Midnight Soul (45 page)

He felt her fingers circle the back of his
neck, but only vaguely.

It was all about her tits pressed to his
chest. The feel of his hips snug in hers. The smell of her. The
taste of her mouth.

Noc slanted his head and deepened the kiss,
bending her over his arm, wondering if he was hungry or if he’d be
good just feasting on Frannie.

The thought made him break the kiss but he
didn’t pull away too far.

He liked to watch from close as she swam up
from one of his kisses. She took her time opening her eyes like she
was still lost to his mouth and didn’t want to admit it was gone.
And her gaze—usually so sharp, alert, guarded, missing nothing—was
open, vulnerable, giving everything.

“Much as I want more from that sweet mouth of
yours, sugarlips, we don’t stop, we’ll be goin’ right to my place
and not the restaurant.”

A flare of interest sparked in her eyes
before she nodded, pulled away, ducked her head and smoothed her
skirt along her hips in an agitated move that exposed the effects
of his kiss.

A move that was so fucking feminine and so
goddamned hot, he felt his dick start to get hard.

“Okay, maybe you should stop moving,” he
said.

Her attention shot to him. “But…why?”

“Frannie, you’re making me hard and I’m not
even touching you anymore.”

He watched it move over her face, the smug
satisfaction that softened her mouth, hooded her gaze.

“Fuck, now just lookin’ at your face, I’m
gettin’ hard,” he grumbled.

“You need to control yourself, Noc,” she
purred.

“Think back, baby. Not sure those words would
have come out of your mouth last night.”

He saw the pink hit her cheeks even as her
eyes narrowed. He liked both. Enough he didn’t even bother to try
to control himself from reaching out a long arm, hooking her at the
waist and pulling her to him for a quick touch of the lips.

“Josette settled in for the night?” he asked
when he lifted his head.

“Yes, but I’d like to say farewell.”

He nodded. “Let’s get to that.”

“She’s watching the television,” Frannie told
him, detaching from his hold. But the instant she did, she reached
out a hand, captured his and took him down Valentine’s hall.

“Way Valentine lives, looks like the witch
business is good,” he observed, this not being the first time in
the last week he’d been to Valentine’s place. One that looked
expensive on the outside but it actually hid the opulence of the
inside that managed to be both lavish and utter class.

“She’s said that her secretary has set up
some tours of homes for Josette and I over the next several days.
I’m hoping she finds much the same for us as this is more than
adequate.” She stopped and looked back to him. “I know you have a
good deal to attend to yourself, darling, after having just
returned home, but if you could find time to accompany us and give
your opinions, I’d be grateful.”

“I’m there, Frannie,” he promised. “But did
you see Valentine?”

She gave him a small smile at his promise,
but at his question she only gave him a short nod, turned ahead and
kept walking, sharing, “She was here briefly, thus our
understanding of the existence of curling irons. She said she has
much to do to catch up.” It was quieter and reflective when she
finished, “She seemed very distracted.”

Before he could ask after that, she was
stopping them inside a door.

Josette was on the couch in that room,
shoveling popcorn in her mouth from a bag, her eyes glued to the
television where
Interview with a Vampire
was playing.

“Josette, my dear, Noc’s arrived and we’re
about to be away,” Franka called.

Josette turned her head to them.

“This food says it’s flavored with cheddar
but it’s not any cheddar I’ve ever tasted. That said, it’s the most
delicious thing I think I’ve ever eaten, outside tacos,” she
declared.

After tacos, while they were waiting for the
phones to charge, Noc had taken them grocery shopping. He’d bought
them a cart and a half full of food. He’d also subscribed them to
Netflix and showed them how to pull it up on Valentine’s TV so
Josette would be set while he and Frannie were out for the
night.

He didn’t know if Netflix had
Interview
with a Vampire
in their queue. Though, it being that movie,
maybe local stations played it on a continuous loop.

“The creatures in this program
drink
blood
,” she went on. “It’s gruesome and
wonderful
.”

“I’m delighted you’re enjoying yourself, my
sweet,” Franka said with a smile in her voice. “Now, you have all
our numbers in your telephone and remember how to use them in case
you need anything, yes?”

“Yes, Franka.”

Noc put a hand to the small of Frannie’s back
and started to move her out of the door as she bid her girl to
“Continue enjoying your evening.”

“You enjoy yours as well, and hello and
goodbye, Master Noctorno!” Josette called.

“It’s Noc, babe. And here it’s really
just
Noc
,” he told her, giving her a smile even if his words were
firm.

“Noc,” she said on a huge return smile then
gave a swift wave and looked back to the TV.

Noc guided Franka down the hall. She stopped
at a table to grab a black clutch. He nabbed the wrap that was
thrown over a chair and draped it around her shoulders, kissing her
neck while he did it, doing it to touch her, have her taste on his
lips, but earning himself another look of soft satisfaction that he
felt in his dick.

When he had her ready, he took her out to his
car.

While they walked, she said, “You look very
nice as well, Noc. Most handsome, or more than usual.”

He pulled her closer with the arm he had
around her waist, murmuring, “Not surprised my Frannie likes me in
a suit.”

“What you’re wearing is called a suit?”

“Yup.”

“Clever, seeing as it suits you.”

He chuckled, beeped the locks and helped her
up into his Suburban.

He’d learned the times she’d been in it to
start it up and then take her hand.

Even when he did, he felt her tenseness come
fast, fill the cabin and he saw her other hand move out and latch
on to the grip on the armrest at her door.

“You’ll get used to it, sweetheart,” he said
quietly as he hit the gas, not wanting to call too much attention
to it.

His Frannie, she had pride. She’d appreciate
the assurance but not so much him pointing out she needed it.

And he knew he was right when she said
nothing but her fingers flexed in his hand.

They were on their way when he brought it
up.

“We can get you different shoes.”

He felt her gaze on him when she asked,
“Pardon?”

He glanced at her then back to the road
before he answered, “Different shoes. Ones without high heels like
all the ones you’ve been wearing since you got here.”

“Do you not like these kinds of shoes?”

“Oh yeah, I like ’em,” he told her, gave her
a squeeze of his hand and dropped his voice. “But, baby, until
you’re used to walking in them, you can wear other stuff. I’ll take
you guys to a mall tomorrow. Josette’ll like that and I figure you
will too. And since Valentine took some of your stash, converted it
to cash and opened you both bank accounts, you got a shit ton of
money to spend, so you can have some fun.”

“I’m perfectly fine in the shoes Valentine
bought me, Noc. I’m growing accustomed to them. And just to say, I
had time this afternoon to go through the things she procured for
me and there are five similar pairs in my chamber and they’re all
very lovely. I’m looking forward to donning them.”

He wondered if she’d lose the way she talked
the longer she was in his world.

He hoped she did, she’d fit in better and he
didn’t want her to feel awkward.

He also hoped she didn’t because it was so
Frannie.

“You can have both,” he said.

“I like what I have,” she replied.

He gave her hand another squeeze. “Babe, what
I’m trying to say without saying it is that today, when we left the
phone store, you tripped and then went funny on me. I don’t know if
that’s why you went funny, could be you’re not used to riding in
cars and you weren’t looking forward to getting back in mine. But
whatever it was, I noticed it, and whatever it was, I want you to
know I’m here to look out for you. So let me do that.”

She didn’t say anything and this lasted so
long, he glanced to her from the GPS he’d programmed, something he
needed because a week in NOLA was not near enough to know how to
get around.

His eyes went back to the road and he noted
gently, “Nothin’ to be embarrassed about, Frannie. Again, just
lookin’ out for you.”

“I know,” she murmured.

“You wanna keep the heels, I am not gonna
complain. You look great in them.”

She was silent a moment before she said, “It
isn’t about the shoes.”

“Right,” he replied. “Then you’ll get used to
being in cars. Seeing them. Hearing them. The speed they can have.
The number of them there are. Coupla weeks, it might help if I take
you somewhere open with no one around and show you how to drive.
You’re in control of the car, you’ll understand it better and maybe
be better sitting in the passenger seat.”

“It’s not about your vehicle either,
Noc.”

That caught her another glance. “Then what
was it about?”

She didn’t answer.

“Frannie, you shut down on me for a while
there. You bounced back at lunch but I’ve been in your world. I
know how freaky it is when everything around you is new. It can be
overwhelming. And I can’t look after you if you don’t share what’s
on your mind.”

At first she didn’t say anything and Noc was
about to prompt her when she spoke.

“Is it safe, having a discussion while you’re
operating this machine?” she asked. “All the lights, knobs, wheels,
levers, it seems a lot to look after.”

He gave her hand another squeeze, but let it
go thinking that maybe she’d feel more comfortable if he was using
both of his to drive until she got used to riding around, doing
this while he answered, “I’ve got a lot of practice. Been driving a
car for twenty-two years, officially. This is not counting my dad
teaching me how to drive at fourteen, with my stepmom having a
conniption that he did it, and me joyriding with the guys numerous
times before we got caught and Dad put a stop to it.”

“Joyriding?”

“Taking a car out without permission and
driving it around. Legal age to drive is sixteen. We were not
legal.”

“You’re thirty-eight years of age?”

She sounded shocked and that bought her
another glance.

“Yeah,” he confirmed.

“Odd how I didn’t know that,” she
murmured.

“Babe, we’re off the subject. To confirm,” he
said with a grin in his voice, “I can have a discussion while
operating this machine.”

Even after he confirmed, she didn’t say
anything.

“Frannie,” he pushed.

“I know,” she said softly.

But she didn’t say anything else.

“You know what?” he prompted.

He felt her eyes on him when she stated,
“About you and the Circe now in this world.”

Fuck.

He didn’t have to ask what she knew.

He knew what she knew.

Fuck.

He glanced at her again. “How do you
know?”

“I saw you…that night, I…” There was a long
hesitation and then, “I was coming down the hall. You were both in
her door. It was obviously, er…
after
. I could…well, I could
tell what had occurred. I retreated. Not much later, you walked
into the sitting room and…” Another long pause before she finished,
nearly on a whisper, “You know the rest.”

After they got their phones, Josette had
mentioned going out to dinner with Circe and Franka had tripped.
Clearly, she did this not because she wasn’t used to her heels.
Clearly she did it because this was on her mind.

“I…well, I…” she went on uncertainly. “I
considered this often when we were parted. Of course, I could not
know what would happen upon our reunion. I will admit, as I’m sure
you can gather, that I was desirous of that being the path we took
and you’re very aware that I’m happy that we’ve taken it. But I
couldn’t assume it would be what would happen. What I knew was that
you’d been intimate with Circe. You two, well…you suit. She’s here.
You’re here. And I’m—”

Noc cut her off with words he hoped would set
her mind at ease. “It was a one-time thing. We had that one time.
Now it’s done.”

Again with the silence before, very quietly,
she shared he had not come close to setting her mind at ease.

“Noc, what we have, it’s very new. I
understand I have no claim on you. You need give me no
promises.”

Fuck
.

That time, it was him that was silent and he
was that way looking for a place to pull off.

He found it, indicated, swerved carefully
into an open parking spot at the side of the street, put the truck
in park and turned to her.

She was holding tight to the door grip and
staring with big eyes through the windshield.

Apparently, he hadn’t swerved carefully
enough.

“Frannie, look at me.”

Slowly, she tore her eyes from the window and
turned her head his way.

And before he could even open his mouth, she
opened hers and the words suddenly spewed out, but this time they
came without hesitancy and they came fast.

“I just want you to know that isn’t why I
agreed to do what I agreed to do with Valentine in regards to
Circe. To take her from you. To create a clear path for me. That
was not my intention at all. Those are no longer my ways. Well,
they are, obviously with what Valentine and I are planning. A
little intrigue. Some conniving. But not for sport. And not to
harm. Our meaning is kind. It’s actually the natural order of
things, in a way. But if you intend to continue on with her or,
have, well…” she swallowed and it looked painful, “
already
started things up again on your return, that’s not my business. Or
it is, in the sense that I should know so I can tell Valentine and
we can stop doing what we’re doing so you can have a chance or,
erm, whatever…with what you intend with Circe. And I will just…you
and I will simply—”