Free Destined for Time by Stacie Simpson Page B

a swig of my beer wondering why I had alarms going
off inside my head. Something was off, I could sense it, but I couldn’t quite
put my finger on it. “We both look a little different off duty I suppose,” I
said, letting my gaze linger on her breasts for a moment. I could just imagine
sucking her nipples between my lips and flicking my tongue over the hard tips.
How was I ever going to get through this date without ripping her clothes off
right here in this bar?
    When I looked back up her breath caught and I guessed my
eyes had silver sparks in them again. Since the night of the bombing several
people had told me they noticed it happening. Whenever my emotions went into
overdrive or I felt the least bit of desire the silver sparks appeared. The
hotter my emotions ran the more the silver sparks filled my eyes until the
black disappeared altogether.
    Forcing myself to focus on the conversation, I added, “And I
always braid my hair when I ride my bike. Otherwise it gets so tangled I’d have
to brush it for a week to get the knots out. Would you like something to drink?”
    “Um. Sure, I’ll take a beer.” She tucked her hair behind her
ear, a nervous action that intensified the bad feeling crawling up my spine. “What
kind of bike do you ride?”
    Shaking off the sense of foreboding I ordered her beer then
flashed her a wicked grin. “It’s a Ducati Supersport. Fast and red, just like
that vintage Mustang Fastback I’ve seen you driving a time or two.”
    She smiled when I teased her and I enjoyed the way her
cheeks turned red until her eyes darted to the corner of the room and her smile
became a little forced. Casually I shifted so I had a better view of the dance
floor and the tables surrounding it and found not one, but two human cops
sticking out like sore thumbs amongst the mostly supernatural crowd. I hadn’t
been sure why she’d asked me out, but this wasn’t what I’d expected.
    I turned back to her and finished my beer. I was trying not
to let my anger become too obvious to the cops watching my every move. “What
are we doing here Angela? Because it’s pretty obvious you haven’t decided you’re
ready to date me.”
    She wouldn’t look me in the eyes. “It’s complicated,” she
murmured so low I barely heard her over the music.
    “You know what I think? I think you make your life far more
complicated than it needs to be,” I told her through gritted teeth then turned
towards the bartender, a longtime friend of mine. “Hey Adam, will you do me a
favor and make sure the two human cops don’t follow us out of here?” I slapped
some money on the bar for our drinks and a nice big tip for the extra help.
    “You can’t do that,” Angela sputtered and we both ignored
her.
    Adam scooped up the money. “Sure Rook, no problem.” He
called the bouncer, Seamus, over and they had a chat before Seamus moved to
intercept the cops.
    “Come on, we’re getting out of here.” I grabbed her hand and
pulled her towards the door. She didn’t exactly come along easily, but she didn’t
dig her heels in and stop me either. I supposed that was the best I could hope
for in that moment.
    When we were outside heading around the building to my bike
I let go of her hand and told her, “You should start braiding your hair.” Then
I handed her a hair band from my pocket.
    “I don’t think I’ve ever met a man that keeps hair ties in
his back pocket before,” she said tartly as she threw a quick braid in her
hair.
    I turned on her and got right in her face. If she wanted to
play games, I’d be more than happy to play. “That’s because all the men you
know are so afraid of stepping outside the boundaries human society has set for
them, that they wouldn’t dream of growing their hair long enough to need one.
Is that what you want Angela? A man who fits into your neat little world or do
you want a man who can make you feel like this.”
    I backed her against the wall and trapped her with the
weight of my