"What time should I meet you?" he murmured.
I looked down, suddenly feeling warm. "It's a late show..."
His hand slid from my cheek to the back of my neck, intertwining with my hair and tipping my face toward his. "You want to hang out beforehand?"
"We shouldn't." My words all seemed long and drawn-out, like I was swimming in molasses.
Roman leaned over and kissed my ear. "I'll be at your place at seven."
"Seven," I repeated.
His lips moved to kiss the part of my cheek closest to my ear, then the cheek's center, then just below my mouth. His lips hovered so close to mine; my whole body concentrated on that proximity. I could feel the heat from his mouth, like it had its own private aura. Everything moved in slow motion. I wanted him to kiss me, wanted him to consume me with his lips and his tongue. I wanted it and feared it, yet felt powerless to act either way.
"Can I get you something else?"
The waiter's mildly embarrassed voice shattered my numbing haze, snapping me back to reason, reminding me what would happen to Roman even with a kiss. Not too much, true, but enough. I broke out of his grasp and shook my head. "Nothing else. Just the check."
Roman and I spoke little after that. He drove me home and made no advances when he walked me to the door, only smiling kindly as he chucked me under the chin again and reminded me he'd be by at seven on Saturday.
I went to bed restless and aching for sex. The alcohol helped me fall asleep easily, but when I awoke in the morning, lying in bed in a drowsy state, I could still remember how it had felt to have his lips so close to mine. The lustful yearning returned with a vengeance.
"This is no good," I complained to Aubrey, rolling out of bed.
I had three hours before work and knew I needed to do something other than daydream about Roman. Remembering that I had never followed up with Erik, I decided I should pay him a visit. The vampire hunter theory was more or less obsolete as far as I was concerned, but he might have found something else of use. I could also ask him about fallen angels.
Considering the whole "stashing" threat, I probably should have experienced more concern about going back to Arcana, Ltd. Still, I felt more or less safe. One thing I had learned about the archdemon was that he was not a morning person. He didn't really need rest, of course, but it was a mortal luxury he'd taken to wholeheartedly. I expected him to still be asleep, wherever he was, with no way of knowing what I planned to do.
Dressing and eating breakfast, I soon hit the road to Lake City. I found the shop effortlessly now, feeling dismay once more at its barren look and empty parking lot. Yet, when I entered, I saw a dark shape leaning over a corner of books, too tall to be Erik. Pleasure at the thought of Erik getting more business coursed through me until the figure straightened and fixed me with a sardonic, gray-eyed expression.
"Hello, Georgina."
I swallowed. "Hello, Carter."
CHAPTER 13
Carter picked up a book and leafed through it lazily. His stringy blond hair had been stuffed under a backward baseball cap, and his flannel shirt appeared to have seen better days.
"Looking for altar supplies?" he asked me without glancing up. "Or maybe here to brush up on your astrology?"
"It's none of your business why I'm here," I snapped back, too flustered at the sight of him to think of anything funny or even plausible.
The gray eyes looked up. "Does Jerome know you're here?"
"It's not his business either. Why? Are you going to tattle on me?"
My words came out boldly, though part of me kept thinking if Carter really was the one behind the attacks, I'd have a lot more to worry about than Jerome's wrath.
"Maybe." He closed the book, holding it between his palms. "Of course, I suspect the long-term entertainment value will be greater for me if I just keep quiet and let your schemes proceed uninterrupted."
"I don't know what 'schemes' you're talking about. Can't a girl go shopping without getting the third degree? You don't hear me grilling you about why you're here."
The truth was, I burned to know what he was doing. It didn't surprise me that he knew Erik - we all did - but finding him here in light of everything that had happened lately only furthered my suspicions.
"Me?" He held up the book he'd been glancing through. Teach Yourself Witchcraft in 30 Days or Less. "I need to make up for lost time."
"Cute," I acknowledged.
"Commendation from a master. I'm honored. Have I given you sufficient time to come up with an equally cute alibi?" He set the book down.
"Miss Kincaid." Erik shuffled into the room before I could answer. "I'm so pleased to see you. My friend just dropped off the earrings you asked for."
I stared, momentarily puzzled, and then I remembered the pearl necklace, as well as the earrings I'd offhandedly requested.
"I'm glad he was able to do it so quickly."
"Nice recovery," conceded Carter in an undertone.
I ignored him.
Erik opened a small box for me, and I peered inside. Three tiny strands of freshwater pearls, just like the ones from the necklace, dangled from the delicate copper wires of each earring.
"They're beautiful," I told him. I meant it. "Thank your friend. I have a dress these will look great with."
"That must be a relief," noted Carter, watching Erik ring the earrings up at the counter. "Proper accessories, I mean. Cody tells me you're doing a lot of dating these days. I don't suppose you read the book I sent you."
I slid my credit card over to Erik. Cody had seen my male entourage at the dance lesson, but I'd only told him about my subsequent date with Roman yesterday.
"When did you talk to Cody?"
"Last night."
"Funny, so did I. And here you are today. Are you following me around?"
Carter's eyes danced merrily. "I was here first. Maybe you're following me around. Maybe you're starting to get into this dating thing and want to find a cunning way to come on to me."
I signed the credit card slip and handed it back to a quiet, listening Erik. "Sorry. I like my men to have a bit more life in them."
Carter chuckled quietly at my joke. Sex with other immortals gave me no energy payoff. "Georgina, sometimes I think you might be worth following around, just to hear what you'll say next."
Erik looked up. If he felt discomfort at being in the crossfire of two immortals, he did not show it. "Then perhaps you'd like to join us for tea, Mr. Carter? You were going to stay, weren't you, Miss Kincaid?"
I gave Erik one of my better smiles. "Yes, of course."
"Mr. Carter?"
"Thank you, but no. I've got things to do, and from the way I understand it, Georgina operates best one man at a time. It was nice seeing you as always, Erik. Thanks for chatting. As for you, Georgina... well, I'm sure I'll be seeing you very soon."
Something in those words chilled me. It took every ounce of my resolve to sound calm as I called out to him. "Carter?"
His hands touched the door. Pausing, he glanced back at me and arched an eyebrow in acknowledgment.
"Does Jerome know you're here?"
A slow, sly smile spread across the angel's face.
"Are you going to tattle on me now, Georgina? And here I thought we were making such progress. Perhaps we should have drawn out the small talk a bit more. You could have asked me if the weather would change soon, I might have commented how pretty you looked today, etc., etc. You know how it goes."
I blinked. His words this time invoked the note on my door.
You are a beautiful woman, Georgina. Beautiful enough, I think, to even tempt angels into falling...
Was he leaving me more clues? Toying with me in the way Cody had suggested? Or was I reading too much into this? Was he still just annoying Carter, bane of my existence, tormenting me like always? I honestly didn't know, but I still believed of all angels to be taking down evil immortals in the city, Carter had the most opportunity.
"How pretty am I then?" My voice caught slightly. "Pretty enough to fall for?"
The angel's lips twitched. "I knew you were coming on to me. See you later, Georgina, Erik." He opened the door and left.
I stood there, watching his retreating figure. "What was he doing here?"
Erik set a tray with two cups down on the small table. "Come now, Miss Kincaid. I keep your secrets. You can't expect me to do any less for him."