Tall Dark Handsome Lycan

by Anastasia Maltezos

  He gave her a pointed look. “I am a little hard pressed to believe you just gave me the name and physical description of the man I’m here to do business with. Carlos Ventura owns casinos—that’s the ringing and bells you…ah…heard.”

  Sam took a deep breath, trying to remain calm. “Leo,” she said softly, noticing his eyes flicker when his gaze dropped to her mouth. “A lot of people receiving a reading for the first time get a little nervous and have a hard time believing what they hear.”

  “I am not nervous.”

  “No, of course you’re not, but you’re having a hard time believing that what I just told you is what I’ve just seen, heard and felt. We aren’t even three minutes into the reading and you’re already accusing me of lying.”

  “What else do you see?”

  “Are you sure you want me to continue?”

  “By all means.”

  “Okay.” She looked back down at the cards and focused on their images. There was that moon again. “Well, I can see you love your family very much and you worry about Toni.” She paused as the hair at the back of her neck rose. “I…I need to caution you, Leo,” she said, looking up at his intent face. “There’s a woman in your life who’s in some kind of danger.”

  “Is it Toni?” He asked abruptly.

  “No, but she’s very close to you. I don’t feel as though it’s your mother either. You have a strong connection to this woman and she may be in grave danger if she’s not careful. Strangely enough, I see animals all around her. I can’t make out what kind of animals, but I know their fur is sleek and shiny. Brown and black, but I don’t want to alarm you,” she added quickly when she saw his expression shift to worry. “You’re going to save her. If…if it helps you any, I see a lightning bolt.”

  “I see,” he said quietly, thoughtfully.

  Sam looked at the cards again. “No, this can’t be.”

  “What is it?”

  She frowned. Where was this image coming from, she thought? “I keep seeing a full moon and a…a…” She stiffened. The vision was frightening. She caught a brief image of a beast over eight feet tall, howling at the moon.

  His mouth tensed. “What’s so unusual about that? Could it be your subconscious seeping into this reading from the type of books you read?”

  “It could be,” she murmured, but she didn’t believe that. She would have been able to spot the difference from a real image and her subconscious. And this was something new. She was unsettled. Other flashes appeared before her mind. “I see a wedding.”

  “Toni’s?”

  “No. I think it’s yours.” She glanced up at him briefly, watching the first glimmer of a smile appear on his otherwise austere expression.

  “You don’t say. Please, do continue.”

  She saw no hint of mockery on his face. He appeared relaxed, almost amused. At least he wasn’t accusing her of lying anymore, she thought with relief.

  “Tell me, do you see who I will marry?”

  Sam was surprised he asked her that question since he was supposedly marrying Katina Spanakis. Was he humouring her? She looked back down at the cards. Suddenly another image of a beast appeared, and she stiffened. This image was slightly different than the last one. This beast had breasts and hips. A She-Beast? She drew back and gave Leo a strange look.

  “I…I’m sorry. My focus seems all off. I keep seeing monsters.” She laughed, embarassed. This was, by far, her worst reading ever. “You’re probably right. It must be that book I finished on the plane seeping into my subconscious.”

  She still didn’t believe that for one minute, but she refrained from telling him so.

  “Take your time,” he said, his expression revealing nothing.

  She focused on his future wife and tensed. Sam dreaded seeing an image of Katina pop into her mind.

  “I see mist all around her,” she murmured. “I can’t make her out.” Frustration welled in her throat. Goodness, she had never had so much difficulty giving someone a reading before. If this was the type of reading she’d give back home to her customers, she’d have to close shop. Sam gave Leo a regretful look. “I’m sorry. I can’t see her. There’s all this mist surrounding her and I can’t make her out.” Suddenly, a familiar awareness seeped through her bones and she stiffened. “Hang on a minute,” she murmured and looked back down. “Wait. I can see some character traits, if that helps. She’s generous and compassionate. Strong yet vulnerable. She has a pure spirit. Unshakable and brave.” She was relieved at finally having had some breakthrough. For a moment she was worried she was losing her mind seeing all these images of beasts and mists and full moons. Sam raised her face at Leo. “Does she sound like someone you know?”

  His mouth quirked, as if he was trying hard to hide a smile. “Perhaps.”

  “Good,” she smiled. “I was afraid I was losing my touch.”

  “What is she afraid of?”

  Curious question, she thought, and glanced back down at the cards. “This woman’s life revolves around her biggest fear. She’s afraid of not being accepted.”

  A tell tale nerve pulsed alongside his strong jaw. “You picked up on Carl’s name. Can you tell me hers?”

  Sam drew three more cards and concentrated on them. “Just an initial, I’m afraid. S. It could be her first or last name.” She stiffened. Katina’s last name was Spanakis.

  Leo cleared his throat abruptly. “I must say, this has been a very intriguing reading. How do you do this?”

  Sam shrugged, embarrassed. “I’m not sure. It just comes to me.”

  “Does it come to you when you want it?”

  “No. It doesn’t work like that. I can’t turn it on or off, but if I stare at my cards and concentrate I can see and feel things.”

  “Fascinating.”

  Sam shrugged. “For others, but not for me. It’s like my sixth sense. I don’t find something fascinating that’s as familiar to me as my sense of smell or hearing.”

  “Well, this has been entertaining, to say the least. You’ve given me quite a lot to think about, Sam. And after all you’ve told me, I must say, I’m impressed. You are definitely gifted.”

  “Thank you, Leo.”

  “I wonder, however, if all will unfold as simply,” he murmured, giving her a curious look.

  Sam didn’t understand what he meant by that cryptic comment and she was about to ask him, but he rose, glancing at his watch. She noticed his tense mouth.

  “I’m afraid I’ve taken up a lot of your time this evening, Sam. I want to thank you for an enjoyable time. Thank you for sharing your gift with me.”

  Sam hid her surprise and rose as well. Was the date over? “The pleasure was all mine.” She was a little baffled by his abrupt change of mood.

  She removed her reading glasses and collected her cards. Sam followed him out of the library. At the foot of the stairs, he turned to her and said, “Oh, and Sam. I don’t want you near the stables without me.”

  She frowned at his out of the blue statement. “I’m a very good rider, Leo.”

  “I’m sure you are, but please do as I say and stay clear of the horses.”

  “Fine.” She made her way to her room and wondered what had changed him back to being cold and distant again.

  * * * *

  At eight o’clock the next morning, Sam heard a knock on her bedroom door.

  Quickly, she finished buttoning her denim shirt and went to answer it. She felt a curious mixture of hope and apprehension in her chest. She hoped it was Leo because she was looking forward to seeing him again, and she worried it might be Leo because after the way their date had ended last night, she wasn’t sure what to expect of him. He had been warm and friendly with her all night, even flirtatious, but right at the end of the evening, he’d been distant and aloof again. She couldn’t for the life of her figure out what she had done wrong. What had set him off?

  She opened the door and saw Maria standing there with the phone in her hand. Disappointment flowed through Sam’
s veins.

  “Koritsimou, Toni is on the phone for you. I am going to the hospital now and will be back this afternoon.”

  Sam smiled at the older woman and took the portable. “I’ll see you later, Maria. Send my regards to Nitsa.”

  “I will,” the housekeeper replied as she ambled away.

  Sam smiled as she put the phone to her ear. “Toni, how are you?”

  “I’m great. You?”

  “Fabulous.” Oddly enough, she meant it. Even though she’d had a rocky start with Leo, their developing relationship was affecting her more than she was willing to admit. “I love it here. Your summer home is spectacular.”

  “I knew you’d love it. Listen, Sam, I need you to do me a favour. I need you to take a quick peek at my cards.”

  Sam frowned. It must have been important if Toni called all the way from the States for this. “What about?”

  There was a slight pause on the phone. “Remember I told you I wanted to buy a second hand motorized bike to get around town?”

  “Yes.”

  “Tell me if it’s a good idea. I have a seller on stand by, but I can’t make up my mind. John thinks it’s too dangerous and he said I should accept my mother’s offer for the car she wants to buy me, but you know how much I’ve always wanted a motor bike.”

  “You want me to read your cards now? What time is it there?”

  “Late. Early. Depending on how you look at it. Yes, please tell me now. I want to pick it up today, before John gets back home from the clinic. There’s another customer who’s made an offer to the sales guy, but since I saw it first, the sales guy told me he’ll give me until today to counter-offer. I’ll buy it if you don’t see any doom or gloom. When John gets home, I’ll tell him you didn’t think there was any problem. You know how much your gift spooks him because you’re always dead-on.”

  Sam laughed softly. Toni was right. John was spooked with her gift. “Hang on a minute.”

  She got her cards from her night stand and brought them to the table by the dresser. “You there?” She lodged the phone in the crook of her neck and shoulder, freeing her hands for the cards.

  “Yeah.”

  “Give me a second to draw them.” Sam placed three cards before her. “You’re determined to buy this bike and nothing is going to stop you. Discipline is the key here. You need to abide by the rules. Helmet, no speeding, traffic signs. Don’t take any difficult routes to work until you feel safe and secure enough on the bike. All in all, it looks fine, as long as you’re not reckless. Just be careful, Toni. You know these bikes can be as dangerous as motorcycles.”

  “I will. Listen, I have to go. Love you, bye.”

  Sam stared at the phone. Toni was in one of her moods. When her mind was set on something, nothing veered her off course. Sam hadn’t even gotten the chance to tell her she’d met her parents. It didn’t matter. She would give her a call tomorrow.

  She went downstairs and drank a strong cup of coffee before she went out to the back of the house toward the stable. She wore a comfortable pair of jeans, boots, and a soft denim shirt—the perfect attire for taking one of the mares out for a morning ride.

  She wanted to meet the horses and then go back in the house and wait for Leo. He had made his wishes very clear last night when he’d said he didn’t want her going anywhere near the horses without him, and she wasn’t about to challenge him. Surely, she reasoned, there would be no harm popping into the stable to see them.

  As Sam neared the stable, a thread of excitement shot up her spine. She couldn’t see them, but she heard their gentle whinnying as she approached the entrance.

  She walked into the stable and breathed in the fresh, musky smell of hay. It brought her back to the days when she was a child and she realized with a sudden pang how much she missed her parents.

  The two mares were lovely. They were standing side by side in one of the stalls, whinnying softly as they ate from the same bale of hay. Their coats gleamed a rich, warm brown and their bodies were toned and muscular. Sam approached them tentatively, careful not to startle them. They both lifted their heads in unison and looked at her. Their heads bobbed up and down, almost nodding their approval of her and she smiled. They were beautiful.

  Suddenly, a low, guttural sound startled her. Sam spun around and drew in an awed breath as she stared at the beautiful beast. She realised she hadn’t seen the stallion when she had walked in because he was encased in another enclosure to the far end of the stable.

  Slowly, she made her way to him, her eyes widening at his majestic strength. The stallion was bigger and more muscular than the mares, his coat black and sleek, shining with a richness that stemmed from long hours of grooming. It seemed as though he was watching her, his gaze intent, as she walked to his side of the barn.

  There was a dark, brooding quality about the stallion and it made her think of Leo and how his opaque, mesmerizing gaze followed her every move.

  The stallion neighed and she smiled. There was something about the horse that touched Sam. She sensed his loneliness, his despair as he lowered his head and made another guttural sound. He wanted to be free, galloping along the countryside, one with the outdoors, not trapped in a cage. Immediately, she knew he was the horse she wanted to ride.

  Sam approached the fence around him. She placed her hands on the top plank and leaned forward, bringing her face closer to it. “Hello, boy,” she murmured gently. The stallion whinnied as he approached her, lessening the space between them to a couple of feet. Sam wanted to touch him. She placed her foot on the lower plank and raised herself up.

  Within seconds, the stallion’s nostrils flared and he rose on his hind legs, thrashing his forelegs mere inches from her startled face. Stunned, Sam froze at the stallion’s violent display of aggression and the blood drained from her face. Then, almost in slow motion, she saw a thick hoof descend on her. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest as a sickening wave of terror welled in her throat.

  A pair of steel bands circled around her waist and pulled her back so sharply, she cried out.

  Leo growled. “You could have gotten yourself killed, woman.”

  His hands bit into her shoulders as he spun her around to face him. The sound of the stallion still thrashing about in his stall dulled her senses and she gazed, white-faced, at Leo’s thunderous expression, this time the amber in his eyes clearly visible. She was in such a state of shock she didn’t have time to analyze the odd colour.

  “I told you not to go near the stable without me. I thought I—” He bit back the rest of his words as he gave her face a searching look.

  Slowly, his anger dissolved, his eyes reverting back to black, and concern flooded his drawn-in features. Her knees buckled and he muttered a sharp curse word as he bent and lifted her into his arms. She turned her face into his neck and closed her eyes. She inhaled his musky, outdoorsy scent and without thinking, she brought her arm around his neck, her other hand on his chest. She could feel his strong heart beating and she licked the moisture forming on her upper lip.

  Her body began reacting treacherously as the horror of what had just happened with the stallion disappeared and a more significant development arose. His hands seared her skin through her denim and she became achingly aware of him. She bit back a small whimper, frightened and unsure of what was happening to her.

  “It’s all right, Sam,” Leo murmured deeply, his tone gruff and curiously strained. “You are safe now.”

  Was she? Sam doubted it. Being with Leo, close like this, her breasts crushed against his chest, made her realize how not safe she was. The warm pressure of his hand on her back made her senses tingle and she arched her back slightly to put whatever distance she could between them, but all that accomplished was to bring her breasts closer to him and she felt a shudder run through his frame.

  Alarmed, she raised her head from his shoulder and looked at him. His gaze dropped to her lower lip caught between her teeth and he gave her a look that sent an involuntary rush of hea
t to her face.

  “Leo, please put me down. I’m…I’m fine now.”

  Without saying a word, he carried her from the stable.

  Sam bristled in his arms. “I said put me down,” she repeated, squirming and wiggling in his arms. “I’m too heavy,” she added inanely because he carried her as though she weighed no more than a sack of feathers.

  Leo halted his steps and gave her a hard look. “You have just had a brush with certain death and you are worried about your weight? Sam, you never cease to amaze me.”

  “I’m happy for you,” she quipped. “Now put me down.”

  “No.”

  “This is ridiculous. I’m not a child. For heaven’s sake, I grew up with horses. I know how temperamental they can be.”

  “I said no,” he replied calmly and he continued to carry her into the house through the back door that led to the kitchen. “And for the record,” he added dryly, “child has never crossed my mind about you. Incidentally, you should not have disobeyed my orders.”

  Sam’s mood darkened. Disobeyed? She gave his stern profile a sharp look. “I only wanted to see them. I wasn’t going to ride one without your consent.”

  Their gaze clashed and a curious mixture of anger and excitement flowed through her veins. One look from his compelling, dark eyes and she almost forgot her head. Almost, but not quite. She wiggled furiously in his arms. “Will you please put me down?”

  Without answering her, Leo strode to the foot of the stairs in the main hall and paused at the stairs. Her startled gasp was met with a curt, “Do not alarm yourself, Sam. I am taking you into the library, not your bedroom.”

  Her face flamed with embarrassment and she stared at the neat, little nerve pulsating at the base of his throat. “It never crossed my mind.”

  Leo carried her into the library, to the settee, and placed her gently on the soft, floral print before he strode to a bar at the corner of the room and reached for a crystal decanter filled with cloudy liquid. He poured some into a glass and strode toward her.

  “Drink this,” he said as he offered her the glass.