Page 2 of Air Of Mystery
“Yes.”
“That tracks,” Charlie said, not taking his eyes from my face.
His stillness and non-reaction had me lifting my brows. “Does the paranormal make you uncomfortable Mr. Smythe?”
“Not at all,” he said easily.
The air was practically crackling with electricity and tension between us. I’d never experienced anything like it. Sizing him up every bit as carefully as he was studying me, a sudden insight slammed into me.
There’s an air of mystery about him,I realized, as he continued to hold my hand.Shadows in his eyes, and scars on his soul.
“Dance with me,” he said.
Taking in his name badge, I tipped my head to one side. “Aren’t you on duty?”
“I’m on break,” he said.
“In that case…” I slipped my free hand into the crook of his opposite arm, and we headed toward the dance floor.
He took me in his arms, and I discovered that he was solid as a rock. Fighting back a very inappropriate purr of appreciation, I resisted the urge to let my fingers trail over his shoulder.
Even as he’d danced with me and carried on a polite conversation, I could tell he was scanning the room, looking for trouble or a security issue. It was impressive seeing him at work and yet still managing to keep his attention on me at the same time.
I tried to dismiss the intense physical attraction that I felt for him by telling myself it was simply a natural feminine awareness. A tall, attractive, and very buff Alpha male was bound to make any woman perk up a bit. With my left hand on his shoulder and my right hand in his, we danced around thefloor. Once, then twice. By the third dance we were standing closer together, close enough that my breasts had brushed against his chest.
He had just pulled me in closer when our enchanted evening hit a snag. There’d been a security incident and Charlie was called away.
The ‘incident’ ended up being my sister Cordelia facing down the stalker who was hell bent on killing her. Cordelia had thrown down some major elemental magick that night to defeat her attacker, and Charlie had witnessed it all.
To his credit, I heard that he’d barely blinked. Maybe it was an ex-military thing. But he didn’t freak out, and he didn’t interrogate anyone in my family for answers that night. Instead he simply seemed to take it all in stride.
Now I wasn’t merely interested in the man, I was completely fascinated.
Unfortunately, I wouldn’t see him again until the following spring when Cordelia and Tim got married.
The ceremony and reception were also held at the beautifully gothic Marquette Mansion; and I was standing up as a bridesmaid for my youngest sister—which allowed me zero free time. The family had all stayed at the hotel for the weekend, and we were crazy busy with the wedding. Meaning that I had only spotted Charlie from a distance, which was probably for the best.
Because my reaction to him was visceral.
My heart raced and my stomach tightened every single time I caught a glimpse of him. I considered going over to talk to him, but he seemed to be there one moment and gone the next. After a few times, I gave up. Besides, if he had truly wanted to talk to me, then he would have. Cordelia inviting him to join us for breakfast the morning after the wedding didn’t count. Worse,Kenna had practically strong armed him into sitting right next to me.
Once he took his seat we didn’t look at each other, let alone speak. Using the unoriginal explanation of needing to get going—because I’d volunteered to take my parents to the airport—I’d excused myself and headed up to my room to pack.
My mind on a dozen different things, I was fishing around in my purse one-handed, trying to find my car keys, while simultaneously rolling my luggage through the lobby and out the door...and suddenly he was there right beside me.
“Allow me,” he said, taking the rolling suitcase from my hand.
“Oh!” I jumped in surprise. I hadn’t heard him approach. “Thanks.”
Before I could say anything else he was taking the garment bag from me as well and draping it over one of his arms. “Let me walk you out to your car.”
“Okay,” I said, inwardly cringing at my awkwardness around the man. Then a second later I felt even more self-conscious, wishing that I had something better on than jeans, a casual shirt, and a basic face.
He held the hotel lobby door open for me, and I followed him out to the parking area. “What are your plans for the day?” he asked as we walked across the lot.
“I’m taking my folks to the airport this morning to catch their flight back to Florida,” I told him. “I thought I’d zip down a bit early, load up my car, and pull it over to the entrance for them. So it would be easier—I mean faster—for them to load their luggage.”
And I’m babbling,I realized. Which I never did. Taking a deep breath, I made the supreme effort not to sound so nervous. Relieved that we’d arrived at my gray sedan, I blew out a calming breath and popped the locks on the trunk.
