Our bodies stopped spinning before my head did. I shook off the dizziness and pushed up. My head swiveled like a crazed bobble-head, searching sideways, back, above. I checked every angle of approach, narrowing my eyes to focus into the shadows. Nothing. No danger lurked.
I closed my eyes, concentrated, but couldn't feel the demon. I knew it was gone. Which meant … what exactly? Maybe someone showing up scared it off. I chewed on that thought and the inside of my cheek as adrenaline evaporated. A voice broke my mental train to nowhere.
"Uh, do you mind?"
I glanced down and saw something far scarier than any demon. A guy. My age. All smoldering good-looks and gorgeous. And I was on top of him. Straddling his hips. Oh, jeez. Adrenaline reserves kicked in but only punched the air from my lungs and left me frozen in … fear? Shock? Embarrassment? Take your pick.
My vocal chords refused to vibrate. I could only stare. Smooth skin, cheekbones chiseled by the gods, strong jaw, straight nose. The tumble hadn't mussed his so-black-it-shone-blue hair styled in a rakish devil-may-care look. He should've been sauntering half-naked along a South Pacific beach, all glistening skin and casual sensuality, a lazy smile filled with promise playing on full lips.
But it was the eyes that kept me staring.
Fringed by thick lashes, the deep brown shimmered with crimson and amber hues that sucked me into their simmering depths. Intrigued by their luminescent quality, I leaned in for a closer look, pulled by the kind of curiosity that no doubt put the cat six feet under. My head was still fuzzy from all the excitement, and when earthy aromas of fresh cut grass, leather, and a pleasurable musk filled my senses, I almost sighed.
Just as my hands noted the soft cotton of his T-shirt and the hard muscles rippling underneath, I felt a flash of heat where our bodies touched. His jaw set. He ran his hands up my thighs and settled just above my hips. His fingers dug into my flesh and pulled my upper body forward. I wondered with vague panic why I wasn't pushing away from the kiss he was about to pull me into-when his torso tightened and he flung me into the air.
Hmmm, read that one wrong.
I landed with a thud for the umpteenth time that evening and laid on my back trying to catch my breath and soothe my ego. Damp grass chilled my skin through the wet shirt. Salty perspiration stung my eyes. I pushed back the long mass of matted curls plastered against my face. Sweat. My new hair gel. Yummy.
The exotic guy stood and turned a full circle, eyeing our surroundings in a slight crouch. Finally, he turned away, dropped his head, relaxed his broad shoulders, and inhaled slow, deep.
"Sorry, didn't see you in time." His voice rumbled deep as he turned around sporting a frown that took the sincerity out of the "sorry."
"Sure." I got up, prepared to haughtily refuse his offer of help. It never came. Instead, he backed away.
Unwilling to meet his gaze, I checked out the rest. I'm taller than most guys my age but he beat me by several inches, easily over six-feet. His black leather jacket fell open to a grey T-shirt decorated with an artfully rendered black skull. Black pants dripping with chains, a brushed-silver belt buckle with some intricate design, and combat boots finished the ensemble.
He looked like trouble. Dark sexy trouble. The kind of trouble smarter girls than me had fallen into with disastrous results-and few regrets. I retreated a step to distance myself from the allure. Then something other than his swoon factor caught my attention. Something weird. It looked like hazy grey vapor coiled off his broad shoulders. I squinted.
"I think you're smoking."
A heavy silence followed. When I caught his gaze, his eyes were only a dark rich chocolate and sparked with nothing but amusement. That lazy grin I knew he possessed slid across those sensuous lips. It was even better than I imagined.
"Wow." He crossed his arms over his muscular chest and cocked his head. "Forward. Aggressive. I like it."
It took me a second then my intestines cringed.
"No, I-I didn't-"
"Don't be embarrassed." His gaze imprisoned mine, that mischievous smile wreaking havoc on my composure. "I'm flattered. Girls around here aren't usually so … bold. It's refreshing."
My cheeks flamed nuclear. "I didn't mean you were hot."
He raised a doubtful brow. "You didn't?"
"No. I mean, not that you aren't," my hands fluttered, "kind of good-looking. I suppose." Great, Aurora, let's choke that humiliation noose even tighter.
"You're quite the smooth talker." His grin never slipped. "Thanks."