Excerpt of Wild Cards “Dancing with Danger”
Katalina Leon with Michelle Fox
Poseidon’s Palace on the Strip, puts the “sin” in casino. Hunky Kai Moana and curvy croupier Adara Torris, are undercover paranormal house detectives having one hell of a day. During their first break in hours, they stop for dinner to regroup. An occult arts convention has turned lethal and the victims are piling up. They expect to spend the night stalking a killer but soon discover the killer is stalking them...
***
Inside the Castaway’s restaurant a sweet, smoky aroma wafted their way and a beautiful piece of music played over a speaker. A man with a pure falsetto voice sang a Hawaiian love song accompanied by a steel guitar.
Kai slid across the booth and stood. With outstretched hand, he reached out. “Dance with me.”
She shook her head. “Here?” Her face warmed. “Now?”
“No one cares. This is Vegas. You’re supposed to go a little crazy.”
A glance confirmed there were few people around. An elderly couple sitting nearby were the only ones looking their way.
“Please.” He coaxed.
She slid across the seat. “Okay, but be warned. I’m not much of a dancer.”
He wrapped his arm around her waist. His broad hand clasped hers. “I’ll lead.”
Adara allowed herself to be drawn against his chest. They swayed slowly, getting used to the sensations of being close. Tall, strong and carrying a faint whiff of exotic cologne, Kai was irresistible. The raw silk on his lapels provided a sensuous texture to brush her cheek against. She willed herself to relax and enjoy the beautiful music, but all she could concentrate on was the blissful sensation of his strong arms holding her close.
The brush of Kai’s lips tickled her ear. “Your hands are hot,” he whispered.
She cringed. “Its just nerves. The firebrand in me gets a little out of control.”
“You are literally the hottest girl I’ve ever danced with.” He laughed then brought her hand to his lips and kissed each finger. “Maybe we should take a swim and cool down?”
“Ah.” The old woman seated in the booth sighed. “Look at them. What a handsome young couple.”
The old man seated beside her, rose from the booth and offered his hand. “Elizabeth, you’re still my beauty. I’ll prove it. Let’s dance.” A moment later they too were slowly turning in circles and smiling.
A breeze blew the front door of the restaurant opened causing a string of bells to jiggle.
She rocked back and forth against Kai, reveling in the solid reassurance of being held in his arms. Tipping her face upward, she gazed at him. “I’m having fun.”
Mischief lit his face. “I know how to have even more fun.”
“I’ll bet you do?” She looked at him thinking, he had the thickest, most beautiful black lashes she’d ever seen on a man.
“I meant we should go swimming. It would give me a chance to show off in front of you. But I’m open to anything you’d like to do.”
His thigh brushed between her legs and she felt his firm bulge pressing against her. “We’re on the clock. Roy could call at any time.”
“Don’t remind me. I’m enjoying myself too much.” He stroked the side of her arm. “Adara, you are so soft.”
“Are you trying to charm me?” She touched a fingertip to the rough stubble on his jaw. “Don’t, I’m already too distracted.”
“If someone had told me when I woke up that the day was going to end with me slow dancing with you, I would have said they were crazy.”
“Everything about today has been crazy,” she laughed. “And the day’s not over.”
Something sharp struck the side of her neck. A sting like a wasp’s scorched her skin. She clamped her hand around her throat. “Ouch!”
Kai yanked his hand away. “What’s wrong?”
The sting burned. The harder she rubbed the skin, the more it hurt. “Something stung me.”
He brushed her hair aside and examined her throat. All the tension on his face turned to shock. “Oh no.” With a grim expression, he picked something off her collarbone and held it in front of her. A tiny white pellet no larger than the head of a pin, balanced on his fingertip. “It looks like a bone bead.”
Her heart pounded.
The severity of his frown spoiled the moment. “I think you’ve been attacked by the skinwalker.”
Kai stared at the ivory bit of bone with disgust. The woman he was falling in love with had been attacked in his arms of all places. He wasn’t doing his job. The bone bead was proof the skinwalker held the high cards.
Glaring at the offensive thing, he grew angrier by the second. Should he dash it to the floor and grind it to powder beneath his boot heel, or save it for evidence? On sheer impulse, as if a scorpion had leaped at his face, he tossed it on the floor and stomped on it, hissing with rage.
“Wait!” Adara grabbed his arm. “We should have shown that to Roy.”
He scanned the restaurant counting heads. The elderly couple and the startled waitress were the only people in view. “Who’s working in the kitchen?” he shouted. “Bring them out. Show their faces.” He confronted the old man. “Did you see anyone leave? Tell me. A serious crime has been committed against this woman. Don’t just stand there with your mouth hanging open. Say something!”
The waitress cowered. “The door opened, but I didn’t see anyone.”
The old couple seemed scared and moved away. The man’s voice cracked. “I don’t know what’s wrong young man, but you might want to calm down before you accuse others.”
Adara clasped his hand. “It’s okay. They don’t need to know what’s going on. We just need to do our job. The bead didn’t break the skin. Let’s pay the bill and go.”
He reached for his wallet and blindly tossed a handful of twenties onto the table, far more than was required. “I’m sorry.” He nodded toward the couple. “Your dinner is on me.”
She reached for the shopping bag with the grimoire inside. “Thank you,” she mumbled to no one in particular. “The Palusami was delicious.” With quick strides, she made a beeline for the exit.
Feeling sheepish for his outburst, he hung his head and caught up to her. “Adara, wait.” He grabbed her arm and walked her into the courtyard. “We’re going back to our room.” Excitement and worry fought for his attention as he pictured he and Adara alone in a luxury suite. How the hell was he going to control himself in front of his dream girl?
With a gallant gesture, he slid his jacket from his shoulders and draped it over her like a cloak. She looked small beneath the broad garment. As a final touch, he turned the collar up to shield her throat. Wrapping his arm around her, he drew her to his side. “That should provide some protection just in case somebody wants to take a second shot at you, they’ll have to shoot me first.”
She gazed at him with an inscrutable expression.
“What does that look mean?”
“Your gesture was so kind. No one ever puts me first. Even at home, when I was a kid, my older brother Blayze got all the fuss and attention. Blayze is a real hell devil, handsome too. Women stare. He uses up all the oxygen in the room and I mean that literally. When he turns the flames on there goes the oxygen.” A nervous laugh bubbled free. “I guess I’m saying, I’m used to being invisible. Having you do what you just did was amazing.”
He brushed a wayward strand of auburn hair from her cheek. “You should be protected and cherished. Any man who can’t see that you’re amazing is an idiot.”
A huge smile lit her face. “Thanks.”
“Let’s go.” With his arm around her shoulders, he steered her toward the crosswalk keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. “We shouldn’t be standing out in the open. I’ll feel better when you’re safe in our room.”
Night had fallen and the action on The Strip was in full swing. The surface of every building shimmered with reflected light. Elegantly dressed couples strolled beside the sweat stained ones wearing Bermuda shorts and Tee shirts. The streets were filled with foot traffic, shuttles, taxis and noise.
The vast reflecting pool in front of Poseidon’s Palace was circled by a pod of alabaster dolphins with a hulking marble sculpture of the god of the sea at its center. Fountains danced in an ornately choreographed show. An ever-changing display of colored floodlights lit the pool. One moment the statues glowed serene shades of violet or turquoise denoting the ocean’s calm. Then Poseidon lit fiery crimson with his trident triumphantly held aloft. The horns on his head alluded to his wrathful nature.
Adara gazed at the pool as they passed and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Do you ever wish you weren’t what we are?”
“What are we, really?” He stalled. “It’s hard to answer. I’m thirty and I still don’t know. If you’d asked me what I was at the age of thirteen, I would have flipped you the finger and insisted I was pure human. I sided with my mother and saw no advantage to chasing after a facet of divinity that could so easily walk away from me. But as I grew up, I had to accept that I was different. That incident with old Yuri’s mega yacht drove the point home that I’d better start exploring what I am and learn to get it under control.”
“I haven’t soulscanned a single person all day and you know what? I don’t miss it. It’s weird. I’m an empath, it’s what I do and yet I think I could let it go. I might be happier without knowing all the petty things that are floating around in other people’s heads. I feel like I can breath for the first time. Be myself. Does that sound pathetic or ungrateful for the gift?”
He leaned over and kissed the crown of her head.
She drew back and gazed at him with sparkling eyes that reflected the colored lights of the fountains. “What was that for?”
His heart filled. For a moment he allowed himself to indulge a sweet fantasy of sharing everything he’d ever desired with her. “I’ve never met anyone that I could tell this stuff to and know they really got it. It’s such a relief.”
A faint smile flickered on her lips as if she didn’t dare permit it to slip into full-blown joy.
“What are you thinking?”
Adara glanced away. “I’m so glad you can’t read my mind.”
He drew her against his chest and looked into the amber depths of her eyes. “But I can read your smile, and the joy on your face.”
“This has been the strangest, most eventful day of my life. Even all the chaos hasn’t put a damper on things. I’d like to feel this way everyday. I’m scared I’ll wake up tomorrow and be back inside other people’s heads, and you and I will go our separate ways.”
“That doesn’t have to happen.”
“But it might. The boon will wear off. I’m sure these things don’t last. Skinwalkers could attack again. Anything could happen. I have to keep reminding myself we are strangers and...”
“And what?”
“We might be under the thrall of a Fae enchantment.”
“I don’t feel like I am but we could be. To be honest, I don’t care.”
“Me either. I want to live for the moment. If this isn’t real and it doesn’t last, I‘ll hate myself for not completely diving in and just enjoying it for what it is.” Her eyes widened. “No one needs us now. This is our time until Roy calls. Oh what the hell.” She stood on tiptoe, took his face in her hands and kissed his mouth. The first touch was soft, little more than a whisper of warm breath and the brush of her silky lips that left him wanting more. The second was bolder and bloomed into a luscious wet embrace.
With pulse racing, he tangled his hands in her hair and held her captive against him. Her breathless excitement was so easy return. Why had he never suspected another elemental, his opposite to boot, would feel so right? “Adara,” he murmured. “I have no idea what just happened to me but I’m feeling it.”
A shy smile brought her dimple out of hiding. “Wouldn’t it be nice if there were no more murders or drama and we had the night to ourselves?”
His thigh brushed hers. “That would be good.”
“We should check out our room.”
“Rooms.” He corrected. “You could get lost in the penthouse.”
“I’ve never seen the penthouse. Let’s get lost together.” Taking hold of his hand, she took the lead. “Come on.”
As if in a dream, he allowed her to guide him along a walkway stamped with seashell patterns. She looked adorable in his oversized jacket and he noticed passersbys were looking at them. He wondered if the other men in the crowd envied him and suspected they did.
* * *
Entering the hotel had a sobering effect on her senses. The loud colors on the carpet and the faint hum of the air ducts were all too familiar and signaled a return to business. She drank in the high-strung tension in the air. “I hope we don’t run into anyone we know.”
“We shouldn’t have to.” He steered her toward a discreetly marked bank of private elevators. Removing a card from his pocket, he swiped it through a scanner.
“Are you going to be okay inside a high speed express elevator?”
Kai nodded. “I’ll be fine.”
The elevator door opened and they stepped inside and pressed P.
She noticed Kai tense as he stared at the floor and waited for the metal doors to seal him inside and the steel cable to yank them a thousand feet into the air. “Have you always had a hard time in elevators?”
He swallowed. “Uh huh.”
The ascent was so smooth she barely noticed they were moving. “Bad experience?”
“I got trapped in one when I was kid. My mother was cleaning rooms in a sprawling hotel on the big island. I went looking for her and took a service elevator. The power went out and the damn thing got stuck between floors. The lights flickered and went black. I panicked and pushed every button. An emergency light came on and soon after someone came and got me out, but my God, by then I was already a mess.”
With a gentle touch, she smoothed his hair away from his face. His cheekbones were broad and imposing. He had a warrior’s face and it melted her heart to hear him admit he’d ever been a frightened child who desperately needed someone to rescue him. A quiet ping signaled their arrival to the penthouse floor. She kissed his lips. “Guess what? The ride’s over. We’re here.”
The crease between his brows released. “Good.”
The doors opened onto a softly lit, elegant foyer lined with pale marble and golden wall sconces shaped like nautilus shells. They stepped onto a highly polished floor that mirrored the bright lights of Vegas beyond towering window.
Kai swiped a card. The door unlocked with a soft thunk. He pushed it open and motioned for her to enter.
She strolled into the beautiful living room. Everything was subdued shades of sun bleached driftwood and teal. A crystal chandelier made the floor to ceiling windows sparkle. The multi-level space was broken up into many little private pockets of cushy sofas and love seats where people could gather and socialize. Sensuous music floated from everywhere and nowhere. “Mighty nice. You could entertain a hundred people up here.”
“They often do.” He walked to a well appointed bar and snooped in the cabinets. “We’re lucky to have it to ourselves.”
“No kidding, I hope Roy doesn’t regret offering it. After all, the plan has changed. The convention is a crime scene wrapped in yellow tape. Shouldn’t this suite be making money for the hotel?”
“It makes plenty. One night won’t break the bank.” He pulled a rustic bottle with a cobalt blue stopper, off the shelf. “Holy shit! Don Mágico tequila. This stuff’s the best.”
She studied a beautiful bronze sculpture of a mermaid set on a coffee table near a pale leather couch. The bare-breasted miniature siren was perched on a rock blowing kisses into the air. “The high rollers get the fancy art.”
“Not my taste in sculpture.” Kai walked into the guest bathroom and returned clutching a towel. He used the towel like a shroud to cover the mermaid. “Ah. That’s better. We don’t need to be reminded of her.”
Adara strolled around the kitchen area. “This place is huge. Do you think our room is down this hallway?” She caught herself. “I meant my room. We should probably be resting and waiting for Roy’s call.”
He grazed his fingertips across her throat. “There’s a faint red mark where the bone bead struck. How are you feeling? Are you okay?”
She touched his hand. It was so wonderful to have a man look at her this way. It would be so easy to get addicted. “I’m fine.”
“I’m not afraid to say that scared me back there. God damned skinwalker. Out of nowhere something comes along to remind you how quickly life can fall apart.”
Cupping his hand around her throat, he drew her near. Kai kissed the side of her neck. With lips soft, his moist breath bathed her skin. He slid the jacket from her shoulders and allowed his kisses to travel lower. “You’re a kind person Adara. Compassion shines in your eyes. I don’t ever want to see you get hurt. I would never hurt you.”
A thrill raced through her. “What are you saying?”
The edges of his teeth gently nipped the soft slope of her shoulders. “I’m saying, I think we’re well match. Everything about you makes me want to take care of you.“ He caressed her hips. “Would you like to explore that?”
She wanted to be touched so badly she ached. “Now?”
“A beautiful night with a lovely view. We may never get the penthouse to ourselves again.”
In the past, she’d never been spontaneous. Until today, caution had ruled her. Maybe just this once...? “We’re co-workers.”
“Unless I’m dense as a brick, I’m sensing a hell of an attraction between us. Adara, you’re in charge. Tell me when to stop. I just need to know that what I’m feeling is real.”
“It may not be.” Her voice shook.
“Let’s find out. Kiss me.”
“You’re not staying in Vegas. You said it yourself. You’re out of here as soon as the Oceanic Counsel releases you.”
No empathy-skills were necessary to see the passionate storm brewing in his eyes. “If I go, come with me. You’re fire, I’m water, we could live by a volcano in Iceland.” A sly smile crooked his lips. “I think I’m going to indulge in one shot of Don Mágico, will you join me?”
Dear God, she nearly blurted, yes. “Is that a good idea?”
He laughed. “It’s not a bad one. Don Mágico is a thousand dollars a bottle. Aren’t you curious?”
She was. “Okay, but I sip my shots. I don’t knock’em back.”
“Live dangerously.” He walked to the bar, opened the hand-blown bottle and poured the pale gold liquid into two silvery shot glasses. “I’m not trying to get you drunk and I’m not trying to seduce you.”
“That’s too bad. You probably could have gotten away with both.” It occurred that she really needed someone confident like Kai to sweep the cobwebs out of her life and force her out of her protective shell.
He handed her a shot, then linked his arm through hers. “I just want one kiss.”
With her elbow bent she lifted the shot to her lips. “To the capture of the skinwalker.”
“To us.” He toasted.
The first taste of tequila was fiery and strong. A moment later a slightly smoky almost vanilla-like note flooded her tongue. Impulsively, she tipped her head back and gulped. The tequila burned going down like swallowing a flaming sword. “Oh my God!” She gasped.
He finished his. An intense expression smoldered in his eyes. Taking the shot glass from her, he set it on a table. “Come with me.” Grabbing her hand he lead her to the window. They looked out on all of Vegas sparkling beyond. The view was dizzying, almost like gliding over the city in an airplane.
With her head spinning, she turned away from the overwhelming spectacle. “It’s almost too beautiful.”
“So are you.” Kai caught hold of her wrists, drew her arms above her head and pinned her against the cool glass. He nuzzled his face in her hair, pressing close, his solid body formidable. An erection that couldn’t be ignored grazed her thigh. Breathless, she looked into his eyes, wanting to believe that she truly was the cause of such passion.
He released her wrists and brought one hand to her chin. With a slow, teasing touch, he stroked his thumb along her bottom lip. “You have such a pretty mouth.” He tangled his fingers in her hair and kissed her with soft, sweet pressure followed by the sweep of his tongue.
The heat of his kiss and the faint hint of tequila on his lips ignited her senses. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him like a life raft. He took hold of her hips and lifted her against the glass. Her legs locked around his hips. The sensation of twining herself around him sent her heart racing and left her wanting more.
She tilted her head back, waiting. His kiss became more demanding. With breathtaking tenderness, his kisses slipped from her lips, to her throat, to the ticklish little spot above her collarbone. With eyes closed, she allowed herself to surrender to the splendor of his touch.
The phone rang.
They both started.
She adjusted the top of her dress. “Is that my phone or yours?”
He tapped his pocket and eased her to the floor. “Mine.” Digging into his pocket he removed the phone and looked at the screen. “I don’t know the caller. I’ll let the message go to voice mail.”
A moment later the phone beeped. “Kai, this is Sam. It’s an emergency. There’s been a development. We need you in the lobby...”
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