Slow Burn (4 page)

Hair spilled out behind her and against the black of the
coat.

Before he even finished looking at her, his mouth went dry.

A low whistle sounded from behind him.

Derrick turned an irritated glare at Michael.

“Ahem.” Her lips curled up in a half smile, pulling his
attention back to her. “I thought about keeping it.” Her sultry voice pulled at
his groin.

Over my dead body. Though to have her wear only it…
He
arched a brow. “But you showed up here instead.”

She nodded. “Yeah, my brother said I should check out my
biggest fan in his natural habitat.”

Derrick took a puff of his cigar and blew the smoke toward the
closed door. Her behavior certainly differed from last night. He nodded, took
another puff, let his eyes roam over her body. Yup, tight leather pants hugged
those beautiful hips. That top needed to be just a tad shorter and he’d get
another glimpse of her flat tummy.

Of course, she wore boots.

Go figure, right?

He stood, hands itching to let the cigar drop and carry her
off somewhere just so he could undress her and put his hands all over her,
remembering the feel of her soft flesh against his.

Of course, he’d love to yank those pants down, too, and find
out if she wore the same black bra and panty set, or if she didn’t bother
wearing anything at all.

Everything about her clothes screamed her personality. Even
the blood-red color of her hair falling down her back in ringlets said she
embraced the culture she was part of.

“So, you two had a moment last night, eh?” Michael failed to
hide the innuendo from his words.

Derrick glared at him. He took a puff off his cigar, blew a
thick cloud of smoke at Michael, then stared back at Sonja. She brushed her
hair back, exposing the line of her neck and pale flesh. “Excuse my friends. We
don’t usually get a lot of women in the shop and they forget themselves.”

She nodded, shifted her weight from hip to hip, keeping her
gaze locked with his. “I understand. Most of our fans are…well, I wouldn’t
expect to find any of them here.” She waved a hand.

He snorted. “Yeah, mahogany and money aren’t what usually
sustains the human race’s materialistic side. Not when the fans are…” He
blinked. “Angry.”

Her voice dipped a notch. “I imagine you know about our
fans?”

He set the cigar carefully in the groove of the ashtray
beside him, let the ash fall off with a gentle tap, then brought the cigar back
to his mouth before dragging in a puff and blowing a large cloud of smoke
overhead. “Not yours per se, but I’m very familiar with the scene. I’m as much
a rarity in your world as you are in mine.” He waved his free hand at the empty
seat between Erick and himself. “Have a seat, stay a few?”

Her smile widened slightly. “How do you figure you’re a
rarity?”

He gave her a feral grin that bared the faintest hint of
fang. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Rocky twitch. Good. Fucker
needed to be scared once in a while.

She leaned back and the leather creaked beneath her. What he
wouldn’t give to be that leather, cupping her perfectly round ass. “Right.
Safest amongst the humans, eh?”

“Indeed. This lounge is one of the more shifter-friendly
places, and a larger part of the crowd is usually shifters, but there are a
number of humans who are regulars.”

She tilted her head slightly, puckered plump, ruby lips
together, and leaned forward. “And even rarer, as I assume your friends here
aren’t into our music.”

“I’ve never taken a poll, but I highly doubt it. Michael
tends to lean more toward jazz, and the rest of these fuckers are old white men
in every aspect.”

Max snorted.

Derrick shot him a look, then returned his attention to
Sonja. “As much as I like class and sophistication, I do also enjoy getting
down and dirty with my metal brethren.”

“And sisters.” She bared teeth in her grin.

The way the light hit her eyes really emphasized the glint
in her blue-silver irises. Their oval shape suited her face, he decided. “I’ve
had my share of fun.”

“Just like all the other males.” She rolled her eyes and
took his cigar from him. Bringing it to her lips, she took a puff, blew out a
ring of smoke, and handed it back to him.

He became all too aware of the taste of her once he took
another puff of his cigar. Her flavor melded well with the Nicaraguan
earthiness of the stick. He’d die to have another, more personal taste of her.
“Brazen. Different from last night.” He paused for effect. “I like that.”

“Indeed you do. My onstage persona and who I am offstage are
just different enough that the fans won’t think I’d really eat their heads when
I scream. So…” She shrugged out of his coat and let it fall against the back of
the leather chair. “I assume you want this back.”

Derrick stretched his legs out. His body tightened, muscles
primed with the urge to carry out the very sensual threat the big cat in him
wanted to make: to lick and lap at her folds, kiss and caress her, learn her,
possess her.

His cock strained against his jeans but he forced himself to
think of her as fun, not a permanent thing. Derrick couldn’t do permanent.

It was usually best for everyone involved.

Yet a little play couldn’t hurt. He let the tone of his
voice drop just a touch, aiming for subtlety. “I did mean to swing by later and
pick it up. But…I didn’t know if Rob would have had it or if you’d assume it
belonged to some lame groupie.”

She laughed, then cleared her throat. “About my brother…”

“Yes?” He waited, patiently hoping the human would just let
things drop like they did when met with silence. Or keep talking, in which case
he would have to time to come up with something more plausible than,
Oh,
hey, we knew each other from school
.

Sonja didn’t say another word.

The silence hung between them. Thankful for his spy
training, Derrick made no move to show interest in the subject or encourage her
to continue.

“You’re not helping his cause.”

Now he laughed. “I’m sure I’m not. What about him?”

“Friend from school, hmm?”

Derrick nodded ever so slightly.

Max snorted.

Derrick shot the Goth wannabe a dirty look.

“Afraid you’re busted, pal. He told me this morning that
you’re one of the regulars in his bar. Seems a little odd.”

“I have to go somewhere after this place closes.”

“Indeed.” The wry smile returned to her lips and she laughed
again. “You’re very amusing.”

Her laughter held a musical quality that seemed to seep into
Derrick’s skin and make him tingly. Energy crackled in the room between them,
the air heated, charged full of powerful lust.

Sensual darkness.

She wanted him. Perfect.

The other pumas gasped. Even Erick froze before resuming his
relaxed yet stoic position in the chair.

He leaned forward, pressed a hand to her muscled thigh. He
appreciated her strength but found her femininity even more of a turn on.
“You’re doing it again, dear.”

Rocky stood, made his way toward the door. “She’s a danger.
I told you, I felt it! You all felt it!” His cigar shook in his trembling
hands. “I told you! She—”

“Rocky settle down. And shut the fuck up. You’re paranoid
anyway. The world is out to get you, remember?” Michael’s words made Rocky stop
and blink.

He calmed down and resumed his position in his chair, though
his eyes darted back and forth between Sonja and Derrick.

Derrick turned back to face Sonja. “I take it you don’t have
full control over your power yet?”

Sonja shrunk back into the chair. The tilt of her chin and
flutter of her eyelashes gave her a softer, more feminine look that made her
appear smaller. She bit her lip and looked at the ground before speaking. “I’m
still learning.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Derrick watched Max’s
response. The other pumas gave no sign of emotion, but Derrick knew he’d seen
something. Max never missed anything. Still facing Sonja, he gave her thigh a
squeeze. “It’s okay. We’re all a little stronger than humans.”

She lifted her head and stared at him, pursing her lips
together. “So am I.”

He grinned playfully. “I gathered that.”

She seemed less bold, now that he’d discovered her secret.

Derrick leaned in and rubbed her thigh again, keeping
contact with her. “It’s okay. Is there anything we can do to help?”

Her shoulders stiffened. “No. It’s all me. But I feel…”

An idea formed in his mind. Slowly, Derrick relaxed, pouring
sexual tension into her. He figured out quickly last night that if he could
control his emotions then he could help her. No place relaxed him more than his
favorite cigar lounge. He met her gaze with kindness of his own, trying to calm
his mind and the flow of information the body conveyed.

She blinked slowly, then normally.

Derrick’s smile softened. Energy steadily flowed from him to
her.

Then it rushed through her eyes, a clarity of some sort.
“How did you?”

He held up the cigar. “This is relaxing for me.” He pointed
at the half-full glass of port, still able to smell the raisin notes though her
scent floated closer to him than the port. “I figured out last night, when you
hit me with all the extra baggage from your crowd, I needed to stabilize
myself. It took some thought. Pumas are notorious loners. We get used to being
with our own subconscious messes, so it becomes easier to deal with others when
we can separate the two.”

She caressed his chin.

“But we survive. And…” He let the thought trail off.

She moved in closer, her face now mere inches from him.

Did he lean forward and initiate the kiss?

Or did she?

It didn’t matter. Her lips pressed softly against his,
swiping her tongue across his lower lip and stealing his coherent thoughts.
Derrick smiled into the kiss, glad for another taste of what he considered
perfection. There it was, the sweetness of her lips combined with the heady
scent of her arousal that he was sure his friends could smell.

If any one of them so much as made a move, he’d tear his
throat out.

She pulled back, her eyes half open, irises dancing with
obvious lust. “We could take this somewhere else. Finish what we started.”

He saw her entire face. The way her hair fell on both sides
emphasized the roundness of her face and the sparkle of her eyes. “I’d love to,
just as soon as I finish my smoke. Tobacco Nazis abound outside this
establishment. And this, while not a rare treat, will help us with
anticipation.”

“So hurry up!” Defiant confidence returned along with her
demanding tone. Yup, her power had been sated with sexual energy and the peace
this place inspired. She was just a regular human now, not charged with extra
baggage. She smelled of the shower; he could pick out her scent even through
the thickness of tobacco smoke.

Oh, and of course, he’d never mistake the aroma of
unmitigated lust that was just her.

Despite his body’s reaction, Derrick managed a polite smile.
Then, he waved his hand behind him at the large wooden wine storage unit. “I’ll
hurry. Port? Wine? My treat.”

By this time, Rocky had resumed his natural, somewhat
pretentious posture but showed his unease by flipping the top on his torch.
“You sure that’s a good idea, Derrick?”

“Let the girl have wine if she wants.” Erick rolled his eyes
and spoke in a deep, menacing tone.

She chuckled nervously. “Someone here has faith in me.” Her
eyes darted back to Erick and then to Derrick.

The cloud of arousal that seemed to flood the room
dissipated. He took her hand in his and felt warmth and strength, yet there
were underlying currents present. Scents he could only smell as a puma lightly
tinged the air. Derrick leaned back in his chair and gave her a gentle squeeze.
“It’ll be fine.”

She started to open her mouth, but her posture stiffened.

Rocky and Erick remained unmoved.

Then Derrick felt it.

He recognized the scent in the air: an igniter fuse close
by. “We’ve got to get out of here. Now!”

Before she could respond, he yanked her to her feet and
against him. Throwing them against the closest wall, he blanketed her body with
his.

Then he heard the click.

Rocky and Erick had disappeared.

Max hid behind a chair, clenching his fists.

The explosion came with a loud crash that blew smoke and
fire through the entrance of the shop, sending glass and tobacco products
everywhere. Wood splintered and flew through the air. The shop owners and other
patrons took cover behind the large cabinet by the wall nearest Derrick.

Splinters of wood flew into Derrick and cut exposed skin. He
cursed and continued to shelter Sonja from the blast.

Staccato gunshots rang, shattering more glass and causing
panic amongst everyone. A few seconds passed, seeming like an eternity. Derrick
turned toward the smoke-filled entrance. He surveyed the rubble, heard
footsteps. Three men, in heavy boots and army gear, he guessed. Shoving Sonja
behind the chair next to Max, Derrick knelt and blinked.

The other puma nodded.

Sonja looked perplexed and parted her lips to speak.

Power built up around them. Crap. She may have given away
their position. With quick thinking, he caught her hand. “No.” He shook his
head. “Not now. Trust me.” He mouthed the words.

She clenched her teeth and narrowed angry eyes at him, but
seemed to understand because the power pulled back.

They must be here for her. That’s the only explanation that
this extraction team would use so much force. He nodded once again and looked
over his shoulders for something to distract the hostiles from their breach.
Only one thought came to mind.

The frightened look on her face let him know that she sensed
what he was about to do. “Don’t kill them,” she whispered.