a little bored with your carnivorous diet – you want to try being omnivores for a while. Well, this lettuce leaf is onto you, buddy. And she’s not buying what you’re selling. I won’t be used – no matter how tempting.”
And it really was tempting, which is why she spun around quickly, leaving a shell-shocked Seth staring after her in total confusion.
~
Seth watched the angry swish of Ivory’s hips as she stalked from the room. What the hell just happened? He didn’t think he had ever been reduced to nothing but a walking penis so effectively before. The past three days had been heaven, hell, and purgatory all at once. The progress of the case had been frustratingly slow, but spending time with Ivory had been its own reward. She appealed to him on every level. He had always thought that Vaughn, Ronan, and himself were all pieces of the one whole – they balanced each other, challenged each other, and complemented each other. He had never thought anything was missing before now. But having met the lovely, vulnerable bartender, he was beginning to wonder if there was a bonus piece to their puzzle. A quartet rather than a triad.
He recalled the conversation with Ronan and Vaughn from the night before. The had been discussing Ivory – again – and what they wanted to do about her. He felt for sure she was starting to soften towards them. He had no doubts about her lust, the spicy scent of the woman had them walking around with semi’s twenty-three out of twenty-four hours a day. It was her mind that they needed to crack and he had told them as such;
“I’m saying we should make a move. You know try to woo her, flirt a little.”
He paced at the end of the bed Ronan and Vaughn would be sharing that night. He had drawn the short straw to sleep alone … again.
“Flirt?! What the hell do I know about flirting? I don’t flirt. I don’t need to flirt,” Vaughn exclaimed, indignantly.
“Of course you don’t. You just snap those fingers and level those green peepers of yours and thousands fall at your feet,” Seth scoffed.
Ronan laughed and Vaughn reached out, cuffing him on the back of the head. But Seth was serious. Of course Vaughn had never had to flirt before. For one thing, he had been so focused on his duty of serving the coven for so long. He had never entertained the notion of having a relationship. Seth knew he had been a one-night stand kind of a guy and he didn’t fault him for that. But it wasn’t just duty. Vaughn was absolutely unaware of his own appeal. It was one of the many things Seth loved about him.
“I’m serious, guys. She’s flighty but she’s interested. We just need to help get her out of her own way,” he said.
He snorted to himself now. Something told him she was going to be even more in her own way after this little display. Sighing, he sent a quick text to Ronan, telling him and Vaughn to get their butts down here. He needed to update them asap. With any luck, they would be able to trace the call and finally hunt down the crazy arsehole scaring her. And then they would be free to woo Ivory in earnest.
Chapter Eleven
Ivory played with the settings on her coffee machine the following morning. The stainless-steel appliance was a gift from the gods, having been forged in the highest peaks of heaven she was sure. She was absolutely useless without her morning cup of the bitter brew. Unfortunately, the men had been up before her and changed her pre-set menu. As far as she was concerned, it was an offence punishable by a serious maiming. And if she discovered it was the tallest and broadest of the three men who had touched her baby, she would even consider death as a punishment.
She had studiously ignored Seth for the rest of the day yesterday, finding it hard to look the others in the eye. She couldn’t believe Seth had tried to kiss her! And what was worse, she had almost let him. The temptation was there, the struggle real, but what she had told him was true; she had no intention of being some kind of experiment to them. He had wisely given her space but finally made an attempt to talk to her before she went to bed, she recalled. He had managed to say her name before she had stopped him with a; “Nope. Don’t even, buster. Talk to the hand,” flipping him off and retreating to her room. The warm chuckle that followed her down the hallway had her core heating and her lips twitching despite herself. He was incorrigible.
He and Ronan had spent the rest of yesterday playing with their computers and trying to trace the ominous call while Vaughn had followed Lee around with suspicious eyes, confirming his alibi for all the times she had received packages. She had received remarkably similar reprimands and lectures from all of them when Seth had revealed the Lee tidbit. Apparently, she had committed some major faux pas by neglecting to mention the non-date
. She still believed they were focusing on the wrong thing and had once again mentioned her concerns. Vaughn had grunted, rolling his eyes, whilst Ronan had thanked her for her worry in the kindest of terms. She had seen his lips twitching though and found it just as infuriating as Seth’s hilarity and Vaughn’s disdain. They seemed to think they were invincible.
Vaughn emerged from the spare bedroom, looking fit and handsome, and okay – maybe a little invincible. He was wearing dark denim jeans and a plain black tee shirt that made his bright green eyes pop in the early morning light, “Good morning, Ivory.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. Usually she only received a grunt for the first fifteen minutes he was awake. He was almost as bad as her with the coffee machine, “Good morning,” she responded, slowly.
“How did you sleep?” he asked, nudging her out of the way. He pressed two buttons and had her baby purring under his competent hands in seconds. She forced herself not to scowl at the traitorous machine. Even her coffee maker responded sweetly to the man.
“Not too bad,” she replied, truthfully. After her initial shock of hearing that robotic voice yesterday, and being told she was ‘bad’ yet again, she had actually felt some relief. Those few days of just waiting for the other shoe to drop had been horribly tense. And the men now had something extra to work with, “Were you able to trace the call?”
Vaughn scowled, and she had the insane urge to smooth out his furrowed forehead with her fingers, “It was from a no-plan phone that had already been disconnected. It’s completely untraceable, so it’s another dead end. Same as Lee. He’s alibied up to his eyeballs and was suitably confused and intimidated when I cornered him yesterday.”
“Vaughn!”
“What?” he asked, all innocent.
She merely rolled her eyes. The man was so exasperating. As long as her best bartender didn’t quit on her, it would be fine.
“Here you go. Your sacred beverage, m’lady,” she could have sworn Vaughn winked at her as he handed her a steaming mug, made just the way she liked it.
She eyed him warily, “Do you have a twitch or something?”
She saw his jaw clench before he took a deep breath as if deliberately trying to relax, “No. You look lovely this morning by the way.”
She looked down at herself. She was wearing her normal work uniform of black jeans but had gone all out and put on a black button-up shirt rather than a plain black tee. She was beginning to get worried, Vaughn was never this chipper. Maybe he was having a stroke? “Are you feeling okay?”
“I feel fine,” he growled, slamming his own coffee mug down on the counter.
Now that was more like it, “What are you doing, then?”
He spun to face her quickly, “I’m flirting with you.”
She swore she felt her jaw literally hit the floor, “You are?” she squeaked.
He huffed irritably, “Well, if you have to ask I’m obviously not doing it right.”
She fought a smile, he was almost pouting. Vaughn never pouted. She cleared her throat, “That’s not what I meant. I mean, why are you flirting with me?”
“Because I like you,” the statement was sweet in its simplicity, “And because Seth told us how you went all feminist on him when he hit on you yesterday. We all thought we should woo you, flirt with you – that kind of crap.”
Sweet? Had she really just thought this blunt, boorish buffoon was sweet just seconds ago? “First; I did not go all ‘feminist’ on Seth – and be careful,” she warned, “that kind of comment will get you kicked in the balls. I simply informed him of the error of his ways regarding men’s thinking and women’s sexuality.”
He snorted, “The way I hear it, you informed him of the error of his ways regarding his diet – adding a little foliage to his protein.”
“Second,” she raised her voice, deliberately ignoring his interruption, “I’ll have you know that flirting is a common and effective part of courtship.”
He crossed his impressive arms over his impressive chest, looking entirely unconvinced, “Waste of time if you ask me.”
It probably was to him, she acknowledged. She doubted he had ever had to work for attention or affections. Legions probably swooned at his feet with the crook of a finger – pre-Seth and Ronan of course. The thing that really confused her though, why was he would choose to try his pathetic wooing techniques on her. Oh, she knew what Seth said; they had discussed their shared desire of her. Even if she believed them, there were easier ways for them to get her into bed. Seduction being the biggie. Seduction was all about the physical desire. She had no doubt they could seduce the underwear off her in a matter of minutes if they tried. Flirting on the other hand, was more about the mental and emotional desire – encouraging the person to enjoy you as a person and not just as a sex object.
She shook her head, admitting; “I don’t understand you – any of you.”
“What’s to understand?”
How could she make him see her perspective when he was just so practical, she wondered? “You love Ronan and Seth.”
He nodded, no hesitation, “I do. Very much.”
“And yet, you say you like me,” she pointed out.
Another decisive nod, “I do. Very much.”
“How do you reconcile those two things?” she asked, truly curious about his response.
He eyed her thoughtfully, asking his own question instead of answering hers, “Why do women have to make things so complicated?”
“Vaughn!” she growled, thoroughly annoyed with him. But he grabbed her arm before she could spin away.
“Wait a minute. Let me ask you this; do you like me?”
“Not at the moment,” she assured him, glaring daggers in his direction.
He merely chuckled – a wholly appealing sound, “I’ll take that as a yes. And do you like Ronan and Seth? Be honest,” he warned.
She sighed, “Yes. I like Ronan and Seth too.”
“So you like all of us,” it was a statement.
“Yes.”
“At the same time,” he clarified.
She huffed, “Yes. At the same time. But –”
“No buts. Why with the but? There will be no more buts. I like all of you at the same time too. Just like how I like bacon and ice cream at the same time.”
He said that as if it made complete sense, “Bacon and ice cream?”
“Yes. Salty and sweet. Cold and hot. They don’t oppose each other; they complement each other. It’s delicious and you should try it, but that’s not the point.”
“What is the point again?” she rubbed her forehead. Was that a headache brewing?
“This,” he answered, before reaching out, reeling her in, and capturing her lips with his own in one seamless motion.
Any protest died the moment his tongue met her own – dancing and duelling and seducing. He tasted spicy and fresh and exciting. Her arms rose up, her hands threading through the thickness of the silky strands of his blond hair. His arms wrapped around her, one large hand spanning the width of her lower back as the other boldly cupped her bottom. He lifted her higher, as if he couldn’t get close enough and she moaned, arching her back and pressing her tingling breasts against the firmness of his chest. She felt her breathing coming faster and faster now, so much so, she felt herself becoming dizzy. Worried she was going to make a total fool of herself by passing out from the sheer pleasure of just his lips against her own, she pulled back, putting an inch of space between them.
“Oh …” Was about all she could articulate.
“You can say that again.”
Vaughn’s words had her looking up into his intense green eyes. They were glazed and dazed and just a little bit feverish. His chest was pumping as if he had run a marathon and there was a fine tremor in the hands that still held her so securely. Looks like she wasn’t the only one to be thoroughly overwhelmed by the experience. The knowledge made her feel strong and she felt a saucy smile pull at her lips. Making a big man tremble was hot as hell.
“What’s that smile about, little witch?”
And just like that, the flames of lust were extinguished. She stepped out of his arms, “What did you call me?”
His brows furrowed in concern, clearly confused and worried over her reaction, “That smile – it was sexy, seductive … secretive. Made me think of a witch,” he paused as if struggling to find the right words, before sighing and running his hands through his dishevelled hair, “It was supposed to be an endearment. Next time I’ll use ‘sweetheart’, how about that?”
She felt her heart rate begin to slow again upon hearing his explanation. A term of endearment. That’s all. He couldn’t have known just how right he was and just how much his words hit home. She must have been silent for too long for he sighed loudly, the sound full of male aggravation;
“You’re thinking too hard again.”
Maybe she was. But hearing the word ‘witch’ on his lips had acted as a stark reminder that she was trying to hide here. That the whole reason Vaughn was even in her life at the moment was because she had someone stalking her and threatening the life she had built for herself. She couldn’t afford to forget that, “I’m sorry. That was a mistake.”
Anger leaped in his eyes at her words, “Bullshit. We were so hot together, I thought we were going to spontaneously combust. You liked it. I know you did.”
“I’m not denying that,” or the heat I felt in his arms, she acknowledged to herself, “But I’m your client. You’re here to do a job. We shouldn’t complicate things. We need to stay focused.”
Truth, she assured herself, that was all true. But her words seemed to piss him off even more if the stiffening of his shoulders and the rumble in his chest were any indication.
He stepped close, invading her personal space for an entirely different reason than moments before, “My first priority is keeping you safe. I would never do anything to jeopardise your safety – none of us would. Never doubt that.”