by Jane Cousins
“Then ask different questions. And if things go badly send up the bat signal, I’ll come running.”
Fraser nodded slowly, some of the tension having eased from her shoulders. “What if this thing really is out for my blood?”
Quinn wrapped her gloved arm around her cousin’s shoulders, turning her to face the crowded dance floor. “Then we will introduce it to the family, and it will high tail it out of here screaming in terror quicker than you can blink.”
Chapter Eight
Matias studiously ignored his brother’s frantic pleading look for help. Nope, not going to happen. He might have a lot of memory issues, but he wasn’t crazy. Nico would have to deal with his hovering trio of tipsy admirers on his own.
Especially since it was so bloody entertaining. He bit down on the inside of his cheek to stop from howling with laughter. It was seriously hard to maintain a stoic expression when your older brother was being flirted with and pawed by coquettish, elderly women. The three seated at the bar, seemed harmless enough but were proving incredibly tenacious.
One was in all white, a silk blouse and matching trousers, her golden white streaked hair softening the starkness of her outfit. Next to her sat a woman swathed in layers of jewelled fabric, sporting long glittering earrings and an assortment of rings. Her deep red hair set ablaze by the mix and contrast of such rich colours. And lastly was a sturdy brunette, wearing a navy satin jacket and matching skirt.
Despite their differing styles, hair colour... cough, and choice of over powering perfume, Matias presumed the three were related, as despite all their differences they had a very similar shaped nose, and their wide smiling mouths were identical. If he had to take guess, he’d say the tipsy flirting trio were sisters.
His personal plan to get through the day, was to look at all times incredibly busy. So he’d taken on the task of refilling the trays for the circulating waiters to pick up. And whilst doing so, Matias had been eavesdropping blatantly on the party goers. He got why they had chosen to settle in Haven Bay. Not just because it was a refuge for magic users, but the people seemed so darn nice. If perhaps a little too friendly in some instances.
Case in point, the tipsy trio chatting with Nico.
“Won’t your husbands be wondering where you are?” There was just the faintest tinge of desperation in Nico’s voice.
“Oh no.” The redhead smiled broadly. “We told them we were off to admire the decorations.” Her eyes skimmed down over Nico’s tall, muscular form.
Matias cleared his throat. Decorative? Nico? Who knew. Saint Medard, he would need to write this incident down and use it as ammunition against his big brother in the future.
“Which reminds me.” The brunette tapped the bar. “Have you thought any further about Adelaide’s request that you model for her next book cover?”
“Oh, yes.” The woman in all white jumped to attention. “It’s going to be called Latin Shackled Heat. You’d be perfect for the cover. Tastefully shot of course, but nude... and probably holding silken red ties.”
“Not with that title.” The redhead shook her head. “He’s needs to be holding handcuffs.”
The trio looked at Nico intently, their eyes sparkling. It was very clear they were imagining Nico standing before them naked.
“Um... er.” Nico looked incredibly uncomfortable, hot colour rising in his cheeks.
Matias was moments away from howling with laughter.
“Handcuffs would be perfect.” The woman in all white acknowledged. “Are you hesitating because of the accident yesterday, we all heard about the surgery. But you look healthy enough now.”
Nico opened his mouth. Clearly grateful for an excuse to nip this conversation in the bud.
“Oh, say you have scars. Women love scars.”
“It would send my sales into the stratosphere.”
“We’d have to know exactly where the scars are of course.”
The trio instantly fell quiet. Nico looked like he was ready to bolt. His eyes alighting on the perfect excuse. No way was Matias going to allow his brother to escape and leave him to fend off the trio’s attention.
Choking back laughter, Matias elbowed Nico out of the way and swooped up a crate of waiting champagne bottles. “You work out the contract details in regards to your exciting new modelling career. I’ll refill the ice buckets.” Ignoring Nico’s stuttered protests, Matias ducked out from behind the bar.
Squeezing through the happy wedding crowd, Matias unloaded the fresh bottles into the series of large silver ice buckets located strategically around the room. That way the party-goers could refresh their own glasses rather than mob the bar or have to wait for a wandering waiter to pass by.
He smiled as the recently wedded couple sauntered by, with eyes only for each other. It was a good crowd. Loud. But they were obviously a close knit community.
It had been smart of Nico to offer the bar as a substitute wedding venue on this exceedingly rainy day, it would highlight their willingness to fit in here. They’d always had the contract to provide the alcohol for today’s party anyway. The only small price to pay was sending their kitchen staff home so that the catering firm could take over.
Matias deliberately kept his head down as he moved around the room, replacing empty bottles with full ones. Despite the party and watching a delightfully flustered Nico deal with his trio of admirers, Matias knew all of his attention should have been focused on working out what had happened yesterday. What had attacked their car? A monster? And why was he suddenly now recalling a previously forgotten detail from that last day aboard the Merry Maverick?
Yep, he had a ton of things to brood over... and yet... his head whipped around as a flash of gold grabbed his attention. Except he kept getting distracted by Her.
Who was she?
He’d noticed her the moment she’d entered the bar. Sure, there were an astonishing number of gorgeous women present here today, but none of them had kicked him in the gut like the woman dressed in gold. She was a stranger... hell, everyone here but Nico was a stranger. And he, damn his soul, needed to keep it that way.
Yet. He couldn’t seem to stop from cataloguing her every detail. Out of those high heels she probably stood around the 5 foot-ten mark. Seriously killer lithe curves, that begged for a man to run his hands over them. Eyes blazing a soft, delicate blue with a silvery shimmer. The rope of thick moonlit blonde hair braided back loosely, falling down over one shoulder, the tip teasing the rise of one full breast. Flawless alabaster skin. Wide sensual lips.
Looks aside though. There was something in the way she held herself, cool and confident. It would take the right man, a strong man to tame and possess a woman of her calibre.
Tame? Possess? Bloody hell, it was official, he was loco.
His fixation was irritating. He had a lot more things to think about than some woman he wouldn’t even be able to remember setting eyes on come tomorrow. And yet. From the moment she’d walked in he’d found himself scanning the large crowd for another glimpse of her. An almost impossible task, given he was stuck behind the bar and the woman in gold was a seeming master of subterfuge. A flash of gold. A glimmer of moonlight bright hair. It was pretty much all he’d been able to manage to catch a glimpse of as the party progressed.
Funnier still. When his attention was focused elsewhere, he could have sworn he felt her eyes settle on him. Yet the moment he lifted his head to search for her, the feeling would dissipate. It was ridiculous. It was irritating. And it was distracting.
And the one thing he couldn’t afford in his life right now was a distraction. He needed answers regarding that obsidian tablet that had gotten Copper so upset. And he needed to discover what connection yesterday’s mysterious monster attack had to do with him and Nico.
Matias muttered surly apologies as he made his way through the crush of people. He reached the final silver ice bucket and swapped out the empty champagne bottles for full ones. Now he just needed to take the crate of empty bottles back to
the kitchen and he could return to the relative safety of the bar.
Damn, this party was a tight squeeze. It didn’t help matters that he was standing right at the edge of the dance floor.
Matias jumped slightly as one of the food waiters breezed by. “I’ll take that if you like.” Before Matias could protest that he had it, the guy was placing his empty tray on top and hefting up the crate of empties.
Good, one less thing to deal with. Time to head back to the bar to discover if Nico’s virtue remained intact. He’d barely taken one step when the music changed, he didn’t recognise the song, but the crowd did.
There was a sudden swell of people heading for the dance floor. Matias was swept along with them. Crap, he tried to edge out of the way. But every avenue was blocked. He had just managed to turn around when he slammed into someone likewise trying to avoid the descending tide of people.
The woman in gold! Her blue eyes widened in surprise. A small gasp escaping from her full lips as his arms automatically swept around her narrow waist so that he wouldn’t send her flying. The wall of dancing bodies encircled them completely.
Of all the dumb luck. Quinn couldn’t believe a simple walk across the dance floor had turned into a fight for survival. And of all the people in the world to bump in to, Matias Yanez. Her gloved hands rested flat against his hard chest. Pushing ineffectually, she tried to get some distance or at the very least get out of his arms. This was so embarrassing.
“Careful.” His slightly accented voice admonished, sending a hot shiver down her spine. One of his hands sliding down to her butt, pressing her lower body into his. “We don’t want you falling, you’ll get trampled in this crush.”
“What do you think you’re doing?” One of his legs had slipped between hers, her dress riding up slightly. Their lower bodies were all but plastered together as a result.
“It’s either dance or die. I know which one I prefer.”
“Ugh.” Quinn couldn’t move, there was a wall of bodies at her back and on either side. And throwing a temper tantrum because fate had thrown her and Matias together didn’t strike her as prudent. She didn’t want to be the star attraction of tomorrow’s gossip-fest. “Fine.” She capitulated reluctantly.
“You should put your arms around me then.” He instructed.
Quinn glanced up at him from under her eyelashes. Was Matias smirking at her? She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen the man even crack a wry smile before. Would wonders never cease. In her astonishment, Quinn lifted her arms and draped them carefully around his neck. Not so dazed that she was going to risk any skin to skin contact with her new dance partner.
Oh my, the man generated a lot of body heat. Even through the smart black trousers and matching silk shirt he was wearing. And he could dance too. Probably all that heated Latin blood.
Heavens. She found herself relaxing in his hold. Not good, so not good. She should strike up a conversation. Talking, yes, keep everything on a cerebral level. Good idea. “Should you be out here like this?”
Dark toffee coloured eyes studied her intently. “I am part owner of this place. The boss won’t get mad at me.”
“I meant after your adventure yesterday.” Quinn tossed her head back. Was he being deliberately dense?
Ah, yes. His gorgeous dance partner knew about yesterday’s incident. He’d made a note of the speed of light grapevine in this town. And his mystery blonde was hooked into it. She must be a local. Not that it mattered. “I’m fine. Healing nicely. Did you come with anyone today?” Saint Medard, why was he even asking her that question?
“What? No.”
“Good.”
“Good? Why good?”
Matias shrugged. “No reason. I just didn’t want to have to fend off some over-protective jealous suitor because of a simple dance.”
He called this a simple dance? The way they were plastered together? Wait? Over-protective jealous suitor? “I wouldn’t go out with a man who resorted to violence just because of a simple, meaningless dance.”
“No? You like your men placid and dull then?”
“Neither, thank you very much. My preferred partners are smart and analytical, rather than those who are at the mercy of their caveman instincts. Men who understand that communication and civility are the building blocks of a relationship.” That came out both defensive and prim, well, good, it should put him in his place.
“I think you’ve fooled yourself into believing the egghead type - who would rather use obscure ten syllable words to settle an argument rather than their fists - is your kind of man.”
“What do you mean by fooled?” No one was more brutal at self-analysis than Quinn, Matias was so off track.
“Oh, you come across all cool and high-brow but if one of those over-educated brainiacs took one moment to look beneath your surface, they’d know they were seriously out of their depth.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Matias was clearly talking gibberish.
“It’s the challenge in your eyes. The proud way you hold your head. That cool facade may have duped everyone else, but not me. I see you... all heat... and need.”
“You’re insane, and trust me, I rarely say that lightly. And you appear to be bordering on babbling.”
Matias threw his head back and laughed. Quinn stared up at him in shock. Goddess, he was gorgeous when he laughed. He looked almost boyish and relaxed for a moment. No sign of the irritating, gruff jerk that was his normal mode.
“Did you know when you get angry your eyes sparkle like the Aegean seas on a clear night when the skies are ablaze with millions of stars?” He leaned down so his warm breath played over the sensitive bare skin of her exposed throat. “All you need to find is the right man... the right lover... to strike the match and together, you’d burn in ecstasy. Something you’ll never find with those stuffed shirts you go out with.”
“I do not go out with stuffed shirts.” Why was she defending herself? “I go out with thoughtful, smart men, who share similar interests and like the same things I do.”
Matias shook his head. His dark chocolate messy curls bouncing. “And don’t they bore you silly?” His voice low, almost a caress.
“Not at all.” Would this song never end?
“Tell me about your last date then.”
“Why?” She glared at him suspiciously. With her heels they were almost the same height. It was disconcerting to find herself only inches away from the teasing sparkle in those toffee coloured depths.
“Educate me.”
A shiver raced down Quinn’s spine. Why did those two words sound so naughty when Matias said them? And was it getting hot in here? Her cheeks... her entire body felt super-heated. Suddenly every date she’d ever been on blurred together. “There is nothing to tell. We would just go out on a normal date. Eat dinner. Talk about work, hobbies, world events.”
“World events?” The corners of Matias’s lips quirked upwards. “No, doesn’t sound tedious at all.”
“Well, okay then, Romeo. Why don’t you enlighten me? What in your world would constitute an exciting date?”
“Hmmm, let’s see. I would ask you to my place. And we’d drink wine and make dinner... together. I’d teach you how to make empanadas to start. Then share the secrets of my grandmother’s fish stew for main. And for dessert?” Matias’s eyes glowed with heat and promise. “Something sinful.”
Goddess, Quinn found herself fighting the urge to melt into him. That accent. Those eyes, simmering with temptation. Who knew Matias could be such a tease. Was he flirting with her? No... no... No! She was practically his doctor for heaven’s sake. So there were ethics here. Not to mention the fact that thanks to her magic she couldn’t risk touching the man.
“I have strict rules. I never eat dessert.” She fought not to wince at how priggish and proper those words sounded.
Matias chuffed a laugh. “And that would be half the fun. Tempting you to break the rules. Teaching you that indulging...” His eyes flickered down
her body appreciatively. “...can feel so incredibly good.”
Oh, no. No way. She would not fall off her carefully balanced tightrope just because Matias Yanez decided to smile for once in his surly life. No. She’d worked too hard. The yoga. The careful eating plan. The sensible early nights and recommended eight hours of sleep. The monitoring of her blood pressure. The daily vitamin and supplements designed to keep her in tip top health.
It was not a rigid life. She still drank, in moderation. Had nights out with her girlfriends. And went on the occasional date to a well reviewed restaurant with plenty of healthy eating options. It was not rigid... it was balanced. Just the way she liked it. And one Romeo with rich toffee coloured eyes and a musical Latino accent would not be allowed to threaten it... or her sanity.
Remember what happened last time they had touched?
The anomaly.
Quinn was determined not to let that happen again. Ever. Being sane. Being in control. They were the only things she could afford to focus on. It’s a pity she signed those documents yesterday. To think if she hadn’t, Matias would still be locked away right now in the High Security Ward. She’d be safe... no, she meant of course that he’d be safe. Looked after by professionals who had the luxury of time to spend identifying and treating this man who clearly suffered from some sort of split personality disorder.
“So how about that date... er?” He looked at her questioningly. “I still don’t know your name.”
Quinn blinked slowly, staring at him. Not sure if she should be genuinely concerned, or if this was just another quirk to add to the mystery that was turning out to be Matias Yanez. “You don’t know my name? Seriously?”
Uh-oh. Matias forced himself to remain relaxed, to keep moving to the beat. Of course, this was a small town. They’d probably met before. Crap, act natural. But what was natural for him? The asshole? Damn. He’d ignored all the warnings he’d circled in red and capitalised in his notes and dropped his guard.
Fuck that, there’d been no dropping, this gorgeous woman had steam rolled right over them. He’d seen her. Wanted to get to know her. Wanted her to know the real him.