Night Game (GhostWalkers, #3)(29)

He was strong. She should have taken that into account, that whoever was sent after her would have had at least muscle mass enhanced. His body was fit. When he held her, he felt like iron pressed up against her, no give to his body at all. Flame let her breath out slowly, trying to swallow her anger as she moved away from the light and the possibility of anyone overhearing them.

“You can let go of me now.”

“Not quite yet.” His free hand slid down her back and over her buttocks, lower to her thighs. He pushed the hem of her dress up, his palm sliding over her bare bottom, finding the small tee of lace that disappeared between her bare cheeks. His hand moved lower still, between her legs to the inside, slipping over the soft skin of her thighs until he found the leather scabbard. Due to the uneven length of her dress, the knife was positioned high up on her thigh and as he removed it, his knuckles brushed multiple times against the most sensitive intimate spot between her legs.

Flame clenched her teeth together and refused to ac knowledge the shock waves rippling through her body with each feather-light contact. “Did you enjoy that?”

“More than you’ll ever know.” He shoved the knife into a short leather scabbard looped through his own belt. “My grandmother is expecting you for tea tomorrow. I told her I’d bring you.”

“I want my bike back.”

“Then I guess you’ll be comin’ for tea, won’t you?” His grin widened. “You do get yourself into scrapes, cher.”

“If you’re referring to that drunken idiot, I could have handled him. I’m working. The last thing I need is for you to drive all the men off.”

His black brow shot up. “Working? Working on what?”

She curled her fingers into two tight fists. “It isn’t any of your business what I’m doing. Suffice to say, I can’t have you scaring men off.”

“Suffice to say, you’re engaged to me and you’re carrying my child. The entire bayou will know by morning. No other man is coming near you, not without me ripping his head off and everyone will think it’s my right.”

“You told them all that.”

“I did announce the news,” he agreed smugly.

“Will you stop! This isn’t funny. You know damn well I’m not pregnant and we’re not engaged. So stop acting like a Neanderthal.”

“Oh, I beg to differ with you, cher. My grandmother believes you are carrying my child.” His palm slipped over her stomach, the lightest of touches, but it sent her pulse racing. “She insists I do the right thing and marry you and I told her, of course I would. We’re officially engaged.”

A sound of pure exasperation escaped. “Look. Be reasonable. I know you may have a teeny reason to be upset over the knife at your throat, although you did steal my bike, but I can explain to your grandmother…”

He shook his head. “She has a heart condition. I don’t want her upset in any way. You should have thought about consequences before you told such a whopping lie. My grandmother values family and tradition. It would kill her if I didn’t live up to my responsibilities, especially involving a child. And you can take responsibility for your lie. You told an elderly woman with a heart condition something bad about her beloved grandson. She wants it fixed.”

Flame let her breath out in a long hiss. “Listen, you lunkhead. You brought this on yourself, not me. All I wanted was my bike. You shouldn’t have taken it.”

He glanced at the airboat, relatively rare for the patrons of the Huracan. “That your rig?”

“Yes. And I didn’t steal it, either.”

“No, just the money that paid for it.” He took her arm and propelled her toward the edge of the pier. “Let’s go.”

She resisted, stepping closer to the boat, more to get away from his touch than to obey him. “I’m not going anywhere with you unless I have my knife.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, get in the damned boat.” He picked her up, his hands hard, biting into her waist, and tossed her into the airboat. “If I was going to kill you, Flame, you’d be dead already.”

She glared at him, rubbing her sides where his fingers had dug into her skin. “You just think you’re that good.”

“I know I am.” He deliberately crowded her, so close he could smell her faint perfume. She stepped away from him, just as he knew she would, giving him control of the airboat.

She stayed a distance away from him, watching him closely as he took them out into the bayou. “You may as well relax, Flame. I can’t very well kill you and dump your body in the bayou, as tempting as that may be for me. My grandmother comes first and she wants to see you tomorrow. I promised her you’d be there.”

“Why?”

He was aware she was listening intently to his voice. Sound was their world and it was also their greatest ally.

He could manipulate sound waves and interject the exact notes needed into his voice to convince others of his utter sincerity—with the possible exception of Flame. He wasn’t certain how to answer her because he didn’t know what the truth was.

His grandmother wanted to see her again. Nonny was shrewd. She probably didn’t believe for a moment that Flame was pregnant, but it suited her to make them all think she did. She was demanding he bring Flame home again. More than that, she wanted a firm commitment out of him to “make things right.” He had no idea what she was up to, but he respected her judgment. He also realized Flame would never allow him close to her without a good reason.