“Don’t worry.” Roc swiftly unfolded his wings and took a step back from Meline before he did something foolish. He just needed a breath of air, not filled with her gentle perfume and whatever that maddening scent was that only she seemed to exude.
“Please tell me you aren’t going to have to take a bath in Goof-Off to remove all this.” Meline closed the distance, thwarting his effort to get a little space so he could pull his head together.
“I’ll be fine.” He scrubbed a spot on his forearm, letting his skin change back to its usual bronze tone. “See.” He showed her, then pretended to smooth the black make-up back over the spot.
“If you say so. I guess a craftsman talented enough to do all this has a trick to getting it all off.” Meline shrugged.
Besides Meline, several of the party-goers were also curiously watching his demonstration. The one thing he’d learned over the centuries was that if you gave humans a reasonable excuse, they willingly believed it.
“Have you eaten?” he changed the subject.
“No, I just got here. By the way, thank you for inviting me and for these.” She pointed to her wings.
“Of course. You wear them well.”
Meline smiled at him.
“Shall we?” He held out his hand, gesturing to the staircase.
Unexpectedly, she placed her small hand in his upturned palm, so he went with it, ignoring the sensation it elicited. They headed up the staircase, but she stopped abruptly as they reached the ballroom, her eyes widening.
He was about to ask what was wrong when Meline drew in a sharp breath, then blurted, “Roc, this is amazing.”
He watched her with a broad grin as her eyes swiveled from the angelic performers nimbly spinning on silk ropes hanging from the ceiling, to their demonic counterparts’ acrobatic floor routine.
“You like it?” he asked even though he knew the answer.
“I’ve never seen anything like this, like any of this. The fabulous creature costumes are insane. They remind me of the characters from that old movie Labyrinth. They’re just that good. How do those acrobats not break their necks doing those moves? And then there’s this ballroom with all the warm wood and sparkling chandeliers. I’m so glad I came. This is why I want to travel and see the world. It’s like an amazing, strange sort of dream,” she rambled in a breathy whisper.
“Surely with your job...” he started to say, slightly surprised by her wonderment.
“I wish, but I mostly answer phones.” Meline shook her head emphatically while still staring at everything in awe.
He’d seen great spectacles like this in one way, shape, or form over the centuries. But seeing it through her eyes somehow made it all feel new. Suddenly he wanted to visit all the wonders of the world again and bring Meline along, just to see her reaction.
“Wine?” Roc asked, as a server passed.
“Yes.”
He grabbed her a glass and she sipped it while watching people pass. She was so caught up studying everything, he had to gently steer her with one hand at her back to keep her from running into things as they moved toward the buffet.
“What do you like to eat?” he asked when they made it through the crowd.
“Anything. I’m not picky,” she replied, taking a plate.
She grabbed some crackers and dished out the accompanying pâté.
“You do like liver pâté,” he commented, seeing her sizeable pile.
“Liver?” Her eyes widened as she gaped at her plate.
“You better try it.”
Meline dipped a cracker into the pâté and popped it in her mouth. She blanched, then scrunched up her nose as chewed. He saw her throat work as she attempted to swallow.
“Good?” he asked with a quirk of his brow.
“It’s…um…fine.” Meline covered her mouth as she finished choking it down.
“You’re a horrible liar,” he laughed, and traded her plate for his clean one. “You might want to be careful when you visit France if you don’t like pâté. Oh, and watch out for anything called cretons while you’re here.”
“Okay.” She nodded and washed the pâté down with the last of her wine, so he grabbed her another glass off a nearby tray.
“Better?”
“Yes. Thank you.” Meline grinned. “So, I don’t like everything. But this is good. I like trying new things even if I discover I don’t like them. I’ve never been a fan of liver, whole or otherwise,” she laughed as they continued down the buffet.
“You have an adventurous side begging to be free, don’t you?”
“Yes!” She lifted her glass almost like a salute. “I know this trip to hunt my ancestors probably doesn’t seem adventurous to someone as well traveled as you, but to me it’s like a scavenger hunt.”
He was smiling at how animated Meline was as she explained the inspiration behind her trip to Quebec, till it reminded him of the reason he met her in the first place.
You can learn what she knows about Nicolas and still enjoy her company.
That was true. But why did it feel like he’d crossed a line?
5
Meline
“Look at how high that lady’s heels are. I like girly shoes but can’t wear them. I’d break my ankle for sure.”
Meline paused after making the comment, a disturbing notion shoving through the warm fuzzy high she’d been drifting in all evening. She’d been monopolizing the conversation with her trivial stories for some time now.
I blame the wine. It was a dry red, but it went down so smooth that she had one glass too many. Crap, I hate it when guys I meet do nothing but talk about themselves, then what do I do… Ugh.
Roc was super kind as he listened to her babble. She couldn’t tell from his cryptic half smile if he was tired of her drivel and just humoring her, or couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Either way she’d probably overstayed her welcome.
“I guess I should head back to my hotel. I’ve occupied enough of your time. Thank you again for inviting me.” She squeezed Roc’s bicep.
She had a really good time, much better than she feared. Hopefully Roc hadn’t felt obligated to hang out with her because she knew nobody else.
“Let me walk you back to your hotel,” he offered.
“Oh, that’s okay. It’s only a few blocks.”
“I won’t hear of it. It’s late and dark.” Roc shook his head.
“You’re right,” she conceded, recalling her harrowing walk the night before. “Thank you.”
They headed downstairs, out the door and into the cool night air. A man on a cell phone glanced up at them and paused his conversation, his eyes going wide as saucers. He dropped his phone, and she heard it break.
“Serves him right. So rude,” she whispered to Roc.
“You are wearing angel wings and I look like a demon,” he whispered back, a slight chuckle rumbling in his chest.
“Oh my gawd, I completely forgot. We should go back in and change. Don’t you need a jacket? You’ve got to be chilly.” She tried to not overtly stare at his muscular chest now that she was reminded again that he was half naked.
How could I forget?
“Change? Don’t you like me how I am?” he teased.
“I do like how you’re a wicked smart-ass,” she snorted, playing along with his terrible pun. “And even the wings and such have grown on me, but you’re going to give everyone between here and the hotel a heart attack.
“No I won’t, ‘cause you look just as weird, little angel, but together we look normal. Besides, you’ll be waiting ‘til the end of time before I get these off.” He quickly gestured to his, horns, wings and tail.
“I knew it, you used a truckload of some fancy special effects superglue.” She shook her head. “Are you sure I can keep these wings?”
“Call it a souvenir.”
“Alrighty then, let’s go.”
Meline led the way. As they passed the bald guy by the car, he was still staring at them.
“Wh
at? Haven’t you heard, opposites attract?” she asked the man, then giggled when his mouth dropped open.
“Don’t be fooled, she’s a devil in the sack,” Roc called over his shoulder.
She burst into all out laughter and stumbled off the sidewalk.
“Careful there,” he chuckled as he caught her and kept her from falling on her butt.
She liked the sound of his laugh and the way his broad smile made his eyes crinkle, lessening the harshness of his features.
“What?” Roc asked, sobering slightly.
“I was just noticing how white and shiny your teeth are against your dark skin. You should smile all the way back to my hotel, you’re better than a flashlight.”
“Who’s the smart-ass now?” He cocked his brow and snorted at her pathetic excuse to cover up for staring.
Maybe I was wrong. Meline smiled to herself as they walked. Maybe I didn’t come off too gabby and frivolous.
They reached her hotel before she knew it and she paused outside the big red door. She didn’t want to say goodnight just yet.
“You want to come in?” she boldly asked, staring up into Roc’s luminous gray eyes.
“Meline, I think we both know that’s not a good idea.” His easy smile shifted to a smirk, a crease forming in his brow.
He was probably right, but still it was hard to hear.
“Thank you again. I had a great time,” she swiftly replied, then turned to go inside so he wouldn’t see the disappointment in her eyes.
She barely made it a step before frustration got the best of her. Meline spun back around and scowled at him.
“You know what, no, I don’t know that it’s not a good idea. You flirted with me half the evening, and well, I just thought, hey, why not. It’s not like I have delusions we’ll spend one night together, and suddenly you’d profess your undying love for me, I’d move here, and we’d live in a little house with a white picket fence and have a litter of children,” she huffed.
Roc stared wide-eyed at her. He had nothing to say for himself, so she turned to go inside.
Well, it was a nice evening. Till she went and ruined it. But she meant every word that she said and refused to apologize. They got along like a house on fire, however she wasn’t so daft to think a rich, tall, dark and ruggedly handsome man was interested in her for more than a fling. Obviously, she was reading things wrong, he wasn’t even interested in that. So stupid, she berated herself as she grabbed the doorknob.
“Meline.” Roc pressed a palm on the door, halting her retreat. “Please hear me out.”
“What?” She turned back to face him, her foot tapping the pavement.
“I’m an asshole. I’ve had more one-night stands than one man should, and you’re too sweet to do that to.”
“That’s such bullshit, but fine, if that’s the excuse you want to go with.” Meline tried to tug on the door but he wouldn’t remove his hand.
“It’s the truth,” he countered with a slight growl.
“Oh, so you’re saying that I’m just so damn sweet…” She made bunny ears with her fingers. “…that suddenly you grew a conscience, and have decided to reform your man-whore ways rather than break the silly innocent tourist’s heart and send her back to her mundane life pining for the rich and worldly Roc? Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Dammit, I do want to go to your room. And the things I’d do to you would make it hard for you to look me in the eye in the morning. And that’s real, the truth. But you don’t know who I am. I’m a deceitful bastard, because I’m still trying to figure out a way to see you again, knowing full well that I’m using you. I can’t go up to your room on top of everything else,” he rumbled, making absolutely no sense at all. It sounded like he wanted to see her again, but somehow that was worse than a one-night stand.
Real fucking nice!
“All right. Whatever. Goodnight.” She shook her head.
Meline tugged on the door again. Roc relented and stepped out of her way. She rolled her eyes, seeing the conflicted look on his face, as she headed inside. It was inconsiderate to the other guests, but she stomped up the stairs, trying not to cry till she got to her room. She was so worked up, it took a few attempts to jam her key into the lock. When she finally got it unlocked, she attempted to storm inside, but her wings got caught on the door jamb.
“Stupid wings,” Meline growled in frustration as she shrugged out of the feathery ensemble. They tangled with her purse strap, making her angrier. She yanked the mess off and hurled both onto the floor.
She slammed the door, but at the last second changed her mind and shoved her hand into the door jamb before it banged shut. That would certainly wake everyone in the small hotel if her tirade up the stairs hadn’t already.
“Ow, dammit,” she barked when the door hit her knuckles, the smarting pain bringing the tears she’d been holding back rushing to the forefront.
Moisture slid down her cheeks as she eased the door closed then held her sore hand. It was the icing on the cake. She glanced at the wings lying on floor and her tears came faster. They were lovely, straight out of a fairy tale. Too bad, like every fairy tale, it disappeared at the stroke of midnight. And yet they were too nice to throw away. She would just have to edit out the end of the story in her mind whenever she looked at them.
As Meline bent to grab them, an arm wrapped around her waist. She shrieked but it was muffled by a dirty calloused hand.
“Arret,” the man growled.
That meant stop, but she struggled harder, frantically clawing at the bastard behind her. Her gaze darted around the room as she fought. She’d been so worked up when she got to her room, she failed to notice her suitcase had been dumped out at the foot of the bed. In the mirror she saw the man attacking her wore a ski mask. He growled when she aimed for his menacing dark eyes, but she refused to go down without a fight. The man grabbed her arm and violently swung her away from him. She cried in pain as her hip hit the corner of the nightstand, knocking over the lamp which shattered on the floor. Meline spun to face her attacker then screamed in terror as he rushed her.
Please, God. What does he want? She screamed again as she scrambled back, bumped into the bed and fell atop it.
roc
“For the love of Lar,” Roc growled as he stared at the hotel door Meline disappeared through.
He couldn’t believe Meline propositioned him or that he turned her down. He grew hard just thinking how sexy she looked as the words fell from her pink lips.
You had to grow a conscience. He adjusted his cock as it strained painfully against his fly.
But he couldn’t take advantage of her, not like that. Not when he’d already deceived her. And it was downright pathetic the way he lied to himself, claiming he was merely getting to know her. To sleep with Meline on top of all that he’d already done was unforgivable. The thought of hurting her made the bile in the pit of his stomach churn.
“And why the fuck do my teeth hurt?” The throbbing pain added to his misery.
A couple heading to a nearby pub gaped at him. Before they laid eyes on him they looked disgustingly happy, something he knew nothing about.
“Haven’t you ever seen a gargoyle?” Roc snapped, uncaring if they gossiped.
If Meline had been by his side, looking the way she did, they wouldn’t have stared. They joked earlier about being quite a pair, an angel and demon. It wasn’t quite a joke. The more time he spent with her, the deeper she worked beneath his skin. She was funny and so damn cute. The way she took him to task would’ve been unbelievably sexy if he didn’t feel like such an ass.
But I am a bastard. And the illicit thoughts he was having about her couldn’t happen, because he wasn’t wearing a costume and she was an angel.
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as a pained scream split the night.
“Meline!”
Roc turned and ran the dozen paces back to her hotel, his feet barely hitting the pavement. He nearly tore the door off its hinges
and stormed up the stairs, pushing past the people coming out of their rooms. Meline screamed in terror and the sound stabbed at him.
“Meline!” he roared.
Roc reached the top floor and shoved past a man in the hall who couldn’t get out of his way fast enough, then nearly knocked over a woman, he was so desperate to reach Meline’s room. He threw open the door and froze seeing her huddled on the bed. Her face was swollen, tears streaming down her cheeks. The sleeve of her pink dress was torn, and he could see an angry red welt on her arm. Someone hurt her. Rage unlike anything he’d ever known overwhelmed him. Roc felt his skin shift as his body reacted to his turbulent emotions. His gaze darted around the room looking for the vile filth that needed to die, but no one was there. Her assailant must’ve been one of the people milling around in the hall, blending in with the guests who fled their rooms to see what was wrong. He growled in frustration.
“Roc?” Meline keened with a wavering voice, as her glossy hazel eyes peered up at him through her disheveled brown hair.
The way she looked at him, confusion and relief lighting her gaze, instantly took the wind out of his sails. His anger at whoever did this would have to wait. He was by her side in an instant, but he wasn’t sure what to do. Meline melted against him as he wrapped his arms around her. The way she trembled made keeping his temper in check damn near impossible, but he would. Going beast mode would only traumatize her further.
“I’ve got you,” he rasped, her waning terror making him physically hurt.
Repressing the need to enfold her in his wings, since there were humans gawking from the hallway, was nearly impossible. She was so small, and someone had savaged her. He desperately wanted to shelter her from it all.
“Is she okay?” a concerned woman asked from the doorway.
“I’m fine, now.” Meline’s words were punctuated with a ragged hiccup.
Hard as Rock Page 6