As he expected, Lane’s eyes went wide. She’d had her own little run-in with the Henchmen not too long ago, and Hale knew they didn’t rank up there on her favorite persons list.
“So, are you two still going out tonight?” Deena asked. Leave it to her to cut to the chase.
He moved back to Tracy and curled an arm around her shoulder, drawing her close. “That depends on what she wants.”
“I hope we are.” Tracy tilted her head back, the beginnings of a smile on her lips. “I’m just shook up. I’m not hurt. I’d like to go out on the town.”
Hale nodded, feeling foolishly proud of her. For a mortal, she was damn resilient.
“Well, you two have fun,” Deena said. She turned to Lane. “Ready?”
While the girls backtracked to the entrance of the parking garage, Hale turned back to Tracy, then realized he had no idea what to say to her. Part of him wanted to lecture her on being safer—didn’t she know she was a target for Hieronymous? But of course she didn’t, and that was part of the point.
Another part of him wanted to pull her close and hold her tight.
And yet another part of him was wishing for an allergy attack so he could sneeze, disappear, and then run far and fast from this woman who was messing with his head.
Tracy solved the dilemma for him.
In one quick motion, she was on her toes, her arms around his neck. Then, before he even knew what to expect, she kissed him, her mouth firm against his.
He groaned, low in the back of his throat, as his arms tightened around her waist, pulling her closer. A soft, blissful sound escaped her, and Hale’s body tensed simply from the knowledge that one simple kiss was affecting her as much as it was affecting him.
He didn’t like this. He didn’t need this. But, dammit, for just a few seconds he wanted the oblivion her lips promised. Wanted to not think about anything. Not that she was mortal. Not that he was supposed to be seducing her, as opposed to the other way around. Nothing.
For a few seconds of bliss, his world consisted only of her rose-petal-soft lips pressed against his mouth and the flowery scent of her shampoo.
And, for just an instant, Hale actually forgot that she was a mortal.
Tracy couldn’t believe she’d been so bold. But, then again, she couldn’t believe she’d been mugged right in the middle of Century City. The first mugging, in the Valley, she could almost understand. But here? They were walking distance of the Beverly Hills Police Department. And who got mugged in Beverly Hills?
Still, compared to throwing her arms around a man and kissing him, a mugging was practically a daily event in her life.
Part of her was mortified. The other part was proud of herself for taking the initiative. But it was the mortified part that won out; she pulled back. Now she stood in front of Hale, staring down at her new pedicure, certain her cheeks were on fire.
“Um ...” She cleared her throat and tried again. “Anyway. Thanks. For fighting that guy and getting my purse back. That’s twice now that you’ve saved me.” Deciding her toenails had been inspected enough, she peeked up at him. “Guess you really are a superhero,” she joked.
“Would I lie?” Somehow, he looked just as awkward as she felt.
“Right. Well.” This time she checked out her manicure. It wasn’t in nearly as good a shape, and she’d broken two nails wrestling with the mugger. “I guess we should get back to my house. You, uh, probably have stuff to do before you move in tonight.”
He shrugged, then stepped closer. “Not really. Make me a better offer.”
The old Tracy would have just blushed from her toes to the ends of her hair. The new, belt-toting Tracy had a slightly bolder streak, bless her devilish little heart. Sucking in a breathful of courage, she nodded. “Okay. I will. There’s no point in shopping anymore, so why don’t you take me out for an afternoon on the town.”
“Why isn’t there any point in shopping?”
“Because you’re here, of course.” She hoped her smile seemed inviting and flirtatious, but it probably just looked goofy.
“Come again?”
“I was shopping for tonight. Deena and Lane were my dating fashion consultants.”
“Oh.” And then, with more inflection. “Oh!” He reached out, a devious gleam in his eye. “Then let me see what you’ve got in there.”
Almost too late, she realized he was reaching for her shopping bags. Filled with exotic, teeny-tiny underwear. In a rainbow of racy colors.
She jumped back, clutching the bag to her chest. “Oh, no. Really. It’s boring. Just girl stuff.”
She got a hint of a smile, just enough to display his dimple. “I’m a big fan of girl stuff.” He took another step closer, and heat pooled in the backs of her knees. “And I’m planning to get to know all about
your
girl stuff soon. Very soon.”
Oh, my
. “Yes... well...” She was being positively foolish. After all, the man was playing with her. Wasn’t this exactly the sort of flirty banter she’d been fantasizing about?
Of course it was. And instead of grabbing the bull by the horns—or the man by the whatever—she was acting like a dreamy-eyed schoolgirl. She should be acting like a sexually knowledgeable Hollywood starlet.
Well, no time like the present for a little improvisation. Taking a deep breath, Tracy summoned her courage, then slipped her bag behind her back and moved in closer.
His heat teased her and she almost lost her nerve, but then she tilted her head back and looked deep into his fathomless blue eyes. “You can look if you want. But it’s just underwear. Pretty boring in a bag. Especially when, if you’re a good boy, I’ll show you the real thing.”
“Oh, I think I can be a
very
good boy,” he said. He leaned closer with what could only be described as hunger in his eyes.
If she’d expected him to be knocked silly by her boldness, she was sorely disappointed. Instead, the man looked positively intrigued, and Tracy had to wonder what fine mess she’d gotten herself into.
Still, she had to grin. She wanted him, no doubt about it, and he clearly wanted her, too. If she was lucky, her “fine mess” might prove very fine indeed.
“How much longer do you think we can keep this up?” she asked. “This back-and-forth, I mean. Sooner or later, one of us is going to run out of snappy comebacks.”
“I can go all night,” Hale said. He caught her in his smoldering gaze.
“Big talk from a big guy.” Two points for her. That was definitely a Tahlula kind of thing to say. She was getting the hang of this.
“Sweetheart, I play to win.”
“Oh, yeah?” She cocked her head. “But what about after you get the trophy? What happens then, champ?”
She’d expected a laugh, or at least a response, so she was surprised when there was nothing but silence.
“Hale?”
He waved her concern away.
She was confused. “I didn’t mean to touch a nerve.”
His forehead creased. “You didn’t. Don’t worry about it. I’m fine. Just distracted.”
She wasn’t sure she believed him, but he gave a quick flash of his cover-model smile before she could question him again. “Besides, what man wouldn’t be distracted around a woman like you?”
“You’d be surprised.”
“Considering you’re the most distracting mo—” He coughed. “
Woman
I’ve run across in a long time, I probably
would
be surprised. Especially if you’re saying that all men don’t agree with my assessment.”
“Let’s just say your competition isn’t exactly breaking down my door.”
At least, not until recently. She let her mind drift back over the last few days. Leon—sort of. The coffee shop guy. Walter. That cop. Burke. Hale. Even that polished-looking fellow she’d met at the mall. Moopi or Mordi or something. Hale’s cousin—the guy who made animal films. It was as if all the men on the planet had suddenly realized she existed.
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Believe it.”
She’d gone from being invisible to being so radioactive she practically glowed. If the scenario weren’t so suspicious, it would be intriguing.
But right now, she wasn’t in the mood to analyze. Instead, she was in the mood to enjoy. And absolutely nothing was going to stop her. Not nerves, not logic, not muggers. Not anything.
Looping her arm through her date’s, Tracy aimed what she hoped was a saucy grin in his direction. “But none of that matters. Right now, I want to have a good time. And I want you to be the one I have it with.”
Hale let her words float over him. Exactly the kind of words he’d spoken to so many females, so many times. He should be happy. Hell, he should be
ecstatic
.
So why in Hades did he feel about two inches tall?
Mentally, he shook his head, needing to get over it. Tracy had just said she wanted exactly what he wanted—and needed for his mission. No strings. No commitments. Just a wild time and enough warm, fuzzy moments to convince her to hand over the belt.
Life really couldn’t be more perfect. Could it?
He headed through the central area of the mall, Tracy’s arm still looped through his own. His assignment practically required him to have an affair with this woman, and that was what he was going to do. A dirty job, but somebody had to do it.
So what if he felt something for her beyond attraction. He knew better than to try and take it anywhere. Mortals and Protectors were like oil and water. Mortals left. They couldn’t stand the heat, so they got the hell out of the kitchen.
Or the Protector ended up turning down the heat to a slow simmer for fear the mortal would somehow get burned. He thought of his father, Donis, now back with Tessa after twenty-five years. Donis hadn’t been on active duty in almost a year. Instead, he was spending “
quality time”
with Tessa. Yeah, right. To Hale’s ear, that sounded like a fancy way of saying he’d let himself be put out to pasture.
“Penny for your thoughts.” Tracy’s soft voice pulled him out of his reverie.
“Sorry. I was distracted.”
“Earlier you said
I
was distracting you. Guess I’m not that unique after all.”
At her fake pout, he laughed, amazed at how much he enjoyed hanging out with this woman. He stroked a finger up her bare arm, relishing the way she shivered under his touch. “Trust me, sweetheart. You’re one hell of a distraction.”
She gave him a long look. “Good. I want to be.”
Hale pulled her close, then realized they’d stopped near a Brookstone, and the gadgets and gizmos in the window caught his attention. Tugging on her hand, he led her into the store.
“What are we doing?”
“Taking care of you,” he said. And that’s
all
he was doing. Just being a Protector. A little preventative medicine. At least, that’s what he told himself as he searched for a repair kit to leave in Tracy’s car. He found one easily enough, a little kit with jumper cables, some goo that filled up flat tires, a jack, and some other paraphernalia. He schlepped it all to the cash register as Tracy looked on, her eyes wide.
“For me?”
“It’s either this or buy you a new car.” He was tempted to do that, actually, but he doubted she’d accept.
“Oh.” A frown creased her forehead, then cleared and she raised herself up on her tiptoes to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. “I think that’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me. Thank you.”
His heart twisted, and he reminded himself that he was simply protecting her. That was all. His job. “You’re welcome.”
After he’d paid up, they wandered out of the store. He looked around, needing to shake this flood of emotions and get back on track with his seduction plan. “So, what do you want to do now?” he asked.
She looked amused. “You asked me out, remember? I’m looking to you to provide me with a whole evening’s worth of entertainment.”
“Well, yeah. But it’s still early. What I have planned for tonight will blow your socks off.” At the moment, he didn’t have anything planned. “But I haven’t had any time to come up with something equally fabulous for the afternoon.”
She leaned closer, and his body tightened in response to her warmth. “No? Too bad. Guess you’ll have to think fast.”
“Okay. I’ve got it. The perfect afternoon’s entertainment.”
Tilting her head, she looked up at him, one eyebrow cocked. “You do think fast.”
He nodded. “It’s a little game I like to play called Guess What I’m Thinking.”
The corner of her mouth twitched, and he considered leaning down to kiss it.
“What do I get if I guess right?” she asked.
“Anything you want, sweetheart. Anything at all.”
“Really?” She looked up at him, one eyebrow cocked.
“Cross my heart.”
“I think I like this game.” She licked her lips. “
If
I win.”
“Don’t worry about that. If we decide to play, I think we can safely say the fix is in.” In one quick motion, he slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her close.
She gasped, her look of pleased surprise giving him more satisfaction than anything in a long time. “Something I can help you with, mister?”
“Actually, there’s something I can help
you
with.”
“Oh?” Again, that sexy little twitch at the corner of her mouth. “And what exactly is that?”
“You’ve got this thing, right here.” He traced the corner of her lip with the tip of his index finger, barely grazing her skin. A low moan settled in her throat, and he knew he’d touched a nerve. Not wanting to threaten the moment, he urged her closer, until their hips met and he had to fight the desire to grind against her and lose himself in passion.
“A thing?” she repeated, her voice breathy. With her tongue, she traced the edge of her mouth, until she caught the edge of his finger. “This thing?” she teased.
Almost as if to punish him, she turned her head, then drew his finger into her mouth. The combination of the sweet, wet warmth and the sucking sensation nearly did him in. His body hardened, this woman affecting him stronger and faster than any he’d touched. And he’d touched plenty.
He groaned, resisting the urge to rock against her. Hell, more than that, he was fighting the urge to pull her skirt up and sink himself into her. She might like it—from the way she acted, it was a good bet she’d be as enthusiastic as he was—but outside a mall on a Saturday afternoon was hardly the place for a close encounter. No matter how desperate he was, she deserved better.