I already did. Larissa planted her feet and crossed her arms. “No way in hell am I getting into that thing.”
“Oh, come on, it’s not like you have a fear of heights or anything.”
“It looks like speed dating on Red Bull and vodka.”
“Sounds even better when you put it that way.” Janie smirked. She took Larissa’s hand, pulling her closer to the line of females. “You get to fly. Why wouldn’t you want to do that?”
Larissa pursed her lips while she formulated a response. “Because it’s weird. And kind of creepy.”
“How?”
“Why would I want some strange guy chasing me around a dome?”
Janie shrugged. “Think of it as a carnival attraction. But with the possibility of landing a date.”
With a raised brow, Larissa replied, “And you think we may meet the men we’re destined to be with on a carnival attraction?”
“Fate works in mysterious ways.” Janie grinned like a madwoman before bursting out with a laugh. “Yeah, it’s probably total crap, but who cares. Besides, it’s even shorter than most of those speed dates. Only five minutes.”
“Of weirdness.”
“Of the hunt, Larissa. Guys love the chase.”
Larissa still wasn’t sold on the idea. “It might be cool if it was someone you were into. But if it’s a whacko, you’re locked in a dome with a guy trying to hunt you down.”
Janie laughed. “Be an optimist for once. And not in cop mode looking for signs of malice everywhere you go.”
When Janie gave her one of her signature “come on” expressions, Larissa started to cave.
Janie pulled out her ace card. “I may not be able to walk like everyone else, but if we’re flying, it doesn’t matter. Do this with me?”
How stupid of Larissa not to have seen it from Janie’s perspective while she scrutinized all the things that could go wrong. In the air, Janie wouldn’t have to limp on her damaged leg.
“You want to fly?” Larissa smiled and nodded her head. “Let’s fly.”
Janie’s victorious smile reminded Larissa of the Grinch who stole Christmas when he concocted a plan. “Trust me. You’ll enjoy it.”
They reached the front of the line, where women were rifling through a basket of shorts. Many of them had worn dresses to come out tonight, which would offer a free show to any spectators below. Larissa took off her heels and grabbed a pair, wiggling them on under her dress.
A guy handed them vests that would give them the ability to fly around the dome. While they put them on, he gave them quick instructions on how to maneuver with the controls. Larissa took a couple of steps toward the entrance, but then paused. Ready to change her mind.
She couldn’t; she’d promised Janie.
When she turned back to the entryway, Janie was already inside, along with the rest of the women in their group, all appearing to be twenty- or thirty-somethings. Janie turned back, beaming a toothy grin, and gave Larissa two thumbs up.
Larissa took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and entered the dome. The door clicked closed behind her, making her spin.
This was a mistake.
She reached for the door handle and turned it. It was locked.
She glanced to the top of the dome. It looked far bigger on the inside.
Like a Tardis. She relaxed at her internal reference to her favorite show, Doctor Who.
A handful of men and women had already figured out how to maneuver with their vests and had levitated off the ground—in between quick, surreptitious glances at one another.
Suck it up for five minutes, for Janie.
Larissa gripped the remote in her hand, glancing again at the directional controls to get her bearings. She pressed the button to ascend. In a flash, her feet were off the ground. She was levitating! A rush of excitement mixed with fear coursed through her. Once she got past the terror of floating with no support, she steered with smoother turns.
This wasn’t so bad. She passed a few men and women still working out the controls, and soared higher. She zipped in one direction and then the other.
Janie popped up next to her. “Sweet, right?”
“Yeah, I have to admit, it’s pretty cool.”
“Of course. Flying is awesome.” Janie flew higher and then threw a kiss over her shoulder. “You’re welcome,” she said with a saccharine-sweet smile.
* * * * *
When Larissa’s friend had stolen her away at the club, Roman had disappeared into the crowd and sneaked back so Larissa wouldn’t spot him. Something about her still bothered him. The more he tried to place what it was, the more the mystery consumed him.
Not to mention how stimulated he’d been while they’d shared a drink. Something feminine and alluring beneath her tough exterior called to him.
Yet he couldn’t trust his response, not when he still didn’t know what she was nor her game. After centuries of good battling evil, gargoyles watched others with a sense of wariness until assured they didn’t have malicious intentions.
When he’d hidden behind a potted tree to listen in on their conversation. Janie had mentioned an attraction on the Common. He moved in closer and focused with his acute hearing. This mysterious woman was headed to the strange dome he’d put on his radar earlier. The signs all pointed in the same direction.
He notified the gargoyles stationed on a building nearby with a telepathic message.
Headed to the dome on the Common. Tracking the female.
Any signs of trouble? Arto replied.
Negative.
Roman remained at a distance while he followed Larissa and Janie out of the club. If she caught him, he wouldn’t know what to say. While they stayed along the main road, he crossed the street to cut through the Boston Public Garden.
He inhaled the perfume of the night air. Infused with tension. And lust. A dangerous combination.
He tracked them through the Garden. This expanse of land was one of his favorite parts of the city, reminding him of his mother. She’d loved cultivating gardens in their village in southern Portugal, and the flower beds had burst with various colors through the growing seasons. A despondent sensation swept through him at the reminder of his parents’ deaths. His father had been killed in a battle against demons, and his mother had died a year later. Gargoyles lived decades longer than humans, with some living for centuries. Many of them expired when they tired of living rather than of old age or sickness. As if their minds decided they’d had enough of life, and their bodies soon followed the instruction. That was what he thought happened to his mother—she’d reached a point when she was ready to say goodbye. Not with sadness or with tears, but ready to move on to the next world, perhaps hopeful to reunite with his father.
He froze mid-step, beside a bed of mixed summer blooms. No…
Could what was happening now be like what had happened over two decades ago? Couples brushed past him, many hand in hand.
He tightened his hands into fists, but forced himself to open them, struggling to force away dark tendrils seeking vengeance through the blood lust. Revenge was not the way of the gargoyle. Protect. Not chase personal vendettas. Besides, he was jumping to conclusions—first thinking the danger in the air tonight was due to werewolves, then this woman, and now thinking his memories of the past were playing out in the present. It wasn’t the first time he’d suspected a similar occurrence—he’d jumped to the same conclusion during gang-related violence in D.C. and blood battles between mafia families in New York. Both times he’d been wrong; it had only been humans destroying themselves, as they were prone to do.
He feared the worst once again, but this time he’d swear something ominous was brewing. He’d sensed it growing in the past couple of weeks. Young ones in summer heat, who had no idea about the darkness that primal lust could attract.
Roman crossed into the Common where the women had headed. He lost sight of Larissa and feared his hesitation had cost him, but then spotted the women continuing down a path.
An unfamiliar stirring churned inside, and an urge to pursue her. The predatory instinct swelled, an uncontrollable drive to hunt her down. Capture her.
Oh gods, what the bloody hell was going on?
He didn’t need confusion interfering with his purpose, and sought clarity through his lust-addled brain. When he’d spotted her at the club earlier, something about her was unusual. He’d interpreted it as dangerous, but now he questioned his reaction.
Roman inhaled the perfumed air around him, and his apprehension rose. Such an intoxicating scent. He ran from the dome, up toward the state house. At what he deemed a safe distance, he took in the air again. The hint of perfume was gone.
For a few minutes, he breathed slowly to regain some self-control.
All you smell is flowers. Part of the ambience of a romantic night in the city.
And you may lose track of Larissa tonight.
More than tonight. He knew nothing about her and had no idea how to find her. His shoulders tightened and his limbs became taut.
He broke into a run to find her.
Back at the dome, men and women were lining up to exchange their ticket for a number. Where was she?
When he spotted Larissa in line, he exhaled. Several men were eyeing Larissa and her friend. No way in hell would he let another man have a chance. He scoured the area to find an attendant.
“I’ll give you a hundred bucks if you get me in with that woman with the dark hair in the black dress, standing next to the blonde.” Humans were easily persuaded by money.
“You got it, dude.”
The man returned with a ticket and told Roman when to get in line.
When he moved up, they had him pull on a black vest with a device mounted on the back.
“What’s that for?”
“So you can fly in there.” He handed Roman a remote attached by a wire to the pack. “Use this to navigate. The arrows show the direction you steer, the knob is to ascend and descend. Any questions?”
“No, I got it.” As if he needed a vest to fly. But If he wanted to pass as a human, he had to act like one.
Larissa entered from another passageway. The jolt he’d experienced earlier returned, a drive to capture her. Stifling the urge to grab her and kiss her before claiming her as his own, he tore his eyes away.
He stifled that drive and studied her from across the dome. It took her a moment to figure out how to navigate with the steering device, but once she had it, her face relaxed.
Flight equaled relaxation. It was how he cleared his mind.
He stepped into the dome, but held back as he studied her. A man was pursuing her, but she accelerated. Roman grinned. She wouldn’t make it easy for anyone. He fumbled with the control. It would have been easier to extend his retracted wings, but it would also send the humans screaming for the exits. He soared past the man who’d continued his pursuit, despite her lack of interest.
Humans. Such fools sometimes.
As he caught up with her, he cursed himself. He was doing the same thing.
“Enjoying your flight?”
When she faced him, her mouth widened into an O.
“You?”
“Yes, me,” he replied. “Roman. Did you forget my name already?”
“What are you doing here?”
He hovered before her. “Flying. Sort of.”
“I can see that,” she said. “Are you following me?”
He flashed her a knowing grin. “Isn’t that the point of this game?”
With a muffled sort of grunt, she pressed a button on the remote and zoomed higher.
He didn’t hesitate to chase her. As he followed her through the air, a rush of exhilaration soared through him as he hunted her.
When he reached her again, he said, “The more you run, the more it excites me, I’ll admit. The makers of this game were onto something.”
The pull toward her was strong. Despite his primary purpose—to investigate her to see if she was a threat—her scent lured him, an intoxicating fragrance that stirred him.
Perhaps she was a siren; that would explain his unexpected reaction—desire befuddling his purposeful mind.
“Cut the shit, Roman.” She crossed her arms, but a tiny smile flickered at the corner of her mouth. “What do you want?”
CHAPTER THREE
The unexpected thrill of seeing Roman again surprised her, before her skeptical instincts took over. He wanted something.
“Since I’m chasing you in this…” he waved a hand, “pleasure dome, I thought my intention was clear.”
Her heart pounded with a more insistent beat, commanding her to take notice of her body’s needs. While the sensible cop told her to step back and detach from the situation, a far more primal need took over.
“You want to catch me?” She raised a brow.
Roman’s gaze traveled over her from head to toe. Even if she hadn’t been hovering off the ground, she’d have burned from its intensity. The unmistakable intention in that predatory gaze planted sensual seeds in her mind, which quickly bloomed into full-blown fantasies.
“I do, indeed.”
His voice dropped to a dark, seductive tone that sent a new ripple of desire coursing through her.
What disturbed her more was her sudden reaction to him. Desire coiled insistent and steady in her core, a burning need right between her legs.
“Then catch me.” She pressed the remote and soared higher.
What the hell was she doing? She hadn’t planned to play this game, let alone lead it.
She turned to look over her shoulder to see with relief that he was chasing her. As he bridged the distance, a dizzying blend of adrenaline and anticipation rippled through her—escalating the urge to run off and the thrill of being caught. When he reached out to grasp her arm, she spun and switched directions, buying her a few precious seconds as he adjusted to her quick change. For several turns, they repeated this chase around the dome, the excitement building with each near capture.
Maybe Janie was right. What Larissa needed tonight was great sex with a hot guy. Why not have a break from all the intrusive thoughts in her head and focus on her body’s needs? It had been months since her ex had left, leaving her alone with her demons. She could use a pleasurable distraction.
She wanted him to catch her. The next time he breached the space, she didn’t spin, waiting for the moment his hand grasped her leg.
Warm fingers closed around her ankle, pulling her back. “Ah-ha, I got you.”
Her breath caught in her throat as he slid his hands up around her waist. She turned so they hovered face to face, searching his deep amber eyes. His arms had loosened as she moved, but tightened again in a possessive hold. For several heartbeats, neither uttered a word, caught up in anticipation as their breaths came out in near pants.
She raised a brow in a suggestive manner. “Maybe I wanted you to catch me.”
His gaze dropped from her eyes to her mouth. “Then I’d be one lucky man.”
The warmth of his breath reached her lips; the faint scent of vodka tickled her nostrils, heightening her senses. His mouth hovered a hair’s breadth away. They remained there, so close to each other that their breaths intertwined with each heart-pounding exhale. The anticipation was killing her; she couldn’t take this tension another moment. She moved closer, desperate to minimize the remaining distance between their bodies.
A voice from a speaker boomed, “Last chance to make the catch. Sixty seconds.”
The intrusion rattled her. For a few moments, she’d forgotten they were part of a public attraction, a manufactured experience bought by dozens of people who were also flying around the dome. It had only been the two of them.
Him. Her. And their lips, hovering centimeters apart.
Just out of reach.
The experience was almost over, and frustration threatened to consume her. If she left him now, she’d regret it for a long time.
“Come home with me.” Her voice came out sensual and husky, no
t her usual tone.
Her breathing echoed in her ears in loud pants while she waited for his reply.
He pulled back a few inches and studied her, his dark eyes wide and bright with surprise. “Excuse me?”
She straightened, further separating them. Before she could change her mind, she repeated, “I asked you to come home with me.”
“You didn’t exactly ask.” His decadent lips curled into a one-sided grin. “What caused the change of heart?”
She hadn’t planned on coming out tonight to seduce someone. Now that the idea had entered her mind, she fixed on it. “It’s supposed to be a night for lovers.”
With a tilt of his head, he appraised her with amusement in his eyes. “I thought you didn’t believe in that.”
“I don’t; the hype is bullshit.” Reason crept through her lust, but she shoved it away. This was hardly the time to analyze her catalog of mental crap. When she scanned his face, her body’s needs took over again. “But it’s only one night. And I want to spend it with you.”
He cleared his throat. “Oh, I see. You want to have your way with my body,” he teased. “And then come the harsh light of morning, discard me like yesterday’s newspaper.”
“No. I’d never do that.” A small smile crept across her face.
“No?”
“Hell, no. I recycle.”
His smile reached his eyes, making them crinkle. “Ah, got it. One night. Message received.”
“Yeah.” She gestured toward him. “You’re a guy. You should be happy with a night without any strings attached.”
“I don’t consider myself just some guy.”
He floated closer, so inches separated their faces once again. It was difficult to breathe with him so close, hovering there and so out of reach.
“Fine, you’re not just some guy. You’re special, okay?”
He squinted, studying her face in a way that made her feel far too exposed. “What is it about you?”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s something different about you. It’s disoriented me all night.”
All her muscles clenched. She’d always known she was different, which was the problem. She’d wanted to blend in with the other kids, the normal ones, not stand out with her ability to things that others would consider unnatural. How had he noticed so quickly—had she shown any of her quirks?
Tempted by the Gargoyle (a gargoyle shifter romance): Boston Stone Sentries Page 3