She shook her head. "That's what the boys always say."
He guided her out the door and waited while she locked up. Cora shoved a strand of hair out of her face, swinging her small pack onto her back. He gave her his helmet. She looked at it, then at him. Her hands were small, her fingers pale and long adorned by several silver rings.
"Here let me." Rogan took the helmet and set it on her head, jerking it down and then slapping the top. "Okay?"
She rolled her eyes. "Yes. It's fine. Do you travel with extra helmets?"
He swallowed as she swung her leg over the back of the Fat Boy. Her skirt wasn't wide enough. She muttered something and pulled it up to her thighs.
God help him. It had been entirely too long.
He waited while she settled before he dug the key out of his pocket and climbed on. He turned his head and said over his shoulder. "Where are you at?"
Her breasts pressed against his back as she leaned up and he caught a whiff of her vanilla scent. "Behind you."
"Smart ass. I mean where do you live."
She pointed in front of them. "Go up here two blocks and then take a right."
He nodded and started the bike. It roared and rumbled to life. Rogan kicked the kickstand back and pulled away from the curb.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and settled harder against him. Her thighs cradled his ass.
Rogan exhaled slowly and wondered why his libido had finally found its way home with the force of a tornado. He'd rather have had some warning.
The bike vibrated under them.
She giggled against his neck.
Rogan shook his head and sped up. She squeezed him tighter around the waist. He couldn't help but notice her hands were about two inches above his fly.
Slowing, he turned and listened to the other directions. The air, chilled now that the sun had hidden behind the mountains and the stars twinkled overhead, blew through his hair, stung his face.
He pulled up in front of an apartment complex. She sighed and looked up at it. "Man! That was fun!"
Her bare knees rested on both sides of his thighs. He should let her go in. Go in and lock the door.
Instead he heard himself ask, "You want to go for a ride?"
She waited just a moment and shifted. "Where to?"
Hell. "Where do you want to go?"
He felt the vibration of her mutter, but didn't make it out.
"What?"
"Nothing. I don't know. Wherever. It's been so long and it was fun. But if you have something to do, that's okay." She straightened. He grabbed her hands and held her to him.
"Um. No. Any place you want to go?"
She shrugged behind him and he half turned. The helmet swallowed her small face. "No. Wherever. How about just around?"
Around? Fine. He revved the motor, felt her shift again and grinned. Maybe it was fate he came here. Even if his journey was delayed, at least he'd found something long missing and from her actions, she wasn't disinterred.
Rogan shook his head again. Forget it. Ride. Just a ride on my Harley. He snorted as he roared out onto the road, felt her squeeze him tight, heard her laughter before the wind stole it away. He drove aimlessly, trying to figure out what the hell he was doing. Finally, he gave up and just enjoyed the ride as his passenger was apparently doing.
When he pulled back up to her apartment, she was breathing hard. "That was awesome." She waited while he climbed off. Rogan held his hand out and helped her from the back of the bike. He couldn't help but get a glimpse of the inside of her creamy white thighs as she dismounted.
Her skirt slid back down to her calves. He swallowed.
"Wow. Maybe I'll get me one of these babies."
Rogan looked at his bike then back to her. "Lots of power. You need upper body strength."
She flexed her muscles. "What? You think I'm a wimp?" Cora punched him in the arm, then pulled off the helmet, handing it back to him. She shook her hair out and he couldn't help but reach up and finger a strand. It was as soft as it had been when he'd kissed her.
Her grin slowly slid away and she stepped back. "I should really get inside. Gotta open the shop tomorrow."
He nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets. "My momma taught me to walk my dates to the door."
She narrowed her gaze at him. "She might have. But my daddy taught me to never trust strangers."
He laughed. "What did he tell you about kissing them?"
She grinned and walked backwards up the sidewalk. "You don't want to know."
"Probably not. Does it have to do with shotguns?"
Her laughter floated back over the night and right to his gut. "Nope. Elasticator rings."
He shook his head and watched as she disappeared into the gated adobe wall. A few minutes later a light came on in the fourth window along the right side. At least she was inside.
For some insane reason, he wanted to go knock on her door to make certain she was safe.
Instead, he wrestled his demon, pulled the helmet on and climbed back on the bike. As the wind blew around him, the streets blurring by, he smelled her. Some fruity scent and vanilla.
Great. As if thinking about her wasn't enough, he got to drive around on a vibrating machine with a hard on, smelling her.
He really needed help.
He listened to her whimpers. Tonight fueled him like he hadn't known it would. What a surprise to see her there.
He looked at the woman on the bed, stretched out and ready for him. He found he was rather disappointed in her. Her beautiful blonde hair was not nearly as lustrous as it had been. Now it lay matted on the bare mattress. Her wrists were worn and bloody, the skin peeling and sticking to the silk ropes.
He tsked. "I told you not to struggle. It wouldn't do you any good." He sighed and walked to her, his shoes clicking across the tiled floor. He thought it brilliant the basement had a drain in the floor, made cleanup so much easier.
She pulled again against her bonds. He knew she hoped someone would find her, someone might save her.
Alas, no one was coming. They never did.
He glanced at his watch. It was late and getting later. He looked upwards and listened. Not that he needed to. His date for tonight was out cold, thanks to what he slipped in the drinks. No waking until morning.
And by then it would all be over. It might be risky to bring another here, but he could hardly get away from it. Plus, it added to the excitement. The knowledge someone could find out, that he'd then be forced to protect what he knew. But he couldn't take too many chances. So many things coming together. Who would have thought.
Well, he had. He had hoped and now it was all falling together. He glanced at himself in the mirror. It had taken him so long to get used to this face, but now he was. And no one knew.
He chuckled. Even those that should.
She whimpered again, drawing his attention away from himself and back to her..
"I'm sorry, I'm ignoring you, aren't I, my sweet?" He walked to her, pulling out his shirt. "Do you know, you've been fun thus far. I hadn't expected you to have this much fight in you."
He rubbed his thigh where her kick had landed a bruising blow that had brought him to his knees and almost cost him his angel.
Her eyes didn't plead with him, not like before.
Now they were narrowed in anger.
She was a feisty one. He hadn't planned on that, but it had added to the spice. He'd almost lost her. What fun she'd been.
At least she had...
Until he'd seen his next angel. So sweet. So alluring. He'd seen the way she looked at him. The way her eyes had scanned over him.
She was his. His next angel. And her eyes were the closest to perfect he'd seen in a long, long time. This one, her eyes the same color, were different. The color was right, but the lines in them were gold instead of a darker blue. Not that it matter. She was born an angel, now she'd remain one forever.
"Your eyes aren't quite perfect. But they're perfect enough."
She frowned. The skin between her brows creasing.
"Now don't frown. You'll get wrinkles." He tsked and smoothed the creases away with his fingers.
She moved her jaw as if to tell him something.
"Such a fighter. I admire that about you." He straightened and unbuttoned his shirt, slipping first the top button, then the next. He smiled at the way her eyes narrowed even more, watching him. He could see the plea in them.
He ignored it.
"I had planned to wait on this. Really, I had. I have a schedule after all." The last button slipped free. He unbuckled his belt. "But time is always shifting and moving. Now I must move on." He toed his shoes off. "I found my next angel and must make room for her. It's been a long time since I found two so perfect, so close together. And she is absolutely perfect. I hadn't realized how until tonight when I looked deep into her eyes."
Her eyes widened and she shook her head.
He shrugged out of his shirt. "I don't really care what you're trying to say. I have something to show you." The armoire stood against the wall. He loved his closet. Skeletons in the closet. He chuckled to himself.
"We all have secrets you know." He opened the doors. "This is merely mine."
Anticipation rushed through his system and he found he couldn't wait to end it. Not for this one. Not for the fact of adding her to his collection. But the fact he already had someone to move onto.
Excitement coursed through him. He took a deep steadying breath and flipped on the light. "Ta-da. See my angels?"
Chapter Ten.
Cora screamed. Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.
Her tank stuck to her wet back, her hair limp and sticking to her forehead and above her ears. Her hands shook.
She fumbled for the light switch, whimpering. She could still smell him. A full woodsy scent, expensive. No cheap cologne.
Dim light flooded the room. She looked over at the clock. Almost four in the morning. Tremors shook her body, but she couldn't stop them, couldn't hold in the need for comfort, couldn't battle back the terror that rose and strangled her mind.
His hands.
She rubbed her neck, still feeling those cold fingers just there, pressing, pressing.
"Oh God." She scratched her neck, wishing the feeling away. The coverlet was bunched and tangled, her sheets a mess.
Cora shivered again and slowly stood. Her legs weakened, wouldn't support her. She sat back, but only managed the edge of the bed before she slid to the floor, pulling her knees to her chest. She dropped her head in her hands, raking her fingers through her hair.
"Please," she whispered, not sure what she was asking for.
Had the vision already happened? No, more than likely it was taking place. His voice, soft and soothing slithered through her thoughts. What should she do? Go to the police? They'd never believe her. Never. And if they did?
She lay back on the floor and stared up at the ceiling. There was no way she'd get back to sleep tonight. Should she have already gone to the police? This was the second nightmare she'd had.
Dammit.
She pulled herself up and wobbled to the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror over the pedestal sink. The earth-toned tiles chilled her bare feet and helped to settle her in the here and now.
What the hell did she do?
A pale, sunken face stared back at her. No wonder Kyle always freaked after one of her screaming dreams. Dark circles shadowed beneath her eyes, making the pale blue even more prominent.
...Angel eyes...
She cut on the cold water and splashed her face. What did it all mean? What good were these horrible images if she couldn't do a damn thing about them?