by Deanna Chase
“Like you know what’s best for me.”
“I’m sorry, you’re right. Don’t talk to anyone and don’t make friends. It’s horrible,” he mocked.
“You are a condescending ass.”
“And I can see your claws are back out, so why don’t we just cut this conversation short and get to work. I don’t want you all prickly when you need to focus.”
I watched as he walked to the door and held it open for me.
“You have no idea what you’re even doing, do you?”
“You’re right. I’ve got no idea what your problem is, now.”
“You try to manage me. I’ve gotten along perfectly well for…”
“Yes, yes, I know. You need no one. You’re an island unto yourself.”
I walked over to the door and paused next to him before I walked out. “Go ahead, mock me, but don’t kid yourself. I’ve lived alone my whole life and playing nice for a couple of hours with your buddies doesn’t change anything. I don’t need them. And more importantly, I don’t need you!”
I saw something in his eyes harden and a muscle in his jaw twitch. I’d pissed him off. Good. I was sick of him treating me like a pawn that he could maneuver whatever way he chose. It might not have been the brightest move on my part, but god, it felt good. I had a history off chopping my nose off to spite my face. It was nice to know I was still the same girl.
When we got back to the living room, Cormac was visibly annoyed. When he asked who was coming with us to train, both Dodd and Buzz backed out.
“What the hell did you do now?” Dodd asked the second Cormac was out of earshot, having left to go change.
“It’s not my fault he’s all pissy, and why are you walking so funny?” I couldn’t help but notice his odd gait across the room.
“It’s totally you, and you’re the reason I’m walking funny, too. I think my kneecap fused back funny. Now, I’m going to have to go get them re-broken by the doc.”
“You can’t get mad now. You said I could shoot anywhere.” Before I could defend myself any further, Cormac was back.
He didn’t speak, just walked toward the door. I didn’t care. I didn’t want to talk to him anyway. Cormac and I spent the rest of the night not speaking, while we stared at rubber balls that wouldn’t move.
Chapter Fifteen
“What do you think of this?” I asked Buzz, holding up a charcoal grey cashmere sweater dress. “Do you think it would be flattering? I hate trying stuff on.”
“It’s great. Can we go soon?”
“Why, is this boring you?”
“No, I love it.” I’d never known Buzz was capable of such sarcasm. It made me laugh.
This was the fifth shopping trip this week. Every since I’d had words with Cormac, there had been more tension than ever. Now we seemed to be wrapped up in a tit for tat battle. He’d canceled all my shifts, saying that training was more important. I’d retaliated to his power grab by dragging his men shopping and spending thousands on clothes daily.
Only problem was, the expenditures didn’t seem to bother him. I’d changed tactics two days ago. I’d always been told I was beautiful and I wasn’t beyond using what I had. I knew that he found me attractive, so I’d stopped wearing jeans and sneakers every day. Skirts and dresses, stilettos and perfume were my new arsenal. I could see him watching me, and I acted like I barely knew he was in the room.
He was a man with a large ego. I couldn’t really blame him for it. He had classic chiseled features, coloring to die for, and a body that would win competitions. It was just plain gluttony that he was rich and powerful too. He was used to women falling at his feet, and I knew that it drove him a little crazier every time he saw me that I seemed to be over any attraction I had felt. Not that I was, but boy, was I getting good at faking it.
“Oh, no! You’re not getting that one!”
I looked over at Buzz, then back at the silky red dress in my hands. “You’re right, this one is perfect. Do you think the red shoes I got on Monday would match?”
He didn’t answer, just groaned. All the guys seemed to be aware of what I was doing, even though I held to my denials. Every guy but Cormac, that was. It was strange, considering he seemed like he was a bright man in every other matter.
“I can’t take this anymore. I’ll be on the bench.”
“Yes, you should relax. I need some new lingerie after this, and I don’t want to tire you out.” I watched Buzz shake his head, as he went to sit outside the store. Cormac always had someone tailing me everywhere I went. Sometimes I liked to mess with them and make them go shopping with me. None of them ever said no. Cormac must have told them they had to be nice to me.
Try as I might, I couldn’t seem to stay mad at Buzz. He was sort of a likeable oaf once you got to know him. Buzz sat himself on the bench outside, opened the newspaper that he always seemed to have handy, and settled himself in.
He was so engrossed in what he was reading he was oblivious to Vitor when he sauntered into the store. I knew it wasn’t a coincidence. I could read it on his face as he strolled over to me. He didn’t rush at me, but his attention was focused like a laser, unwavering from my direction.
“You are looking quite beautiful,” Vitor said in his cultured voice, as he looked me up and down.
It was an appreciative look from a handsome man. This is what I imagined normal felt like. Too bad he was an alien, and I, the half-breed who was the key to opening up other dimensions.
The page I’d gotten from the priest suddenly popped into my head, Golden child born and left, will be the hope of the bereft. Was Vitor the bereft? What if the page actually meant something? Was I supposed to be helping him? I turned toward him now with even more questions burning in my head, but simply said, “Thank you,” not sure exactly how to broach the subject.
“So, how have you been?”
“Good.” Besides the recent case of agoraphobia, not being completely human, having just recovered from five bullets in the head, and possibly being the subject matter of a very dire sounding prophecy, it was roughly accurate. It was odd, considering the circumstances, to be talking to him as if we just happened to be casual acquaintances. “And how are you?” I didn’t add, are you feeling especially bereft today? Even though I wanted to.
“I’m doing well. I’ve heard that you are residing with Cormac?”
I nodded.
“I’m sorry if I scared you last time I saw you. It wasn’t my intention.”
“I know,” I said and meant it.
“I want you to understand, I’m not trying to hurt Cormac. I just believe that it isn’t right for him to hold all the cards.”
“I think you misunderstand my relationship with Cormac.” I hung the red dress back up on the rack.
“I need you to know, I don’t want this for myself. I just want to help my people.”
I felt the fabric of another dress, as I pondered his words. He was sounding pretty bereft. “I really don’t know what I can do.” I might be the key for him, but I had no idea how to open the lock.
“I don’t know how much he’s explained to you, but for reasons you may or may not know about, he’s unmovable. There is no talking to him. I need someone that can operate a portal.”
“My skills in that area seem to be stunted.” I walked to the next aisle, and glanced over at Buzz.
“He’s not paying any attention,” said Vitor. “Are you afraid of me? Do you want me to leave?”
I turned back and could see the sadness in his eyes. “No, you don’t scare me. I don’t know why.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Maybe you should, but you don’t. That doesn’t mean that some of the things you tell me aren’t always so comfortable.”
He smiled slightly and the tension relaxed in his shoulders. “Good. I wouldn’t want you to be. I’m not a bad guy, Jo.” He lifted his hand and pushed a wayward blond strand behind my ear.
Just as he was pulling his hand back, a movement by the door caught my eye just in time to
see Cormac walk in. Walking actually might be too sedate of a word, storming was more like it. His face was set in stone, his eyes as cold as I’d ever seen, the kind of cold that burned.
Cormac didn’t stop until he was at my side. He slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me into his side. I instinctively moved to pull back, but his arm didn’t budge. I then noticed Vitor’s face. I had to give the guy credit. He had guts to be willing to stand up to Cormac.
Cormac wasn’t the type of guy other men wanted a problem with, but Vitor would do it. I relaxed into Cormac’s embrace and hoped that would ease the quickly growing tension. The moment I did, I regretted it, not because it felt bad, but because it felt too good.
“I thought it wasn’t like that?” Vitor asked looking at me.
“Doing a little shopping?” Cormac asked Vitor.
“You could say that.” Gone was the gentleman as Vitor eyed me from head to toe.
I knew Cormac didn’t want Vitor around me but he was acting like a jealous boyfriend. The tension was so thick I was about to choke on it. Trouble was about to break out any moment. I’d seen violence in my life, but the idea of Vitor beaten into a bloody pulp hit me in a soft spot that I didn’t know I had.
“I’m done shopping. Let’s go.”
I looked from Cormac to Vitor. Neither of them budged.
I spoke again in harsher tones, “You both want something from me, you do this here and now, and neither of you will be getting anything.”
Cormac’s arm loosened, then fell from my waist as he stepped closer to Vitor. I watched in horror as I tried to decide how much I really did care for Vitor. In reality, I barely knew him. Did I feel for him enough to step in the middle of these two? No, probably not.
I watched Cormac get within an inch of Vitor’s face.
“You don’t have a shot in hell of taking me on and you know it. You got lucky. Remember that. You won’t get lucky again.”
He turned toward me and I quickly walked toward the store exit. I didn’t need to check to see if he was following me because I felt his hand rest at the small of my back.
Buzz finally looked up from his paper to realize something was wrong and Cormac waved him off without a word. We walked briskly through the casino. I knew how this would look to all who were watching. We screamed couple with him at my side. The gossip would kick into high gear now, it didn’t matter if it was correct or not. Once you could blow off. Twice? Nah, not likely. No one would buy it after being seen a second time like this. There was nothing to be done about it.
Cormac and I stepped into the elevator that would take us to his penthouse, and I watched the doors close. The moment they closed, I felt Cormac’s hands grab me. The elevator wall was suddenly at my back and his body pressed full length against me. I opened my mouth to say no, but his mouth was on mine before I got the words out. By the time he moved downward toward my neck, the only noises coming from me were unintelligible, with no resemblance to anything close to no.
I knew we should stop, and I was going tell him to any second. His strong masculine hands ran up my legs toward my hips, and dragged my dress up with them. I should have told him to stop at that point, but I didn’t and he started kissing me again. Then his hands circled around and grasped my ass, pulling my lower body closer to him as his leg moved in between mine. His thigh press intimately against me and instead of pushing him away, my hands pulled him closer, as my fingers intertwined in his dark locks.
One hand climbed upward and cupped my breast, the other reached around the back of my thigh lifting it to his side as he ground what felt like a very large erection against me. I arched my back, sighed in pleasure and pressed myself into him.
I wasn’t aware the elevator doors opened until he pulled back and grabbed my hand as he walked forward. I watched his back as we walked toward the penthouse and panicked. If I didn’t stop it now, I’d never stop it. The door loomed ahead of me and I pulled my hand out of his. I knew if I didn’t stop this now, I wouldn’t once he was touching me, again.
He stopped instantly, and turned toward me. “What’s wrong?”
“This isn’t a good idea,” I said, then steeled myself for his reaction. He stood silent and unreadable, and I held myself firm, consciously avoided the urge to fidget.
“Okay.”
Was that it? He was going to let it drop that easily? I watched his back as he opened the penthouse door. He gazed back at me, as I stood frozen for a moment. Was he bluffing? Was he going to maul me the moment I walked in the door? That made no sense. He could do it in the hallway. Even if his men showed up, they wouldn’t stop him.
“You’re not upset?”
“You’re scared. I get that. I’m not some monster who’s going to rush you.”
Anger gave me the momentum to get my feet moving. “I’m not scared. It’s just not a good idea.”
“Why are you angry? I’m trying to be understanding about this. You don’t need to be defensive.”
“I’m not defensive. I won’t sleep with you because it’s a bad idea.” I threw my purse on the couch in a slight huff.
“That, I could understand, but that’s not the reason.”
“And you know my reasons better than me?”
“I know you want me as much as I want you and I think you are clinging to any reason you can find to… hey, where you going?”
Ignoring him, I slammed the door to my room. He was completely off base.
I sat in the huge Jacuzzi in my bathroom until my skin pruned, but it still didn’t relax me. When I finally crawled out, I found a turkey club, a bag of salt and vinegar potato chips, and my favorite flavored latte sitting on the table near my bed. A little note lay on my pillow.
Be ready at eight. Make sure you eat.
Cormac
Nothing worked. It wasn’t as if I could operate anything, but he still wanted to keep trying. Nothing stopped that.
I considered ignoring it. The idea of sitting with him alone in a room all night made me distinctly uneasy. Anger prickled at me and I couldn’t seem to contain it. Who was he to set the rules? I threw on a robe and left my room, ready to do battle.
“Did you find anything on my parents?” I demanded after I tracked him down in his office. When I felt uneasy, I did what came naturally. I picked a fight.
“No, but I’ve got men on it.”
“That was the deal,” I said. I leaned both hands on the desk where he sat.
“And I’m going to get you answers, but I don’t remember telling you it would be quick.”
I watched as he stood up and circled the desk, and I turned with him as he walked around to my side until he stood in front of me, his desk at the back of my legs. He stood so close his clothes brushed the front of my robe. I couldn’t help but breath in his scent. He was wearing a dress shirt, like always, and I found my eyes drawn to the skin at the top of his chest. I could clearly see the definition of his chest. An image of him standing shirtless flashed in my brain, and my breathing hitched.
He stepped closer still. With no room left to back up, I ended up half sitting on his desk. His hands gripped my hips, sliding me farther onto its surface as he stepped in between my legs.
He leaned his head down toward my ear and took my lobe into his mouth, then nipped at the sensitive skin below. “Hmmm, I think I just discovered a way to…”
Ben yelled his name from the other room before he could finish.
His eyes stared into mine for a moment, then he leaned back from me and rested his hip on his desk. I jumped off, fearing I’d look guilty standing anywhere near him.
“I’m in the office,” he called out.
Ben’s tall lanky frame filled the doorway. “Dodd told me that Tracker is insisting on having his man come over tonight.”
“No. I told them no one through this portal until next week. They have to use the other portal.”
“Tracker is insisting. He said he’s got the choice of portals. That his man is coming over at nine p.m.
What should I tell Dodd to do?”
Cormac pushed off the desk and silently walked the length of the room for a minute.
“Are you ready?” he asked me as he turned back around.
“That’s a joke, right?” His face remained stoic. “You couldn’t have missed the fact that I haven’t been able to do anything?”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve got an idea.”
“An idea? That’s certainly reassuring. What if you do it and kill this guy like the last one?”
“I told you, I can’t reveal that I don’t have control of the portal. It could make things worse.”
“I’m not doing it. I want nothing to do with this.”
He crossed the room to stand in front of me. “I can’t show weakness. If I do, this will only get worse. I can’t risk losing any of my people because they are scared.”
“Why can’t you just say no?”
“Because there is a contract in place set up a very long time ago and it’s not one I can break. If they insist, I have to do it or I’ll never be able to keep things under wraps. I need to know who’s working against me and get to them before this blows up.”
“What is it with you and these contracts? It’s a piece of paper!”
“If I don’t keep it open, there will still be bloodshed, and more than one person might die. I need to bring the guy through and I need it to work.”
“I’ve worked very hard to get my life on a normal track. I don’t want to be involved in your mess!”
“You keep saying that like this isn’t your heritage, just as much as mine. I don’t have a choice and neither do you. Just because you didn’t know about it, and I did, doesn’t make it any more mine. This is who you are. You need to stop running at some point and own it.”
“If I do this, I want the tails off me and I’m moving back home. I’m tired of being followed everywhere I go. I’m done with your rules. You want me to be a team player than you better start treating me like one.”
“They aren’t there to watch you. They’re there to protect you.”
“I don’t care. I want them gone.”