Lawked Flame (12 page)

He chortled, she said the strangest things.
“Hook-up?”

“
You know, get together, have a
relationship.” She eyed him. “Where are you from? Lorenzo doesn’t
drive, but you do. You talk without an accent, dress in jeans,
while he has on canvas pants.” She tipped her head toward the back
seat. “Why are you so different?”

“
I am in charge of the Harven. Now
back to your narrow view of men. It is wrong and I would like to
change your mind.” He smiled crookedly at her as he turned into her
brother’s driveway and parked. “Please have dinner with
me.”

Her eyes clearly said she wanted to, but he knew she
planned to refuse. “Before you say...give me an answer, please know
that I am a persistent man. I am not going away. I will continue to
ask to spend time with you. You are far too precious and
tantalizing for me to leave alone. I want know you better, is that
too much to ask?” Gazing into her eyes, he tried to imprint his
sincerity, and if he were being asked, urgency, in her mind. For
the benefit of everyone concerned, they needed to unlock one
another.

As she left the car, he watched the soft sway of her
hips and hardened in remembrance of her flawless skin. Right now,
more than anything he wanted to taste her again. Exiting the car,
he caught up with her. His palm cupped her cheek. “You are so
beautiful.”

Whether it was because of her new starring role in
his life, or the way his heart thumped wildly in his chest at the
thought of her, he was unsure. But he knew without hesitation, she
would always be the most stunning creature in any room he
occupied.

Pulling free, she unlocked the front door, then
glanced over her shoulder. “Thanks, but the timing is all wrong. I
just got out of a nasty divorce. I’m not ready to date right now.
My mind is all over the place and I can’t focus.” She walked
inside, he followed.

Khayden schooled his face against the distaste of
her claim of another relationship. Ultimately, there would be one
relationship that would matter.

Theirs
.

Without thinking, he leaned
forward, spun her around and captured her lips, cutting off further
words. For a moment she froze and then, mercifully, she returned
his kiss. Together they tumbled into a world where no one existed.
Her lips, tongue, and small moans fed him. Until this very moment,
he had been starved for her, yet had no clue how much. He was
certain no one had ever set off such an urgent need within him to
consume them as she did.

No matter how much she touched his face, his chest,
and his back, he wanted more. If the moans emanating from her
throat were any indication, she needed him with the same urgency as
she did air. He was more than willing to give her anything,
everything to ease this burning ball of need pulsing through
him.

Alayna pushed back, her breathing heavy. Her eyes at
a sexy half-mast.

“
You taste so good. Can I have
more of you?” he whispered. His cheek brushed against hers. The
front door closed. He glanced at Lorenzo, who looked around the
tastefully decorated space. He had forgotten the man was with
them.

“
You embarrassed Lorenzo,” she
whispered, trying to straighten and pull away.

Khayden refused to release her. “He is giving us a
moment alone.” His forehead dropped to hers. “Have dinner with me.
You have to eat. I have to eat. We can eat together.” He kissed the
tip of her nose. Even that was sexy.

She smiled. “When?”

“
Tonight?”

“
I have company. I don’t want to
leave him alone in the house on his first night.”

“
Do you want him with us?” He did
not care who was around as long as he could spend time with
her.

She leaned back and searched his eyes. “You wouldn’t
mind?”

“
No. If it does not bother you for
him to see me touch and taste you, then it does not bother me.
Besides, I am sure he is happy that we will get to know one another
better.”

She frowned, her eyes narrowing. “Why? You haven’t
talked to him about me have you?” She twisted and looked at
Lorenzo. “Is this some kind of game? If so let me tell you now, I’m
not interested in any ménage stuff.”

The words took a minute to
translate within his brain. Once the full import of what she said
hit, anger and disbelief raced across his mind, releasing one
thunderous thought.
She thought he would
share her
?

Unclenching his jaw, his voice lowered a notch.
“Alayna, perhaps there is some misunderstanding. Let me clear up a
few things. First off, I do not engage in games. I am a man who is
interested in a beautiful woman. You. Most important, and you must
remember this always, I do not share. Ever. No other man will ever
touch you after me. You will not want anyone else and nor will I.
Lorenzo is here at your insistence, but he would never touch you in
an inappropriate manner. To do so would bring him much pain and
suffering, he is aware of this.”

During his speech, her eyes had widened, and her
face reddened. But she did not interrupt and that was good. There
was no yielding in the facts he presented. In this, she would
adjust.

He tried to relax as he waited,
but the thought of his Kee with another male squeezed his chest to
the point of intolerable rage. And yes, he admitted,
pain.

“
Well...” she coughed and dropped
her eyes. “I guess we could go out to dinner later, where would you
like us to meet you?”

Chapter 10

Alayna and Lorenzo walked up the sidewalk to the
local sports bar. She could feel his nervousness battle his
excitement as he opened the door for her. She smiled, offering him
encouragement, although she didn’t think he’d need it. After she’d
lost her mind and agreed to this dinner with Khayden, a man she had
no business being with if she meant no relationships. But the
I-don’t-give-a-shit look on his face when he put her in check
earlier had her creaming in her panties.

If anyone would’ve asked her how she felt about men
going Tarzan on her, she would’ve said she didn’t play that way.
But his shocked expression when she mentioned ménage, which was
quickly replaced by the cold fury of his gaze, settled something in
her. The man was not playing games, which in a bizarre kind of way
meant his intense flirting was flattering.

After Khayden left, Lorenzo refused to answer her
questions, insisting she talk to the man to relieve her curiosity.
He did tell her that Khayden would never treat her like her ex had.
He would give her what she desired most. When she tried to get
Lorenzo to explain that cryptic remark, he smiled and wouldn’t say
another word on the subject.

They walked up to the hostess
stand and smiled at the two young women standing on the other side
of the podium. “How many in your p..p..party?” one hostess
stuttered, looking at Lorenzo. He smiled and for a moment, Alayna
wasn’t sure the woman would move or speak again. Her large eyes
roved over Lorenzo as though he were on the menu. The other woman
pushed the frozen woman in the back, breaking her out of her
stare-fest.

Beet red, she pivoted and walked
off, leaving them standing there. “This way please.”

Moving closer to the podium,
Alayna smiled at the remaining hostess while Lorenzo looked around.
“There are three in our party.” There were over twenty-five large
screen TVs in the place, she had counted them on previous visits.
Each one broadcast a sports channel, which made coming with her
brother and nephew fun.

“
Would you care to wait out here
for him or have a seat now?” The remaining hostess looked around
for her assistant, but she’d disappeared.

Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Alayna’s neck
rose. Lorenzo stiffened and stepped closer to her. For some reason
she stared resolutely ahead, refusing to turn to see who had just
walked into the building.

Swallowing down her discomfort, she pasted on a
smile before speaking. “We’ll take our seat now since we came
early. He’ll be here in a few.”

The woman nodded and picked up
what appeared to be a walkie-talkie. She replaced it to the podium
as the other woman, who’d walked off before, strode toward
them.

“
I’m so sorry. I thought you were
behind me. Are you ready?” Her face and neck turned red; this time
she kept her eyes on Alayna.

“
Yes, that would be nice, thank
you.” Alayna moved ahead of Lorenzo to follow the hostess. For some
reason, all of a sudden she felt self-conscious. Every eye that
glanced at her seemed villainous. The twitters and giggles
scratched against her skin. It made no sense. Over the past two
years, she’d come to this place often and never felt this
overwhelming need to hide. Finally, they settled at a table in the
middle of the dining area near a large window overlooking the
parking lot.

Without speaking, they both reached for their menus
and opened them in synchronization. If she had been watching from
another table, she would’ve thought it a planned event.

“
I felt something,” she murmured
as she read over the menu.

“
Like what?”

He hadn’t look up, which was good. She didn’t want
them to draw any more attention than they had. “Just that something
bad entered behind us while we waited for our seats. Did you feel
anything?”

“
Yes, I felt something, but I am
not sure what to call it. Tell me, did it make you feel threatened
or afraid?” He flipped the menu over as though reading the drinks
and desserts.

She envied his calm. Her palms were dishrag damp and
she had just got her heartbeat down to a slower, regular rhythm.
Still, she tried to explain the unease that assaulted her
earlier.

“
It felt ugly, wrong. I can’t
pinpoint it.” She glanced up and her heart lifted. Dressed as he
had been earlier that day, Khayden strode toward them, his eyes
locked on her. Tingles ran up and down her spine at the proprietary
claim in his gaze. He stood by their table and waited while Lorenzo
stood and sat opposite them.

Once seated, he smiled at her. Not
a fake,
I want something from you
grin. This smile lit his eyes and changed the
composition of his face. Sincere appreciation gazed at her as the
back of his hand stroked her face.

He leaned forward and captured her lips in a gentle
kiss. “I’ve missed you. He took her hand in his and glanced at
Lorenzo, then zeroed in on his hair. “Are you enjoying your
visit?”

That afternoon she’d gone to get her hair done and
the salon owner, Rafael, had insisted on cutting and styling
Lorenzo’s hair himself. A true honor. Afterward, he had their
picture taken together.

Alayna admitted the two men looked good together and
thought they might hit it off. Lorenzo was polite but didn’t
respond to any of the blatant hints the owner sent his way. In the
end, she wondered if her assessment of his sexual preference had
been wrong, because Rafael was a walking sexual magnet. Men and
women threw themselves at the man, he was that hot.

Lorenzo took his time answering. “It has been
interesting. Most of the… people I have met were nice. However,
there was something disturbing when I stood in line to have a seat
in this place. Someone wrong walked in.”

Khayden tensed. Alayna was glad her friend was the
recipient of that hardened gaze.

His brows furrowed. “Wrong?”

That one word coupled with the dark tone sent
goosebumps skimming over her flesh. A second or two later, she
would have sworn a light breeze or something similar flowed over
her skin, chilling her further. She tried to retrieve her hand from
Khayden, but he held on tighter and without looking at her, kissed
the back of it while searching the room.

Lorenzo glanced at her and then returned his gaze to
the man on her right. “That is the best word...I can come up
with.”

“
Are you ready to order?” The
waitress asked, looking at the two men first. When neither
responded, she turned to Alayna.

“
Give us another minute, please.”
The woman nodded and walked off. “Lorenzo, what are you eating?”
She asked striving for normalcy.

“
I do not think we will be staying
here long enough to eat.” He glanced at her and then returned his
attention to the menu.

She faced Khayden, who continued looking around in
silence. “No? Well somebody asked me on a date tonight. I’m here
and I’m hungry.” She snatched her hand from beneath her date’s
drawing his attention. “Are you leaving?”

“
It may be wise to go to another
place since this one feels wrong to Lorenzo.”

She waved her hand, blowing off the comment. “The
feeling passed once we left the front. It feels fine in here
now.”

“
You felt it as well?”

She frowned at the surprise in his voice. “Yeah.
Like he said, it felt weird. Not quite right.”

“
It is good you can feel these
things. Always let me know when something is wrong, so I can make
it right.”

The waitress returned, catching the tail end of the
sentence, her eyes widened and her lips puckered as if she’d eaten
a lemon. “Ready to order?” she asked, less friendly than
before.

Chuckling at the snobbery of the woman and Khayden’s
bold request, she gave the woman her order and waited until
everyone else had placed theirs. “Lorenzo met some of my friends
today,” she started, trying to get a response from her friend.

“
That’s great,” Khayden murmured,
although his face said he could care less.