by Rayne, Sara
Fresh from the shower, she wore a pair of his old pajama pants rolled down to her hips to keep them from dragging the floor and tripping her. His favorite white tank top was knotted at her navel. It hung down her thighs and dripped off one shoulder, exposing the exquisite lines of her collarbone. A steaming cup of pomegranate green tea sat next to her elbow on the table.
“Mmmm. This hits the spot.” Lex munched on her hash browns loaded with bacon, cheddar cheese, and sour cream dotted with sliced scallions.
It should be a sin for a woman to enjoy food so much. She licked her lips, and he grabbed the underside of the counter to keep from reaching across the table to do the same.
“You feelin’ better now, ma petite?”
“Much.” She licked sour cream off her fork, and he had to look away. Bringing her back here had been insane—but Voo wouldn’t have missed a damn minute. The face she made as she took her last bite had been better than sex.
Almost.
“So,” she whispered, voice ragged. “Bedtime?”
A shockwave of electric attraction pulsed through his body. Eyes wide and as blue as any devil in the deep blue sea, she parted her lips and lifted her chin, exposing the graceful column of her neck. He wanted to mark the pale flesh, leave a bite mark like some kind of vampire, claiming her. It didn’t matter how wrong it was—all he thought about lately was making her his, even though it was impossible.
And he was about to tuck her into his bed.
Aies pitié. Have mercy.
Leading the way, Voo stuffed his hands in his pockets to resist the urge to pick her up and carry her to bed. She drifted into the room behind him, carrying the bottle of water he’d given her to wash down some Tylenol. Floral smoke from the lavender-scented candles on his dresser wafted through the bedroom. Snuffing out the candles, Voo pretended the way she ran her hands over the bedpost wasn’t doing sinful things to his body.
“Tuck me in?” Vulnerability laced her voice.
He knew what she wanted—she had been hinting at it all night. But he couldn’t. The flirtation and temptation were all fine and good, but Lex was destined for more than this. He didn’t have a problem with her becoming an old lady like her parents did, but he knew Lex could do a lot better than this particular biker for a mate. If he succumbed to what they both wanted, it would end badly for both of them. Voo would only hurt her, lose her.
He couldn’t let that happen.
No matter how much he wished he could change his mind. Standing there, barefoot and beautiful beside his bed, she was mouthwatering. Voo swallowed hard, irresistibly drawn across the room. He leaned down and pulled the covers back for her.
“Satin sheets, huh?”
“I have very sensitive skin.” He winked. As a matter of fact, it was on fire right now from her proximity. “You’ll have to be careful. My grand-mére always said sleeping in strange beds brings even stranger dreams.”
“Maybe I’ll dream about you….”
Voo willed his hands to his sides with all his might, begging his control to hold. “Climb in bed.”
Their eyes locked, and his lungs refused to work. The moment stretched on until the tension nearly choked him. Slowly, Lex leaned back on the pillow and slid under the covers. He pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, and she caught his hand.
“Stay with me? Until I fall asleep?”
Clearing his throat, he perched on the edge of the bed. His leg nudged against the warmth of her body under the covers. “You need to rest.”
“I will, but the room spins when I close my eyes. Talk to me for a few minutes?” Lex twisted the edge of the sheet in her fingers.
“We’ve been talking all evening.”
“I know. It’s been wonderful.” Her eyes focused on the backlit tarot card of Death on the wall. “Why’d you call your diner Hades?”
“Got a thing for Greek mythology.” He propped an elbow on the mattress behind her so he draped over her hip. She twisted and stuffed a pillow behind her head to watch him. “Hades is the god of the Underworld, but he is also the brother of Zeus and Poseidon. He got shafted with his inheritance, shoved out by lightning and the fury of the sea. I guess I can relate.”
“I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like. Living through Katrina.” She looked down.
“It’s my sincerest hope you never have to witness such a thing.” He stared at the ceiling. “I rode out the storm in my pickup. Rain beatin’ down and the wind so loud, I didn’t know if I was under water or not half the time.”
“Must have been terrifying.”
A fear of water had dogged him ever since. He could put a pot on to boil and drop steaming vegetables into an ice bath with no problem—but he’d never go swimming again. He’d even had the bathtub ripped out of his house the day he bought it.
“When the storm ended, there were so many bodies floating in the water. And the people I found…” He squeezed his eyes shut as he choked back a swell of emotion. “Everyone kept saying I was lucky to be alive. I wanted to punch them in their fuckin’ faces.”
Lex closed her hand over his. Voo laced their fingers together and squeezed. “Do you know the story of Persephone?”
Her lips curved. “Hades fell in love with her and stole her away.”
“Aren’t we the romantic? No feminist protest about kidnappin’ and human traffickin’?” He raised a brow. “She was pickin’ flowers with her sisters when he split the ground beneath her and locked her up in the Underworld.”
“Sounds horrific when you put it that way.” She laughed.
“After some time, she was able to escape for part of every year and bring spring with her when she rose from the Underworld.” Voo brushed the back of his hand down Lex’s cheek, feeling the satin of her skin. “Please remember, ma petite, the darkness won’t last forever.”
“Ah, a story with a moral. Aren’t you clever?” Snuggling deeper into the covers, her body wriggled beneath his.
He closed his eyes, biting back a groan. She made a soft sound, and he looked up. Her gaze was focused on his lower lip caught between his teeth.
“What I remember is, Persephone eventually chose to stay because she fell in love with Hades and ruled happily by his side. Maybe how she got there isn’t the point of the story.” She propped herself up on her elbows, the position outlining the thrust of her breasts beneath his satin sheet. “I always liked Hades. He’s the kind of man who wasn’t afraid of what he wanted.”
“He was a god, not a man.” Not fallible, like Voo. “And she was innocence personified. Persephone only wanted to pick a flower in the sunshine.”
“So did he.” She smirked. “Guess it depends on your perspective.”
“Everything does.” He forced himself to straighten, clenching his fists so he wouldn’t reach for her warm, supple body so close to his. “You should get some sleep.”
Her eyes tracked his movements as he stood. She lifted her chin and raised a brow. “What? No goodnight kiss?”
The air caught fire. Voo stilled, his blood boiling in a headlong rush to his cock. Lex lay back in his bed, lips curved in seductive challenge.
Voo cupped her chin, leaning closer. What could one taste hurt?
Her white-gold hair fanned out on the pillow like…like Artie’s used to. An icy rush filled his gut as if he stood in chilly water up to his ribcage.
He kissed her forehead and stepped back. “Sweet dreams, Lex.”
“Goodnight, Voo.” Her voice held a note of sad confusion. “Sweet dreams.”
***
Hours later, Voo ran into the kitchen as if his nightmare chased him. In the dream, he’d been alone in a cold, dark room filling with water. It had crept up his body, sliding over his head while his lungs burned. When he’d been forced to gasp for breath, Voo sucked in gallons of icy water instead.
He’d fallen off his couch when he woke up, gasping and clutching his chest.
Voo grabbed a dishtowel off the stove handle and draped it over his bare
shoulders. Shivering deep down in his soul, he set the temperature on the oven to four hundred degrees and cracked open the door. A fissure of heat flowed forth. His new Kenmore needed a roasty “hellfire” setting.
“Voo?”
Lex’s voice startled him even as he registered the soft padding of her bare feet on the worn linoleum. He stilled, feeling ridiculous in his faded flannel pajama pants with a dishtowel for a shawl.
He cleared his throat. “Couldn’t sleep? I warned you about strange beds, ma petite.”
“I heard you cry out.”
Her nipples were hard, defined through the soft fabric of the shirt he’d loaned her. She rubbed her hands together, shivering.
Suddenly, he felt all too warm. He whipped the towel off his shoulders and tossed it on the table before crooking a finger. She crossed the kitchen in a whisper of movement and stopped within the circle of his arms.
His gaze was drawn to hers as inevitably as an anchor sinks to the sea floor, but she looked too deep, saw too much. Her naked stare hurt.
“Are you okay?” Her sharp scrutiny locked on his face.
“Of course.” He cracked an easy grin.
“That’s a lie.” Her voice was soft but unapologetic. She raised her eyebrows as if daring him to challenge the statement.
The grin faded, and his stomach dropped. Lex was right, and they both knew it. How the fuck had someone so young seen right through his bullshit? It unsettled Voo, threw him off his game.
And it was hot as fuck.
His jaw muscle ticked as he forced his emotions and body back under control. Composure wasn’t something he’d had to search for in a very long time. He blew out a harsh breath.
“You gotta stop doing that, Lex.”
“Not gonna happen.” Her chin lifted, eyes fierce and glittering. “You’re not okay. I can see it on your face. And I’ve told that particular lie enough times to recognize it when I see it.”
Voo had spent his childhood cultivating artifice. The rawness of her honesty throbbed through him, achingly attractive.
“Anything else you see on my face?” His voice was lower than he’d intended. He waited to see if she’d blink.
“Why? Is there something you’d like to confess?”
The girl didn’t disappoint. “You don’t ever let up, do you?”
“Nope.” She leaned back. “Seriously, what’s going on? You can talk to me.”
Voo wished he could confide in her. It had been too long since he’d confessed the wounds of his heart to a woman, let her stroke his hair and ease his pain. Voo didn’t deserve such comforts, and he’d paid dearly for stealing them the first time around—or rather, Artemis had.
“I had a visitor from my former life the other day. It has me a bit shaken up, stirred up some old night terrors. Nothing to worry your sweet head about.”
“I know all about those.” She circled her arms around his waist and snuggled up against his chest. She rested her cheek against him, and the peace it brought him stung his eyes.
“You too, huh?” He cradled her head, his palm easily spanning the white-blonde crown.
She shrugged, keeping her face turned away from his gaze.
“The way I figure, ain’t none of us alright, but some people are better at puttin’ on a show.” He tilted her face up to his. “You’re doing great, Lex. Don’t give up.”
“Listen, it’s cold out here. There’s room in the bed for us both. It doesn’t have to—we can just sleep next to each other.”
He smiled despite himself. “Is this comfort for you or me?”
“Depends…which answer gets you in bed with me?” She backed towards his bedroom.
He really, really shouldn’t.
She licked her lips and reached for him. “You’re coming, aren’t you?”
Voo took her hand.
Chapter Nine
Voodoo smelled like an earthy combination of the dried herbs in his kitchen and the musky overtone of phenomenal sex. Lex woke up bathed in the scent and wanted to stay right where she was—sprawled over his chest. He’d draped a heavy arm around her waist and his hand, tangled in her hair, absently petted the tresses in his sleep.
Shifting her weight, Lex propped herself up on an elbow and studied his face in the morning light filtering in through the heavy curtains. The rawness of his unguarded expression shook her. He made the charm look so easy; she didn’t realize how much effort went into putting on a good show. Voo’s charismatic façade masked a lot of pain. She wondered if he’d ever let her see behind the curtain.
While the night hadn’t turned out as she’d hoped, Lex couldn’t fault the man for not making a move on her, as drunk as she’d been. Considering she’d been crying in her drink and then throwing herself at him, he’d been downright gentlemanly.
Snuggling deeper into the covers, a warm buzz radiated through her. She felt peaceful—content—as if she’d found safe shelter from a storm. Her heart fluttered as she took in the picture they made, entwined in the twisted sheets. Were they about to cross the “just friends” bridge and finally talk about the devastating attraction between them?
A tug on her hair caught Lex’s attention. She found Voo’s silvery eyes wide open and locked on her face. Lex bit her lip, feeling oddly shy. “G’morning.”
“Bonjour.” He smiled lazily, white teeth brilliant against his dark lips. “How’d you sleep?”
“Second half of the night went better than the first.” He wasn’t freaking out. That was a good sign.
Voo hadn’t let go of her hair. Instead, he wound it around his thumb and released the soft curl he’d made, only to repeat the gesture. His half-lidded gaze remained fixed on her face.
A throb of desire pulsed low inside her. He shifted, and the weight of his erection rested against her thigh. Wetness pooled between her legs. Voo’s lips parted, and Lex’s pulse sped up in response.
“Voo….” She dipped her head, his eyes fluttering shut. Lex took a breath and pressed her lips to his.
His mouth parted, and the first taste of him was perfection—sweet spice and all male, surrounding and invading her. Voo thrust his tongue into her mouth, and she moaned, fingernails digging into the smooth flesh of his defined pecs. His arms locked around her back, pulling her in closer. He flipped her beneath him and pressed his erection against the juncture of her thighs. She gasped into his mouth, fingernails digging into his skin.
Voo scrambled away from her as if she’d burned him.
What in the ever-lovin’ hell?
Lex gaped at him. “Voo? Are you okay?”
“I’m sorry.” He sat on the edge of the bed, not looking at her. The sheet wrapped around his hips, a white cascade framing his satiny mocha torso.
Her heart beat too fast for an entirely new reason. Was he having a flashback? Some kind of delayed anxiety attack? “It’s okay. I didn’t get hurt. What happened to you?”
Voo didn’t turn around. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t fully awake. Felt a woman in my bed and didn’t realize it was you. I shouldn’t have touched you.”
Emotional bucket of ice water. Right to the face.
“You weren’t awake? Your eyes were wide open. You talked to me.”
“It was a mistake. I’m sorry.” He stood and straightened his pajama pants. “I understand if you’re upset. It won’t happen again.”
Et tu, Brute?
She choked out a harsh noise that sounded like the bastard child of a coughing fit and a laugh. Once again, she was unwanted.
“It won’t,” she repeated stupidly.
“Non.”
Did she read all the signals wrong? His ease with her, their banter, the pet names, the constant texting…?
No. This is ridiculous. The whole fucking town was talking about it. “I’m sorry, did I misinterpret something here? You brought me back to your place—”
“You’d been drinkin’, and you had nowhere else to go. We’re friends.” He turned to face her. “I’m sorry if you read someth
in’ more into it. I thought you understood I was only tryin’ to be supportive.”
“So this was just you being a pal?” She shook her head. “Are you kidding me?”
He cleared his throat. “It was harmless. I flirt with many women, Lex. I thought you knew better than to read into it.”
Ouch.
“I see.”
“Lex, I’m the wrong sort of man for you. I’m not the meet-the-parents type.”
“You’ve already met my parents. They think you’re a peach,” she replied, deadpan.
“Case in point.” He held his arms out as if exasperated. “I love being around you. Our friendship brings me happiness. But a girl like you doesn’t belong with a guy like me. You see that, right?”
“Yeah, I don’t belong. Again.”
“I didn’t mean—”
“No, it’s okay.” Keeping her legs tucked under the sheet, she yanked off the pajama pants she’d borrowed to sleep in. It had felt so intimate last night. Now it felt like she’d imposed. Asking him to tuck her in, kiss her goodnight. Her face heated. I’m an idiot. “Of course, you don’t want more. I’m sorry.”
“Lex….”
She twisted to the side, stuffing her legs into her jeans and yanking them up as she stood. The empty pit in her stomach felt like a black hole, threatening to eat her alive. Tears blurred her vision as she patted herself down, searching for her car keys. I’m so stupid.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?” She found the keys on his nightstand and snatched them, intent on the closest exit, like a dog fleeing with its tail between its legs. “I’m getting out of here.”
Lex had grown used to feeling alone and unwelcome on campus. Nobody sat next to her in class or talked to her in the cafeteria line, as if killing a quarterback might be contagious. She’d realized long ago that while her mother lived in Brad’s house, Lex was only permitted to stay there. And she’d never been welcome to live with her dad.
She spent most of her time in places where she wasn’t wanted, forcing her way in, trying to be part of a family that would never be big enough or close enough to make her feel safe.