The Cat's Meow (8 page)

Kale appeared to understand that a witch’s body enjoyed tenderness. But I didn’t doubt his hands could be rough when he wanted it. I bit my lip and tried my damnedest not to moan. By the time he reached my lower back and kneaded out a tight muscle, one escaped. I sucked it back in, catching a huge sniff of the warm hazelnut oil now worked into my skin, which mixed with Kale’s woodsy scent. Goddess, now my relaxed muscles trembled with need. “That should do it.”

With my back to him, I dressed in my corset again and didn’t dare to look at him. I suspected his expression would be similar to what simmered low in my body. Being in my corset with his stare on me wouldn’t be a wise decision.

I turned down my black duvet, crawled into my king-size sleigh bed, and finally had the nerve to peek at him. He hadn’t moved—his hand still gripped the pot in the exact position I handed it to him, and a large bulge was ever-so-evident in the front of jeans.

After a deep swallow, I forced myself to look away from
that
area of his jeans, and waved him forward. “Here, I need that.”

His piercing eyes stared intently into mine, but he closed in on the bed and offered the pot. I applied the mixture to the balls of my feet and rubbed it in. Once finished, I placed the pot on the nightstand and grabbed the glass of moon potion, taking another few sips. “Okay, good to go.”

“Your magic is complicated.” He chuckled with a shake of his head, but Goddess did his laugh sound deep and seductive, only igniting more flames within my already scorching body.

I stared at my feet and pretended to rub the oil in a little more to avoid him. “Complicated it may be, but it works.”

“Good point.” He raised the blanket up, waiting for me to scoot underneath, as if he was, in fact, caring for me. “Can I help at all?”

“Um…no.” When I glanced up at him, his lips were pressed into a firm line, giving the impression he didn’t enjoy the spell I was about to do. “Stop looking so worried, it’ll be fine.” I tried to find a sneaky motive for why he’d care as much as he showed now. Sadly—or maybe not so sadly—I couldn’t find one.

His brows drew together. “I don’t like you doing this alone where I’m not there to protect you.”

“Well…” The sheer frustration on his face made me pause. For every time I suspected he was out to get me, he’d do something to make me think otherwise. Even if he had a job to do, the gentleness and concern emanating off him couldn’t be faked, and why did my heart flutter that his worry might be genuine? “Not much you can do about that.”

“I know,” he grumbled, turning away, and then he sat down in my wingback rocking chair in the corner of the room. “Will you sleep now?”

I nodded before I lowered my head to the pillow and pulled the warm duvet up around me, inhaling the calm scent of hazelnuts. “If I scream bloody murder, wake me up.”

He frowned. “Do you expect that to happen?”

“It’s a precaution.” I snuggled into my pillow and shut my eyes, willing myself to sleep. Not all that difficult of a task—with all that had happened, exhaustion was easily found, but then an issue rose. Kale might have remained quiet, yet his fierce examination of me continued. “Problem?”

“No.”

“Why are you staring at me?”

He chuckled. “How can you tell when your eyes are closed?”

Because I can feel your sexy eyes all over me.
“I just know, and if you want me to sleep, stop it.”

He hesitated, then said in a dangerous low voice, “I’m looking at the floor.”

Liar.
But I wasn’t about to prove him wrong while I lay in bed. No need to increase the temptation to say screw contacting the spirit and screw Kale instead. Shoving all of
those
thoughts from my mind, I drew in a long breath, focusing away from the naughtiness threatening to overwhelm me, and concentrated on only blackness.

While relaxation settled in and I drifted off, my focus shifted to Kale’s deep breaths, and I allowed the sounds of his breathing to pull me into sleep.

A haze of color sped across my vision: pinks, oranges, and greens. When the colors cleared, I inhaled a sharp breath and I found myself in a meadow. A lovely piece of heaven that made me believe, without a doubt, I was in a dream; flowers didn’t have this type of color in real life.

“You are stunning, witch.”

I spun around and blinked, but my shock remained as I stared at Kale. His gaze burned with a heat, leaving no misunderstanding that he meant what he said. The expression he wore now didn’t compare in the least to what I thought he’d look like when aroused.

“Oh, you have got to be kidding me,” I grumbled. “No way. I’m not having an erotic dream.”

His voice dipped lower, seductive. “Come here, my witch.”

“Go away.” I squeezed my temples hard, praying to the Goddess to stop this insanity. “Go away. Go away.”

Hands gripped my arms and yanked me forward, so I peeked an eye open. Kale looked down at me with a ravenous hunger. “Now why would you want me to leave you?”

“Because I have a job to do.”

Speaking of that job, where the heck was the ghost? I glanced around, even though Kale never let me go, and off by a neon-yellow tree the ghost waited, watching me. He looked exactly the same, without the horror on his face, but had the same height, dark hair color, and average build. “You,” I called to the ghost. “I need to speak to you.”

“A ménage à trois?” Kale murmured. “I’m not pleased, Libby.”

I heaved a sigh. “Goddess, if this is your idea of a joke, it ain’t funny.”

The ghost approached, hesitant in his steps. Kale swiped my hair over my shoulder, leaned down, pressed his lips on my skin, and nibbled. I sucked in a ragged breath as those lips moved perfectly across my flesh.

“Thank you for coming,” I said to the ghost, and demanded that my attention stay away from the sensation of Kale’s talented mouth. Even if it was only dream-Kale, Goddess those lips were…nice.

“Why have you brought me here?” the ghost asked, examining me with dark, cautious eyes.

“I need to find out what happened to you.” I moaned as Kale slid his tongue along the side of my neck and carved a path upward.

“You plan on talking about this while he is doing that?” the ghost accused.

“I won’t be able to stop him.” I tried to maintain my focus as Kale ran his hands along my back and pressed his erection against my hip. “It’s pointless. I’m dreaming and my mind set this scene up, so we have to work around it.”

Kale grunted. “You’re right. You won’t be able to stop me, Libby.”

“All right,” the ghost drawled, and his expression became somewhat amused. “I’ll tell you what happened.”

I shivered as Kale reached down to my bottom, squeezed my butt cheek, and thrust me up against him. My eyes fluttered closed for all of one second before I snapped them open to the ghost. “Sorry. Go on. Be quick about it.”

Kale grabbed my face, turned me to him, and sealed his mouth over mine. I should’ve ignored him, pulled away, or something of that nature, but my body disagreed. It flared with heat and tingled in all the right places. His kisses were possessive and educated, and I found myself lost in the demand of his lips.

As his tongue danced with mine in an embrace to stop time, I realized my mistake. “Would you quit?” I tore away from him, but he held my face in his hands and kissed along my jawline. “I have a job to do and all this kissing is distracting.”

“I don’t care about your job.” Kale exhaled, and the warm caress of his breath along my flesh sent a hot wave coursing through me, pooling low in my belly and speeding downward. “I care only to get you naked and beneath me.”

The ghost cleared his throat. “Would you like me to come back later?” His voice rolled with amusement, and maybe a hint of annoyance.

“Don’t you go anywhere,” I snapped at the ghost. “Go on. Tell me what happened and who you are.”

He stared at Kale for a moment, but then he inclined his head. “My name is Roderick Evers and I’ve lived in Charleston for five years now.”

I waved him on. He had to hurry up. Kale now bit at the sensitive spot on my nape and to my sheer horror, my breath deepened. Did I tremble?

Damn, I sure as hell did.

Roderick continued, “I’m not totally sure what happened. I was on my way home from work and I was attacked from behind.”

“Did you see who did it?” Goddess, my voice had lowered to a soft purr.

Roderick shook his head. “I think I got a bat to the skull.”

“At any point did you wake up?” I asked on a long sigh, since Kale had tangled his fingers through my hair and held me close as he continued with his relentless attack on my neck with his wicked tongue.

“I remember waking up and being held down,” Roderick answered.

“By a person?”

“No. It was something fierce and powerful, pinning me to the ground. I remember looking up at the stars, but I was unable to turn my head or move.”

I closed my eyes for a second and attempted to maintain my focus as Kale whispered sweet—very naughty—words into my ear. I drew in a deep breath and snapped my eyes open. “The pentagram you were in might have held that power.”

The ghost nodded. “I’m assuming so. I never believed in magic.” Which wasn’t a surprise to me since most humans didn’t. “But now…”

Kale proceeded to run his hand along my stomach and worked his way lower. I grabbed his hand and held it firm against my abdomen. If he went any farther, dream or not, I’d jump him. “Is there anything else you can tell me that will help me find out what happened to you and who did it?”

Roderick pondered. His brows drew together as he said, “I thought I heard a name.” Wariness spread across his features. “But I can’t be sure.”

“Anything at this point is better than nothing,” I soothed, and hated how raspy my voice sounded. “Tell me who and I can follow up on it. I won’t act unless they were involved.”

Kale groaned into my nape, and I gasped as he tore his hand from mine, went straight between my legs and cupped me. “That’s it.” I shoved him away. “You stay there.”

He grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and removed it, then tossed it aside, which sent those muscles of his flexing. For all of one second I was stunned stupid. This might be a dream, but if he looked anything close to what my fantasy made up, he was perfection. Muscle after muscle created a physique of masculine beauty.

“Bryon Holt,” Roderick stated.

Crap! Not what I wanted to hear. I glanced over at Kale and wanted to discuss this development with him only to find that he now had removed his pants and stood in all of his naked glory.

My mouth went dry and I blinked a few times before I finally had the strength not to gawk at him. I had to give myself props—I sure knew how to make a sexual fantasy good. I really had to do my spells more often. This was a dream I wouldn’t mind completing and remembering when I woke up.

I centered myself and turned to Roderick. “Thank you. I promise I’ll do what I can to stop whoever is behind this. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

He shrugged. “What would I need? I’m dead.”

“You have no family or anything?”

“No family.” He shook his head with sad eyes. “I never bothered to busy myself with such things and focused only on work.”

Kale stepped forward, but I pointed at him. “I said to wait there.” I focused back on Roderick. “Find your peace. Move on from this place and step into the light to go home. I’ve asked the Goddess to guide your way.”

His eyes saddened further. “How can I? I feel as if a part of me is missing.”

While I understood, and it had been the same question Kale had asked, they were both wrong. “The center of your soul, the goodness and purity, a demon cannot take. It’s how you’re here with me now. The Goddess protects that part of you and she’s waiting for you.”

Roderick appeared to consider my advice, and then his eyes widened with clarity as he glanced over his shoulder. After a moment, he looked back at me with a genuine smile. “I know the way.” He strode off through the meadow, and then he faded away. To where, I had no idea, but I believed the Goddess would keep him safe.

“Good. We’re alone.” Kale’s rich voice drifted across me in a blast of fire. “Now come here and stop avoiding me. I want to pleasure you.”

I considered whether I should allow myself to play along and get lost in the likes of Kale. But that would bring a world of trouble later since I doubted I could forget our rendezvous. I did need to look Kale in the eye again.

Instead, I smacked the side of my face. “Wake up, Libby.”

“There are many wicked things I want to do to you,” he growled.

“Wake up, Libby,” I shouted.

He approached in long strides; all those muscles flexed and his eyes sizzled with erotic promises. The sight of him made me burn as I gazed over him in a full appreciative sweep, especially on his most aroused part.

I hit my face harder. “Wake up, Libby.”

Chapter Seven

“Wake up, Libby.” The haze of sleep faded, and Kale’s voice became clear and urgent. “Libby, wake up.” My eyes snapped open to find Kale leaning over me, concern tightening his features. “All good?”

I blinked for good measure to make sure this wasn’t a dream. My room didn’t shift colors or appear faded, so I assumed this had to be real. “I’m fine.”

Kale removed the hand that had been gripping my arm, and I almost shuddered. It didn’t help that his woodsy scent engulfed me with all types of desires. I reached for the glass of moon potion, needing it more for my dry throat than to help me remember the dream. My hand shook as I downed it, and sweat dripped along my spine. After a long sip, which did nothing to cool the jets, I placed the glass back on the nightstand and exhaled a long, ragged breath.

Goddess, what in the hell was that?

“You moaned my name so I thought that meant trouble.” Kale stared at me with a serious look. “Was I right to wake you?”

“Err…” I gulped, pushed the blankets off, and sat up, partly because my skin burned. “Yes, perfectly right. Thank you.”

“Good.” His eyes searched mine and it brought me back to the intensity of dream Kale, hot-and-horny Kale, the Kale determined to get me naked—the warlock who set me on fire. “Did you speak to the ghost?”

“Mm-hmm.” I wanted to grab the blanket and pull it over my head to shield myself. Nothing
really
happened between us, but the butterflies in my stomach, and the ache between my thighs, disagreed.

My pause must’ve been long, because Kale arched an eyebrow. “Do you plan on telling me what happened?”

“Give me a sec.” I raised my finger, glanced away from him to the duvet, and attempted to collect myself. If I continued to look into his seductive face, which appeared to be a natural trait instead of intentional, then I might attack him and demand he finish what the dream version of him started.

When that didn’t help, I dropped my head into my hands, groaning.

“I can’t tell if you’re frightened.” His voice had lowered, stern and questioning. “Or if something else is wrong.”

“It’s…” I peeked at him through my fingers and it didn’t help my resolve. He was sexy before, and damn I had noticed him, but my little fantasy doubled his appeal. Almost as if I had tested out the waters and wanted to dive back in. Instead of continuing with the awkward pause, I blew out a long breath, dropped my hands, and forced myself to sound confident. “I’m not afraid.”

“What’s wrong, then?”

“It’s fine. Really, I’m fine.” His reaction was enough to snap me out of my
episode
. “The ghost came to me.”

“Did he?”

I nodded, hating what I had to admit because it had been a road I didn’t want to venture down. “He heard a name.”

Kale’s head tilted. “Who?”

While his sinful looks continued to test me, the current subject matter helped settle some of the heat. “Bryon Holt.”

Kale rubbed his jaw and regarded me, curiosity flashing over his features, either at the case, my dream, or the realization that loomed over both of us.

No part of my emotions could rule me in circumstances like this, and that had always been a well-learned lesson while on the job. I finally said what I suspected from Kale’s silence he didn’t want to. “We need to find Bryon.”

Kale agreed with a quick nod. “I believe that’s for the best.” His penetrating eyes seared mine, searching and also softening. “Are you all right taking this on?”

Perhaps with my weak state toward him now, matched with the acknowledgment that I’d have to face Bryon again, my defenses jumped. “Why wouldn’t I be? What, you think I’m not capable?”

Kale shook his head slowly. “Libby, I’m not saying this to insult you, but you do care for this warlock.”

“
Cared
, past tense, not present,” I countered. “If he is involved in this, then I hunt him.” I gave him a look
.
“That’s my job, Kale. Let’s go.” Even as I said it, I didn’t believe it. I hoped for Bryon’s sake, and mine, that his involvement was over so I didn’t have to watch Kale slit his throat. I might hate the warlock, but my heart wasn’t ice, and with his death, the little piece of my soul that still belonged to the stupid warlock would go with him.

As I stood from the bed, I straightened my clothes and continued to force my thoughts off Kale and Bryon.

“Did the ghost say anything more?” Kale asked.

“Nothing significant.” Once I settled my corset and righted my hair from its bedhead state, I realized Kale remained silent, so I looked at him.

Damn, he scrutinized me. “Did anything else happen I should be aware of?”

“No.” I batted my lashes and almost said, “Whatever do you mean,” but held back from going overboard. I wanted to forget about that little event in my dream, and the conversation about Bryon had washed it away. Now, with all that intensity of Kale’s attention back on me and thoughts of ex-boyfriends gone from my mind, the lingering heat in my body reminded me it hadn’t been altogether extinguished.

“You’re keeping something from me.” His features tightened, posture stiffened, and he folded his arms over his thick chest. “You need to lay out all the facts. I have to understand what’s going on.”

I snorted. “You’re one to talk, Mr. Secretive.” At his fixated stare, my cheeks warmed. “It’s nothing.” His eyebrow arched. I had no exit and he wouldn’t relent, so I added, “It might have been a tad on the sexy side.”

The seriousness in his expression was so quickly replaced by huge eyes it was almost funny.
Almost
. “Your dream?”

“Yes,” I snapped. “Don’t look at me like that. I know how wrong it is since I was talking to the dead, but I can’t control my dreams. They happen as they will, and that’s what happened.”

He fought his smile, but not well, I might add. “You were aroused by a ghost?”

I gasped. First, because
aroused
sounded discouragingly incredible from his mouth, and second, because what he said disgusted me. “Ew. No.”

His head cocked. “Who, then?”

I had no answer that would get me out of this and I didn’t doubt that if I lied, he’d know. Besides, there wasn’t a chance in hell I’d say it aloud, so I pressed my lips into a firm line and kept quiet. If Kale was smart he’d figure it out.

He
was
smart.

A slow, devilish smile spread across his face. “Was it good?”

“I…” The smolder in his eyes appeared again—the eyes that right now I wished I could rip out of his head so I didn’t have to look at them. “I’m so
not
talking about this.” I brushed past him, heading straight for my living room. “We need to locate Bryon.”

Kale entered the living room a moment later. No trace of the smile was on his face, but his eyes twinkled. “Will that be a challenge for you?”

He sat down on my couch and looked way too good there. Comfortable. I liked it, or I allowed myself to think so for a total of two seconds before I shut those thoughts down.

“Not hard necessarily,” I replied, proud my voice held strength and didn’t go all
take me right here and now
. “But I suspect if Bryon wants to stay hidden he would’ve done his best to cover his tracks.”

Kale crossed his ankle over his knee and rested his arm on the back of the couch. “Do you have a spell to locate him?”

“Something close to it.”

“Off you go then.” He jerked his chin toward the kitchen. “The longer we take to figure out who is behind this, the more lives may be lost. Bryon sounds like our best lead, and if we wait him out he might get farther away.”

I didn’t move an inch as I scanned the length of him. He filled an entire cushion on my couch. His muscular biceps in full view, black T-shirt stretched across his wide shoulders, and tight chest that my fingers itched to feel. Lower down were indents of his six-pack, and before I could even help it, I licked my lips.

Goddess, I am so screwed!

Giving my head a good hard shake, I snapped out of my ogle of Kale and back into my hazardous reality. While I wanted to impress Kale with new spells, I didn’t know any that would locate Bryon, but one spell I had used before
might
work. I hated taking a risk that I wouldn’t wow him with the spell, yet we needed to find Bryon, and that drove my motivation now. “It’s nothing I can do here. We need to go and get a dog.”

“A dog?” He stood from the couch and approached me with his long purposeful steps, and my breath caught in my throat.

As he stopped in front of me, my head angled back and I became lost in his shadowy eyes. His stare reached into the depths of me, almost as if he presented an offer to let me rub myself all over him, that I only needed to give him permission and he’d grant my wish.

Not like I would.

I hated warlocks, especially ones who were out to get me.

Or did I?

“A dog. Yes, a dog.” I sucked in a deep breath, putting my mind back together again. “We need a dog for the spell.” I turned on my heels and made a beeline to my front door.

“Why a dog?” he called.

“A dog can be used as a guide from the Goddess,” I answered without a look back at him.

As I reached the front door and turned the handle, Kale chuckled, low and deep. “You’re in a bit of a rush, huh?”

“More than you know,” I whispered under my breath.

He had me so affected with the low undertones of his voice, it made me want to turn around and run into his arms. My urgency increased to close both cases—prove myself to my coven and get him out of my life—so I could go back to bed and spend some time with dream-Kale.

…

The headlights beamed across a street glistening with light rain, and the wipers on my SUV were set to low, creating a hum throughout the car, rhythmic and soothing. Right now I needed the quiet, and was even happier we had a job to do to keep me attentive. Though, frustrating me to no end, as much as I tried to keep all of this impersonal, fate wouldn’t let me. Not with Bryon, and certainly not with Kale, but somehow I needed to get control back and keep my guard firmly in place.

Inhaling a long breath, I focused on the road as I drove down the quiet street to the Auto Parts and Scrap Metal yard. When my headlights lit up the steel sign with fading paint, I pulled up next to the front entrance and turned off the ignition. Kale studied the more-or-less junkyard with the metal bar across the entrance and tall, white-painted steel fence on either side.

“The dog is in there?” he asked.

I smiled, though he didn’t see it. I had no interest in going into the junkyard, especially since it was raining, but a plan simmered in my mind. One to stop Kale’s unwanted attention in its tracks and get him to leave me the hell alone. Besides, how many times had warlocks put me in bad situations that I had crawled my way out of, and how many times had I returned the favor? Too many to count on two hands. Maybe the time had arrived to let the bitch
inside come out to play. “You got it. Go get us a pooch.”

Kale jerked his head to me, frowning. “Leaving it up to me, are you?”

“You’re the muscle.” Thick drool-worthy muscles, all of which I ignored, or at least pretended to. “I’ve got rope in the back to make a leash for him.”

Kale glanced out toward the junkyard before he returned his attention to me. “Have you met this dog?”

“Twice.” Not entirely true—
seen
him twice would be accurate, but there wasn’t a chance in hell I’d go in there. Besides, Kale had the tough warlock thing going on, and part of me wanted to weaken him to make myself feel better. Yes, I could resort to such measures in desperate times, and this was a
desperate
time. I’d become more than tired of looking like the little witch while he dominated every second around me, and this was my chance to flip things around; a smart witch used any advantage she could.

He studied me for a very long time, and I hoped my plan didn’t show on my expression, but it seemed it had slightly since he asked, “Is he friendly?”

I gasped with fake horror. “You think I would send you in there if he wasn’t?”

At his grunt and narrowing eyes, I grinned and shoved at his arm, which didn’t make him budge. “He’s the perfect dog because he’s not a barker, and that’s needed for the spell.” His lips parted so I added, “There’s an abandoned house a few blocks away that has a gated yard we can use.”

His eyebrow arched. “For?”

“You’ll see. Go get him.”

Kale huffed, a sound close to annoyance, and then exited my SUV. Perhaps I hoped to turn the tables a little and make him dislike me, more than he appeared to want to seduce me.

The dream of him had put me in a mood where I needed to give some payback to ensure that what happened in the dream didn’t happen in real life. More than anything else, I needed to get back on top of things, and not turn into a ridiculous wanton witch around him. For that, I hoped this event would show Kale I actually shouldn’t appeal to him at all.

His door slammed shut and he opened my hatchback to grab the rope, and then he trotted toward the junkyard and hopped over the gate. I leaned against my headrest, watching him, and within a few steps he disappeared into the dark night. I held my breath and waited for the inevitable.

Only a second later, Kale bolted out of the junkyard and leaped over the gate, wide-eyed and fixated on my SUV with the German shepherd right on his heels. Old Henry had been a fierce dog when I’d been there last to drop off some old computer parts, and even tied up he growled and bared his teeth, but he never barked.

As the owner had told me, he was trained to stay quiet to allow thieves to get in close before he attacked. Not that I was worried; this was Kale, after all. Besides, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the tough guy in such a precarious position. For once, it wasn’t me being bulldozed, even if my attack had been cruel instead of sexually focused.

A foot away from my SUV, Kale pounced and landed on the hood, and it was pretty impressive to see those muscles put to good use. He focused on the dog trying to claw his way up the hood to get a bite of him, but then that steely gaze of his was sent my way. To play up my enjoyment and to make me look like the evil bitch I hoped he’d see, I laughed, giving him a thumbs-up.