Lure of Forever (4 page)

The thought of what could have
happened had she not mixed up the boats acted like a cold shower to her wayward
thoughts, and she shivered anew.

"If you'd rather freeze to
death, be my guest." He threw the clothes on the bed next to her and
started to walk away.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be
rude. These will be lovely, thank you."

He turned back around at her
reluctantly delivered apology, and his eyes narrowed for an instant. A small
muscle ticked in his jaw. His eyes held a faraway expression and she couldn't
help but wonder why he suddenly seemed sad.

"Not that it's any of your
business, but
Marnie
is Ion's wife. She left those
behind last time Ion used the boat for the weekend. I don't do
girlfriends."

The slam of the door was far too
loud on the quiet boat.

Chapter
Four

Lucas forced himself to relax his
white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel.
 
He hadn't been this aware of a woman since his human days.
 
What was it about her that awakened a side of
him that had lain dormant for years? Enclosed in the close quarters of his old
sports car, her natural scent wrapped itself around his senses, and he
swallowed the groan as his body responded instantly, again.

When she had sat on his bed, looking
up at him with barely concealed hurt in her soft brown
eyes,
it had been like a punch to his gut. Clearly hurt by the suggestion of her
wearing another woman's clothes, he'd ground out an explanation through his
clenched teeth and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him like a
goddamn teenager.

He didn't do emotions, for fuck's
sake. What was wrong with him? Damn Ion and
Marnie
and their happily ever after. Good for them, but he most fucking definitely
didn't need one, and why this little human made him think of it was completely
beyond him.

He glanced across to her now. Sat
curled up on the seat, her head resting against the window, arms
folded,
she was a study in concentration. His fingers itched
to rub away the worry line between her eyebrows. She had been full of questions
when she re-emerged from his bedroom––questions he'd fended off as best he
could, without scaring her witless or giving too much away, mindful of the fact
that he still couldn't read her thoughts.

That had to be the reason for his
interest in her. Well, that and the fact that he'd been too busy investigating
the spate of murders across Europe to sate his body's demands in a willing
female. Murders that had grown more and more brutal and careless,
finally sparking
the council's interest and his
involvement.
 
The news that
Jacomo
had indeed escaped the demon realm and was now
stalking Lucas's neighborhood had been terrifying. There were too many people
he cared about here. Ion's pack was on full alert after a thwarted attack on
one of their females, a human/shifter hybrid.
 
Louisa was recovering slowly, but it had shaken everyone up. And now
this little human had not only interrupted their meeting, but
Jacomo
had once again slipped his grasp.

Images of
Coralie
in
Jacomo's
leathery hands had him swearing under his
breath.

"Are you okay?" Her soft
hand on his thigh and the concern he saw in her eyes meant his voice was
gruffer than he intended it to be.

"You have no idea how fucking
close you came to being slaughtered tonight. What were you thinking, coming out
dressed like that to a remote location?"

Her eyes widened in horror and he
regretted his harsh words immediately.

"I told you. I was standing in
for Jerry and I'm worried enough about what she chooses to do for a living
without that reminder and your chauvinistic attitude. If men didn't get a kick
out of seeing women prance around half-naked, she wouldn't need to. Don't tell
me you didn't get a hard-on seeing me in that get up…" Her voice trailed
off. Crimson stained her cheeks and she slammed her hand over her mouth. "I…
I… oh, shit."

Amusement bubbled through him, even
as his dick reminded him forcefully that he didn't need her half-naked.
Imagining what she was hiding under the sensible clothes she now wore, her feet
bare after she’d thrown off her ruined boots in disgust earlier, was even more
of a turn-on.

"I'm sure half of the men in
that room had that reaction,
Chere
, but that's
not the point."

"I doubt that somehow."
She shook her head and glared at him. "And even if they did, I'm not
interested."

"You're not interested in
men?" His voice rose higher than normal at that preposterous thought.
"Not at all?"
Relief flooded him when
Coralie
laughed.

"Typical. I say I'm not
interested and you immediately assume I must swing for the other side.
 
I just have no wish to get involved with any
of you. It never ends well, and newsflash, you're never as good as you think
you are. So why bother?"

The words were brave, but Lucas
sensed the hint of vulnerability behind them. Some sorry excuse of a human male
had hurt her badly. If he found the bastard, he would have great fun draining
the scum. Some of his murderous thoughts must have shown on his face, as
Coralie
frowned back at him, and renewed anxiety seemed to
pour off her in waves.

Way to go, Lucas.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself,
he flashed the killer smile that normally made women swoon. Not
Coralie
, though, his only reward a mumbled, "Spare
me" as she stared out the window. Had it not been for her shallow
breathing and the nervous way she kept interlinking her fingers, he'd have
thought he was losing his touch.

****

Damn, damn, damn her hormones that
made her want to take him up on the promise in his eyes.
Eyes
that seemed to reach into her soul and read her innermost secrets.
When
she had blurted those words out, sudden fury flashed across his face, before he
masked it. Almost as though he'd known the ache she carried in her heart––but
that was a ridiculous notion.

She had sworn to herself long ago to
never again read more into men's promises than the ugly lies they were. It was
far better to stay away from men, no matter what her body wanted. That's what
dildos were invented for, after all.

Sometimes she fervently wished she
could be more like Jerry. Her friend had no compunction to use men just for
sex. God, Jerry...how was she going to convince her that it wasn't safe to
continue working for the agency? She sighed loudly.

"I'll have you home soon."

Concern showed in his amazing eyes,
and
Coralie
had to stop herself from staring. Since
first sight of him, those eyes of his had changed color constantly. Right now
they darkened to a deep sea green with light flecks of yellow, like rays of sun
peeking through dense foliage.
 
Her
fingers ached for her paint brushes, her artist's mind wandering, even as she
leaned closer to him. The shrill sound of a car horn behind them broke the
spell, as a car full of young lads out for the night screeched past them. She
braced herself for Lucas to put his foot down in pursuit, but he just shook his
head and smiled at her ruefully.

"
Stupides
jeunes
fous
.
They're going to kill
someone at that rate."

"Never
themselves though, unfortunately."
 
She nodded her agreement and he chuckled at
her in response.

"
Chere
,
that's positively bloodthirsty of you."

She couldn't help her answering
smile in return at the teasing tone he adopted, and some of the tension left
her body.

"I wasn't worried about getting
home. I just don't know how to convince Jerry to give up working for the
agency.
 
She gets good tips and…"

She stopped herself just in time.
Somehow saying out loud how much Jerry enjoyed the dancing made it all sound
sordid somehow.

"And
what
?"

She shook her head. "Never
mind, it's no concern of yours. Just catch that killer, will you?"

Coralie
shivered at the deadly look he gave her.

"I will. I won't rest until he
gets what he deserves."

Silence fell between them for the
rest of the journey home. Every time she glanced across at the silent man
behind the wheel, her heart
ached
a little bit more
for him. He looked so determined and closed off.
And utterly
alone.
 
He had refused to tell her
what his involvement in finding this killer was, but his body language had told
her all she needed to know. This was personal for him, and she got the distinct
impression that Lucas would not be simply arresting the murderer. That thought
should have frightened her witless, yet it seemed to have the opposite effect.
Her body responded to all that leashed power and bubbling aggression on a
purely instinctive level. Somehow she felt safe with him, at least on a physical
level. Emotionally, however––that was another matter entirely.

She was so lost in thought that she
didn't notice they had stopped outside her house until Lucas opened the door
for her, one hand extended to help her out of the car. A jolt of awareness shot
up her arm when his long fingers closed over hers. She would have pulled back,
but he tightened his hold on her and pulled her out of the car in one fluid
move that brought her so close to him she felt the coolness of his skin soak
into her bones. OK, so it was him, and not her. This night just got weirder by
the second.

"Let me walk you in."

He was so close his warm breath blew
across her face. Her skin felt tight, tingles of awareness following the path
his breath had taken and her voice lacked the conviction she was aiming for.

"You don't have to. There is no
need."

"There is every need. I'm not
taking any chances with your safety." The growled response left her
speechless, and she simply followed him across the street and up the garden
path to the dark house. Lucas waited, his face unreadable, whilst she fumbled
with her keys, her hands far too unsteady to work the lock. Damn it, why was
she so nervous?

"Let me." He took the
keys, the contact increasing her awareness of him further. The door swung open
and he stepped back to let her through with a murmured, "Sleep well,
Chere
.
"

Sleep? That was the last thing on
her mind. Her body hummed with awareness that erupted into pure need when he
bent down and brushed a feather-light kiss across her cheek. Her hands curled
into the lapels of the light jacket he'd shrugged into for the journey, and
managing a shaky smile, she asked what she'd been wanting to.

"Would you like to come in for
coffee?"

Chapter
Five

The thud of the front door shutting
behind them was too loud in the quiet hallway. Lucas stood still behind her,
whilst
Coralie
fumbled for the light switch. Jeez,
when had she become a butterfingers?

Since you decided to invite a
sinfully sexy stranger into your home...

Her fingers finally connected with the
blasted switch and soft lighting surrounded them. Lucas's eyes widened, taking
in the paintings lining the hallway. He whistled under his breath, noticing the
scribbled
Coralie
at the bottom of each one.
Whilst she stood fiddling with the hem of her t-shirt, unable to hold still, he
took in each painting in turn. He stopped the longest in front of her mother's
portrait.
 
She had caught her mum on one
of the good days, sitting in her favorite chair, her knitting abandoned in her
lap as she stared out into the garden with a serene smile. Cancer had claimed
her mother a few short weeks later.

Seeing Lucas study the picture had
her blinking hot tears away, and she was in his arms an instant later. One hand
went in her hair and the other drew lazy circles on her back, whilst he
murmured soothingly into her ear. The offered comfort proved too much after the
day she'd had, and she burst into tears.

When the wrenching sobs finally
stopped, Lucas produced a pristine handkerchief out of his jeans pocket and
Coralie
blew her nose noisily. Great, for the second time
today he saw her looking her worst.
First, a drowned and
mud-stained rat, and now a watering pot with red eyes and a runny nose, bawling
her eyes out.
It was a wonder he was still standing there and hadn't
taken off at a run. No doubt he would, the minute she had herself back under
control.