[Phantom Warriors 01] Bacchus (5 page)

the doorframe.

“May I help you?” she asked, craning her neck to peer into his face. Her heart

stuttered as she got a good look at him. Talk about a wake-up call.

The man stared at her for several seconds, his gaze piercing behind his medium-tint

shades. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking from the expression on his strikingly

unique face, so Jill gave up trying. It was impossible to form coherent thoughts before

her morning cup of coffee. He was probably just another out-of-work actor, like the

majority of Los Angeles’ population. Or so she told herself to keep a mental distance

between them.

“I said, may I help you?” she repeated, suddenly getting a whiff of a delicate, yet

spicy fragrance emanating from his skin. It seemed to envelop her, filling her lungs and

permeating her pores. He smelled so good… like fresh-baked cookies on Christmas

morning. She had the sudden urge to unwrap him and start nibbling.

She shook her head to clear it and dismissed the fanciful thoughts. Skin didn’t smell

that way. Maybe it was his cologne or there was something floating in the air along with

the Southern California smog. Jill inhaled again and her head swam like she’d taken too

much cold medication. Except she wasn’t ill and hadn’t taken a thing other than aspirin

the night before. Her hand flew to her temple and she rubbed, trying to clear the

dizziness away.

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her, and then unexpectedly he

smiled. “Are you all right?” he asked, knowing full well the effect he was having on her.

Jill felt the power of that dazzling predatory grin all the way to her toes, which were

now curled beneath her bare feet. She steadied herself. “I’m fine. Probably need to eat

something.”

“Good, then it is I who may be of assistance to you,” he said, a strange accent

punctuating his words.

“You brought me food?” she asked, confused.

“No.”

She frowned. Was that a forked tongue in his mouth? He seemed a little old to jump

into the piercing and mutilating crowd, but this was L.A. Jill took a breath and blew air

up to brush her bangs out of her eyes. “Look, I’m sorry, but I don’t need a vacuum

cleaner or a bible. Or whatever else you’re selling today. I have enough crap already.”

Especially now that she’d inherited John’s belongings.

The man continued to study her, but didn’t reply. She thought she saw him shudder,

and then the fragrance came again. This time stronger.

Jill’s heart missed a beat and her face flushed. Blood filled areas that hadn’t seen use

in a year. Her nipples peaked beneath her T-shirt and moisture dampened her panties.

She was no longer dizzy, but still felt lightheaded and that was after one smile and a

little cologne.
Someone should bottle him and call it “Ode to Sex”
, she thought. Hadn’t she

just considered getting back into dating?
You can’t start with a door-to-door salesman, no

matter how good he looks
, the little voice inside her head warned. The fact that it was right

held little consolation. She glanced at the stranger once again. Jill bet this guy made lots

of sales when he actually turned on the charm. She wasn’t about to stick around and find

out. She didn’t think her resistance was strong enough.

“Have a good day,” Jill said, pushing the door closed in a sudden panic.

His hand snaked out and caught the edge before she could finish the job. She

pushed harder, but it was like trying to move a concrete pillar.

“I believe you misunderstand my intentions,” he said. “I am not here to peddle

wares.”

It wasn’t
his
intentions that worried Jill, as her clit began to throb in time with her

pulse. She scratched at her arm to relieve the sudden fever burning beneath her skin.

What was wrong with her? She didn’t act like this—ever. It didn’t matter how powerful

the physical attraction turned out to be.

What did he mean anyway? He spoke strangely. The formality behind his sentence

construction gave her pause. Misunderstand his intentions? Peddle wares? “Look

mister, if you don’t leave I’m going to be forced to phone the police.”

“Many pardons, but I must have a word with you.”

What bus dropped this guy off? He shifted and her gaze swung past him and landed

on the car parked in the driveway. She’d recognize that vehicle anywhere. It was Ryan’s

1968 vintage muscle car. What in the hell happened to it? The bumper was dented and a

jagged scratch ran down the side of one of the doors.

“How?” She gasped, staring at the car as her heart plummeted to her knees. “Where’

s Ryan? What’s happened to him? Tell me,” she pleaded, no longer concerned with her

safety, only her ex-fiancé’s welfare. He was her last connection to her brother, John. She

couldn’t lose Ryan too, even though Jill knew in her heart she already had.

The man’s brow furrowed.

“Is he… ?” Her voice trailed off and she braced herself for the worst.

“No, he’s not dead. If you allow me to come in, I’ll explain everything.”

Her sigh of relief was audible, but she still eyed him with suspicion. Who was this

man? How did he know Ryan? Where was he and why had Ryan given him the car? She

needed answers and didn’t think she’d get them if she left him standing on the porch.

“Come inside and tell me what happened.” Jill moved one hand to the small of her back,

resting it on the tiny can of pepper spray, before stepping aside to allow him to enter.

The knot in her stomach grew from fist size to boulder in the span of a second. Ryan

would never give up his car without a good reason. He and her brother had restored it

together. It was his main link to the past, since he’d dropped contact with her. “Can I get

you a cup of coffee Mr… Mr.?”

“My name is Bacchus.”

“That’s quite an unusual name.”

He tilted his head. “I am an unusual
man
.”

That he was, if first impressions were any indication. Jill arched a brow, but didn’t

comment on his response. “Take a seat in the living room, I’ll be right back.” She

pointed to the blue room on the left, carefully holding her pepper spray can out of view

of her visitor. “I need to make some coffee before I expire from lack of caffeine. Would

you like some?”

“That would be acceptable.”

She walked into the kitchen, keeping Bacchus in her peripheral vision while she

scooped heaping mounds of ground coffee beans into the filter. The aroma of French

roast filled the air as she poured water into the carafe and flipped the switch to brew.

Jill ducked into the bathroom while the coffee percolated and brushed her hair,

foregoing makeup for the natural look. Why she bothered, she didn’t know. Yet she felt

compelled to do so. She peeked out the door to make sure Bacchus was still where she

had left him. He sat on the couch, his gaze fixed at a point somewhere on the wall.

Suddenly his attention snapped to where she stood.

She froze, trapped in his gaze, powerless to escape. Her body tingled and her skin

stretched taut. Jill knew she should be scared or at least a hell of a lot more concerned

about safety than she was at present, but instead she remained languid and giddy, like

she didn’t have a care in the world.

Working with animals gave her good instincts. And Jill’s gut told her Bacchus would

never her harm her, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to watch him closely. His

strange scent clung to her. It was as if he were still standing next to her, when Jill could

see him clearly in the other room. Bacchus blinked, releasing her from the spell, and she

stepped back into the bathroom. It took her a couple of beats to catch her breath.

Had she ever been this attracted to a man? The word
no
filtered through her mind.

Yet as stunning as he was, Jill felt something deeper swirling below the surface than

lust. The connection moved beyond the physical into the realm of emotions. Of course,

that was utterly impossible, considering she’d just laid eyes on him and didn’t believe

in love at first sight. Still, there was no denying that there was something happening

between them that defied easy explanation.

Jill finished getting ready, then slipped back into the kitchen. A few minutes later,

she entered the living room, carrying a tray with a coffee decanter and two mugs on it.

The bittersweet aroma filled the air as she placed the tray onto the coffee table. Jill took a

seat in the wicker chair opposite Bacchus before offering him sugar and cream.

“I prefer to drink it black,” he said, lifting the cup to his lips.

“Be careful. It’s hot,” she warned, watching in fascination as his forked tongue

dipped into the steaming brew a couple of times before he tipped the cup to his mouth

and drank it down like a shot of tequila. Jill glanced at her cup and watched the steam

rise.

He should be screaming, holding his tongue, sweating or at least turning red.

Instead, Bacchus looked perfectly normal. Well, as normal as a guy with a tattoo on his

neck and a forked tongue could look. The word barbarian came to mind. So did

reptilian, the herpetologist in her thought.
It was odd how some people reminded you of an

animal or in Bacchus’ case, a reptile.
Strangely, she found the association kind of sexy.

Despite reservations, Jill was intrigued and perhaps a tiny bit envious of his “thumb

your nose at society” attitude. Bacchus seemed a walking contradiction, with his

buttoned-down conservative clothes and counter-culture appearance. He held an air of

danger that made her think he’d witnessed more than his fair share of violence in his

lifetime. Yet, she could tell he was doing everything in his power to put her at ease. The

thought made something in the vicinity of her heart melt. Jill didn’t realize she was

staring until Bacchus smiled at her.

“Sorry,” she said, a second before her face flushed. Shocked by her behavior, she

glanced at her feet to regain her composure. Jill had never been forward when it came to

men. As anti-feminist as it was, she liked the man to make the first move, to take the

lead, to be the dominant one. The last thought brought more heat to her cheeks. Maybe it

was time for a change in thinking.

“Don’t be sorry. I like it when you look at me.” His voice rumbled in his chest,

sending vibrations straight to her clit.

Jill’s head shot up and her eyes widened. Was Bacchus flirting with her?
Would it be

so bad if he was?
Her heart thumped loudly in her chest and she shifted. Suddenly, Jill

wished she’d taken the time to put makeup on. What was she thinking? She shouldn’t be

worried about her appearance, when Ryan was in trouble. Jill shook her head to clear

the clingy cotton wool sensation from her mind.

“You came here about Ryan,” she said, reminding him as much as herself.

His smile faded a little. “Yes, I came to tell you that he’s decided to go away for a

while.”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean?” Jill stood and began to pace. She didn’t

wait for an answer from Bacchus. “I knew this was going to happen. He’s been acting

strange ever since the funeral. At first, he came around all the time, then his visits

became sporadic. After a while, he just stopped coming altogether. I don’t suppose he

told you that we used to be engaged.” Sadness tinged her voice.

“He shared that information with me,” Bacchus said, looking suddenly

uncomfortable.

“I don’t understand why Ryan would tell you that he was leaving and not tell me. I

mean, we haven’t spoken much over the last several months, but it seems odd he’d up

and go without a word. He must really trust you, if he shared all this with you.”

“Jill,” Bacchus said her name so softly, she almost didn’t hear him. “I’m sorry. I

know this must be painful to hear.”

“No, I was expecting something like this. I mean, it sucks, but I’m not really

surprised.” Her fingers fluttered nervously.

He reached out and clasped her hand, halting her movement. Heat shot from his

fingertips up her arm and into her nipples.

Jill jerked her hand away in shock.

His nostrils flared momentarily. Other than that tiny reaction, he seemed unaffected.

“Please sit down. I know this is hard, but it was Ryan’s choice. I’m sure he’ll eventually

contact you after he’s settled.”

“Settled? Settled where?” She felt her stomach drop. “He’s not alone, is he?”

“No,” Bacchus said without inflection.

Jill had suspected Ryan had moved on with his life, but hearing that he’d met

someone special brought the ugly truth home. She started pacing again. “Are you sure

he’s okay?”

“I have no doubt he’s safe. He’s currently with his new… ”

“Lover?” Her mouth twisted painfully on the word as it scalded her tongue.

“Where?” Jill plopped down in the chair opposite the loveseat when her legs threatened

to give out. “Are you sure you have the right man?” she asked, already knowing the

answer. If she’d had any doubts, they ended the second she saw the car. But if Ryan’s car

was in her driveway, then how was he planning to leave the area?

“She has a car,” Bacchus replied as if she’d asked the question aloud. “The rest of

answers will come in due time from Ryan himself, but first I need to get a little