by Tawny Weber
The spine Sean had damaged with his lies, betrayal and oh-too-believable charm.
Then she thought of her vow to Kathy. Sure, it’d mostly been bravado, but still, she wanted to taste him. To feel his tongue on hers. To experience, at least one more time, hot and sexy Caleb kisses. She pressed her lips together, remembering. Then she squared her shoulders and gave him an arch look.
“Actually, most of Black Oak is thanking me daily for the effect I’ve had on their sex lives,” she told him, lifting her chin.
His laughter trailed off, his smile slowly fading as a weird look came into his eyes. A chilly sort of calculation that made Pandora, for the first time since he’d swaggered into her store four days ago, want to pull away from him.
He looked dangerous. And just a little scary.
“You don’t say? Half the town, hmm? And why’s that?”
“Aphrodisiacs, of course.”
His gaze didn’t change.
She shivered, this time letting herself duck under his arm and move away from the ladder. She needed some distance so she could reengage her brain. She made a show of petting Paulie, who was draped over a chair like a black, silky blanket. With a couple of feet between them, she watched Caleb turn, his leather-clad arms crossed over his chest as he leaned casually against the ladder.
“Aphrodisiacs?” he asked, his words as drawn out as his frown. “Like drugs?”
“What?” She yelped so loudly the mellowest cat in the world gave her a kitty frown before leaping in disapproval to the floor. Seriously shocked, Pandora gaped for a second before shaking her head. “No. Of course not. We’re holistic here at Moonspun Dreams. The store, and my family, believes in herbal remedies. We even sell charts on acupressure pain relief instead of aspirin.”
He kept staring as if he was measuring each word carefully. He didn’t look happy, though. Pandora frowned. What? Was he looking for some kind of drug? She took in his long, shaggy hair, the hard look on his face and the black hoop piercing his ear. Her gaze skimmed over his beat-up leather jacket and the faded black T-shirt, down to the frayed hem of his jeans and his scuffed biker boots.
Sexy as hell? Check.
Bad boy personified? Double check.
A drug user?
She’d heard myriad rumors about those bad Black boys. They were wild and untamed, they were trouble through and through. But she’d never heard even a whisper about drugs.
Her eyes skimmed that deliciously broad chest again, his muscles defined beneath the soft-looking fabric of his shirt. She looked into his vivid gold eyes, noting that they were shuttered but clear.
He looked as if he could and would beat anyone up, was hell on wheels and was way out of her league. But he didn’t look like a druggie.
Of course, she had lousy man skills and was body-language illiterate, so what did she know? What she couldn’t afford, though, was to be mixed up with a guy who played fast and loose with the law. Never again.
Suddenly as irritated with herself for wanting to cry as much as she was with Caleb for putting himself on the off-limits list, she scowled.
“If you’re interested in drugs, you need to look somewhere else,” she said in a chilly tone, wrapping her arms around herself to ward off the disappointment. She wished she hadn’t scared away the comfort of the cat.
Caleb didn’t say a word. He just arched a brow and continued to study her with those intense eyes of his. After a few seconds, she wanted to scream at him to say something. Anything. Or better yet, to leave. She couldn’t pout properly with him there, staring.
“I didn’t say I was interested in drugs,” he finally said, stepping closer, invading her thinking space yet again.
“You-”
“No,” he interrupted. “I said I’d heard you were the lady to talk to about hotting up my sex life.”
Pandora bit her lip, mentally replaying their discussion. Had she jumped to conclusions? Was she so awkward at this flirtation thing that she’d misinterpreted a gorgeous man hitting on her?
Caleb reached out, rubbing the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. Pandora barely held back her whimper as her entire body melted into a puddle of goo.
“I hate to see you damage such a pretty mouth,” he murmured.
Nope. No misinterpreting that move. She didn’t need a dictionary to define his meaning. Nerves simmered low in her belly. She wanted nothing more than to reciprocate the move. But as she’d told Caleb, and despite her teasing with Kathy, she wasn’t in the market for a relationship.
Then again, Caleb Black wasn’t a relationship kind of guy.
He was, however, a hot, sexy, have-a-wild-time and give-thanks-afterward kind of guy.
She didn’t know if it was the freedom she felt in accepting that her only goal in being with him was to enjoy the ride.
Or maybe it was the sphere of calcite she’d taken to carrying in her pocket, hoping it’d help with her self-esteem.
Whatever it was, it was giving her a sense of purpose, a sense of self-confidence, that she welcomed with open arms.
She was so ready to give herself the best Christmas present ever. A guilt-free pleasurefest that she’d enjoy in decadent delight for as long as it lasted.
As far as gifts went, it beat the hell out of a new pair of slippers.
So when he rubbed her lip a second time, Pandora forced herself to dive out of the safety zone. She took a deep breath, then touched, just barely, the tip of her tongue to his thumb.
His eyes narrowed like golden lasers, then he grinned. A slow, wicked curve of his lips that set off warning bells in Pandora’s head.
She was playing with fire.
After one last brush of his thumb across her oversensitized lip, his fingers caressed a gentle trail over her cheek, along her jaw, then down her throat. It was like being touched by a cloud, his fingers were so soft, so barely there.
Pandora stopped herself from whimpering.
“Is that why you came in here?” she asked breathlessly as his fingers worked their magic along her throat. A slide up, then down, sending tingles through her body. “Because you wanted to ask about aphrodisiacs?”
“Yes,” he said, stepping closer. So close she could feel the heat of his body wrapping around her like a warm blanket of lust. “And no.”
“Which?”
“Both.”
His hand curved behind her neck, fingers tangling in her hair as he pulled her closer. Her head rested in his huge palm as she stared up into his eyes. He looked amused, but his dilated pupils and the tension in his jaw told her he was just as turned on as she was.
At least, that’s how she was reading him.
Nerves, huge and frantic, scrambled in her stomach. But she had to know. Finding out how he would respond to her was worth the risk of rejection.
Pandora took that last step, closing the distance between them. Pretending her fingers weren’t trembling, she pressed her hands against the cool leather covering Caleb’s biceps. Even through the thick fabric, she could feel his muscles bunch tight.
“I wish you weren’t wearing this jacket,” she said, her words so low even she could barely hear them. But he heard. He gave her a long look that made her nipples harden, shrugged off the leather and tossed it on the counter.
Paulie instantly padded over and curled himself into a puddle on the discarded jacket, his black fur blending perfectly with the leather. Caleb grinned before turning his gaze back to Pandora. “Anything else?”
The mouthwatering sight of his arms, the muscles round and hard beneath the long sleeves of his T-shirt, made her want to wish he’d take that off, too.
But it was his amused reaction to her pet that sent her over the edge.
“I want a kiss,” she told him. “A real one.”
“I only do real,” he countered, curving his hands over her hips and pulling her close. Close enough to feel that his arms weren’t the only impressive muscles Caleb was sporting.
She wanted him to keep going. To take co
ntrol, to kiss her crazy. But he didn’t. It was as though he’d looked deep into her soul and saw how scared she was of taking center stage and being in charge, and was forcing her to face that fear if she wanted a taste of him.
Her head was spinning so fast, she needed to steady herself, and desperately wanted something to hold on to. Pandora gripped those deliciously hard arms and let her body melt into his.
She stood on tiptoe, her thighs brushing that hard length of his. Her nipples pebbled against his chest as she breathed in his scent. Excitement and anticipation fought for control of her emotions and she sucked in a breath. Then she did it.
She kissed Caleb.
And when her lips pressed against the firm fullness of his, it was suddenly the easiest hard thing she’d ever done in her life.
She wanted to close her eyes and sink into the pleasure. To hide, deep in the intense delight of his mouth on hers. But his gaze held hers captive.
Needing more, she gave in to the desire and slipped her tongue out to trace his lips. As if that’s all he’d been waiting for, he suddenly turned voracious. His mouth took control. His tongue swept over hers, dancing at a wild pace that made her whimper and give over fully to the power of his kiss.
His fingers shifted from her hips to press, palms flat, against her butt. She almost purred with pleasure when she felt his rigid length-and holy cow, was he long!-pressing hard against her stomach.
Just as quickly as he’d gone wild, Caleb shifted into low gear. The wild, untamed intensity left his kiss and cool control took its place.
His mouth softened, his lips brushing gently over hers. His fingers unclenched, smoothing their way up to the small of her back as he pulled away, not completely, but enough that she couldn’t revel in the power of his erection anymore.
Then, another brush of his lips, and he stepped away.
Oh, God. He was incredible. Eyes fluttering open, her knees wobbled as she settled her feet flat on the floor again.
Not caring if he saw how overwhelmed she was, Pandora closed her eyes and heaved a deep sigh. Then, meeting his gaze again, she bit her lip before forcing herself to step up to the plate.
All she wanted to do was strip that soft T-shirt off him so she could plaster herself against his hard chest before licking her way down his belly. His taste filled her senses, his scent wrapped around her and her butt still tingled from the pressure of his fingers.
He was like her every sexual fantasy come true.
But she’d been in trouble once already, with a guy who didn’t even make the fantasy list. So she’d be an idiot not to make sure Caleb wasn’t more trouble than she was willing to answer for.
“Can I ask you something?” she said softly. Needing every intuitive, people-reading skill she’d ever learned, and any that might be floating through her genes, she forced herself to relax and open her third eye. She scrunched her forehead, not feeling anything special there and settled for just relaxing. “And will you promise me you’ll be honest?”
Her eyes locked with Caleb’s. His gaze was intense, as if he was trying to read her mind before he committed. His shoulders were back, in honesty? Or braced for a hit?
She waited for him to tell her that she didn’t have the right to ask for such a promise. She knew she didn’t. Just because they were having a mind-blowingly sexual affair in her imagination didn’t mean that in reality he owed her a damn thing.
But she couldn’t risk her heart, her reputation or her fragile self-esteem on a man who broke the law. And even though she didn’t trust her intuitive skills enough to believe she’d know if he lied, she needed to ask the question anyhow.
Finally, just as she was about to start fidgeting again, he nodded. Then he qualified his nod with, “You can ask whatever you want.”
Good enough.
“Do you, um, are you into…” She bit her lip, wishing her cheeks weren’t burning, then blurted out, “Do you do drugs?”
CALEB HAD BEEN ASKED that question plenty of times. And he’d always answered yes. More often, he didn’t even have to answer, his image spoke for itself.
But this time…? He stared at Pandora, her hazel eyes wide but wary. He could still taste her, sweet and tempting. He was here in Black Oak for a reason. He had a crime to solve. And he’d never, ever, broken cover before. Not for anything, and especially not for a woman.
But with those pretty eyes staring at him, he saw only one option available.
Tell the truth.
“No,” he answered. “I’m clean.”
He watched her face, waiting to see the doubt. He told himself it didn’t matter if she didn’t believe him. After all, he’d spent six years crafting his image as a badass with drug connections. An image that had held up to South American drug lords, to the FBI and to L.A. street-gang leaders. An image that was based on the reputation he’d had growing up here in Black Oak.
Her sigh was so deep, the tips of her breasts singed his chest. Talk about a sweet reward for copping to the truth.
A part of him wanted to pull her close, just to wrap his arms around her and revel in the closeness. There was a sense of peace in Pandora, like a calm lake of serenity, that he craved desperately. At the same time, she made him want to strip her naked and lick her body from head to toe, seeing how many times he could make her come before he got to her feet.
Baffled by the conflicting emotions, both in direct opposition to his training and his own reticent nature, Caleb took a step back. He immediately missed the warmth of her body, the heat of her breasts against him. But he needed room to think. And to make sure he didn’t screw up. His life might not be on the line this time, but his father’s reputation was.
For what that was worth.
Caleb’s mind raced, wondering whether he’d just made a major mistake. Time to do damage control.
“Not that I believe in aphrodisiacs, either,” he told Pandora, needing to get them back on track.
And he might as well keep up this honest trend and see where it went. It was like following an unfamiliar road. There might be a treasure at the end. A very delicious, very sexy treasure. More likely, though, he’d slide right off some damn cliff.
She just laughed, though.
“Believing in aphrodisiacs is like believing in evolution. Some buy into the idea, some don’t.”
“Sure, but the theory of evolution has been around for, well, ever. Sex food, though? Isn’t that a by-product of the seventies?”
Amusement flared in her eyes as Pandora gave a shake of her head that indicated that he was a sad, misinformed man.
“Their history can be traced back centuries,” she pointed out. “My great-great-great-grandmother was a wisewoman who created aphrodisiacs for royalty. Those were the kind of people who beheaded fakers, you know.”
Caleb remembered Pandora’s mother. Flowing dresses, fuzzy headpieces and huge jewelry glinting through mounds of long red hair. Her granny was a little fuzzier. He wasn’t sure what the woman had looked like. His only impression was granola.
But Pandora looked… Well, normal. Not that that was saying much coming from a guy who spent most of his life around women who thought a G-string was ample coverage. Her hair fell in a smooth curtain, warm and sedate. She wore makeup, but nothing like the showgirl look he remembered her mother sporting. She wore a crystal on a chain around her neck, but her jeans and thick purple sweater seemed ordinary enough.
He looked around the café, noting the display of candles, pretty statues and chunks of rocks on the bistro tables. Circling the perimeter were bookcases, decks of cards and yes, a few crystal orbs and glittering things. He didn’t know what most of the stuff was, but it didn’t look that weird to him.
It looked pretty. Inviting, interesting and unthreatening. Word on the street, and his own impressions, said that was Pandora’s doing. From what he’d heard, the store had been sinking to its death before she’d come along. Which just proved that she was a smart businesswoman. Not that she was weird.
And yet, she believed in aphrodisiacs? Really?
“This is all an act, though, isn’t it?” he asked with a tilt of his head to indicate the most obvious New Agey thing he saw, a statue of a half-naked woman riding on the back of a flying dragon. “You’re not telling me you really buy into all that…” Crap? “…stuff? Psychics and aphrodisiacs and woo-woo? Isn’t it just a part of the show? Something to help sell a few candles and rocks?”
“Woo-woo?” she echoed, sounding as if the magical effects of his kiss had pretty well worn off. “Did you know the art of divination dates back to Greeks and Romans? Tarot cards to the Renaissance? Cleopatra used aphrodisiacs. This isn’t a New Agey sales scam to buy into or not. And while these methodologies might have cultural stigmas, it’s wrong to dismiss them as being part of a show.”
Caleb mentally grimaced. He was usually better at gauging his quarry before he opened his mouth. But Pandora had a way of short-circuiting his brain.
“I’m not saying it’s all bullshit. But you have to admit there’re a lot of scams associated with this type of thing. And you don’t come across as naive,” he prevaricated. “I mean, your granny danced naked around the old oak at the base of the mountain, and your mom… Didn’t your mom tell the future for dogs and cats?”
Her lips twitched, but she didn’t let him off the hook. “My grandmother only danced naked on the full moon, and that was for religious reasons. And as for my mom… What? You don’t think cats and dogs have futures?”
“Do you?”
“I do.” She nodded, her hazel eyes wide and sincere. Caleb sighed, disappointment pouring through him as he revised his seduction plan. Then Pandora grinned. “But I doubt their thoughts and feelings can be scryed in their water dishes.”
So used to being tense, he barely noticed himself relaxing under her smile. He did pay attention to the stirring interest his body felt, though, when he shifted a little closer so he could smell her sweet perfume again. It was a warm scent, making him think of a dark, mystical forest.