Radar Deception: 2016 Anniversary Edition (Immortal Ops Book 3)

by Mandy M. Roth

  He glanced around her and laughed softly. “Where’s the Melanie I met three weeks ago?”

  “Oh, the one who would say or do whatever or whoever was on her mind?”

  The idea of her being with anyone but him set his nerves on edge. Green did his best not to let it show. She was entering her mid-twenties, was beautiful, and carried old faerie blood in her. Like it or not, she was a sexual diva by nature. It was something he’d have to learn to control or live with. If she was half as strong-willed as he suspected her to be, then he’d have a lifetime worth of men coming on to her. “Yes. That one.”

  She held tight to his hand and stared down at it. “I don’t know. She’s here somewhere.”

  He nodded and noticed her favoring her neck, stretching it as though she were in pain. Knowing she probably was made his chest tight. “You okay? Peren mentioned you’ve been a little under the weather.”

  It was the understatement of a lifetime.

  Melanie nodded as she ran her thumbs over his hand. “Don’t laugh, but I feel better around you.”

  That made sense. Her withdrawal from Lance would lessen by just being close to Green. In theory, he could spend forever just being near her and keep her safe, but that wasn’t enough for him. He wanted her for himself, but after suffering a devastating loss he wasn’t sure he was ready to open his heart again, especially not to a woman who made seducing men an art form.

  Reaching up, she loosened his tie and began to lift it over his head. As Melanie rose to her tiptoes, her mouth moved dangerously close to his. Green fought the primal urges she was causing to rip through his body and tipped his head down for her to get his tie completely off. The action left his lips brushing hers. A spark flared between them and he knew if he dared to give in, he’d take her and fuck her against the wall in front of everyone. That wasn’t something he wanted to do, so he held back.

  She eased his tie off, reached into his jacket, and stuffed it into his pocket before she began to unbutton his shirt. Green couldn’t help but smile. Melanie was so very different from any other woman he’d ever met—including Elizabeth. It was most likely the old faerie blood Melanie carried in her that allowed her to pick up on details of his life. She couldn’t be his Elizabeth. Could she? No, that was impossible.

  She’s sensitive. Psychic abilities run rampant in the Fae.

  “Are you trying to undress me in public?” he asked with a hopeful look. The idea had occurred to him. He glanced at one of the curved sofas lining the back wall and smiled. Thoughts of laying Melanie on her back, undressing her, and licking every inch of her body filled his mind.

  “Would undressing you be a bad thing?”

  “Some Enchanted Evening” came on and a stab of guilt went through Green. It had been one of the songs played at his wedding reception. Suddenly, his desire to spend the rest of his life with Melanie seemed so selfish, so wrong.

  She didn’t seem to notice his mood shift. That, or she didn’t care. She continued her slow striptease of him, taking his jacket off him and laying it on the back of an empty chair. Without a word, she returned, cuffed each of his sleeves, and pressed her body to his. “Mmm, that’s much better. Now, dance with me.”

  “Melanie, I…”

  She hooked her finger in his belt loop, pulling him to her, making his heart pound with a fury he thought for sure would cause it to burst. Melanie put her hands in his and winked. “I’m not allowed to start until you do. You value your toes too much.”

  Green gasped and did his best to not squeeze her hands too tight. She’d somehow managed to repeat, almost verbatim, what Elizabeth used to say. As Melanie kicked her right foot out and rolled her body toward him, she left him panting on the inside. The swirling feeling in his mind was already leaving him fogged at best, and having Melanie’s lush, tempting body moving in close to his only added to it.

  As he drew in her sweet scent, a cross between lavender and lilac, he couldn’t stop himself from bending down and pulling Melanie into his arms, swaying slowly and listening to the steady beat of her heart. He moved with her, dancing across the open and extravagant lobby.

  She was an amazing dancer and Green found himself smiling as he spun Melanie down the length of his arm. She tapped one foot out and then did it again. She did another step-heel and Green’s chest tightened.

  “You know how to tap dance?” he asked, staring at her with nothing short of rapture on his face.

  “Yes. Are you going to make fun of me?” She sounded so vulnerable, so different than he thought she’d be. “I spent my childhood learning all types of dance. I drove my father nuts with it, but he was good about indulging me.”

  “Why would I make fun of you?”

  He pulled her back into him and rocked back and forth with her. She licked her lower lip and sent need slamming through him. “Wilson told me that you taught him to dance. Is that true?”

  Green couldn’t hide the smile on his face. “Why? Are you going to make fun of me? Let me tell you, it was a chore. I thought the boy was born with two left feet. Turns out, he just needed to be taught his left from his right.”

  The large smile she flashed him left him moving even closer to her, as if it was even possible. As the song drew to an end, Green found himself wishing it would go on forever. “How about I take you in there and do this for real?”

  A man came walking out from the restaurant portion and Green recognized him as the manager. The man spotted Melanie and his eyes lit up. He was pushing forty and was too old for her.

  Ha. I’m way too old for her then.

  “Melanie, come and treat us to something special,” he said, glancing at Green. “Bring your boyfriend.”

  He waited for Melanie to correct the man as to his status to her. When she laced her fingers through his, he had to fight the urge to kiss her.

  “Oleg, I don’t want to embarrass myself any more than I have in front of Thad, but thank you.”

  Green stared down at her, still unsure how it was she knew his name, but loving the sound of it falling from her lips too much to care.

  Oleg put his hand up. “Oh sweetie, in case I miss you later, happy birthday.”

  Birthday?

  Melanie smiled. “Thank you.”

  “You haven’t been in for close to three weeks. We miss hearing you sing as we close up. ” Oleg narrowed his gaze on Melanie. “You look like you’ve lost weight and you’re skinny enough to start with. Are you feeling okay?”

  “I’m fine. Really.”

  Oleg nodded and headed off in the other direction. Melanie rubbed her neck again, clearly in pain. Green slid behind her, put his hand on her slender shoulders, and began to rub them.

  Sighing, she melted back into his body, causing his cock to throb madly. Part of him wanted to back away to avoid ejaculating, but the other half of him refused to lose contact with her. His mouth burned for the change, to be allowed to shift into panther form and claim her as his own—something he’d never done with any woman before.

  The song changed. Melanie grabbed his hand and turned her face a bit. “Promise you’ll play this for me again on the piano sometime. Please?”

  He stilled and listened closer to the song. It was one of many he used to play on the piano for Elizabeth while she sat next to him on the bench, her belly swollen with his child and her eyes wide with excitement. The memory was bittersweet. While he’d loved having her there with him, being reminded she was gone stung. Melanie needed to curb her senses and stop reading him or he’d be an emotional mess in no time flat. “Melanie, stop.”

  “Stop what?”

  “You know what. No more. I mean it.”

  She let go of his hand instantly. “Sorry, I don’t know why I asked you to play the piano.” As she went to walk away, the compulsion to pull her back to him was great. He gave in to it.

  It was Melanie who refused to allow anything further to take place. She cast a nervous glance at him. “This is where I cut out. Thanks for the dance, Thad…er, Gre
en.”

  He could almost feel her confusion over his behavior. He wanted to draw her back into his arms and show her how sorry he was. It was her birthday, she was in pain, and he was being moody with her for simply requesting he play a song. Granted, she was somehow tapping into painful memories from his past, but still, she didn’t deserve to be treated badly.

  Hearing Wilson say those ugly things to her had set Green off in a rage like no other. It was odd to hear Melanie defend him as if she truly knew him. She forced a smile to her face as she headed toward the front door.

  “Melanie?”

  “I need some fresh air,” she said softly. “Go back in with your friends. It was nice to finally talk to you. Night, Green.”

  Dismissed, but not deterred, Green shook his head. “I’d rather not go back in without you.”

  “Good night, Green.”

  “Wait, are you leaving?” he asked, doing everything he could not to pull her to him and hold her tight.

  “I’m tired and my head is killing me. Would you tell everyone I said thanks?” She shivered slightly as she headed for the door. The dress she wore teased Green with “almost” glances at her lush ass.

  He swallowed hard and grabbed his suit jacket from the back of the chair. “Melanie, here, put this on.”

  She glanced back at him and then the jacket. Her blue eyes widened and she arched a brow. “No. Thank you though.”

  He looked down at his jacket, unsure why she stared at it like it was deadly. “You’re cold. It’s a jacket. Its job is to warm someone. Let it perform its function.”

  She locked gazes with him. “I don’t want the jacket and I don’t want your sympathy. Wilson may have been trying to upset you, but what he said was true. I’m just some slut who dropped into your lives, and your heart is so big you’ll do anything to help someone in need. I enjoyed the dance and your company—well, the part where you weren’t feeling guilty over being near me.”

  He gasped. She’d picked up on his feelings?

  “Melanie, I think you—”

  “Good night, Doc Smart.”

  He froze. “Doc Smart” was what Elizabeth had called him the first day they’d met. He clenched his fists. “I’d appreciate it if you’d stop reading me. I think you know what I mean.”

  Her brow furrowed. “Huh?”

  “You keep bringing up things you shouldn’t know about. I’d rather you didn’t.”

  Melanie snorted. “What? You think I’m like a fortune-teller or something? Sorry to disappoint there, Green, but I’m not.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re the last person I want to fight with right now.” Her eyes glistened with moisture. “Just once, I’d like to part ways without one of us angry or ending up in tears.” With that, she turned and left.

  Chapter Five

  Green stood there, watching her leave, knowing he should go after her but rooted in place. Peren walked out from the dining area, followed closely by Missy and glanced around. “Hey, have you seen Melanie?”

  “Umm, she wanted me to thank you both for tonight.”

  Missy’s eyes widened. “What? She left?”

  He nodded.

  Peren covered her mouth. “Oh, we didn’t get out her cake yet or anything. We didn’t even say ‘happy birthday’. She probably thinks we forgot again like we’ve done every other year.”

  Missy shook her head. “Don’t kick yourself too hard. I was married to her brother and he forgot all the time too. In fact, I’m betting Eadan hasn’t even wished her a happy one yet, either. Melanie never makes a big deal about it. She celebrates everyone else’s with flair but doesn’t bring hers up at all. It’s almost like she’s ashamed she’s having one. It’s weird.”

  “She’s getting worse,” Peren said, tears coming to her eyes. “I can feel her fading more and more each day. At this rate…” She choked up.

  Missy glanced at him. “No. Shh, she’ll be fine. Won’t she, Green?”

  Peren wiped her cheeks. “Wait a minute, how is Melanie getting home? She rode with Lukian and me.” Her eyes widened.

  The second Missy grabbed Peren’s arm, Green knew Melanie was walking. He clutched his jacket and headed toward the door. “I’ll get her.”

  “No,” Peren said, taking him by surprise. “We’ll get her. She’s our friend. We love her and actually care what happens to her.”

  Missy arched a brow. “Peren?”

  Green stared down at the auburn-haired woman. “I care about what happens to her.”

  Peren snorted. “Lukian told me why it was he was shocked to hear her call you by your name and why you said the name Elizabeth.” She glared at him. “Melanie isn’t a charity case and she’s not what everyone assumes she is—an air-head blonde. She’s smart, Green. Very smart, and has a heart of gold, even though she doesn’t see it. She is an amazing young woman whose life might be cut short because of your ‘brother’ and his inability to control his shifting. She was practicing safe sex. It’s hardly her fault he changed partially into a panther. He terrified her, and Missy and I lied to her face about it, telling her it was her imagination. Had she not been trying to give me a nice birthday night out, she wouldn’t have been with us.”

  Green went to speak but Peren tossed her hand up and cut him off. “She would have been at college, not being pushed into the back of a van full of strangers. She wouldn’t have met Lance and she would be safe right now, not suffering. Do you know that I’ve spent almost every night with her and she cries in her sleep?” Peren blinked back tears. “She can’t eat and the little bit of rest she gets is fitful.”

  “I can help her,” Green said, fisting the jacket.

  Peren shook her head. “No, you can’t. My husband doesn’t need to tell me what he’s thinking. I can feel it, and the minute he heard the name Elizabeth fall from your lips, his thoughts were that you couldn’t do this, that emotionally it would tear you apart and leave Melanie devastated if she managed to survive, mated to you, only to find out you aren’t capable of letting go of the past. I refuse to see her live a life where she is second best in her husband’s eyes. We’ll get her home and take care of her. You can do us all a favor and keep your distance. We’ll handle talking her into going to South America. And don’t think I don’t hate the idea that she even needs to be near you, but Lukian swears proximity to you will help Melanie.”

  Her words where harsh and they hurt. Mostly because they were true.

  “Let’s go tell Lukian and Roi we’re leaving,” Peren said, guiding Missy back into the main part of the restaurant.

  Green headed toward the door all the same and stilled when he spotted Melanie talking in the parking lot with Oleg. She was shaking her head but Oleg didn’t seem to be listening. He lifted his arms out and Melanie smiled. She took his hand and he led her back toward the front entrance.

  Taking a step back, Green watched her enter. Her gaze met his briefly before going to Oleg. “Go ahead. I promise to stand here and not move until the cab comes. You know, you’re worse than my father.”

  He laughed. “Someone has to worry about you. Besides, your friends have a little something special they had us do for you to celebrate. Leaving before we bring it out would hurt their feelings.”

  Melanie sighed.

  Oleg frowned. “Melanie, let them do this. They worked very hard not to forget this year.”

  “No, I’m just too weak to cast a memory spell on them so they can’t do it this year,” she said, barely above a whisper.

  Green’s supernatural hearing picked up on it instantly. She knew she had power? He hadn’t sensed that in her before. He’d assumed she had no idea what she truly was. And from what Missy had told him, Eadan and Melanie’s family worked very hard to keep the woman in the dark on all that she was capable of and they’d insisted she never tell anyone. That she never use her powers. Though no one could tell him why.

  Oleg headed off into the back and Melanie put her back to Green.

  “Melanie?”

  “Hmm?”
she asked, not turning to face him.

  “Do you think if I worked hard on pulling my foot out of my mouth you’d consider honoring me with another dance?”

  Glancing over her shoulder, she winked at him. “You’re not in the dog house, Thad. I’m just not feeling very well.”

  His heart beat faster as he stared at her. If he didn’t know better, he’d have sworn it was Elizabeth standing there. But that was impossible.

  Melanie’s head jerked up and she took a step back from the doorway. Putting her hand out, she pushed him back as well. She stiffened and his built-in alarm went off. The smell of her fear only set him on edge more. “What’s wrong, Melanie?”

  “Nothing,” she said in a hushed tone. It was a lie and he knew it. One of the gifts he’d developed over the years had been the sensing of truths. It was a gift normally reserved for vampires, but he’d ended up with it all the same.

  “Melanie?”

  She sighed and glanced around nervously. Goose bumps formed on her arms and he knew she was scared. “Someone is watching us.”

  He glanced around, not sensing anything out of the norm. “Honey, you’re beautiful. It’s natural for men to want to watch you.”

  Had he really just told her that she was beautiful and used a pet name for her? She was drop-dead gorgeous, but the idea of spitting that out made him take a deep breath and wait on pins and needles for her response.

  Melanie moved into his arms more. “Flattery will normally get you everywhere with me, but this is hard for me to explain. This is different. Someone,” she put her palm against his chest, “is close. Closer than you’d want them to be.”

  Huh?

  Green glanced over his shoulder, trying to sense something, anything that could help him understand what Melanie was going through. He got nothing. The way she clung to him told him she firmly believed whatever she sensed was real. That was enough to concern him.

  A flash of auburn and a blur of black went past him. Green stiffened and jerked Melanie behind him a second before he realized the flash and blur were Peren and Missy. They stared around the large entryway to the restaurant with equally cautious looks on their faces.