Читать книгу Straight By The Rules - Michelle Scott - Страница 13

Chapter Four

To my relief, it was William who stepped through the doorway. He still wore the tight T-shirt and snug jeans that he’d worn on our trip up the mountain – things that made him ruggedly handsome. A pleasant tingle spread throughout my body. How was it possible that every time I saw him, he grew more attractive?

Seeing me sitting on the bed, he threw me an impish smile. “I’m glad to see you ready and waiting for me.”

“Stop it!” I scolded, my cheeks heating up. I longed to grab his hand and drag him onto the bed with me. Then that tight T-shirt of his would wind up in the corner of the room along with my bra and panties. Someday, I thought, drawing in a deep breath. Someday, I’d have my way with him. But not yet.

He sat on the edge of the bed. The mischievous light in his eyes softened, becoming more affectionate. “I’ve been thinking about what you said on the mountain. I know that you’re worried that I’m treating you like one of my marks, but it isn’t true.” He took my hand and stroked my fingers. “You mean a great deal to me. I’ve told you that before, and I mean it. You’ve found your way into my heart.”

My chest swelled with affection. William was seldom serious, but when he was, it was like I could see a sliver of his soul. I loved that he made himself vulnerable to me. No doubt, I was the only woman in the world who had ever seen this side of him.

I ran my fingers along his jaw, stroking the sexy bit of stubble that he’d left there. I could take this man to bed for days at a time, feasting on nothing but him. “I’m sorry that I’m so insecure,” I said, “but the way you looked at that hiker – ”

“ – was only part of the job,” he finished. “I seduce women. It’s what Helen forces me to do.”

“And do you like your job?” I asked softly.

“I used to,” he admitted. “In fact, nothing pleased me more. Making conquests was my only goal in life.” He moved closer to me and brushed a lock of my hair away from my face. “But since I’ve met you, things have changed. I only want one woman in my life now.”

If only it was that easy! Even if I trusted him to continue being the human William that I wanted and not the lust-ridden incubus that I hated, there was still the matter of our contracts. Helen had made it very clear that neither of us was to fall in love. If we did, we would suffer the consequences, all of which were all spelled out in fine print. “Have you forgotten our contracts, William?”

“I don’t give a damn about the contracts,” he growled. “I want you, Lil. I’ll deal with Helen in whatever way I need to if it means that I can have you.”

Having him say that boosted my courage. I didn’t think I’d be able to defy Helen on my own, but with William’s help, I might stand a chance. I decided to let him in on my plan. I slipped the little notebook from under my pillow and showed William the page where I’d written my goals.

“You shouldn’t put anything in writing,” he said seriously. “If Helen ever found this, you’d end up in a world of trouble.”

“Writing helps me think,” I said. “It’s like brainstorming.”

“She has spies everywhere.”

Good point. Still, she wouldn’t bother me as long as she thought I was playing by her rules. She had other things to worry about, like her new assistant’s inability to get our assignments right.

I returned the notebook to the drawer in my nightstand. “I just wanted you to know that I’m serious about this.” I stuck out my chin defiantly. “I am going to get out of that contract!”

His luscious lips turned up in a smile. “I’ve heard those same words from the other women in your line, but you’re the only one who made me believe it. You’re a rare woman, Lilith.”

He pulled me to him and dipped his head towards mine. His perfect lips were slightly parted, and I met his kiss eagerly. This was what my body had been craving all along. His touch. His taste. How could I refuse him when I so desperately wanted it?

“Aunt Lilith!” Ariel called from the other room. Footsteps pounded down the hallway. “Aunt Lilith!”

In a heartbeat, William was off of the bed and through the otherworld doorway. Before he disappeared into Hell, he gave me a wink and a smile. “I’ll be back,” he promised.

Neil came over a few hours later to pick up Tommy. Tommy’s friend was small and ratty and wore his dark hair slicked back against his skull like he was auditioning for a role in Grease. He stank of cigarettes. He had less metal and more ink than Tommy. Both of Neil’s arms were covered with so much color that he looked like the Sunday comics. Ariel couldn’t take her eyes off of him.

“Cool tats,” she said, awed. She now had a few of her own. To fill his empty hours, Tommy had begun drawing henna tattoos. He’d made several on Ariel’s face and arms. Her favorite was a cat sitting upright with its tail curled under its chin. “See?” She lifted the sleeves of her T-shirt to show Neil. “Tommy did this.”

Neil flicked his eyes at the tattoos. “Uh, great. Tommy, you ready to go or what?”

Ari grew tearful. “Don’t leave!”

Tommy hugged her. “I’ll miss you, too, but I’ll be at Lilith’s birthday party on Sunday. Isn’t that right, Jasmine?”

Jasmine’s mouth and eyes tightened as she struggled to hold back her tears. “Okay. Sure.”

He brushed his lips against her cheek. “You know I’m not going back to India,” he said. “Only Ferndale, right?”

She nodded then turned to Neil. “Tommy takes his meds every six hours, and he shouldn’t be drinking coffee because it upsets his stomach. Also, he needs his sleep, so none of your all-night Xbox parties. And for God’s sake, don’t let him get another tattoo!”

“I can see why you wanted to leave,” Neil muttered.

Tommy and I hugged so awkwardly that our bodies hardly touched. “Take care of yourself,” I told him.

“You, too, Lilith.”

Neil blinked. “Wait, you’re Lilith? The Lilith?” Suddenly, he was more interested. I was dying to ask what Tommy had been saying about me, but with Jas and Ari in the room, it didn’t seem like a good idea.

Neil picked up Tommy’s battered duffel bag, then with a final look at me, he and Tommy left.

Ariel burst into tears and ran to her room, slamming the door behind her. Jas sniffed a few times and wiped her eyes. Already, the flat seemed too empty.

“I promised to take Ariel to the Coney Island for dinner,” I said. “Do you want to come along?”

“I can’t. I have a job interview.”

I hadn’t heard news so shocking since I’d found out that I was to become a succubus. “Are you serious?”

Jas nodded. “It’s only a waitressing gig in Greektown near the casino, but a friend of mine works there, and she says the tips are pretty good.”

“Jas, that’s amazing! What brought this about?” For the past three years, my dad, Jas’s mom, and I had been nagging my stepsister to find a job.

She shrugged and folded the blanket that had been lying on the couch. “I want to get my own place.” She held the folded blanket to her chest. “I was hoping Tommy would move in with me if I did.”

I’d never thought of Jasmine as the type to settle down with a guy. Especially not a guy as decent as Tommy. I hugged her.

When I let go, she slowly sank onto the couch. Worry lines furrowed her forehead. “I don’t know if he’ll do it, though. Move in with me, I mean. I’m not sure if he’s into me.”

I had no doubt that he loved her. “Honey, he crossed three continents to keep you from marrying Karl!”

“True.” She smiled sadly. “But now he’s so distant.”

I didn’t let on that I’d noticed. “He’s still not feeling well,” I said. “Once he’s better, things will change.”

“Maybe.” Jas pressed her face into the folded blanket for a moment. When she resurfaced, she said, “The worst part is that he sends me mixed messages. I mean, he hardly ever holds my hand, and he won’t kiss me, but he spends all this time drawing tattoos on me.”

“He does the same thing for Ariel,” I said.

“No, you don’t understand. This is way different from those cats and stars he puts on her arms. Look.” She turned around and lifted the back of her shirt. Inked in henna between her shoulder blades was an intricate mandala, one of the most beautiful designs I’d ever seen. “He drew it the other night. He lit candles and played this CD of chants that he’d picked up in Tibet. And the way he touched me! There was nothing innocent about it, believe me. I lay there for two hours feeling his hands brushing against my skin. Two hours!” She shook her head. “Do you have any idea how sexy that was?”

I imagined lying on my bed while William lovingly drew patterns on my naked back. I started to feel warm. “Yes, I can imagine.”

She lowered her shirt. “He’s driving me crazy! If he doesn’t do something about it soon, I swear I’ll…” She screamed into the blanket.

While I patted her shoulder and consoled her, I wondered where I could get my hands on a CD of Tibetan chants and some henna paste.

Only the promise of a Coney dog lured Ariel out of her room. We went to East End Coney and sat at our favorite booth by the window overlooking the broad expanse of Lake St. Clair. From here, we could see the yachts and fishing boats traveling the famous, nautical mile.

With Grace gone, Ariel and I were spending a lot more time together. To my delight, Ari had not only warmed up to me, she had also lost her habitual scowl. She’d even started smiling at people.

I’d also found out some surprising things about her. Like the fact that she enjoyed eating French fries with mayonnaise instead of ketchup (something she had learned from one of her mother’s many boyfriends), she loved lions (which was the reason Tommy had started her on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), and she was surprisingly good at basketball (despite her small stature). I’d signed her up for a three-week basketball camp so that she could make friends before the school year started, and the coach had taken me aside to remark how well Ari could pass and dribble.

Ariel ordered her usual: two chili dogs with no onions, fries, and a Coke. I ordered a gyro and a small Greek salad.

“Where should we go for your birthday?” I asked. My stepdad and I had consecutive birthdays, so every year we shared a party. This year, Ariel would be a part of the tradition as well since she was turning twelve in less than a month. I wanted to throw her a real party since I didn’t think she’d ever had one before. I planned to invite the girls from the basketball camp. “Have you ever been to the zoo? They have lions there.”

Ari seemed less enthusiastic about the party than I thought she’d be. “Yeah, okay.”

“Or we could take everyone to play miniature golf,” I offered.

She shrugged again. The waitress brought over our drinks and Ariel sipped her Coke thoughtfully. “Do you think Tommy would want to date my mother?”

I nearly spilled my iced tea. Ariel’s mother was currently in jail for child endangerment, possession of narcotics, and drunk driving. There was no way in hell I’d introduce her to Tommy. If my sister-in-law saw what a good guy he was, she’d cling to him like a leech. “I think Tommy’s got his eye on Jasmine,” I said.

“Oh.” Ari slumped in her seat.

“You’re very special to him, though,” I said. “Like a little sister.”

She continued to look disappointed. “I wish he was my dad. My real dad.”

Instead of pointing out that Tommy would have had to father Ariel when he was twelve, I said, “I know what it’s like. Growing up wondering who your dad is.”

“But you know who your dad is.”

I frowned. “I do?”

“It’s Simon? Hel-lo?”

“Simon’s not my real father.” It amazed me that she hadn’t figured this out on her own. “He’s Japanese. I’m not.” Simon hadn’t even adopted me since my mother had never been around long enough to sign the papers.

“Oh, good point.” Ariel mulled this over while she drank her Coke. “Did you ever want to find your real dad?”

The difficult question made me shift uncomfortably. When I became an adult, I’d given up fantasies about finding my sperm donor, figuring I was better off without him. However, once I’d discovered that I could not only see Heaven’s doorways but enter them as well, I’d become curious again. Maybe my father had been one of the many humans my mother had slept with. Then again, maybe he’d been supernatural.

To answer Ari’s question, I settled on a compromise. “I used to want to find him, but after a while, I realized that Simon was the best dad a girl could have. Just like you’ll realize that Tommy is a really good substitute big brother.”

“He is a good big brother,” she said, “but he’d be a really great dad.”

I couldn’t argue with that.

Midway through our meal, Ariel got up to use the bathroom. The moment she left, someone slid into her seat. It seemed that the otherworld had caught up with me again.