Smother (9 page)

“You’re scaring kids.”

Reese scratched at a spot on her forehead where the mask rubbed against her skin. “I’m supposed to be going to a Halloween party at Riddik’s. My friend Amber and some other people will be there.” She didn’t know why she told him that. It wasn’t like he cared or wanted to know.

“So go.” Leo’s words agreed with her inward assessment, but the tone argued it.

She frowned at him, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes.

Reese moved out of the way as Batman and Robin stopped by the candy bowl and grabbed handfuls of chocolate. “Don’t forget to come back when you’re eighteen!” she called out as they ran away.

The lady escorting them looked over her shoulder to give her a chastising look. Reese waved back.

Leo moved for her so quickly she backpedaled into the door. He loomed over her, dangerous and sexy with his black clothing and hard features. Reese’s pulse picked up. Even the wounds on his face amplified his looks in a positive way.

“Not funny.”

“A little funny.”

His mouth tightened. “No.”

She crossed her arms and pretended his size didn’t suck up the air around her and burn it like he was a ring of fire she stood within. “I’m promoting you. You should thank me.”

“Except they’re just kids. They don’t need to be thinking about tattoos.”

She frowned at him as he moved away. “I don’t get you.”

His shoulders stiffened as she closed the distance between them. Reese looked up at his profile, liking how the gloomy sky and dim lights of the streetlamps distorted certain aspects of his face while enhancing others. Shadows played with his features, slimming his nose and widening his eyes, adding fullness to his lips that wasn’t customarily there and sharpness to his cheekbones she would normally miss.

Leo looked mysterious, which fit. He was a mystery. He was also purposely closed off to her. She wondered what it would be like to know him, to watch him open up and share some of himself. Reese also knew that would never happen, not with her, and if she really thought logically about it, she knew that was best.

He didn’t want her to know him.

And he was better off not knowing her.

Rubbing her arms against the cold air, she asked, “How long have you lived here?”

“Long enough.”

Not surprised by that answer, Reese moved on. “Why do you stand outside? Your light’s on. We could be inside, warm, instead of out here, cold.”

“Don’t know why you’re still here.” He paused, glancing at her. “The cold doesn’t bother me.”

“Did you have to work hard at becoming a caveman or were you born with the affliction?” Leo blinked at her and Reese softly laughed.

She shrugged when he continued to watch her. “Just keeping it real.”

They stood in quiet, the air chilling as more and more children in costumes and their parents made their stops on Main Street. She hadn’t realized kids trick-or-treated at businesses. When she was a kid, they only went to homes in nearby neighborhoods—mostly because it was only her and her sister, and their mother told them not to venture off too far. Reese shifted uneasily. She didn’t want to think about her childhood.

“I don’t like talking.” Leo’s voice was low.

Reese looked at him. He wouldn’t meet her eyes. With a frown pulling her mouth down, she nodded. “Okay. You’re allowed that.”

Leo opened his mouth, shifted his feet, and looked away. He muttered something, but when she asked him to repeat it, he shook his head.

Night grew and brought less kids to the tattoo shop. Even as she stood in silence, shivering and ignored, she liked the stillness of it. It was calm. Nothing was expected of her and she didn’t feel the need to supply anything. Thoughts of drinking faded, lost their appeal.

“I want you to know something.”

Leo voice was so unexpected and clear that Reese flinched as it broke through the barrier of stillness. She didn’t try to say anything. She was afraid if she replied or acknowledged him in any way, she’d realize he hadn’t really spoken and it was a trick of the imagination, brought on by idleness and lack of attention.

The air shifted, warmed, as he moved to stand next to her. His head was angled away, and that was okay, because she didn’t think she could take it if he looked directly at her. Her nails dug into her palms with the need to tell him to shut up, that she didn’t want to hear whatever he thought she should know, but she bit her tongue to remain mute.

She feared whatever he was about to say would change something between them.

“Sometimes—” he stopped. “Sometimes, people push others away, not to be cruel, but to be kind. And sometimes, when you think someone doesn’t care about you, they really care more than they should. More than is safe.”

She was right. He sliced open a part of her with his words and she knew it would never heal into what it once was.

Her eyebrows lowered as she turned her face up. The overhead light illuminated Leo like he was a broken angel. His hair looked more golden than brown and his eyes were two black holes as he stared back at her, hard face blank with its perfect mask in place. She’d hate to see him without all his many defenses in order. She knew it would be overwhelming.

Reese understood what he was saying, because sometimes, she had similar thoughts. She’d had them toward Leo. She destroyed relationships not only to save herself from pain, but to save others from being hurt by her. She looked away, deciding this was something she would not respond to, not because his words didn’t mean anything to her, but because they did. They meant a lot.

Leo sighed, and with agitated movements, shrugged out of his coat. “Are you staying?” His thunderstorm eyes locked on her.

She nodded.

He shoved his jacket at her.

Hiding a smile, she sank her arms into the long sleeves and wrapped the jacket around her. It was a warm blanket of Leo, and she dipped her face under the collar of it to allow it to completely encompass her.

“What are you doing?”

“Nothing.” Reese met his perplexed eyes as she popped her chin up over the collar. “Why’d you move here?”

He watched her face as he debated, then finally answered. “I needed a change.”

“Where’d you move from?”

Leo rubbed his jaw as he said, “Somewhere else.”

“And your name—Chavez—it doesn’t really fit your pale coloring and hair.” She raised her eyebrows, wondering if he’d supply a legitimate response or decide he was done allowing her digging and picking. Although, none of his answers were all that revealing.

“I can’t help that.”

“How’d you get the cops to kick those people out of the apartments?”

“I own them.”

“The cops or the apartments?”

He gave her a dark look.

“That’s not a good enough reason,” she argued. “You can’t just decide you no longer want someone living in your building without just cause to have them removed.”

“Rent was late.”

She laughed and shoved at his shoulder.

He frowned at her.

“You’re a liar. I mean, maybe it was late, but that’s not why you had them kicked out.”

One eyebrow lifted. “No?”

“No.” She shook her head, watching as lights began to blink out downtown—trick-or-treating was officially over. “You did it because they did something you didn’t like. What was it? Was it the smoking?”

Leo closed the distance between them. “They were a bad influence.”

She blinked up at him. “On who?”

His lips barely moved as he said, “You.”

Heat blossomed in her cheeks. She wasn’t sure if she should be flattered or furious by that declaration. “You don’t run my life. Stop acting like you can, especially when you say I need to run it myself.”

He shrugged and moved away, grabbing a miniature candy bar from the low supply in the bowl. He removed the wrapper and popped it in his mouth. His indifference to her statement grated on her nerves. That dismissal said she could say and think whatever she wanted, but it didn’t change what was.

Deciding she’d had enough of his highhandedness and vague answers, Reese tugged the jacket off and whipped it at him. Satisfaction unfurled within when it smacked him on the side of the head. With a glower, he caught the jacket against his chest.

“Time for me to get drunk. Have fun eating your chocolate.” She sauntered away, her cell phone ringing as she reached the corner of the street. “Hello?” she greeted, recognizing Amber’s number.

“Where are you?” Amber shouted into the phone, fast-paced music pounding in the background.

“I’ll be there in twenty,” she said loudly and ended the call. She pulled her mask down, lit a cigarette, and began the mile trek to the club. Knee-high black boots were not the right shoes for the walk, but she didn’t have a car, or a ride, and they went with the costume, so she was going to have to deal.

As she made her way to Riddik’s, the streets became emptier and buildings spaced farther apart to leave patches of grass and nothingness between them. The club was on the edge of town, as if that was as near to Farrow’s Point as the do-gooders would allow. A handful of older kids walked by, one of them whistling at her.

She shook her head and called back, “Keep moving, children. You can’t handle this.” Laughter followed that, along with some words she was thankful she couldn’t make out.

The frosty air kept her company as she walked. By the time she reached the red-sided establishment, she was shivering uncontrollably and her toes were sore from being pinched by the narrow boots.

Music thrummed through her as she stepped inside the dark room. Reese welcomed the hot, cigarette-tainted air that was hard to keep out of the place with people smoking right outside the door. She made her way through an army of bodies and caught the eye of a pirate before she reached the bar. He winked at her with his unpatched eye and she grinned.

“Ahoy, me fair lassie, may I perchance provide you with a rum?” he rumbled in a low voice.

Reese’s grin deepened as she met one green eye. The guy had dark blond hair and a thin, long nose and square jaw, making him look like the perfect swashbuckler to her. The gold hoop earring sealed it.

“You may, but add some soda to it.”

She searched the bar as he ordered her drink, looking for someone in a naughty nurse getup. She spotted Amber’s fiery red hair and short white costume across the room. Her back was to Reese as she made exaggerated hand gestures while talking to a guy, which meant she was probably intoxicated or high.

A cool glass of brown liquid was offered to her and Reese took it as she turned back to the rakish pirate.

“So . . . Cat-woman,” he mused, one eyebrow lifted.

“So . . . Captain Hook.” She took a large swallow of the drink, tasting the too-sweet rum more than anything, and figured it was just as well. The more liquor, the quicker she had fun. “Thanks for the drink.”

“Thanks for the dance.”

“What?”

He took her drink and set it down, then grabbed her hand and pulled her into the dancing area that was set apart from the bar. The beat of the song was fast, the bass was loud, and Reese let it pull her into its grip, moving with it. She liked to feel good, desired and wanted. A lot of things did that to her, and one of them was dancing.

When the pirate moved against her, the heat of his body seeped into her, and she closed her eyes and let her head fall back. She raised her arms above her head as she moved, his hands sliding up and down her sides as his hips rocked with hers. Dancing was like sex—instinctive, passionate, and when done with a proper partner, amazing. The pirate had skills. Nice, fluid moves that told her he would be good in bed.

She turned to face him, tugging the eye patch up so two green eyes were visible. She smiled when he winked again and moved his face close to hers. Their bodies touched, the taut material of her outfit keeping things tamer between them than she’d like. He raised his arms and the billowy white sleeves of his shirt framed either side of her face as he cupped it.

He put his lips on hers, the gentle brush of them as he spoke making heat blaze through her. “I can be a good pirate or a bad one. Which would you prefer?”

This man was a stranger. She knew nothing about him. He could hurt her. She shivered—not sure if she was fearful or excited about that.

Reese licked her lips, watching his eyes darken as they followed the movement. “Get me another drink and I’ll let you know.”

He studied her as music pounded around them. Still holding her face, he swooped in, kissing her hard and fast. His tongue played with hers, his teeth nipped at her lips before his mouth took charge of hers once more. She was burning up, torn. Reese needed more, but also wanted to push him away. She twisted her fingers in his hair and tugged, liking it when he moaned into her mouth.

She would regret this, like she always did, but the high of the moment was too strong to stop. Abruptly ending the kiss, Reese refused to look at him as she grabbed his hand and pulled. The room was darker than when she arrived, smoke coming up from the fog machines on the floor. Voices were louder and shot out from all angles of the room to surround her. She rode the sound waves out the door with her nameless pirate behind her.

Bitter cold cocooned her as she made her way to the back of the building. The only sound, other than their breathing, was that of gravel crunching beneath her boots as she moved. He pulled his wrist from her grip and grabbed hers. He yanked her to him and held her against him with an arm under her breasts. Her back curved against him in acquiescence, wanting this, needing this.

He moved them to the building, pressed into her so Reese’s front was flush with the side of the dance club, but her lower half was accessible. His hand reached up and found her breast, squeezing it through the material of her costume, and when that didn’t satisfy him, he found the zipper of the suit and slowly pulled it down her torso, exposing her breasts. Fingers roughened by callouses moved over them. She pressed her cheek to the cold stone of the building, feeling it singe her. Cold always felt hot, after a time.

“I’m guessing you want the bad pirate,” he rasped against the side of her neck, his jaw stubble abrading the sensitive flesh as he spoke.