Spanish Nights (6 page)

*****

Armand led Kayla into the water then swam away. He sensed her distress. She wanted him, the evidence clear, but she feared him at the same time. He blamed it on her lack of sexual activity along with the fact that her bastard husband had cheated on her. That would leave any woman's ego in tatters. The female begged for tenderness. He would give it to her a little at a time until he had tamed the skittish fox and had her eating out of his hand.

He had to admit, though, he admired her. Coming to a foreign country, flirting with a stranger, took courage. It was obvious by her long stint of celibacy, she wasn't the type who slept around and he found that comforting. He'd also been impressed by her writing. While romance wasn't something that lined his bookshelf, he had found her work enjoyable. There was a part of him that wanted to help her get back on her feet. He was certain if she could once again experience the joy of two bodies being together, she'd find her muse. For a moment, sadness filled him. Love was something he'd kept at arm’s length and for good reason. He'd watched a few of his elders fall for a human and it always ended in disaster. She would die and they would be left heartbroken, spending eternity watching their offspring perish as well. The gene that made them Jinn never carried on to a human child. It was for the better of their race.

Armand swam for shore and exited the water. “Are you hungry? We should eat since we only have a couple of hours before dark.”

He was already in the cooler pulling out the bocata he'd lined with grilled chicken, provolone, arugula and tomato. He laid them on the table then dug for the container of pasta salad.

“I'm starving. What can I do to help?”

Kayla had come up beside him, still drying herself off. He tried to ignore the fact she was running a towel along her wet skin. He wanted to offer his help but fought the urge. He feared moving too fast would scare her off.

“In the basket there are some plates and forks.”

“On it.” She moved away and dug through the basket producing the items needed and placed them on the table. “Wow, this looks delicious.”

Armand parked his chair on the other side of the table. “I hope you like chicken.” He unwrapped a sandwich then ladled some pasta salad on a plate and handed it to her. He watched her eyes widen as she accepted it. Had it really been that long since anyone had done something nice for her?

“Thanks.” She sat in her chair and took a bite of the sandwich. She moaned. “Oh, my god, this is so good.” Next she took a fork full of pasta salad. “Did you make this? I love the olives.”

“I picked up the bread from the little bakery we passed on our walk. The rest I made myself. You looked surprised.”

“I guess I didn't take you for a cook,” she exclaimed.

Armand sat back and watched her eat. “Let me guess. Your husband never cooked for you.”

She stopped midway through her pasta salad. “Why would you think that?”

Something told him she wasn't going to admit the guy had treated her badly. He wouldn't push it either. It would only hurt her. He wanted to win her over not scare her away. He shrugged. “In all fairness, being a bachelor has forced me to learn to cook.” He smiled at her. “It was either that or rely on the old ladies who took pity on me.”

She nodded and continued eating. Her lack of an answer only confirmed his suspicion. He finished his lunch in silence and allowed her to clean up, sensing she needed to busy herself. He wandered off to the water's edge and watched a school of fish jump through the waves. Moments later she stood beside him, her coolness brushed his fire and the urge to pull her to his side had him clenching his fists.

“Thank you for bringing me here. I can see why you love this place. It's so peaceful.”

He was taken by surprise when she placed her lips on his cheek and kissed him. He grabbed her by the waist and pressed her to him, unable to resist any longer having her softness pressed against him. “You are so trusting,
querida.
We have only just met and yet you come out to the middle of nowhere with me. How do you know I'm not an animal?” He watched her brown eyes darken and her tongue flick out to wet her lips, her arousal evident by the heavy scent of musk that hung in the air.

“I don't know how to explain it. Something tells me you're not.”

If she ever learned what he had once been capable of. He'd killed his enemies and burned their villages. Granted, it had been either his life or theirs, but he'd left many children orphaned. He doubted she would still be so trusting if she knew the truth. No, she would run far away from him and he would be helpless to stop her.

He released her. “We should return home. I'll grab the things and load the boat.”

Chapter
Seven

Makayla had been positive Armand was going to kiss her. Instead he'd set her aside and almost seemed angry that she had trusted him. Their ride back to the mainland had been quiet and almost tense. What had caused the sudden change? The kiss on the cheek? Everything had certainly gone to hell after that, but she could have sworn he wanted her.

She brushed the hair from her face. What did she know about men anyway? It had been two years since her last relationship and it had failed. She had failed. The entire idea was a mistake and she should just chalk it up to a lesson learned and move on. Tears stung her eyes. She thought she saw something good and decent in Armand. Even if only for a one-night stand, she thought he would have catered to her every need, giving her something her past relationships always lacked. Maybe she should just hire the deed done. Women did it all the time now and why not? Their sexual urges were the same as a man's, only the rules were different.

Half an hour later, they were back at the dock and Armand helped her off the boat.

“I'll escort you home.”

Really? She pursed her lips. “I'm sure you have lots to do. I can see myself home. Thank you again for a nice day.” She spun and started to walk away, but he was on her heels.

“I wasn't asking.” He moved in beside her.

Kayla kept her gaze ahead. She could feel the heat rising up her neck. “Suit yourself.” If he wanted to walk with her then fine, but she refused to converse with him. The mixed signals he kept sending were making her dizzy. He went from seductive to demanding to angry with god-knows-what. The confusion running through her brain gave her a headache.

Ten silent minutes later, she finally reached her front door. She slipped the key into the lock and turned the handle. The door opened to reveal a darkened room and she could hardly wait to escape back into it. She wondered if the entire trip was a waste. Good manners had her turning around to face the sexy man who'd towered beside her all day.

“Thank you again. It was lovely.”

His hands gripped her upper arms and his body pinned her against the doorjamb. His lips crashed down on hers. Bruising. Demanding. His tongue pushed passed and swept into her mouth. He tasted of danger and sin and she wanted to swallow him whole. Every lean hard muscle of his chest pushed into her breasts causing them to ache. Her nipples pebbled against her bathing suit and begged to have his hot tongue glide across them. His erection, thick and hard, pressed into her belly. She wanted to touch him, but with her arms pinned at her side she could do nothing except remind herself to breathe.

He consumed her.

Armand nipped her bottom lip then pulled away causing her to moan. Even in the dusk of the evening, she could see the desire in his eyes. It burned her soul.

“
Querida,
never trust a strange man again. I will be your one exception,” he whispered. “Do you understand?”

She swallowed. Her throat parched from the inferno brewing inside her like a wicked storm. “Y—Yes.”

“Good.” He released her then backed away. “Go inside now. I'll pick you up tomorrow evening for dinner.”

“O—Okay.”

Kayla stepped past the entry and closed the door behind her. She leaned against the cool wood both to quench the fire that raged within and for support. She brought her fingers to her swollen lips and could almost feel him still pressing against her.

“What the hell just happened?”

Her legs were like Jell-O and her heart raced. She hadn't expected him to kiss her. Not after the way things had ended. Even in her surprise, her body couldn't help but respond. She had never been kissed like that before. It had been raw. His heat had seeped through her skin igniting something deep inside her.

“So that's what it's like? Holy hell.” She pushed herself off the door and walked across the living room on wobbly legs. She needed a cold shower. Ice cold to be exact.

*****

Makayla sat at the kitchen table and stared at the white page on her laptop. After taking an exceptionally long shower, she decided to see if her muse would cooperate. Her core was still ablaze from Armand's heat when suddenly she remembered.

“Nana. Shit,” she whispered.

The words came flooding back to her.
One day Makayla, a special man will ignite the flame within you. However, he will not be who he seems and you'll be forced to make a hard choice.

There had been more, but it was still fuzzy. She rubbed her temples, trying to remember. She'd been a little girl at the time and Nana had died a few years later. It was peculiar that the Spaniard had been the only man to ever heat her to the bone. Not even Eric had been enough to warm her frigid marrow. Could her crazy nana have been right? Kayla had always believed there was that one special person out there for everyone. Eric was supposed to be hers, but that had turned out to be a joke. Nana had died shortly after she'd married him, but had made it well known to Kayla that she didn't approve of her new husband. She'd even gone so far as to tell her that he'd break her heart.

She rubbed her hands together; the chill had returned. Taking a deep breath, she let the air escape through her mouth, closed her eyes and remembered the kiss. Long, hot and so damn sensual. Christ, what would Armand be like in bed? Would he be the gentleman whom she had first met? Or the man who pinned her against the door? The one who had branded himself on her soul? She decided she yearned for the latter.

Kayla reined in her thoughts and began typing as a story finally unfolded in her mind. Her fingers flew over the keys and she wondered if a mere kiss did this to her, what would having sex with him produce?

A crash behind her had her jumping from the chair and clutching her chest.

“What the … ?”

The vase lay smashed into tiny fragments on the floor and the flowers Armand had brought her on his first visit were ripped to shreds. Kayla looked around the dimly lit room and saw nothing else out of place. She moved to the closet, grabbed a broom and dustpan and began sweeping up the mess. She noticed a nearby window open and wondered if the breeze could have knocked over the vase. However, it didn't explain how the flowers were shredded.

“I really liked those flowers too,” she mumbled to herself as she dumped the contents into the trash.

After she placed the broom and pan back into the closet, she glanced at the clock. Ten p.m. It had been a long day so she turned off her laptop and headed for bed. A good night’s sleep then she had all day tomorrow to work on her manuscript.

A chill sent her crawling under the covers, her mind flashed back to Armand and she found herself wondering if he was lying in bed at that moment. Did he sleep in the nude? Her skin warmed at the thought.

She tried to analyze his comment to her before he left.
I will be your one exception.
It made no sense to her and then she remembered he had told her he would pick her up for dinner.
Crap!
He hadn't said where they were going so she had no idea if she should wear a dress or jeans. Her mind reeled over the minor details when the blankets were suddenly jerked off her body.

Kayla bolted upright. “H­­­­–Hello? Whose there?”

The only reply came from the crickets outside her window. She reached for the cell phone on the nightstand and pressed the button to bring the light on. She quickly located the app for the flashlight and turned it on, shining it from one corner to the other.

Empty.

She ran across the room and flipped on the light switch. The blanket and sheet, previously covering her body, lay in a heap at the foot of the bed. She swallowed down the lump of fear and again searched the room, not even sure what she expected to find. She wondered if she should check the rest of the house then decided against it. Instead, she gathered up the bedding, remade the bed and chalked it up to the day in general and being overly tired. Minutes later she had the light off and was back in bed. Her lids grew heavy and sleep overcame her.

Chapter
Eight

Armand had spent the day preparing for his dinner with Kayla, but the only thing that occupied his mind was their burning kiss. He'd meant to be gentle, but his lust had driven him to pin her and take what he wanted. The coolness of her skin next to his had been like a swim on a hot summer's day and he had wanted to drown in it. For centuries, he'd felt like he was burning alive and suddenly some slip of a female shows up and soothes the flame.