Where There's Smoke

by Karen Kelley

  “Ft. Worth was a town along the way to my dream.” Her eyes suddenly grew wide. “That would make a good song. I’ll have to remember that.” LeAnn blushed. “I write a little, too.”

  LeAnn continued her inane chatter during the rest of the meal. Her conversation didn’t mean a thing, of course. Just words to fill the void. Destiny nodded in all the appropriate places. But after the meal, LeAnn was apparently not through bonding. The bad thing was that Destiny was starting to like her. This wasn’t good.

  “Let’s take our wine to the living room,” LeAnn suggested.

  Before Destiny could disagree, LeAnn was heading toward the other room. She plopped down on the sofa, then grabbed the magazine Destiny had been looking at.

  Destiny was careful not to let LeAnn see her smile. Little Miss Puritan would be out the door in a flash when she saw the page of sex toys.

  “Oh, that’s sex gadgets,” LeAnn said, her expression puzzled.

  “I thought I would buy a few things.” Destiny moved to the chair across from LeAnn. “Do you have any recommendations?” Destiny innocently quirked an eyebrow. Okay, that should do it. LeAnn would run from the apartment any second now.

  “Well, actually, I’ve never ordered from a magazine, but I do know this great little shop not far from here. I mean, that’s where I get mine. The store owner, Maggie Jean, she’s great about helping her customers.”

  Destiny’s mouth dropped open. She snapped it closed, then asked, “You use sex toys?”

  LeAnn shrugged. “Well, yeah, I thought everyone did. Sometimes I don’t have time to get dressed up and go out on a date, and I’m not seeing anyone steady now so that makes it even more difficult. I won’t just take any guy to bed, but a girl has to get release somehow or she could blow an ovary.”

  LeAnn had to be joking. Any second she would burst out laughing and say of course she didn’t use sex toys.

  Except she didn’t.

  “You’re going to tell me you’ve actually walked into a store that has sex toys, and you’ve bought them.”

  LeAnn nodded. “Maggie Jean is very discreet, and I don’t think a guy would be caught dead in her store. It’s very frou-frou. Kind of like a lingerie store with pretty stuff in the windows. Pfftt, I don’t think guys even know what kind of store it is. The toys are at the very back.”

  Wow, Destiny really was born way too soon.

  “If you want, we can drop by the store.” She glanced at her watch, then grimaced. “She’s probably closed.” She brightened. “Sometimes Maggie Jean locks up but stays late to do inventory. Let me make a quick call. She won’t mind at all if we drop by.”

  “Sure.” Why not? Nothing would surprise Destiny about this woman now.

  LeAnn’s grin stretched across her face. Destiny tried to wrap her brain around the fact that LeAnn, who looked like the perky cheerleader next door, was actually a nymphomaniac with sex toys. Nope, she just couldn’t see it. So maybe she would go to this so-called sex toy store and see if LeAnn was ribbing her or telling the truth.

  Mixing with mortals was a big no-no, but she couldn’t resist. Really, what harm could there be in going to a sex store? It might even help her cause. Not much information about changing times came to her at the sorting station. Didn’t she have a duty to know about the ways of the world and all the changes that had taken place since she’d died? Not to mention it might give her the edge she needed to seduce Chance—and she so wanted to turn the game they played back to her favor.

  Chapter 5

  Something didn’t feel right to Chance. He had a great sixth sense that usually told him when something was out of kilter. His intuition warned him to watch his step.

  No one saw him materialize. He was pretty sure about that. Still, he slowly scanned the area behind the bar. An overflowing dumpster braced a partially crumbling brick wall. Other than a few boxes that looked as though they were tossed out the back door, nothing seemed that unusual.

  It was the safest place for him to land and not be detected. He learned long ago not to pop in just anywhere. Especially during the Spanish Inquisition and the witch trials. That had been a little uncomfortable, especially when that crazy puritan started yelling, “Burn the witch!”

  There were no puritans behind the building. He’d stake his immortality on that. Even so, he had a bad premonition.

  Chance sniffed the air. The only bad odor he detected were the fumes from empty alcohol bottles. There were definitely no demons around; they had a distinct odor, like garlic and rotting flesh.

  His bad premonition could only be something he sensed, rather than something actually there. Destiny might have gotten pissed because he’d yet to make love to her. She might have decided not to show. She could already be seducing someone else’s soul away from them.

  He cringed at the thought. Chance didn’t like thinking she was out in the world trying to get her stupid quota. He’d promised himself he would save her from the path she seemed determined to travel. He’d do his damnedest to make her salvation happen.

  There was only one way to find out what was going on. He started around the corner, heading toward the bar, but he only went a few feet when he came to an abrupt stop.

  “Hello, Chance,” a familiar, sultry voice said. Destiny stepped from the edge of the shadows.

  Crap, that was his premonition. Destiny turned the tables on him. He caught her scent on the light breeze. She smelled sweet, musky. Like a woman ready for sex. Nope, she definitely wasn’t a full-fledged demon because her delicious scent wrapped around him and was tugging him closer.

  Ah, man, and what the hell was she wearing? The dress was light blue, the material illegally thin. So thin he knew she wasn’t wearing a bra because he could see the dark outline of her tight nipples.

  God help him!

  Those were the same breasts he dreamed about taking in his mouth—teasing and sucking on each one.

  He swallowed past the lump in his throat, his gaze moving slowly downward, drinking in every sexy inch. Not a difficult thing to do when the material of her dress hugged every single curve.

  Did she know what she was doing to him?

  He met her eyes. Oh yeah, she knew exactly what she was doing.

  She stepped farther away from the bar. The streetlight bathed her in a soft glow. Then she did the unthinkable. She parted her legs and the light shot between them, leaving nothing to his imagination. Especially the fact that she wasn’t wearing panties.

  His dick immediately grew hard, throbbing and aching. He forced his gaze away from the dark thatch of curls and dragged his eyes back to her face.

  He knew that look. She had him by the balls. Chance was afraid it would take all of his charm to get her into the bar where he’d be safe from temptation.

  “Little warm out here,” he told her, walking closer and taking her elbow. Chance hoped like hell he could lead her inside.

  “You’re right, it’s really hot.” She moved so that she held his hand rather than him holding hers. “And the bar is stuffy.”

  So much for his charm. He had a feeling there was no way he would get her back inside. “I could use an ice-cold beer, though.”

  Destiny tugged on his hand. “My apartment is nearby. I have beer and wine.”

  She had an apartment? Of course she had an apartment. Destiny probably had enough magic to get almost anything she wanted. Could he hope for a roommate, though? Probably not. Her eyes told him she had it all planned out.

  Sweat beaded on his forehead. He didn’t think air conditioning would help—or an ice-cold beer. The tension began to build inside him. It was going to be a long, hard night.

  “We could go dancing,” he suggested, not quite ready to give up.

  “Maybe later.” She smiled up at him.

  “Or a movie.”

  “I bought some DVDs.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief. If he could get her interested in a show, then he might be able to make it through the night.

  Yeah right
, as if he really thought that would work. Chance had a feeling he was in deep shit and it was going to get a whole lot deeper.

  If the others could see him now, they’d be laughing their asses off. They thought his technique was way too complicated. Ryder told Chance that his arguments for staying celibate during the process of saving a soul or answering a prayer were ludicrous.

  Ryder was just too scared to find out if he could last a whole week without getting laid. Hell, not a week went by that he wasn’t trying to seduce some female—whether he planned on saving her soul or not!

  No, the other three had their way of doing things and Chance had his. He liked to seduce women in a way that made them hungry to turn their lives around, then gently aim them down the right path. It always worked in the past, well, most of the time.

  “We’re here,” she said.

  They came to a stop in front of a dirty gray apartment building. His head jerked around. Damn, he’d been lost in thought. He’d missed the opportunity to talk about how good life could be in general while slowly introducing the idea that demons lie about everything, without letting on he was an immortal. Tricky, but he could have done it. If he’d paid attention!

  They stepped inside the apartment complex and made their way to the elevator. Two silk ivy plants in need of dusting were strategically positioned near the front doors. If the owner of the building meant to welcome someone, then he’d missed the mark. The place was showing signs of wear and tear. Definitely not upscale like his apartment downtown.

  Stained carpet led the unsuspecting on a winding trail to a questionable elevator with smudged metal doors. He grimaced as they entered the suffocatingly small space. When Destiny pressed the button for the third floor, the doors didn’t quite close all the way. A sliver of dreary light attempted to make an escape through the opening, but gave up when the elevator began its ascent.

  If he wasn’t immortal, Chance would have taken the damn stairs.

  But he was.

  The rickety elevator trudged upwards like an overweight old woman carrying too many groceries up a steep hill. Chance breathed a sigh of relief when the ancient contraption groaned to a stop.

  Maybe he would take Destiny to his penthouse apartment sometime. The nephilim each had an apartment in the same building, not that they were there very often. They preferred the ranch. There was nothing better than waking up in the country.

  “This is where I’m staying,” Destiny told him, opening the door.

  He took a deep breath and stepped across the threshold. His gaze quickly swept the room. It was worse than he imagined. Candles burned low, not enough so that the room was too warm, just a few for ambience. The fragrance tickled his nose.

  “It smells nice,” he told her, and it did. He felt very relaxed. That wasn’t a good thing when he needed to stay on guard.

  “It’s called ember.”

  Figured.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  She strolled out of the room. He couldn’t take his eyes off the seductive sway of her hips, and when there was nothing else to watch, her essence lingered. If he was that susceptible to her charms, what was it going to be like when he had her naked? His dick jerked at the image that created.

  Deep breath.

  He breathed in, then out, then in—

  You’re hyperventilating, idiot! He slowed his breathing down and the lights stopped dancing in front of his eyes.

  Better.

  He could do this. He only needed to remember what was at stake. Chance wasn’t about to let a damned demon torture Destiny for all eternity.

  He scanned the room, taking stock of everything. Overstuffed pillows were plumped on the sofa, romantic music played in the background. Red silky material was draped over the two lamps, creating a cozy glow. She didn’t leave out one detail in her attempt to seduce him. Oh yeah, she was good—for a beginner.

  “I hope you like wine,” she said as she sashayed back into the room.

  She probably thought she could get him drunk, then have her way with him. After that, she would tell him how great it was to be a demon-in-training. A mortal would probably believe Destiny and happily follow her back to Hell like a little puppy.

  Except he wasn’t a mortal or a puppy. It was time to turn the tables.

  “I love wine.” Chance smiled as he took the glass she offered. He swirled the dark purple liquid around, then took a drink.

  His lips puckered. He was afraid the insides of his mouth might permanently cave in. How could anyone get away with selling wine this bitter? And where the hell did she buy it? The market on the corner?

  One thing Chance hated was cheap wine. He’d become a connoisseur over the centuries. The Romans could make great wine. Napa Valley was the next best thing. They even beat the Italians at their own game, but it was a close call. Competition was good sometimes. Kept people on their toes.

  Chance guessed it had been a while since Destiny crossed over. Six dollars and ninety-eight cents had probably been a small fortune when she was alive, which was what he estimated she’d spent on the wine. Now, it just meant cheap wine. But he smiled. “A good year.”

  Destiny preened. No, he didn’t think it would take much to convince her the demons had lied.

  “I have movies, too.” She hurried over to the DVD player.

  Just for a second, Destiny was like any young woman, proud she had thought of everything. He wondered what she could possibly have bought. Probably something totally innocent, then she would be disappointed, but it would be for her own good.

  “LeAnn showed me how to work the player,” she admitted, not realizing she dated herself to some extent.

  Then it hit him. “LeAnn?” Were there more demon wannabes in other apartments in the building? It was going to be difficult enough squaring off with Destiny. A threesome might be hard to resist, especially if LeAnn looked as sexy as Destiny.

  “You have a friend here?” He glanced warily around.

  Destiny looked up. “She wants to be a country and western singer. LeAnn is trying to make her way to Nashville.”

  Probably a mortal then. He wondered if Destiny knew how much trouble she could get in by even talking to someone when she wasn’t trying to steal their soul. The demons didn’t like mixing with the humans any more than angels did.

  Destiny put the DVD in the slot, then stepped back. “Make yourself comfortable.”

  He took a seat on the sofa. She hurried over and sat beside him, then snuggled in nice and close. Her breasts mashed against his arm and his dick saluted them, which seemed to be its normal position since he laid eyes on Destiny. She pushed play on the remote, but had already started to make her move.

  Please let it be Bambi, he thought to himself.

  The title whipped up on the screen, Bad Girls in Lust. It wasn’t Bambi.

  He was in so much trouble.

  His eyes were transfixed on the screen as three girls stood in front of a small pond. The scenery was cheap and made to look as if they were in the woods. The pond was obviously someone’s backyard pool, complete with a fake-rock waterfall.

  That wasn’t what grabbed his attention. Nope, it was when one of the women began to do a slow striptease. The other two danced over and began to help her remove her clothes. Oh God, girl-on-girl action. He was definitely in trouble.

  Destiny moved to her knees on the sofa cushions and leaned in nice and close before whispering in his ear, “Do you like the movie?” Her tongue darted inside his ear, swirling around.

  His dick began to throb. He had to get hold of himself. His gut clenched at the image that brought to mind. Any release at all would feel damn good. “Yeah, I like the movie,” he croaked.

  “I thought you might.” Her hand snaked downward.

  Chance had to take charge of the situation or all would be lost. He grabbed her hand. “You’ve been very naughty, Destiny.”

  Her eyes grew wide, her nostrils flared.

  “You went shopping, didn’t you?” />
  She slowly nodded.

  “You went to a sex store.”

  Again she nodded.

  “What else did you buy?”

  She visibly swallowed. “A vibrator, and some other… other things—toys.”

  He shook his head. “That was very naughty. I think I’m going to have to spank you.”

  Her forehead furrowed. “I don’t—”

  He patted his thighs. “Bend over.”

  She scooted back and crossed her arms in front of her. “No man has spanked me since I turned fifteen.”

  So much defiance. It would be fun taming her. “Then maybe it’s time someone did.” He reached out, slipping his hand beneath her dress, fondling between her legs. She gasped, closing her eyes. He fingered her labia, stroking up her flesh, then slowly moving his fingers down. Her pussy was already getting hot and moist and it was a hell of a turn-on.

  It took extreme effort on his part to move his hand from beneath her dress. “Or I can leave.”

  Her eyes flew open, her expression shocked and disappointed. “You would leave? Right now?”

  He shrugged. “It’s up to you.” She didn’t move. He started to get up.

  “Okay, okay.”

  He grinned. Her eyes narrowed. He patted his thighs.

  Her lips pursed right before she lay across his knees.

  For a moment, he couldn’t move as her weight rested across his dick. He’d never wanted to fuck a woman as much as he wanted to fuck this one. But not yet. He had to save her soul first.

  Chance inched her dress up until her ass cheeks were exposed. Fuck, she had sweet cheeks. He pushed her dress higher, exposing the curve of her back. Very sweet. She wiggled her ass. He gritted his teeth. Her movement against him was heaven and hell at the same time.

  If he didn’t do something fast, he was going to be in more trouble than he might be able to get out of. He brought his hand down lightly across her ass. The sound echoed in the silent room. She gasped. He knew he didn’t hit her hard enough to cause any real pain, not the kind that hurt.