Page 9 of Shift of Destiny
4
Chance had never smelled anything so utterly perfect in his entire life as the woman in his arms. He would have liked to spend more time savoring the complex flavors of her scent, but she was pushing away, flustered, and his beast was roaring in his mind, surging to take form, right there in broad daylight. He stepped back as he clamped down on his jaw and concentrated on human thoughts. Driving his truck in rush-hour traffic. Marking a frame for a door hinge. Reading an architectural drawing. Kissing the woman in front of him.Not helping!
The subtle caress of her magic gave rise to an unsubtle hardening in his pants. Thankfully, his loose T-shirt covered the growing bulge that his jeans wouldn’t hide for long. Just in case, he raised his arm so his sack of groceries covered his awakening desire.
“Sorry,” she said. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” he replied, trying to smile. Wonder and delight bloomed with the realization that this gorgeous, sunny,tréssexy, fragile human woman was his beast’s choice for a mate. Terror and dismay took over as he realized the countless ways he could screw it up.
“I stepped on your foot, didn’t I?” Remorse tinged her voice. “I’m so sorry. I’m a menace.”
If he was like every other male shifter he’d known who’d just stumbled across his mate, he undoubtedly looked like a thunderstruck goofball. “I’m, uh, fine.”
His beast clamored at him to pay attention to his mate, not his own worries. Beyond her mesmerizing eyes and full lips that he wanted to explore with his own, she looked pale and tired. The scent of feminine desire bloomed with her magic, and he could almost see it reaching for him. He trembled with the need to take her into his arms and find the nearest cave to join body and spirit with her, but that was out of the question. Not until she knew exactly what she was getting into, which meant first telling her the truth of who he was and not scaring the life out of her in the process. Not to mention finding someone to teach her how to use her magic, showing her who else really lived in Kotoyeesinay, and dealing with whatever had her needing sanctuary so badly that the elven magic had drawn her to town. It was just his luck to find the most difficult road possible to happiness with his destined mate.
“I wasn’t watching, either, so it was my fault as much as yours.” He made himself step back, in case he was crowding her, and gave her a more genuine smile. “Let’s take each other to dinner to make amends.” His beast snorted disdainfully at the cheesy pickup line.Shut up,he told the beast.It’s better than leaving a gift of a dead snake at her doorstep.
She raised her eyebrows, then winced and frowned. Finally, she shook her head and laughed, throwing off whatever she’d been thinking. “I’m a hot mess right now, but I’m too hungry to turn you down.” She wiped away a sheen of perspiration from her forehead as she smoothed her hair. “Could we go back to the Blue Fairy? I’d like to thank Aurelio for all his help. The food smelled really good, and tonight, I actually have money.” She patted her chest pocket, which drew his attention to her lushly rounded breasts. His mouth watered.
“Sounds good.” He pointed toward the street. “Let’s take my truck. It’ll save me from having to come back for it later.” She looked dead on her feet, and besides, he didn’t want to share her with the other pedestrians, even if it was just for a few blocks. He glanced down the alleyway behind them. “Did you get the job at Turn of the Cards?”
"Yes.” She frowned. “Mr. Maxen has no idea about money, though. He tried to pay me way too much.”
“That’s a nice problem to have,” he teased, hoping to coax another smile from her.
She turned away to look at a display window. “Not as nice as you’d think.”
Clearly, he needed to have a talk with Iolo Maxen to find out what that was about, but it could wait.
He walked around the front of the truck to unlock and open the passenger door for her. She slid her backpack off and dropped it and her hoodie at her feet as she climbed in. Her scent made his chest and neck flush. He closed her door gently, then walked quickly around and let himself in so he could start the engine and turn on the air conditioning. The cab was hot from the summer sun, but its small area meant it cooled quickly.
As he drove, he caught fleeting expressions of worry on her face when she thought he wasn’t looking. He couldn’t think of anything else to do but feed her and hope she’d tell him what was bothering her.
At the diner, Aurelio steered them to a small, two-person booth toward the back and told him their meals were on the house because Chance had helped the night before. Moira protested that she hadn’t done anything, and she’d wanted to repay Aurelio’s kindness, but he wouldn’t hear of it.
“That was the best trout I’ve ever had.” She pushed her plate away. “How was your Carnivore’s Delight pizza?”
“Good.” He’d never ordered off the tourist menu before, but Su Yen was a true genius in the kitchen.
Chance was glad Moira didn’t suffer from the odd human female affliction of trying to impress him with how little she ate. She’d ordered a full dinner and cleaned her plate, and enjoyed the surprise delivery of lemon meringue pie with obvious relish. Her little moans of pleasure went straight to his groin, leaving him hard and aching in jeans that had become too tight from the moment they sat down and he’d gotten a nose full of her delectable scent. The essence of her called to his blood.
Moira looked more relaxed than she’d been before, but her right eye blinked a little too often, like something irritated it. He noticed that it happened whenever her subtle magic flared, and it belatedly occurred to him that her magic was fighting the town spells and charms that hid the true world of magic from her. No wonder his woman was exhausted. Except she wasn’t his, yet.
“Do you believe in magic?” he asked as casually as he could, before he lost his nerve.
“Like the song? The one that was playing when we walked in?” She smiled, then looked thoughtful. “I don’t believe in the woo-woo stuff like the town pushes, or like Mr. Maxen’s customers talk about. But I believe in mundane magic. The smell of bacon, or the design of a spider web, or meeting someone you connect with right away, as if you’ve always known them, you just forgot for a moment.” She blushed and looked away, then met his gaze again with a vulnerable, hopeful look. “I feel like that with you. I know it sounds crazy. I promise I’m not a stalker.”
He admired her bravery more than anything. He reached across the table to capture her fingers and give them a quick squeeze. “I feel that, too.” She didn’t know the half of it, but it gave him hope that he wasn’t going there by himself. He gave her a teasing smile. “Iama stocker, though. Night shift.”
She got the joke a heartbeat later and laughed. “You’re a punny man.” She folded her napkin into a neat rectangle and placed it on the table. “What about you? Do you believe in magic?”
His tactical error hit him hard. If he said he didn’t, he’d be lying to his mate, and if he said he did, he’d be alienating her. “Some kinds,” he temporized. “Uh, what time is it?”
“Eight thirty-five, according to the diner’s clock. What time do you have to be at work?”
“Nine,” he answered automatically. Except he didn’t, because he’d resigned the night before, and had to be out of his apartment in two days. Great. Nothing impressed a woman like being both jobless and homeless.
“We’d better get going, then, so you aren’t late.” She stood and slipped her backpack onto her shoulders. He’d noticed she unconsciously touched it often, like a talisman.
