Burning Secrets: Nashville Immortals Book Three, page 9
“Bottoms up, Babe.” His lips turned up in a sexy half-smile as he took me in, eyes dark and blazing as he came around to my side of the bar. I downed the shot, feeling the alcohol burn its way down my throat as he approached me.
Joey pulled me to my feet, then turned me around so my back was to him. He raised my arm, putting it behind his neck, then let his finger sensually trace its way back down. Past my elbow, then my armpit, which elicited a giggle from me, a la Baby in “Dirty Dancing” when she and Johnny practiced their dance moves. He spun me around, and suddenly we were slow dancing; the music had abruptly changed to “Feel It” by Michele Morrone from the “365 Days” movie I had just watched on Netflix a few nights ago.
Joey wound my hair around his fist, pulling me back to whisper in my ear. “Admit it, Cricket. This is what you want, what you’ve always wanted.” His breath was hot against my skin as he spoke. He nipped at my earlobe while he released my hair. His hands roamed up the front of my scantily cut dress, finding the deep cut neckline and tracing it with his fingers, making me shiver. He cupped my breasts and kissed his way from my earlobe, down my neck, to my shoulder.
“What do you mean, Joey?” I asked, gasping as his touch set me on fire. I looked around to find the bar full of people now. When had that happened? An older woman with gray hair scowled at me, shaking her head as she watched what Joey did to me. I recoiled from him, placing my arms across my chest. I turned to face him and found him staring at me, eyes full of adoration and one hand stretched out towards me.
“You know what I mean, Cricket. We’re meant to be together.” I felt the static electricity from his wolf crackling in the air as he gazed at me, waiting for me to take his hand. I glanced around the bar again—so many people, it was so loud. With an apologetic glance at Joey, I dashed through the bar towards the restrooms, passing the disapproving woman on my way, who was still frowning at me.
I found the bathroom and was relieved that it was a single-occupancy unit: one toilet and one sink. I closed the door behind me and turned on the faucet, splashing cold water on my face. Soon the doorknob turned, and Joey was inside the bathroom with me. He locked the door behind him, spun around, and before I knew what was happening, he had me pinned to the wall, kissing me, over and over. His tongue found mine as his hands moved up and down my body.
“Joey,” I moaned against his lips as we kissed. “Is this a dream?”
He caught my lower lip in his and sucked it gently, growling as he did. “I don’t know, Babe, but if it is, I don’t ever want to wake up.” His mouth moved from mine, kissing down my neck, then he nipped at my ear, whispering, “You drive me wild, Cricket.”
I smiled against his mouth as he kissed me again, my hands pushing his tuxedo jacket off his shoulders. He pushed the straps of my gown down my arms, exposing my bare skin to him. He kissed my neck, my collarbone, and the slope of my breasts. I unzipped his pants and slid my hand inside to feel his length, hard and ready. I wrapped my hand around him and stroked as he teased my nipple with his tongue.
He moaned, and I spun us around until he was leaning against the sink. I began lowering myself down, down, further down until my lips were on the head of his cock. I looked up, locking eyes with him, and licked my lips. He smiled and put one hand in my hair, the other he used to brace himself against the sink.
I let my tongue trace him while I wrapped my hand around the base. He gasped, “Cricket,” and closed his eyes. I ran my tongue down the length of him, teasing and tormenting. He threw his head back, his hand combing through my hair. He shuddered as I worked him, my head bobbing up and down as he groaned my name, over and over.
Finally, he pulled me up by my elbows to face him and kissed me hard. Then he turned me around so I was facing the mirror, my hands gripping the sides of the sink. He locked eyes with my reflection and leaned up until his lips grazed my ear. I could feel him rock hard against my ass. I arched back into him, meeting his eyes in the mirror. He gave me that smoldering smile and kissed my earlobe, then my neck.
“You’re all mine,” he said with a soft smile and planted a kiss on my bare shoulder. He whipped the skirt of my gown aside, the deep slit making it easy to push aside. I felt his hard length against my bare ass, and I moaned.
“Joey,” I said, my voice low and raspy. I was ready for him. I needed him now.
One hand caressed my ass while the other gripped my hip. I watched him in the mirror as he admired my backside. I bit my lip and caught his eye in the reflection. The corner of his mouth turned up in a half-smile as both hands gripped my hips, and he thrust into me, hard and deep.
Slowly at first, he thrust again and again. I moved to meet him, matching his strokes as they became faster and faster. I gasped. “Joey…” I said as he watched me in the mirror, his eyes dark and full of desire.
He smirked and smacked my ass, thrusting harder and faster until we were both panting and gasping. Finally, he yelled, “Cricket!” We came together, and he collapsed against my back as I sagged against the sink with satisfaction and exhaustion.
He kissed my shoulder and caressed my arms, still lying against me. “You’re incredible,” he said, panting.
I jolted upright in bed when my alarm sounded, heart racing. I looked down at myself, still in my pajamas. “Holy hell,” I whispered, flopping back down onto the bed. I picked my phone up off the nightstand to shut off the alarm, then noticed the time. Nine A.M. I was supposed to meet Gus for lunch in a few hours to discuss a plan for getting Grandma to move back in with him, I remembered with a scowl. I decided the first order of today’s business should be a long, cold shower as the memory of that dream came rushing back to me, heat flushing my cheeks.
“Stupid alarm,” I muttered.
Chapter 10
“Cricket! Thanks for meeting me,” Gus said, sitting down in the booth across from me. He shot me a somber half-smile and clasped his hands together on the tabletop. He wore his usual uniform, which consisted of dark sunglasses, fedora hat, and khaki Members Only jacket. He had called me and asked to meet to discuss the “Grandma thinks Gus is a drug dealer” situation, so I agreed to meet him at a diner in East Nashville for lunch.
Gus was in his eighties and was a highly respected and powerful warlock. Grandma had moved in with him at Forever Young after only knowing him for about two weeks, and I had objected at first but had come to realize that he wasn’t so bad once you got to know him. He’d helped me get a handle on my Revealer abilities and had chosen not to throw me under the bus several times when Carl questioned my training progress. For that, I would remain eternally grateful and in his debt.
“No worries. I actually need to talk to you about some things too, but first—what are we gonna do about Grandma?” I took a sip from the Diet Coke our waitress had just placed in front of me.
He threw his hands in the air. “The woman is exasperating. A drug dealer?”
I stifled a giggle.
“It’s your own fault for letting people pick up curses and potions at your apartment all hours of the night. What should I try to convince her you’re doing instead? I can’t go to another TITS meeting, Gus.”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’ll come up with something. You just have to convince her to meet with me.” His expression turned serious, then he said, “I miss her like crazy, you know.”
I reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “I know. And she misses you, too. She’s just insane.”
He barked a laugh. “You got that right. So, do you think you could convince her to have dinner with me soon?”
“Leave it to me, Gus. She’ll be there if I have to drag her kicking and screaming. Now, next order of business—Aiden Rhys,” I said as the waitress came by for our orders. After she left, I could feel Gus’s eyes narrowing at me from behind his sunglasses.
“The dragon shifter? What about him?”
I took a deep breath. Where to start? “Well, remember how I told you about meeting him initially? How I realized what he was?” Gus nodded and motioned for me to go on. “It’s like my Revealer senses have taken on a mind of their own—they don’t like Aiden. I have intense feelings of mistrust and dislike when I’m around him.”
Gus’s bushy eyebrows rose above his dark glasses. “That’s interesting. You know, I’ve heard of abilities like yours… ‘evolving’ over time. Let me see what I can find out about it in some books I have at home.”
“That’s not all, though. Mac is acting strange, Essie is behaving like a smitten teenager over Aiden, and her firestone has gone missing. Zeb is telling me there’s nothing to worry about. And apparently, I ‘fainted’ in Aiden’s presence recently, and now everyone is praising him for saving me from splitting my head open. And I have no memory of what actually happened, although I’d be willing to bet money that it didn’t go down like that.” I crossed my arms and sat back in the booth, waiting for Gus to process that information and give me his take on the situation.
“One of the first things I ever learned in my magical training was this—don’t trust a dragon. They’re only out for themselves. They’ll stop at nothing to get what they want. Especially when it comes to money and power,” he said, stabbing the air with his index finger to drive the point home.
Our food arrived then, and I stuck a French fry in my mouth as I contemplated Gus’s words. “Speaking of money and power, he’s supposedly in town because he’s trying to locate some antique or relic that a client of his wants to buy. Aiden’s family owns an antique shop in Atlanta, and he said he’d received a tip that the item was here, but he wouldn’t say what it is. Any ideas?”
Gus scoffed. “I’d say there’s more to that story. My guess is the ‘client’ is non-existent; whatever he’s searching for, it’s for his own personal gain. And whatever the item is, it’s either worth a lot of money, or it holds a great deal of power.”
“Do you know about any kind of supernatural relics that could be stashed somewhere in Nashville, maybe something that he could sell for a small fortune or that would grant him some sort of mystical capability?” I asked between bites of my hamburger.
Gus ate in silence for a few moments. “You mentioned Essie’s firestone went missing?” he asked, tentatively.
I threw my head back. “Thank you. Yes! I told Zeb and Essie that Aiden probably stole her firestone, and they wouldn’t hear of it. That has to be it, right?”
Gus shrugged. “Owning a Reaper’s firestone is like owning a piece of their soul. Whoever possesses it could potentially compel the Reaper to do anything they wanted. And you know one thing Reapers do best? Send people to Hell.” Gus bit into his burger while I bit down on the fingernail of my thumb as I thought that information over.
“So, you’re saying that theoretically, if Aiden has the stone, he could have Essie kill people for him?” This was bad news. The worst news.
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“I guess that would be a neat trick to have up your sleeve, but I feel like something is missing. Like maybe the firestone and Essie are a means to an end. But I’m having trouble putting all the puzzle pieces together,” I said, scowling at the remains of my burger. I pushed the plate back and bit down on my lips, thinking.
“You could be on to something. My advice? Keep an eye on Essie. If he really has her firestone, it won’t be long before he uses it.” Gus nodded at me emphatically, and I felt my blood run cold as I finished my fries.
I thought about what he had said as Gus and I said our goodbyes at the end of our meal. I needed to see Essie again and soon.
“I promise, I’ll be super careful.” Mac and Regina stood in the living room, both with their hands clasped in front of them as if in prayer. I put my book down and glanced toward the window; it was already dusk.
“You know the rules. No driving after dark.”
She rolled her moss green eyes at me. “Seriously? Mom, I’m like the only sixteen-year-old who has to be home by 5pm. Come on, please?” she asked, trying again.
“Where did you want to go? Maybe I can drive you,” I offered, which prompted horrified glances between the two girls.
“We uhh… were going to work on a school project at Luther’s house. I know the way there like the back of my hand, Mom. Why can’t I drive?” she asked, giving Regina a quick look. Regina met my gaze briefly, remembering she’d told me that Mac had broken up with Luther. I decided to play along.
“Why don’t you have Luther come over here? I miss seeing that boy anyway. I’ll make veggie burgers for dinner, and y’all can have the living room to work on the project,” I said, picking my book up as if the matter was settled and trying to stifle a giggle after seeing the look on her face.
“You’re being ridiculous. All of our… supplies are already at Luther’s house. Right, Regina?” she asked, turning to her friend for confirmation. Regina cast her eyes downward as she nodded in agreement.
“Sorry, Mac. Rules are rules. I don’t make them. Oh wait, yes, I do.” I flipped my book open to the wrinkled Walgreen’s receipt that held my place and pretended to read.
Mac heaved a sigh and threw her hands up in the air. “Why are you like this?”
I glanced up from my book with a raised eyebrow. “What do you mean? A delight to be around? I can’t help it. It just comes naturally.”
She stuck her tongue out at me and stomped into the kitchen with Regina in her wake. Regina threw back an apologetic glance at me and I grinned.
I went back to my book and tried to figure out where I’d left off when there was a knock at the front door. I sighed, setting my book on the coffee table with a wistful glance, and rose to see who had the audacity to come over unannounced.
“Cricket! I hope I’m not interrupting anything?” Essie asked, standing on my front porch holding a bottle of wine. Her black-streaked platinum blonde hair glowed in the moonlight, and her emerald eyes sparkled as she smiled, holding the bottle up for my inspection. “Thought we could have a girl’s night in, just the two of us!”
Who was I to turn down free alcohol on a Wednesday night? “Come on in,” I said with a laugh, holding the door open wide enough for her to slide past me.
“Although, it won’t be just the two of us. Mac and Regina are in the kitchen pouting because I won’t let them take the car out after dark.” I took the bottle from her, which was still cold.
“Oh yeah? Well, maybe they’d like to join us.” At my raised eyebrow, she continued, “Well, not for the wine, obvs!”
I laughed, taking a couple of wine glasses and a bottle opener from the cabinet in the adjoining dining room. I brought them over to the couch with me, where Essie had already made herself at home.
“If you’re up for some teenage angst and drama. Because that’s on the agenda for tonight, it would seem.” I poured a glass for each of us and settled back into the couch cushions to relax when Mac busted into the living room again, Regina following close behind. She stopped mid-stride, the frown on her face dissolving into a barely visible smile.
“Oh, hey, Essie. What are you doing here?” she asked, trying to feign disinterest, but I knew better. Mac loved Essie since they shared the same love of black clothing, dark makeup, and the goth aesthetic in general. Back when Essie had stayed with us while I recovered from the beatings I’d received when I was kidnapped by Joey’s brother, she’d had the time of her life staying up late, sharing makeup tips and music recommendations with the gorgeous Australian. Something told me her tune about needing to take the car out tonight was about to change.
Essie directed a stunning smile towards Mac and Regina. “Mac, Regina! Cricket just told me you girls were in for the night. How lucky!” Essie patted the space on the couch next to her in an invitation to sit.
“Lucky, indeed,” I muttered as the girls sat down.
“So, tell me what the two of you have been up to lately?” Essie asked, prompting a thousand-watt smile to appear on Mac’s face. Maybe the ‘angsty’ portion of the evening was over now.
“The usual stuff. I added a ton of new makeup vids to my TikTok. Oh, and Regina and I have been finding some really cool vintage clothing and jewelry at the thrift shops.” She stopped and pointed to the faded Ramones t-shirt she wore. “Like this. It’s an authentic tour t-shirt from the 80s! Oh, and this,” she said, holding out her right hand, where the large emerald costume jewelry ring was perched.
Essie reached for her hand, examining the bright green ring. “This is gorg! I love it! Where on earth did you find it?” she asked, turning Mac’s hand one way, then the other, getting a closer look at the ring.
“A little shop on Clinton. We actually found a trunk full of cool stuff there!” Mac beamed while Regina smiled softly, looking between Essie and Mac. I sat back, sipping my wine, watching the exchange.
“It’s absolutely stunning. I’m jelly,” Essie said, winking at Mac as she let go of her hand.
Mac giggled. Yes, giggled. “Thanks! You should go with us sometime.”
“I’ll take you up on that offer when we have enough daylight left to take the car out for a spin.” Essie grinned at me, and I rolled my eyes.
Mac glared in my direction briefly, then turned a bright smile in Essie’s direction. “Deal!”
“Hey, I offered to drive you two over to Luther’s house, you know,” I said, frowning as I downed the last of my wine.
Mac rolled her eyes in dismissal, then continued her conversation with Essie while I shared a meaningful glance with Regina. Something wasn’t right here, and I was going to find out what it was.
Chapter 11
“God, I’ve missed you!” I exclaimed, hugging Joey tightly. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me close. It felt good to be in his arms again, too good. I backed away and adjusted my shirt, my face flushing with heat. I cut my eyes to Joey, and a lopsided grin was plastered on his face.
