Eve of Samhain (20 page)

I turned to see Quinn standing in the doorway. His eyes were dark and hungry as he took in the sight of me naked and wet. His chest moved up and down, each heady breath heavier than the last. His expression was one of extreme hunger and I wanted nothing more than for him to come at me hard and ravish every inch of me with his hands, his mouth.

Flashes of my shower fantasy raced through my mind. I longed for him to cast away his decision to refrain from touching me and climb into the shower, bringing my daydream to life.

I stepped forward, placing one hand on the foggy glass. It was an invitation.
Come to me,
it said.
I need you. I want you.
My body cried out, dying for his touch. My mind screamed the words I couldn’t say out loud.
I’m desperate for you. I want you in me. Touch. Take. Fill. I’m yours, eternally.

Quinn strode forward, his sapphire eyes locked with mine, until he stood just before me. He placed his hand over mine, nothing but a thin pane of glass between us. Silence and longing filled the room. The intensity of it threatened to shatter not only the glass, but also me along with it.

The raw look of desire in his eyes was nearly my undoing. “In all my life,” he said, “never, have I seen anything more beautiful. There are no words,
a ghrá
. You take my very breath away.” He leaned forward with a pained look on his face, closed his eyes and placed his forehead against the glass. A loud groan came from deep within his throat and he hit his head against the glass several times. “You’re killing me,” he moaned.

Breathless from the intensity of the moment, I didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head and chuckled as he reached for a towel. “No,” he said, draping the soft terry over the gold handle on the glass door. “No, you’re not. Get dressed. Breakfast is ready.” He left before I could protest.

He was right, of course. I wasn’t sorry. I wanted Quinn like I’d never wanted anyone before. I was more than ready to hand over my virginity to him on a silver platter. If only he wasn’t so stubborn! Every man had his breaking point. I’d just have to find his.

I stepped out of the shower and toweled off, surprised to see Quinn had left a clean t-shirt and pair of sweats for me on the tile counter. If I was going to have any hope of seducing him before sundown on the eve of Samhain, I was going to have to pull out all the stops. I smiled as I thought about our upcoming evening out.

He’ll never know what hit him.

“U
GH
.” I T
OSSED
another shirt onto the growing pile of clothes at the foot of my bed. “I have no idea what I should wear.” Indecision was my worst enemy at the moment. I struggled with what to wear on a good day. Trying to find an outfit that would woo Quinn into laying hands on me was proving to be a daunting task.

Jessica plucked a shiny silver tank off the floor and tossed it on the bed. “It’s not like you don’t have a ton of clothes to choose from, Ryann. There’s got to be something in that closet of yours that will wow Quinn.”

The three of us, Martha included, decided to get ready for our night out together and were digging through my small storage space, trying to find something for me to wear. Loud music from my iPhone blared throughout the room to ensure Quinn wouldn’t overhear our plan. I didn’t think he planned on lurking about the building, but one could never be sure with him. Precautionary measures needed to be taken.

“I can’t take it anymore. Here…”Jessica crossed the small room, pushed me aside and began digging through my clothes. “What about this?” She pulled out a glittery black halter-top. It had an extremely low back and a plunging neckline, and was definitely one of my sexier tops.

“Ooh…I forgot I had this. It’s perfect,” I said, giving her a high five and a grin.

She smiled in return and pointed toward the black fabric. “That top will have him standing at attention faster than you can say ‘didgeridoo.’”

I scrunched up my face in confusion. “Didgeri-what?”

“Never mind,” Jessica said, swatting her hand through the air. “You need something hot to wear with that shirt. What about a skirt?” She held up one of my shorter denim minis. “This just screams easy access. Pair it with some hooker heels and you’ll have his tongue lolling out his mouth.”

I stared at her with a look of mock horror. “Jess! First off, who are you and what have you done with my shy, sweet best friend? Secondly, I want to seduce him, yes. I do not, however, want to look like some ho-baggity freak. I think the top is as daring as I want to go.” There was something to be said for the old adage about leaving some things to the imagination. And besides, Quinn had already had an eyeful of my goods.

Jess frowned. “I’m still your sweet BFF. I’m just tired of letting everything scare me. Tired of holding back all the time, trying to do what’s proper, you know?” She pointed to the skirt. “I still think you’d look hot in the skirt.” She rifled through my closet looking for something else. “Here,” she hollered over her shoulder, and tossed a pair of jeans at me. “These are perfect. No complaining.”

I groaned. “You’re killing me, Jess. I can’t wear these. They barely cover my ass.” I shook my head in protest. I’d purchased the jeans earlier in the year, but had yet to wear them, as the rise was so low they barely covered my girlie bits. I wasn’t keen on strangers looking at my burning bush, no matter how well I kept it groomed.

“That’s the whole point, isn’t it?” Jessica stood with her hands on her hips, looking at me like I was crazy. “You want to give him a taste of what he’s missing. Those jeans scream sexy.”

“He’s already seen what he’s missing,” I said and shrugged.

Martha looked up from her magazine with wide eyes but remained silent.

“What did you just say?” Jessica held up one hand and burned me with an intense glare. “What exactly has he seen, Ryann? What are you not telling us?”

A blush crept over my cheeks as I thought back to earlier in the day when Quinn had watched me shower. Aside from the mind-blowing kiss we’d shared, that morning’s voyeuristic escapade was the single most erotic thing I’d ever experienced, and Quinn hadn’t even touched me. I knew he wanted me. I saw it in his eyes, and in the way he carried himself. I knew he loved me. Queen Morgana had confirmed that herself.

Love and desire were not the problem. Fear was. Afraid of losing the only person he’d ever connected with, Quinn refused to do anything that might jeopardize the only real relationship he’d ever had. Some way, somehow, I needed to help Quinn move past his fear so we could be together. Hopefully, my plan of driving him mad with jealousy would set things in motion. I was running out of ideas.

Jess furrowed her brows after I told her what happened in Quinn’s bathroom, took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. “He’s more pigheaded than I thought.” She pointed at the denim in question and then looked at me. “I’d go commando in those jeans if I were you.”

“Commando?” My jaw dropped in horror. “Jess.”

She gave me a pointed look and shrugged. “I’m just sayin’,” she grumbled to herself and sat down onto my bed.

I looked over to Martha, who sat quietly on the floor reading a magazine. She looked up, sensing my gaze and shook her head. “Don’t look to me for fashion advice. Do I look like I know how to dress sexy?”

Clad in a short, red plaid mini, a black pleated button down, with a black corseted belt over it, black tights and her trademark Doc’s, Martha did look sexy in a completely different way. Though I didn’t share her sense of style, I had to admit she looked pretty in her own way.

“I think you look great.”

She treated me to shy smile. “Thanks. I can help you with your shoes, though. If you’d like me to, that is.”

“My shoes?” I shot her a look of confusion. Did girlfriend think she was Geppetto?

She walked over to my closet and pulled out a pair of black flats. “Just watch.” She waved her hands over the shoes and, with a bright flash of light, my simple flats transformed into a wicked looking pair of Docs.

“I don’t really know designer stuff, so if you want something specific, you’ll need to show me a picture of what you want.”

“Oh, snap!” I said in total awe. “Wicked cool.”

Jessica raced over to my laptop, which sat on my desk. Wasting no time, she brought it to the edge of my bed while she logged on. “I know the perfect pair of shoes for that outfit. Look here.” She beckoned me over to where she sat while Martha looked on.

I looked over her shoulder and saw a stunning pair of Manolo Blahniks. Made of black leather, the cut-out sandals were adorned with three silver rings and had four- inch heels. The shoes screamed “vampy” and were the perfect addition to my sultry ensemble.

“Ooh…they’re sling-backs too. Perfect,” I said and looked over to Martha. “Can you conjure these?”

She nodded with a smile. “You bet.”

“You are my freaking hero.” I motioned toward my black flats she’d already worked her mojo on, beckoning for her to do it again.

“Shoot. You think you can glamour me a bigger set of boobs?” Jessica asked. She was doing her best to mend fences with Martha, and I cast her a look of approval.

Martha eyed Jess for a moment, probably shocked at her continued attempts to make amends, before answering. “Yeah, actually, I can.”

Jessica’s eyes grew wide. “No. Way,” she squealed, and shot off the edge of the bed like a rocket, sticking her chest out.

For a minute I was tempted to have her zap me a size two ass, but changed my mind. Quinn would notice, and that wasn’t something I wanted to explain.

An hour later we were all dressed and ready for a rockin’ night on the town. Jess decided to sport a denim mini, insisting that one of us needed to show some leg. She paired it with a dark blue, backless top that accented her pale skin and a pair of black boots.

“Who needs
Dr. 90210
? We’ve got Martha,” she said while admiring her newly glamorized breasts. Normally a small B cup, Jessica sported some very full C’s thanks to our witchy friend.

“Okay,” I said and took a deep breath. “This is it. Operation Green-Eyed Monster is a go. Let’s do this.” Nervous, I looked over to Jessica. There was no need for me to speak, she knew me well enough to know just how anxious I was about our evening out.

“Relax, Ryann. You look great. When Quinn sees how hot you look and how other guys respond to that hotness, he’s going to break. I just know it.”

I took a deep breath and sighed. “I hope so.”

Because I have no idea what else to do.

***

“Bloody hell!” Quinn grimaced as we walked toward the entrance of Fire and Ice. The loud bass thumping of the club’s music floated through the air. Legions of scantily dressed women flooded the establishment, gawking at Quinn as they passed by, drooling over him as though he were standing alone, and not with three women.

Quinn shot me a pleading look.

“It’ll be okay,” I said, smiling. “Trust me.”

I didn’t go commando for nothing.

“Come on, Quinn,” Jessica said. “Loosen up a bit.”

Quinn zeroed in on Jessica, his eyes narrowed and a frown on his face. “Something’s different. You changed something, yes?”

“I…uh…I…nothing’s different.” She stammered nervously, while flashing me a look of panic.

I didn’t think she wanted to explain her temporarily enlarged breasts were the difference in her appearance, so I threw her a lifeline. “Tonight is all about letting go and having fun, which is something we all are in desperate need of. Too much work, not enough play. C’mon, let’s go.” I tried to be as encouraging as I could, hoping to ease the tension I plainly saw Quinn trying to hide.

He was on edge about not locating the Zmeu’s lair. Believing we only had just over two weeks left together, Quinn would rather have spent the evening elsewhere, just the two of us. To be honest, I would have preferred the same. But given his stubborn refusal to get physical with me, I had no choice but to pull out all the stops and trigger the jealous side of his nature. It was underhanded and low. But hey…a girl had to do what a girl had to do.

Of course, he wasn’t privy to my plan, or the fact that my roomies were in on it, as well. In fact, Quinn had no idea my friends knew his true identity. I hated keeping him in the dark, but if I had any hope of saving him from his stubborn self, secrecy was not only necessary, it was essential. I looked up at him, giving him the most encouraging smile I could muster.

Quinn didn’t appear encouraged. In fact, he looked like a man walking toward certain doom. I knew he dreaded the unwanted attention that was sure to come as soon as he entered the building. Women went after him like strung out crack-whores looking for a fix. By accompanying us to the club he was practically throwing himself into a lion’s den. But instead of facing savage predatory cats, he’d be facing a hoard of oversexed gutter sluts, none of whom he had any interest in. I didn’t know which was worse.

He heaved a sigh. “Very well, then.”

I leaned in and whispered in his ear. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

“And I you,
a ghrá
. And I you,” he said as we entered the club.

It felt odd entering Fire and Ice as a patron and not an employee. I brushed off the urge to grab a tray and start taking drink orders.

Packed to capacity, the club was very dark, and very crowded. I felt slightly claustrophobic as we wove through the crowd, having spotted a table at the far end of the room. I’d never seen the place so busy.

Quinn navigated in and out of the sea of single women who made up ninety percent of the crowd, keeping me close the entire way. His hand rested on the small of my back, and although our flesh never came into contact, I still felt an incredible electric pull between us. We were like two live wires, each of us charged, full of desire, but somehow incomplete. Once those wires came together, sparks flew, electricity flowed and magic happened.

Figures he’d find an area that was covered to touch.

I’d purposely worn the halter top because it bared quite a bit of skin and was more than a little disappointed when he found a “safe place” to touch me. Quinn was a tough nut to crack, and I had my work cut out for me.

Once we reached the table, Jessica dropped her purse and started jumping in place. “Oh! I love this song. Let’s dance.” She grabbed hold of me by the arm and pulled me toward the dance floor.

I wrangled my wrist out of her grasp and shook my head. “Sorry, girlie. I’m sitting this one out.”

With a shrug and a “pssh,” she disappeared into the massive crowd of dancing bodies, leaving Martha, Quinn and me alone at the table.

Quinn leaned in close, his delicious, masculine smell sending my thighs up in flames. “I don’t like this. It’s too crowded. There is an overwhelming sense of evil in here, and it’s coming at me from all directions.”

I stiffened. “You think the Zmeu is here?” A Mack truck filled with panic ran me down at the thought of my demon stalker hiding somewhere in the crowd.

“Possibly. Along with a few other buggers as well.” He placed his finger to his lips and looked over to Martha, who sat staring out into the crowd. He didn’t want her to hear our whispered conversation.

A few others?

My mouth felt dry. “Others?”

“Aye, love,” he said and pointed toward the bar. “You see those two shites dressed in the black leather jackets?”

I nodded.

“Vampires,” he huffed, and scowled with disgust.

“Vampires?” I shouted over the loud din. “Really?”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Martha’s head snap toward me after my outburst, her brows furrowed. Was she afraid of vampires? Why I hadn’t given any thought to the mythical, bloodsucking beasts before, I wasn’t sure. I was sure, however, that I didn’t want anything to do with them. One evil stalker was enough for me. I didn’t need any more, thank you.

“Goddammit,
a ghrá
,” he said, casting me a fierce shut-the-fuck-up glare. “Could you maybe shout a bit louder so the rest of the patrons can hear?”

My hand shot up to my mouth. “Sorry,” I said through my fingers.

I looked over my shoulder to where Martha sat, and though she still appeared to be looking out into the crowd, acting bored, I knew different. I saw her chewing on the inside of her lip, something I recently learned she did when she was nervous. Upon closer inspection, I saw her eyes darting through the crowd in the direction of the bar.

What is up with that?

Deciding we’d sat long enough, I hopped out of my seat and stood in front of Quinn.