Page 14 of Fight (Kitsune #2)

I hurried up to my apartment and dropped my purse over the inside knob as I closed the door. I started peeling my suit off before I made it into the bedroom. I finished in the shower and went to the closet still wrapped in towels, looking for the items I had in mind.

Pulling the things out, I tossed them onto the bed before dressing.

I waited to put my shoes on until after I'd finished my hair and make-up.

Taking one last look in the mirror to make sure I hadn't missed anything, I grabbed a small purse and tucked the essentials inside, my PCD, a tube of lipstick, and a few condoms, just in case.

Glancing at the clock, I saw that I was out of time, and headed out the door.

I was halfway down the stairs, taking them carefully because of my heals, when I noticed Devon on his way across the courtyard.

He was wearing a tight pair of black jeans, a nice button down shirt, and carrying his leather jacket.

I stopped, and watched his liquid smoothness.

He must have felt my eyes on him, because he looked up, smiling when he caught sight of me. Even from the distance, I could see heat in his look. I continued down the steps, and met him as he came across the courtyard toward me.

"I grabbed my jacket and was going to ask if you wanted to take the bike.

" He looked me up and down. "But from the leather you're wearing, I think I know what your answer will be.

" I couldn't argue. I'd worn my leather halter top, it was a deep blood red that brought out the milky tones in my skin and red hues in my hair.

I'd paired it with black leather shorts that barely covered my ass, leaving several inches of bare skin between them and the tops of my high healed leather boots that came up to mid-thigh.

"Too much?" I asked impishly.

His eyes dipped again, taking a long look. "Not at all, I like it." He smiled. "So, what do you say about the bike? Or will the helmet mess up your hair?"

"It'll mess up my hair, but let's do it anyway. It'll be fun." I grinned.

"As much as I love the outfit, you're gonna need a jacket on the bike. Do you have one or should we stop and get my spare?"

"I don't have anything appropriate for riding, so I guess we go with yours."

"We have to pass my place to get to the bike anyway.

" He motioned for me to take the lead. I passed him and headed for his apartment.

I knew he was watching, so I put a little more wiggle into my walk.

After several paces, I stopped, looking back at him with one brow raised, asking silently if he was coming.

Realizing he was caught, he quickly caught up with me. "I do like that outfit." He grinned, unabashed.

"I'm glad. It's one of my favorites"

"It could easily become one of mine, too." The timbre of his voice had dropped, and I knew his jeans were tighter than they had been moments ago.

We stopped at his apartment, and he quickly went inside to grab a second leather jacket and a pair of helmets. Beside the bike, he set the helmets on the seat and unfolded the coats from over one arm.

"Here, you take this one." He handed me a jacket, and shrugged into the other. "I'll wear my old one. I think you'll like that one better, it's not as long, and that's your helmet there." He motioned to the one closest to me.

I pulled the jacket on, tugging where it didn't want to slide easily over the leather I was already wearing, and then slid the helmet onto my head, careful not to push my hair into my face, snapped the strap and tightened it.

I watched Devon climb onto the bike, he flipped down a pair of foot pegs before he kicked over the engine and waived that he was ready.

I climbed on behind him, wrapped both arms around him, and held on tight.

We went to a nice steakhouse, one I'd only been to a couple of times.

My outfit was out of place, but neither of us cared.

We had dressed to suit ourselves, not others.

After dinner, we got back on Devon's Harley, and went for a ride.

Devon stuck mostly to fringe roads, ones rarely used by anyone who didn't live along them.

I loved the beat of the wind against my face as we sped along the dark road and the rough vibrations of the engine beneath us.

Afterward, I carried my helmet into Devon's apartment and saw that he'd pushed the furniture to the edges of the room, leaving a large open space so we could dance.

"What do you normally dance to?" He dropped his helmet onto the sofa, as he passed it to pick up the remote. He turned on the screen so he could find the right music

"Generally anything loud and fast, but I don't know if that's what I want tonight."

"You trust me to pick something?"

"Sure. I trust you to do a lot more than pick out dance music, you know that."

"It’s good to check once in a while." He chuckled, punching buttons to bring up the music he was after.

I shrugged out of the black leather jacket and hung it in the front closet where he kept it.

"Do you mind if I use your restroom?" I knew he wouldn't care, but I was being polite.

"You know where it is." He replied. "Do you want me to fix you something to drink?"

"That sounds great,"

"What would you like?"

"Surprise me."

I freshened up; fixing the worst of my flattened and windblown hair and checking to make sure my make-up was still where it was supposed to be before rejoining Devon. As I walked into the living room, he handed me a shot glass.

"Start with that, then I mixed us up something a little sweeter."

I threw the shot back, tipping my head and letting the fiery liquid flow down my throat. "Tequila?" I asked, handing him the small glass.

"Yep, you like it?"

"It’s a good one, smooth."

"It’s my favorite, a little hard to find, but it's worth it." He carried the shot glasses into the kitchen and returned with two tall glasses. Their contents were strangely layered, orange near the bottom blending to a deep red at the top.

I frowned, trying to figure out what it was. "What is that?" I finally asked.

"It’s called a Tequila Sunrise." He handed me one. "They were really popular about fifty years ago. An army buddy introduced me to them, and I thought you might like it."

"It does look a lot like a sunrise." I admitted, taking a small sip. "Oh, tart!"

"That’s the grenadine on top, there's orange juice and tequila in there too. Stir it up, the flavors blend really well."

I used the small straw in the glass to stir the drink until it was a solid color, and sipped it again. "This really is good." I gave him a sly look. "Hey, I thought you big, tough Army guys didn't do mixed drinks. Shooters and beer were okay, but mixing things into them made them girly drinks."

He grinned. "I didn't say it was a guy."

I laughed. "You got me there." I took another drink before asking. "Are we gonna dance or what?"

"Yeah." He set his glass down and aimed the remote at the screen, making the first notes of electric guitar music, swell to fill the room. "Not exactly club music, but I thought we could start here."

The beat was fast, and I closed my eyes and stood, I let the music draw me in before starting to move to the rhythm vibrating through my body.

I took a long drink, and set my glass down before turning back to Devon.

I danced closer to him, intent on getting him to come dance with me.

I reached, and pulled him closer but not against me, the music was still too fast for that.

We danced for several songs before I stepped away and reached for my glass. "I need a few minutes." I took several drinks, enjoying the feeling of the cool liquid flowing down my throat.

"All right." He went back to his drink and picked up both it and the remote so he could turn the music down. "Come sit down for a minute." He led me to the sofa he'd pushed up against the wall when he'd cleared the floor.

I sat down beside him, and continued sipping my drink, still swaying to the music. I leaned over and put my head on his shoulder.

"This is fun, thanks."

"I'm enjoying it too. This is a side of you I hadn't seen."

I sat up and looked at him. "Does it scare you off?"

"Do I look like I'm running?" He challenged. "I'm enjoying it, and where did you find all that leather in our small upstanding town?" Devon knew as well as I did, that most of what I was wearing just wasn't available in our town.

"I got the boots at a little boutique on Main Street a couple months ago.

" I took another drink. "Actually, I'm surprised I found anything this tall but they were what I was looking for, so I didn't question it.

Anyway, I found the top in Tucson. I'd gone over to see Payson and while I waited for her to get off work, I did some shopping.

When I found it I just couldn't pass it up. "

"I'm glad you didn't." He ran his eyes over me again, before he grinned.

I drained my glass, and put it on a nearby table. "I'm glad you like it." I stood up again and lowered the zipper between my breasts a couple of inches. "Wanna dance some more?" I asked, my voice low and breathy.

"Oh, hell yes." He stood and pulled me close. "But this time, I thought we'd do it a little differently." He aimed the remote again and the music changed. It was slower, smoother. Devon held me against him as we moved gently to the soft beat.