Bitter Black Kiss (9 page)

Chapter Seven

The ocean lapped at the sand in a rhythmic night song. Moonlight wove seductive patterns across black waves. “Ride the Lightning” by Metallica and laughter echoed down the beach. The scent of their bonfire, hot dogs, and roasted marshmallows, made his stomach grumble.

He turned his attention back to the house he’d been watching for the last fifteen minutes. The target moved past the front window.

He watched Stone’s waterfront property for two nights in a row. Stone never did anything spectacular and his goon, Tony, was always at his side. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why Stone had remained in San Diego so long this time. Stone usually stopped in to check on things for a few days then would travel back to Los Angeles. Not this time. For some reason, he had chosen to stay past his welcome. Something kept him here, and Brody aimed to find out just what it was.

Not one to complain about the opportunities handed to him, he continued to watch the silhouettes framed in the window. Realistically, he should abandon the nightly vigil. So far, it had been a big waste of time. There had to be better things he could do to further the case.

Brody repositioned himself. The seat of his jeans was good and soaked, not to mention full of sand. He was about to call it a night, or morning as it were, when he spotted someone running on the beach.

Nicole didn’t live on the water. Her apartment was four blocks away, but there she was on the shoreline. This just might prove to be a productive night, after all.

Tanned legs carried her toward him, though it didn’t appear she noticed him yet. Blonde hair streamed behind her. A smile, something he had seldom seen her wear, transformed her features. She looked liberated, thrilled at the sand and salt water that lapped at her ankles. Drop dead gorgeous.

Nicole streaked past then skidded to a halt. She turned to look over her shoulder, and the smile fell away to reveal a look of suspicion. She plucked the earphones from her ears and allowed them to dangle around her neck.

“Hey.” He gazed up at her with a lazy smile, pleased that she was here.

He tried not to notice the rise and fall of her breasts. The well-toned thighs were harder to ignore. They were at eye level. The curve of her buttocks was the perfect shape. Heat rose to his cheeks, and his groin twitched in appreciation.

“I didn’t know you lived out this way.” She had to know a DJ couldn’t afford the rent on the swank condos and vacation properties.

The situation reminded him of bumping into a co-worker while shopping and speaking out of obligation. The only difference, he was comfortable in her company. It would be difficult, but he decided not to allow his attraction to lead him. He didn’t want to scare her away again.

“I live a few blocks that way.” He pointed in a random direction. “I wanted to enjoy the beach while it’s quiet. It’s the only time I can come out here without being pestered by kids or fat guys in Speedos.”

He watched Nicole turn to survey the dark water and the line of sand that went further than either of them could see. Off in the distance, the bonfire glowed orange.

“It is quiet.” She grinned and nodded toward the bonfire. “Well, with the exception of the eighties metal revival up that way.”

Nicole had moved closer. The shorts scarcely covered her ass. If she kept putting that beautiful booty in his face, his jeans were going to get very uncomfortable.

She sank to the ground beside him. “Want some company?” The expression on her face was somewhat disheartened, yet hopeful. There was nothing he wanted more at that moment.

He twisted his upper body to face her. “You okay?”

She must have remembered he was just a DJ, and she was his boss. “Never mind. It’s stupid.”

“Try me.” He traced a line in the sand with his finger. “I’m a good listener.”

Nicole was the last one to see Amy Dahl alive. Hank was her dealer. Plus, he wasn’t convinced she wasn’t more involved in Stone’s business than she let on. Maybe if he offered a shoulder to cry on, she might let something slip. Hundreds of questions flitted through his mind. Was Stone the one bringing BST into the city? Did she know the delivery date of the next shipment? Was she involved with Stone or was it strictly a professional relationship?

Nicole pulled her knees up and rested her chin atop them. She gazed out at the ocean and seemed comfortable sitting in the dark with him.

He kept an eye on Stone’s house. There wasn’t much going on there. Stone was on the phone, waving his free arm. Tony’s shadow walked back and forth. At one point, he stopped to look out the window then began pacing again.

Finally, Nicole broke the silence. “I feel like I owe you an apology.” Her fingertips touched his arm and lingered there. “Remember what we were talking about at the restaurant? I think I may have overreacted.”

Brody didn’t know how to answer this. He picked up a stick next to him and jabbed a hole in the sand. She could say what she wanted. He knew the truth. He felt the change of body heat, heard her heartbeat and breaths speed up. If just for a moment, she was turned on by him.

“You aren’t the first hottie to shoot me down.” He offered a charming smile to hide his insecurity. Why did he keep offering himself to this woman? She would continue to snub him, and he wasn’t getting any of the information he needed. He didn't know if she thought she was too good for him or maybe she was just emotionally unavailable, but it sucked all the same.

Her gaze drifted over him then settled on his shoulder. “How’s your bite?”

The stick dropped from his fingers. He’d forgotten all about the ruse and hadn’t bandaged the fake wound in days. “All better, thanks. It wasn’t that bad to start with.”

She touched his arm, higher this time, feeling for a scar perhaps. Why did her interest in him revolve around this one thing? Damn it, couldn’t she see there was more to him than just the virus?

“I’ve had a lot going on and I could never catch you alone at work.” She stared out at the waves licking at the sand. “Did you call my cell last night?”

He’d forgotten about that. She was here, giving him an opening. He ducked his head in feigned embarrassment.

“Sorry, I didn’t answer. I’ve been avoiding someone and thought you were him. I should have called you back.”

Her hand rested on the curve of his upper back and sent some seriously mixed signals. It sent a warm rush throughout his body. He knew she was offering compassion and comfort, but part of him hoped for a more intimate reason to touch him. “I was going to apologize for acting like an ass. I didn’t mean to come on so strong.”

She leaned her shoulder against his for a moment. “I’ve been thinking about you.”

“I’ve been thinking about you too.” Damn it, did he say that out loud?

Her cheeks flushed, and she averted her eyes. “I’ve been worried about you and how you’ve dealt with the changes.”

Both Stone and Tony had disappeared. The motor in his mind whirred to keep up with their conversation and to think up a believable response. He cast a quick glance at the moon. For reluctant Lycans like Nicole, the full moon posed a problem. Something about it urged them to change. The lunar seduction was almost too much to resist. Some couldn’t. He was an unusual case, able to change at will and without the aid of BST. He attributed this to his childhood and trying to find an escape from the bad things that had happened to him. It was incredible what the mind could do if one only focused hard enough and willed it to happen.

He strove to think up a believable concern a newly infected might have. “I’m a little nervous about the full moon. It’s like what, a couple weeks away?”

Nicole looked like she’d just received a face full of frigid water. Her hand fell away from him, and her fingers sought out the set of crescent-shaped scars on her left shoulder. “Two.”

Question after question formed on the back of his tongue. He had to slow down, think about what he should ask.

“Do you plan on going to the Wild Hunt?” The flyers were all over town, inviting those with a second nature to join and partake in the fun. Every year the Lycanthropic community hosted a huge party. For some, it was a time to rival leadership. For others, it was a time to have fun, hook up or just hang out.

She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. Her blonde brows knit together with disapproval. “Are you?”

“No, I hadn’t planned on it. Can I ask you something else?” Never one to test the waters, he usually jumped in feet first. He didn’t see any reason to change now. Even if he had to dream up bullshit inquiries to make her talk, he would question her all night.

She didn’t turn her head, just her eyes.

“I don’t know if I can tell my family. How did you break it to yours?”

She looked like she wanted to bolt. The stricken expression on her face told him he shouldn’t have asked such a blunt question. It was way too soon, and she didn’t know him well enough yet. He laid a gentle hand on her back, just below the sports bra, offering what reassurance he could. “Never mind, it was a stupid question.”

Nicole ran hands down her bare calves. The toes of her shoes dug into the moist sand. “They don’t speak to me anymore. They act like I chose to have the virus.”

Brody tried to curb his excitement. She’d admitted to being Lycan—sort of. The first time he met her, he picked up the lingering scent he’d come to identify with his kind. It had been so faint, almost saturated with the flowery scent of wolfsbane. Of course, the wolfsbane had been a dead giveaway. But now, as she sat beside him in the salty night air, the bane was at its faintest. Had she stopped taking it since Hank Alvarez was dead?

“Does wolfsbane really help take the edge off?”

She stood and dusted the sand from the thin shorts. With quick, angry strides she moved back the way she’d first come. He scrambled to his feet and followed. Skittish as she was, one would think she’d done something wrong. If he could get his foot out of his mouth and ask some intelligent questions, he might find out what it was.

“Nicole, wait.” He turned on the charm and offered her the smile that usually got him what he wanted. “I’m just trying to make sense out of everything. I’m sorry if I offended you.”

“I can’t help you, Brody.” She brushed sand from the seat of her shorts. Her laugh was a humorless bark. “I can’t even help myself. I’m scared to death of the creature inside me. I do everything within my power to ignore it, to drown it out.”

Shit, this was going downhill fast. If he weren't careful, he’d have her too shook up to talk to him. He fell into step beside her. The realization that he only had until she reached her car put pressure on him. He didn’t like to lie, but if it got the job done, what was the harm in it? If he were lucky, she wouldn’t question his heightened senses. Most newbies didn’t pick up on them right away. He was willing to bet she’d be fooled easily since she was in denial.

“I’ve picked up the scent of it on you. I was just curious.”

She rubbed at the bite mark on her shoulder again. “It helps if you take it often and in big enough doses. It dulls the animal instincts and can help you control the urge to change every month. It’s not a cure.”

Brody understood the constant urge to change, to chase, to hunt. The heightened sense of sight, smell and hearing could be frustrating if you didn’t learn to control it.

He was unsure if he should ask the question smoldering on the tip of his tongue. To hell with it, he had to know. “Have you ever been in wolf form, Nicole?”

“No.” Tears formed in her eyes, but she blinked them away. “Never. The idea of it scares the crap out of me.”

He didn’t ask for permission, just enveloped her in a hug. Her arms were between them, folded against her stomach while her forehead rested on his shoulder. Nicole’s posture was stiff. He pressed hesitant lips against her temple and whispered words that were meant to soothe.

“Shh, it’s okay. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Brody was very aware of Nicole’s body pressed against his own, the rise of her breasts against him as she breathed, the subtle pulse of her heartbeat, the feel of her breath against his skin. He ran his hand up and down her back in a slow rhythm. Within moments, her body relaxed and her curves melted against him.

Nicole’s arms wound around his waist, and she pressed her cheek against his heartbeat. After a few moments, she pulled away. A wet spot remained on his t-shirt. She wiped away the dampness from her cheeks with the back of a hand. She cast another worried glance at the water and the sliver of moon hanging just above it.