Nightlord Lover (4 page)

“Why are you down here? I told you it was dangerous.”
Garrick rubbed his forehead then picked up her sack and hooked it over his
shoulder.

“Who was that? How did he do that?”

He grabbed her chin and turned her head to the side. “Did he
injure you?”

“No, I’m fine.” Her knees buckled and she collapsed. Before
she hit the ground, he had her in his arms. “Feeling a little woozy.” She
wrapped her arms around his neck and noticed the dark lust in his eyes. That
instant attraction had slammed into her the first moment he walked into her
shop. She suspected he felt it too. Landlord or not, he was hot, and every time
she saw him the fluttering in her stomach started. Fantasies started. His eyes
blazed with a promise of some wonderful sexual pleasure unlike any she’d
experienced before. He didn’t have to say or do anything, she knew he’d be
amazing in bed. Christ, she wanted him bad.

“He’s more of a nuisance than a danger,” Garrick said. “But
you shouldn’t come down here.” He set her down on her feet. She held her arms
in place around his neck.

Why was she acting like this? “Thanks for coming to my
rescue.” She leaned into him and he didn’t pull away. “Garrick, do you have a
girlfriend, a wife?”

His eyebrows rose and his mouth quirked in a slight smile. “No.”

“Oh good. I mean that’s too bad.”

“You’re still under his influence. It’ll pass soon enough.”
His mouth moved close to hers. “Hmmm. I could work it out of your system
quicker.”

God yes
. He did want her and he was going to kiss
her. Locking her gaze with his, she encouraged his kiss. So little she knew of
this man but she wanted the feel of his mouth on her. Her lips parted slightly
and she heard him groan deep as if he surrendered to his passion. He took her
mouth hard, with such fury she gasped for breath. His tongue plunged into her
mouth and stroked, evoking trembling waves of pleasure undulating throughout
her body.

She clung to him and felt his cock harden as he pulled her
against him. “Damn it, woman, you could be my undoing,” he whispered as he took
her mouth again. If he hadn’t been holding her, Larissa wouldn’t be able to
stand. Rocking her hips, she felt her clit swell and throb as she managed to
poise the tender knot of flesh against his stiff ridge bulging through his
pants.

He growled, grabbed her hips and ground into her. God she
could come like this without taking her clothes off. “Garrick,” she pleaded.

“Too soon,” he said again. Then a whoosh of air fluttered
her hair and they were on the bridge.

Still throbbing with need, her body flushed and achy all
over, she took a breath and stood back and gazed up at Garrick. “What the hell
happened? How did we get up here?” She didn’t remember leaving the path or the
climb up the stairs. Faintly, in the distance that woman’s voice continued to
laugh. Garrick tightened his mouth.

“Sorry if I got carried away,” he said.

“It’s all right. I didn’t mind the kiss,” she said. “I meant
one minute we were under the bridge and the next we were on top of it.”

“Now you know why I said to stay away from here.” Ignoring
her question, he checked her neck again then slid up her sleeves. “You sure you
weren’t injured?”

“I’m sure.” She started walking, realizing it was a waste of
time arguing with him. Pressing him wouldn’t get the answers she was looking
for. “If that was the ghost, he gets around because I saw him on my balcony
last night.”

Garrick swore. “Please don’t go down there without me. You’re
my responsibility.”

She shrugged and took offense to his remark. “No one is
responsible for me but me. I saw joggers on the trail so I figured it was safe.”

“It’s not.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” The attack by the stranger proved
he was right about the towpath after dark. Would that guy have hurt her?
Already she couldn’t remember much about what had happened. She didn’t
understand Garrick’s possessiveness.
You’re my responsibility.
He was
her landlord, not her keeper. Even though she couldn’t deny the delicious
fantasies swimming around her head after that hot kiss. Her body remained
aroused. Was that his game with women, tease them then leave them wanting?

When Larissa returned to the shop, Garrick followed her
inside. Ramon was securing a tall display case to the wall. “The unit was
already fastened to the wall, Ramon. I checked. Why are you adding more screws?”

“It’s heavy and with the weight of your merchandise I want
to make sure it’s really secure.” He continued working.

“How much do you think silk panties and bras weigh?” Larissa
said, laughing. Did he expect a herd of elephants to charge through her shop
and upend the case?

He gave her a sexy grin. “I’d rather be safe, babe.”

Babe
? The term of endearment was friendly and seemed
natural for Ramon. At the cash register, Jordan assisted a couple young women. “Thank
you and merry Christmas,” she said as they left.

“Were you busy?” Larissa asked.

Jordan shook her head. “No, just those two. They bought
panties.”

“Big sale day,” Larissa said sarcastically. “A couple
panties.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll pick up.” Jordan reached under the
counter and brought out a gift basket with wine, chocolate, cheeses, crackers
and assorted goodies.

“Nice. Who’s that from?”

“From me,” Garrick said. “House warming.”

“That was thoughtful. You didn’t have to. Thank you.”

“Before I go I want Ramon to check your balcony.”

“You think that same guy was on my balcony?” Larissa asked.

“What guy?” Jordan asked. “Did he get in?”

“She wasn’t sure if she saw anything, Jordan,” Garrick stated.
“We’re going to check it out to be sure.”

When Larissa and the two men entered her apartment, the
temperature had dropped about ten degrees. She shivered. “Uh oh, did I leave a
window open?” she asked.

“Damn it.” Ramon charged over to the balcony door. It was
open a crack. “I thought I fixed it.”

“Apparently not,” Garrick said through clenched teeth. “You
need to fix more than the lock.”

Ramon nodded sagely. “I’m on it.” He pulled out a
screwdriver from the small toolbox he carried.

Garrick walked around the room studying her furnishings. Was
he looking for anything? “Where did you get the TV? I don’t remember seeing it
when your furniture was delivered.”

“Jordan brought it. She said she knows people. I’ll have to
find out who so I can pay them.”

“You look almost all unpacked.” Garrick glanced into her
bedroom. “If you need anything let me know.”

“You’ve been very helpful. The apartment is great, even the
furnishing and artwork complement the little I brought.” She pointed to a
couple oil paintings. “Are these by a local artist? They look old.”

Garrick stood in front of one that depicted an old Victorian
house covered in vines. Old trees shaded a cracked brick patio and lush garden
full of bright flowers. A man stood in front of the house wearing old-fashioned
clothes, black fitted jacket, black pants and a white shirt with black ascot,
probably dating from the 1800s. His long dark-brown hair fell rakishly across
his eyes. The man’s stance and magnificent body held confidence, arrogance and
strength. His eyes had a surreal blue glow as if he were staring at the artist,
or at the person admiring the painting.

Larissa’s body heated up as she stared at it. Never had she
been so moved by a piece of artwork. How did the artist render the sensuality
of the man in that painting so intently?

“Yes they are, but these paintings are very old. This one is
of the Beaumont House where I live.”

Other pictures were of the bridge over the Delaware River, a
street scene in winter, a woman with long blonde hair sitting beneath a large
maple tree glowing in glorious autumn colors. All the paintings were done at
night or twilight. “The artist was talented, whoever he or she was. I wonder
who the blonde woman was.” She also wore period clothing, a long dress from the
1800s.

“A lover or perhaps a model for the picture.” Garrick
shrugged, not meeting her gaze.

Across the room, Ramon stood in front of the balcony door
with his arms stretched out and his head bowed. “What’s he doing?” Larissa
whispered.

“A little persuasion to make sure the door remains secure,”
Garrick said.

Ramon dropped his arms and turned around. “Finished for now
until I can get materials for the balcony.”

Having both men in her apartment brought incendiary memories
back from her vivid dreams last night. Her attraction to both men puzzled her.
This had never happened to her before. Both men made her hot. To pursue or
flirt with Garrick was risky even though she sensed his attraction to her. How
awkward would it be if they did get into a relationship and it ended badly?
They still had to be business associates. And Ramon. If she pursued him, how
would Garrick feel and would she be thinking about Garrick when with Ramon? She
never had such complicated feelings before. At the moment, nothing was
happening, so why should she worry?

“I have plenty for dinner if you two want to stay.” Larissa
figured she’d let fate make the decision for her.

“We’d love to, another time perhaps,” Garrick said. “We have
a town meeting to go to.”

“You’re on the city council?”

“Something like that. It has to do with the town,” Ramon
offered.

“We’ll check in on you,” Garrick said as he and Ramon walked
downstairs and left the store.

Check in on her when?

* * * * *

Larissa placed the chicken Caesar salads and warmed fresh
bread she bought at the store out for Jordan and her on the dinette table.

“TV is all set up and connected to cable,” Jordan said,
placing the hand tools back into Ramon’s toolbox.

“You have to let me know what I owe you for the TV,” Larissa
said. “I don’t feel right about this. However you’re working it out with your
friends.”

Jordan took a bite of her salad. “Don’t worry. People owe me
favors.”

Picking up the bottle of wine, Larissa filled their glasses.
“What kind of favors?”

She shrugged it off.

Larissa decided to let it go for now. It wasn’t her
intention to interrogate her new employee and friend. “After dinner I have
fresh berries and homemade whipped cream for dessert.”

“Yum. Thank you.” Jordan finished her salad and took a few
sips of wine. “You need a Christmas tree in here too.”

“Stop,” Larissa said, laughing. “No more surprises.”

When they finished dinner, Larissa and Jordan cleared the
table and Jordan brought their wineglasses into the living room while Larissa
fixed dessert.

Seated in a worn Victorian chair, Larissa finished half her dessert
then filled her wineglass and Jordan’s. “Can you tell me about the odd things
going on around here?” The wine had worked its way through her tense muscles.
Maybe Jordan felt relaxed enough to share what the hell was up with this town.

“Like what?” Jordan used her fingers to lick the last of the
whipped cream.

Larissa decided to get to the point. “What’s a crimson slave?
Is Ramon a witch or psychic? Is Garrick? When I was mugged along the towpath
earlier he very conveniently showed up in time.”

“You were mugged?” Jordan exclaimed.

“I wasn’t hurt and he didn’t take my purse. I never saw
where he came from. He said he’d make me his crimson slave. Does that mean
anything to you?”

Jordan stared into her wineglass and shrugged.

“The odd thing is, I hardly remember much more of what
happened.”

Jordan shot a glance at the oil painting of the Beaumont
house with the man standing in front. “He said crimson slave, not crimson swan?”

“What’s that? And who’s Kashia? Don’t you think I’ll find
out sooner or later?”

Jordan nodded, glancing at the painting again. “I don’t have
permission to tell you. I can tell you that Garrick and Ramon have your best
interests in mind. They’ll protect you if you listen to them and obey them.”

“Obey? I don’t obey any man.”

“If you want to survive in this town you will.” She poured
herself more wine and topped off Larissa’s glass. “Stay clear of Kashia and
Lazaro. They’ve been around almost as long as Bastian, the leader of the Guild.
They have many privileges but hunger for more. And they’ll manipulate the structure
to meet their needs.”

“The structure of what?”

“The Guild,” Jordan whispered. “Don’t go out at night alone
and don’t go under the bridge.”

“Why? You think there’s really a hitchhiking ghost that
haunts the bridge?”

“Yes. But he’s the least of your worries. Only rarely does
he speak to mortals and when he does it’s to warn them.”

Larissa got up and walked to the door of her balcony. “You
won’t get into trouble by telling me this, will you?”

“No. I haven’t told you anything I’m not supposed to. I’m
also protected.”

“Protected how?”

Jordan sighed. For someone so young, she was caught in the
middle of something and Larissa was determined to help her. “My father. He has
a lot of money and has paid many times over for my protection. Kashia and her
kind can’t touch me. Years ago I wanted to be a crimson swan, wanted to belong
to Bastian, have him as my nightlord, but my father’s money keeps me
untouchable.”

“Your what?”

“Never mind.”

Something stabbed at Larissa’s heart. “Who’s Bastian? Are
you in love with him?”

“He runs things. Even if I was in love I can’t do anything
about it. As easily as my father pays the Guild for my protection, Bastian
could hire the Council of Slayers to punish those who violate the agreement.” She
smiled and got up. “Thank you for dinner and the company. I can’t tell you any more
right now, but I’m really glad you’re here. I hope we can be friends.”