“They won’t get through.” My voice held confidence, but deep inside, I was trembling just as much as she was. Damian, Steve, and I had wiped out more than this at the cove, but that was three of us and of course Paradise Cove probably had a lot to do with it.
We both focused on the approaching horde and without much thought, I slung my arm around Valerie’s shoulder and pulled her close. It was time to concentrate on the deadly quality of the wall I put up. I wasn’t sure of how much sizzle to put into it.
“I want to see them burn,” Valerie said, answering my silent contemplation and a chill ran up my spine.
She had every right to hate these creatures as much as demons and I concentrated, glaring at the approaching danger. Saliva ran from their lips and their teeth gleamed in the moonlight. My heart pounded in my chest, sending throbbing vibrations through my skin. The harder my heart beat, the hungrier the approaching vampires looked.
“Just a few more feet,” I muttered, focusing on the entire perimeter of the house because I wasn’t as much of an idiot as they thought. This wasn’t the only line of assault. Still, when they advanced, I took a cautious step backwards, pulling Valerie with me. The power inside me grew and I couldn’t tell whether it was the adrenaline or the power raking across my skin like a hundred finely manicured nails. The sensation grew, moving from the land of pleasure into the world of discomfort and I gritted my teeth.
“Come on, you motherfuckers,” I growled, loud enough for their acute hearing to pick up. I moved Valerie behind me and positioned myself in a fighting stance, waving them in with my leading hand. The results were memorable.
They all launched towards the glass slider and the moment they hit my invisible barrier each vampire burst into a ball of flame. The roar of fire drowned out their screams, but I heard them and the dark part of my soul reveled in it.
Valerie let out a high pitched laugh and I glanced back at her, smiling.
She met my gaze with a measure of awe. “The only one I ever saw do something that impressive was Michael.”
Being compared to an archangel was humbling and I glanced outside at the black dust that spun on the wind. “I’m not an angel.”
“Oh, I gathered that,” she said and stepped away.
I turned towards her. “What do you mean by that?”
“You’re more recent activities?”
I shoved my hands into my pockets and stared at the floor, shamed by the fact she was privy to my more decadent actions. Instead of apologizing, I lifted my gaze to hers, studying her memories of past events, especially the times after the more traumatic events. Naomi was right about one thing. The girl never freaked out. Ever.
And therein lay the challenge.
I let a grin slowly surface and narrowed my eyes, stepping closer. “So, you want to try out some of those ‘activities’ with me?”
She laughed. The kind of laugh that bruised a man’s ego and when she went into the gale realm, I crossed my arms, my good humor turning sourer by the second. I didn’t have anywhere to storm off to. I was tempted to tell her she could sleep on the couch but I knew Steve would be pissed.
“You know I’m rich, right?” I said, feeling more than just a bruised ego now. Most girls threw themselves at me but this one was aloof in a way that pissed me off.
Somehow, my comment made her laugh even harder. “I couldn’t give a rat’s ass how much money you have,” she sputtered through the laughter and settled into the couch, holding her stomach as her laughter wound down.
I didn’t know what to do. Being rejected had been a truly foreign concept until Sandy cut me loose and it just didn’t seem natural.
“I’m sorry, if I hurt your ego,” she said with the light of humor still dancing in her eyes.
“Right,” I said delivering the sarcasm I was famous for before stalking to the refrigerator to grab a beer. “You want one?” I asked.
“Sure,” she said.
I wasn’t sure why I still wanted to be in her presence, especially after that harsh shoot down, but I did, just like a pathetic puppy following its master around, hoping for a treat. I grabbed a beer for her and returned to the couch. After I switched the television on and opened the beers, I handed her both the beer and the remote, settling into the far side of the couch.
“You don’t have to stay,” she said and I raised my eyebrows, waving at the linens on the other couch. She was the one encroaching on my temporary bedroom.
“Oh, sorry.” She took a sip of beer and the mad shuffle through the channels began and I glanced at her after two rounds of channel changing.
“Make up your mind.”
The glare she shot me made me raise my hands in surrender. She finally snapped the box off and tossed the remote on the table. When she brought her beer to her lips, her hand was shaking. She noticed too and put the beer on the table.
“Are you okay?”
She just stared at her hands in her lap, her hair obscuring my view of her face. I reached out and pushed her hair back.
“Oh, babe,” I whispered at the sight of her tear stained cheeks. When her gaze met mine I felt her world crumbling around her and moved closer, pulling her to my chest. She covered her face and leaned into me, silently crying. The loss of her uncle hit harder than she expected.
When her shaking stopped, I threaded my fingers through her hair with my palms gently pressed to each cheekbone and pulled her away from my chest. Her misty eyes met mine and I couldn’t help it, I leaned in for a kiss. Instead of her lips, like I intended, her fingers pressed against my lips and she moved out of my grip.
“No.”
Such a simple word, but devastating in its own right.
“Why not?”
“Because everyone I come to care about dies.”
Stunned to the point of silence, I just stared at her. I knew the feeling, but I’d rebelled against it for so long that I just couldn’t accept the reason. Hell, I felt the attraction, her attraction, not just mine and I leaned back. The fact that she was scared didn’t negate the sting.
“And if I promised I wouldn’t die?”
“Michael, the archangel, died. What hope do you have if he can be destroyed?”
“Michael’s not dead, he’s just locked in heaven. Just like Lucifer is locked in hell,” I said. “Damian saw to that and Lucifer was possibly the only force on this planet that could have destroyed me, and I’m not a hundred percent sure even he could have.” I know it sounded cocky as hell, but it was the truth.
“You’re not a god.”
“No shit. I bleed when I’m cut and break when I’m punched. I’m flesh and blood, just like you.”
“I can’t take the chance,” she whispered piling onto my frustration.
“I know damned well you feel the current between us just as acutely as I do,” I said and the sincerity in her eyes morphed to anger.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“What? Are you going to insulate yourself from all human emotions? Just wall it up and become a walking zombie?”
“Fuck you! You don’t know anything about me,” she spit out, leaning towards me in her anger.
I laughed and tapped my temple. “Oh, yes, I do,” I said and mentally yanked her toward me. Unfortunately, I yanked a little too hard and our foreheads met, dazing both of us.
“Ouch,” she said holding her forehead.
I covered the sting of mine as well and met her gaze.
“Smooth, CJ,” she said and broke into a genuine smile.
I started laughing and she followed. As they say, the third time is the charm, and this time I didn’t mentally or physically man-handle her, I just leaned in and kissed her cheek, tasting the dried up tears on her skin.
“Thank you,” I whispered on her skin.
She turned her lips into mine and the first real attempt was sweet and awkward and nothing like I imagined. I pulled back, meeting her gaze and the second time we closed the distance not just with our mouths, but our bodies, like
molded magnets, came together with all the pent up electricity sparking between us. She felt damned good in my arms and I lost track of time, of where we were and of everything else that happened in the last few days. I fell into blissful nothingness where only her tongue reigned.
She broke the kiss first and I pulled away, settling into the couch, forcing my breathing back to normal. Kissing Sandy didn’t consume me the way that kiss did and I stared at the dark television, wrestling with the urge to tear every stitch of clothing off her.
“Maybe that’s what I need,” she said and my head snapped in her direction.
“I’m a guy, don’t tempt me,” I said, running my hand through my hair, unsure if she was serious or not. I also knew Steve was no longer privy to what was in my head and she was supposed to be sleeping in my bed anyway.
“What if I said I really did want to tie you up,” she grinned, her eyes sparkling with the type of mischief I knew would land me in a world of trouble.
I crawled the few feet toward her, pushing her down on the couch under me. “What if I wanted to tie you up?” I said and didn’t wait for an answer. I settled on top of her and licked her sweet lips again. They parted and I dropped into heaven.
Before I knew it, both our shirts were balled up on the floor and I was exploring the bounty of her chest with my mouth. God, she was delicious and I moved my way back up her neck to her lips. This kiss was slow and seductive and playful and damned if I wasn’t harder than an oak tree.
I wanted it all, every inch of her soft skin. I wanted to drink her like wine and I wanted her delectable mouth to swallow every inch of me. When the kiss broke, I stared into her stormy calico eyes and pulled away.
With the want still pounding through my veins, I said. “You need to go to bed.”
“What?” she asked.
Her voice carried the husky rasp of lust and I almost gave in, ripping the rest of her clothes off and just taking her here, but this was not a rush fuck.
Valerie deserved better than that. Besides, if I screwed her here on the couch, letting the frantic need in both of us loose, it would be the end of whatever started here tonight.
“You need to go upstairs before we do something you’ll regret in the morning.” I couldn’t believe I was being the voice of reason and she certainly didn’t take too kindly to it. She huffed and put her shirt on, except it wasn’t her shirt, it was mine, but I don’t think she figured it out until she was upstairs and by then, I was sure she was too mad to come back down.
I folded her shirt neatly on the table along with my jeans before tucking the sheet around the couch cushions. I crossed to the downstairs bathroom and splashed cold water on my face to tame the hunger still present. The hunger that almost made me march upstairs, consequences be damned, but the chill of the icy splash tempered it. The fact I didn’t act on my impulses tonight gave me hope that I wasn’t a total jackass.
I stretched out on the couch, concentrating on the barrier around the house, willing it to remain until the sunlight broke the horizon.
Chapter 13
The scrunching of bags pulled me out of sleep and I wiped the drool off my chin and turned onto my back, covering my eyes with my forearm. “What time is it?”
“It’s a little after three,” Steve’s voice announced from nearby.
“In the afternoon?” I tilted my head back, peering under my arm. Steve was seated in his recliner with the newspaper in his hands. He glanced in my direction and nodded. I sat up and rubbed my face. “Why didn’t someone wake me?”
“Valerie said you held a force field around the house until dawn. I figured you needed the sleep,” he said and folded the paper.
I scanned the kitchen for the noises that woke me and found it empty. I swung my legs over the side of the couch. “Where is everyone?”
“The girls just came back from shopping. Tom’s working out and I have no idea where Damian went.” He stared at me. “Interesting combination there.” He pointed his chin toward the folded clothing and tossed the paper onto the side table.
I didn’t say anything. Instead, I reached for the jeans and slipped them on before I got out from under the covers. “Do we know how long we’ll have house guests?” I asked, folding the blankets neatly. The answer would drive whether I stowed these in the washing machine or on the ottoman in the corner of the room for tonight.
“I don’t know, but Jen extended the invitation for them to stay until they close on their house. She seems to like helping with the babies.”
“Raven likes helping, too,” I said and headed to my room to get a clean pair of clothing. Without thinking I opened my door and got an eyeful of satin and lace.
“Get out!” Raven snapped, but it wasn’t her I was staring at.
Valerie turned towards me in only a bra and panties. I wasn’t sure if the dress she held was going on or coming off, but I didn’t care. The view was outstanding.
“Christopher James,” Raven said again, calling my attention away from Valerie.
I blinked and stepped into the room. “I need a change of clothes. Besides, she’s got more coverage than some of the chicks we see on the beach.” I didn’t wait for the okay, instead, I crossed to my dresser, pulling out a pair of jeans and clean underwear before walking out. It took everything I had not to try for another quick glance before the door closed behind me.
I dialed the shower into the warm zone and stripped, stepping in after brushing my teeth and using the toilet. The soap smelled fresher this morning than I remembered and I wondered if it was just the fact I had a good night’s sleep or if it was something else heightening my senses. I mused over that while I did my hair and then I just stood under the spray with my palms on the cool tile, letting the water cascade down my back, the sensation was hypnotizing.
The curtain rattled and my eyes snapped open. I stood, getting a face full of water and coughed out the spray that had gone into my mouth. Valerie tilted her head at me.
“Since you decided walking in on me was okay, I thought I’d take my turn at getting an eyeful.”
She went to close the curtain and I grabbed her wrist, pulling her under the spray with me before she could escape. The jeans and t-shirt she’d donned soaked through in seconds and I raised an eyebrow.
“Chris!” she shrieked and tried to break my grip.
“You made the questionable decision to come into the bathroom. You’re fair game now.” I pushed her into the corner and blocked her escape from the warm water by planting my arms on either side of her. “Want to play doctor?” I said and grinned.
She smacked my chest and the corners of her lips twitched into an unwanted smile. “Don’t be an ass. Just let me out of here.”
I glanced at her wet attire. “I think you’ll have to take that off in here. No sense in dripping all across the house.” I was beginning to thoroughly enjoy this game.
She reached for the controls and I gasped when the water turned frigid, jumping away from her and out of the spray.
“That was mean,” I said and she flashed a wicked grin at me and slid out of the shower, leaving me to dance around the cold spray in order to turn off the water. When I pushed the curtain aside, I fully expected an empty bathroom, instead, Valerie was in the process of peeling her jeans off.
She turned and threw the wet denim at me.
“You mind hanging those from the shower rod for me?” The grin that danced on her lips was enough to spark an interest, and it didn’t go unnoticed. I dropped the jeans on the floor and reached for the towel, but she snatched it off the rack first.
“Uh-uh. ‘Mr. I’m too sexy for my shirt’. Hang the pants first, then maybe I’ll give you the towel.”
Damn it all to hell. Now I was self-conscious and aware I was naked and responding to being near her. My lack of control was embarrassing and she was enjoying toying with me the way I had toyed with her in the shower.
I scooped up the wet fabric and wrung it out over the shower drain and neatly hung it from
the curtain bar before turning back to her.
“You have an exceptionally nice ass,” she grinned and handed me the towel.
I chuckled and rolled my eyes even though her brazenness caught me off guard and my face flushed with heat. “So do you,” I said, and wrapped the towel around my waist.
She peeled off her shirt and tossed it to me. “Can you hang that as well?”
I wrung the shirt out and repeated hanging it neatly over the bar. When I turned back, she had a towel wrapped around her and two more wet garments that she deposited in my hand before leaving me with her soaking underwear. I slung them over the rod and shut the bathroom door.
This time I locked it.
Chapter 14
I didn’t realize I could strut, but that’s exactly what I did. I fucking strutted with my shirt hanging open, right up to Valerie and Naomi standing by the refrigerator. The game was on and I didn’t care who took notice. I reached for the handle, pulling the ice box open and reaching for a soda. When I closed the refrigerator, I faced Valerie with a hint of a grin.
I didn’t wait for a reaction, instead I ducked back into the family room and switched on the television, propping my feet up on the table. I cracked the can open and the stupid thing sprayed all over me. I couldn’t believe it and the incessant laughing behind me told me they saw it too, so I couldn’t just brush it off.
Steve snorted laughter, looking at me over his Kindle like I was the world’s biggest idiot. I guess my dating practices were rusty, hell, they were non-existent, and this was all trial and error on my part. I had Sandy for fifteen years and never had to try to get a girl before and now I just looked like a ridiculous peacock ruffling his feathers.
I guess I missed the ‘how to be cool’ class in high school, and it certainly wasn’t on the college curriculum. I took the hem of my shirt and wiped my face, settling into the couch with no intention of calling any more attention to myself than I already had.
I had already embarrassed myself to the point of no return. Their laughter just sealed my fate.
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