Just His Taste (8 page)

Chapter Sixteen

They'd been in the nasty, seedy strip club over an hour, and no luck at finding Jason's guy.

Ava was about done with the place. She'd brushed a little magic over the seat, just to disinfect the thing before they sat, but she still had the heebie-jeebies.

Of course, she was done about three minutes after she walked in. She'd been in some nasty places in her time, but this one was beyond the pale. And it wasn't like she could talk to Jason much. They couldn't hear each other at all.

Not unless he practically nibbled on her ear, anyway.

Which he did several times.

And every damn time it sent a Herculean rush through her. Not the best situation to be in.

I'm his Fairy Godmother.

I'm his Fairy Godmother.

I'm his Fairy Godmother.

Reciting the chant didn't help the slow building of sexual tension inside her. Especially since this was far stronger than anything she'd felt with anyone. Cupid included.

Cupid.

Ugh, she was going to rip that horrid god a new one when she got ahold of him. How dare he stab her with one of his arrows? Ava knew she didn't have very much in the way of feelings for him, but knowing that what little compassion she did have had wound up being because he'd slipped her some magic?

That was horrid.

Disgusting.

Pathetic.

If she hadn't drunk the coffee, she would have never realized that the feelings—however slight—were manufactured.

Ava picked up her bourbon and tossed every bit of the amber liquid down. Because, yeah, she needed a drink. Hell, getting drunk might not be a bad thing.

Jason leaned in for another comment, whispering in her ear, but this time wasn't quite so enticing, only three-quarters of her body lit up.

He thought he saw his mark and was going to follow him into the bathroom. She smiled and nodded, happy for a moment of air between them. As soon as he moved out, she erected a shield and got another dose of the antidote. This time, she put it in his pop and magically refilled the glass so he'd think it was new. Because she had to get that serum in him.

And hope that he didn't have as strong a reaction to it as she did.

She watched the dancer currently on stage finish her number, stripped down to nothing but a thin rope around her waist to collect the money.

Ava found herself unable to turn away. The sexual vibe, even in this gross place, was starting to get to her, and her body began responding to the stimuli.

Jason came back just as the dancer finished, and when he slid in, he rested his hand on her thigh.

“Good one?” He gestured with his free hand to the stage.

Ava shook her head. She hadn't considered that watching the dancers—which, really, was all she could do—would start turning her on.

Jason raised his eyebrow.

“Was it your man?” Ava asked, trying to maintain a calm façade.

Jason shook his head. “Sadly, no.” He took a sip of his soda.

Ava watched him closely, laced her arm around his. His face didn't seem to change and he didn't tense.

Maybe the antidote doesn't affect humans like it does fairies.

Jason sat there, very still, and Ava ran her hands over his shoulders. He didn't acknowledge the touch, almost like he was in a trance.

“Jason?” she whispered, leaning in. “Are you okay?”

He spun, pierced her with dark, almost-black eyes, and before she could blink, he had her against the booth, swallowing her in a powerful kiss.

Ava wrapped her arms around his neck and arched into him as he plundered her lips. Their tongues battled, and Ava did everything she could to maintain control.

Well, okay, not everything.

Because—
let's face it
—she didn't want to be in control right now. She wanted Jason. As dangerous a thing as that was, as much as her entire world would be jeopardized, she wanted him. Wanted him very, very badly.

If Ava had learned anything in her two hundred plus years in the Fairy Godmother gig, just because she wanted something didn't mean it was a good idea.

And this wasn't a good idea. She knew that.

Didn't see herself pushing Jason away, though.

Finally Jason broke the kiss and stared at her for a minute. His hand ran over her cheek.

“You are a-a-addictive,” Jason whispered.

“Most addictions are bad things,” Ava said as she pulled away. She turned from that intense gaze and wiped her mouth off, hoping the gesture would also wipe away the flavor of him from her lips.

Didn't work.

She made herself turn back to the stage. It was the situation. It had to be the situation, right? Otherwise, she could maintain control. It was the stimuli, the antidotes, all of it working together to make this kapow of energy, only intensified by Jason being so damn hot.

Yeah.

That had to be it.

A new dancer started a show. The lights flashed over the blonde in a school-girl outfit. She flashed her rear to the crowd, and Jason tensed.

Holy crap, she wasn't even looking at him, and already she could tell what he was doing. That couldn't be good.

“What's the matter?”

“I see him,” he said.

“Where?”

He leaned in again, this time not quite so close, but his breath still grazed her ear. “Over there, on the other side of the stage. I got a good glimpse of him when she flashed her rear. The light hit him square in the face.”

Ava nodded, not really seeing what he saw. “So what now?”

“Now, I know where to watch.” He leaned closer, and this time his lips grazed her ear. Ava felt the minute touch all the way down to her girly parts.

“Jason…”

He was still nuzzling into her ear. “Yeah…” This time, she was pretty certain he brushed the shell of her ear on purpose.

“I… You shouldn't…” She groaned as he nipped at her earlobe.

“N-n-never been able to fight addiction very well.” He nibbled on her ear.

“You have a job to do,” Ava said. She glanced over the crowd and could make out the mark standing and speaking to another man in the club. “He's moving.”

Jason let out a growl. “Killjoy.”

She smirked and pushed him away. “Go to work.”

Ava clung to Jason as they feigned stumbling through the parking lot like a drunk, horny couple. Ava even turned and waved at the bouncer that stood near the door. Jason walked her around to the passenger seat, and before he opened the door, he laid another scorcher of a kiss on her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he kept going, kisses slipping down her throat. Ava ground her hips into his, moaning as he nipped at that spot where her shoulder met her neck.

He finally pulled away, and Ava relaxed her hold.

“Is he still watching?” Jason whispered.

“Yeah.”

“Good.” He kissed her again, his hand roaming over her side—the side the bouncer could see—and raised her leg. She wrapped it around his hip, and he rocked into her.

Awash in the sensations, Ava moaned, and so did Jason. This was bad—so bad. Because she'd let him do whatever he wanted, if he wanted it right now.

Here.

In the parking lot, where the bouncer could see.

A noise jarred her attention, and she glanced back toward the bar—the bouncer was “helping” a rowdy customer out of the club.

“Now's our chance,” Ava whispered.

Jason released her and sighed as he opened the door.

She got inside and tugged on her tank top, trying to cool off the heat in her body—but really she knew it had nothing to do with the temperature, and everything to do with Jason's incredibly hot kisses.

He climbed in, and immediately put his hand on her leg, squeezing her knee. It was such a comfortable feeling that it took Ava a second to realize the sensation was too intimate for her to have with a charge.

That she was his Fairy Godmother. Not his date. Or even his friend, as far as that went. Yet it felt—

Well, normal.

Which bothered her on a much deeper level.
A mortal level.

Jason put his car in gear, and Ava finally found her voice. Though just glancing at Jason's expression, she wondered if he might have been taking their role-playing for a little more than it was.

It was a role.

Just a role…

I must remember that.

“So, I guess that doesn't happen too often, does it?” She patted his hand, hoping to feel more matronly than sexy, like something a grandmother would do. Not a girlfriend.

It did the trick—Jason pulled his hand away. “Nope.”

They'd found out while watching Jason's mark that the guy wasn't cheating on his wife. Instead, he'd been slowly investing in the club, Dollies, and planned on buying out the current owners to update the strip club into another gentleman's club, much more upscale and friendlier to both sexes.

Thank goodness for waitresses with loose lips and a desire for extra tips.

“At least the wife will be happy to learn her husband's been behaving himself.” He put the car in gear and pulled out of their parking space.

They drove in silence for a little bit. Jason reached over and put his hand on her leg. Again.

“Thank you for today. I appreciate you helping me out.”

She covered his hand with hers. “No problem.” Their fingers laced together. Ava shivered.

She shouldn't be doing this.

Yet she couldn't bring herself to pull her hand away—touching him felt so good. Beyond a sexual attraction. It was more than that. A companionship she hadn't felt in a really, really long time.

Hell, she couldn't remember
ever
connecting to a male like this. Which scared the snot out of her.

“AC up too high?” Jason asked.

“No.”

He got this very ornery smirk on his face, and stroked her hand with his thumb.

Good grief. The tiny gesture sent all kinds of thrills through her. It shouldn't. Not like this. What was the matter with her? This was just crazy. Ava might have deluded herself, thinking that this was just a friendly thing.

The sexual energy couldn't be denied. Not when she felt it all through her body. More than anything she'd felt before. Even Cupid didn't elicit a response like this from her.

Yet this was
her charge
.

She shouldn't have feelings for him. Not that she took on men, but, really, if this was how it went, no wonder Fairy Godmothers stuck with female charges.

But what about the Fairy Godfathers? Did they have…

“Duncan,” she burst out. Duncan, the FID guy…he'd been a Fairy Godfather—for a while. Maybe that was why he switched to FID. Did he have feelings for his charges at some point?

“Who's Duncan?” Jason asked and pulled his hand away.

“Duncan is a coworker. I need some help with some work stuff.” She crossed her arms.

“At the dating service?”

Ava didn't say anything for a full minute. The dating service? What the hell was he talking about?

“You do work for a dating service, right?”

Dating—oh!
Her “job” she told him about before. “Yeah. Duncan works for one of the, uh, spin-off branches. I need to check with him about a few things.”

“Your dating service has spin-off branches?”

Shit. How do I cover that? Nice going genius.
“Uh, yeah. Sure. They're not, exactly, connected. Duncan, uh, works security now.” Ava hoped her stammering wasn't that noticeable.

“I find that hard to believe,” Jason replied.

Evidently, he wasn't buying her crappy excuse, either. Of course, neither would she if she were on the receiving end.

“Well, it's pretty much the truth.”

“Pretty much?”

“I can't tell you everything, Jason. I wish I could. For privacy.”

He glanced at her. “You're not a madam are you?”

“A what?”

“A madam. A lady who runs a prostitution ring.”

Ava's eyes went wide. “Oh nononono, not that. No! No! Not that. No. Not even a little.” She waved her hands as she spoke.

“Well that's good, because I hate doing citizen's arrests.”

“You're joking,” Ava replied.

“No.” He pulled off the highway, and they stopped at a long stoplight, so he had a moment with her. “I absolutely would arrest a madam if I met one.”

“Do people even do that anymore?”

“Ex-cop. I would do it regardless.”

She nodded. “Do you always suspect the worst in people?”

“It's hard to remain optimistic when all you see is the dark side.”

“Suppose it takes a good deal of faith.”

“I suppose.”

“You don't sound very convincing.”

“Neither do you.”

Ava shrugged. “Sometimes, though, it's not as bad as you assume.”

Jason pulled onto the coffee shop's street. “I'm usually right.”

“So what am I?”

“There's obviously more than what you've told me.”

“So?”

“I need to know.”

“You're not on a need-to-know basis.”

“All the more reason to know.”

He turned into the coffee-shop parking lot. Jason looked around, as did Ava. The parking lot was deserted.

Blast, she hadn't conjured her motorcycle. She'd been so lost in conversation with Jason she hadn't even bothered.

“Where's your ride?”

“I, uh, took a cab. Bike's in the shop.” True enough. She did take a cab.

“Why?”

“Fell off.”

“That's gotta suck.”

“Yeah, I'm still achy.”

“Maybe you need a massage.”

“Maybe.” She wasn't about to face Jason, but if his voice was anything to go on, he'd have that deep, lusty look on his face again. And she didn't need to see it. Nope. Not at all.