All Fired Up (25 page)

Graceful? Imagine that. “I used to teach dance. Irish step dancing.”

Dimitri nodded. “Your training shows.”

“Thanks.” Sweat trickled down her back. “I think that’s enough for me, I’m getting hot.” The last thing she wanted was runny mascara.

She started for the door but he caught her hand.

“Just a little while longer. I have not had such a wonderful partner in many years.”

Those blue eyes were so intense. It was hard to look away. “Okay, just a few more minutes.”

He smiled and spun her, pulling her close against him with a laugh.

The beat took over and she lost herself in the dance until he twined his fingers with hers playfully. “You are so lovely, Calleigh. The kind of woman who deserves so much out of life.”

She just smiled, feeling slightly awkward and not knowing how to respond to his compliments. But she felt no reason to pull away. He was a Phoenix and they considered themselves brothers, didn’t they?

His hands slid down to her hips. Distant alarms went off in her head but she silenced them. It was just dancing right? And it felt so good to be wanted.

Warm breath tickled her neck, his lips brushed against her skin. “You smell so good, little one.”

Slightly dizzy from the heat, she looped her hands around his neck to steady herself. He smelled good too and those eyes…

“Yes, put your arms around me, little one.” And then, he kissed her.

His lips were warm and soft but demanding. The alarm bells sounded again, this time louder.

He was kissing her without permission. And she was liking it.

Startled, she pulled back. “You can’t do that unless I ask.”

He stared into her eyes. “Feel down deep and you will see you wanted that very much. You enjoy dancing with me, letting me touch you. Look deeper and you will find an even greater desire for me.”

She tried to look away but couldn’t. Those eyes. Her body responded to his words but something wasn’t right. She needed to get away. He shouldn’t have his hands on her. Anger flared along her spine.

“I have to go to the bathroom but I’ll be right back, I promise.” She tugged out of his grasp and the moment his hands were off her, a cold chill swept through her.

What had just happened? How had he been able to kiss her without her permission? And why had it felt okay? She shivered and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. The thought of Dimitri’s kiss grossed her out. She wanted to scrub every inch of her skin.

She needed Alrik, whether he was done with the press or not. Something weird was going on. With a glance behind to make sure Dimitri wasn’t following, she headed up the wide granite stairs to the third floor of the club.

A throng of people went by, her uncle in the midst of them.

“Seamus!”

He turned at her call. “There you are. Did Alrik find you? I was going to send Leona but he insisted on going himself.”

“I’m trying to find him. Is he still on the third floor?”

Seamus shrugged. “Your guess is as good as mine. If I see him I’ll tell him you’re looking for him.”

She kept moving towards the top, figuring she’d start there and work her way down. Having a few floors between her and Dimitri seemed like a good plan anyway.

Based on the heavy wood paneling and brass light fixtures, the third floor had probably been meeting rooms and offices at one time. Now, the large front room was decorated like a hunt club, complete with billiard table and mounted animal heads. Thick velvet curtains and an equally thick bouncer delineated the VIP loft. If Alrik was in there, she’d need Seamus’s help to find him.

She kept going, passing through a huge white-tiled bathroom, sinks and toilets still intact, that served as the third floor’s main bar.

Beyond that, more converted office space. The walls had been taken down and the mammoth room converted into a giant, communal bedroom. Five white-canopied beds were spaced around the room. Groups of people sat chatting and drinking on the beds like it was the most normal thing they’d ever done in their lives.

She hurried past each bed, checking for Alrik. Not there. She continued on to the second floor.

The offices here had been stripped and turned into mini-lounges in shades of plum and burgundy and cerulean. Instead of walking through them, she scanned each one from the long hall that connected the rooms with a back staircase that offered another route to the first or third floors.

She had just checked the last office when she heard laughter coming from the backstairs. She stuck her head through the door to get a better listen.

Between the stair railings, she saw a couple standing on the next flight of stairs down. The man’s back was to her but she knew it was Alrik. The smell of cinnamon was intense. The blonde she didn’t recognize.

The chill she’d felt from Dimitri’s kiss returned. The woman was breathtakingly beautiful. Thick ropes of pale blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders in perfect ringlets. Her eyes were the same startling blue as Dimitri’s and her porcelain skin shone like moonlight.

The woman’s laugh was lush and musical. Calleigh wondered what the joke was. Alrik put his hands on his hips and shook his head. She wished she could see his face.

As the woman’s laugh faded, she stepped closer to Alrik. He dropped his hands to his sides but didn’t move away. The woman traced her finger down his arm, saying something Calleigh couldn’t hear. The look in the woman’s eyes was perfectly readable. She was hungry and Viking was the meal she was after.

Alrik shook his head again and replied but his deep voice was lost in the thumping beat of the music.

Calleigh leaned over the railing as much as she dared. The lighting wasn’t so great but the woman’s eyes looked like they’d gotten a little brighter. Maybe even like they were glowing slightly. Weird.

The blonde’s hands cupped Alrik’s face. He made no move to pull away and the ache in Calleigh’s gut amped up.
I should have told him I loved him.

The woman smiled, her eyes sparkling. She leaned into Alrik and kissed him.

The kiss hit Calleigh like a punch to the stomach. She choked out an exhale and the woman’s eyes opened. She looked up, making eye contact with Calleigh without taking her mouth off the Viking.

Calleigh jerked back. She’d seen enough. Her stomach heaved. She was going to be sick.

Why didn’t I tell him I loved him back? He must be hurt. Angry.
She reeled down the hall, blinded to everything else going on around her. Would it have mattered if she’d said the words? She’d said them to Brad and it hadn’t made any difference to him.

Maybe Alrik didn’t really love her. Maybe he said that to all his charges. Maybe he was just trying to get a request for sexual favors out of her.

She pressed her hands over her face. Had he seen Dimitri kissing her? She hadn’t wanted the other Phoenix to kiss her, hadn’t asked. He’d just done it. Surely Alrik would know she’d never ask another…why would he do this to her? Especially after all she’d been through with Brad.

Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you.
Maybe Alrik was no different than Brad. Just using her to get what he wanted. Well, she could think of one thing Alrik didn’t want and he was about to get it. Calleigh was done being everyone’s fool. She took a deep breath and calmed herself enough to deal with the trip home.

It was time to make her third change.

The subway clacked and rumbled over the tracks, the lights flickering as they rode home. Calleigh was much quieter than Alrik could remember her being. Maybe she was tired. It was just as well. Freya’s ambush on the stairs had not put him in a good mood. He could still taste her sickening kiss. Undoubtedly, she would punish him for shoving her away but he would deal with that when the time came. Right now, he just wanted to rid himself of her memory and concentrate on the incredible woman beside him.

“Are you tired, Calleigh lass?”

“Yes.” She answered without looking at him. Actually, she had not looked at him since they left the club. And she had barely spoken to him since she had insisted they leave. Perhaps someone had said something to upset her. The thought angered him. He would gladly pummel anyone who had ruined her evening.

Perhaps her tiredness was why she’d been so short with him. Of course, if he fully understood women, Dagny probably would never have gotten the best of him. Maybe it was Calleigh’s time of the month. That could be. Women often got upset during that time. At least he knew not to ask about that.

Whatever the case, he would find a way to make her smile when they got home. If she wanted to be held, he would wrap his arms around her for as long as she desired. If she wanted to be kissed, he would relish the chance to replace the feel of Freya’s lips with Calleigh’s sweet ones. If she wanted to relax in a hot bath, he would fill the tub himself and wash her hair.

He smiled to himself. Love had turned him into weak-kneed boy and he did not care. This woman was worth all the taunts the other Phoenixes might throw his way.

She was even worth the pain that losing her would cause. He would carry the memories of her for the rest of his days, wherever they might take him.

Of course, she had not said she loved him, but he understood. He could wait for her to be ready.

She shot a quick glance in his direction. “Quit staring at me, would you?”

“As you wish.” Poor lass. Obviously, she was in serious need of care.

They walked home from the subway stop in silence but he let her be. The thin line of her mouth made him wonder if she was in some sort of pain.

She went to her room immediately after they entered the house. He sat on the couch, petting the cat, wondering if he should do something. He did not like seeing her this way and he did not like feeling helpless.

A few moments later, she came back into the room. This time she looked directly at him. The look on her face set him on edge. His warrior instincts told him something bad was about to happen.

“I’m going to say something and I don’t want you to interrupt me. Don’t say a word. I mean it. I need to get this off my chest before I blow up. Do you understand?”

He nodded. Nay. This did not bode well.

“When you told me you loved me tonight, I was thrilled. Thrilled! I couldn’t say it back because I just wasn’t sure what I was feeling. Like, yes. Enjoy, yes. But love? Love and I don’t do well.” She fisted her hands against her sides, her knuckles white.

“You’re an incredible looking guy. I mean, there were a lot of hot guys at that club tonight, including all your Phoenix buddies and I still didn’t see one I thought was better looking than you. Not one. Even Brad is just neatly packaged average next to you.

“I wanted to be sure that I wasn’t just attracted to you because of your looks. That’s okay for a while, but looks don’t last. Not that it matters, you can’t stay anyway.” She paused for a moment and rubbed her face with her hands.

“There seemed to be so much more to you than looks. You seemed like a genuinely nice guy. I really thought you could be the one.”

She shook her head. “So stupid of me. So typical. Pick a guy you can’t have.” She put her face into her hands then pushed her hair back and stared at him.

“Why?” she whispered. “Why did you kiss her? If you really, truly loved me and weren’t just trying to butter me up in hopes of getting laid, why did you kiss her?” She was weeping softly now.

Loki take him, she had seen Freya’s kiss. He opened his mouth to defend himself, to explain, but nothing came out. Of course. She had commanded he not say a word.

He shook his head in silence. This could not be happening.

“Had to be a blonde, too, didn’t it? After everything with Jeana, you had to pick a blonde? Why couldn’t you be honest with me?” She scrubbed the tears off her cheek with a fist.

“And to think… I was going to ask you into my bed tonight.” She shook her head, tears flowing freely. “I’m such a fool.”

He cursed Freya. When he returned to Valhalla, she would see the extent of his wrath, consequences be damned. It matter less to him that the goddess had kissed him than it did that Calleigh had been hurt because of it. For that, he would not forgive Freya.