Chapter Nine
Joran grunted.
Most of the day, the men had been giving him shit about his night in jail. It might have irritated him more if he weren’t so worried about seeing Erebus. Between that and the strange events last night, he’d accepted that keeping his distance from Nicole was no longer an option, not if he wanted her to survive.
She was on the radar of something dangerous, and although he was certain she could take care of herself in most situations, Erebus and the Glycons weren’t like most situations. They were superhuman hunters. A normal human wouldn’t have a chance of defeating either, even if they knew they were coming.
No. Nicole needed him and soon.
Joran raised his head from the path he’d been patrolling and looked over to the drive. A soft and alluring lavender scent reached his nose. A scent that he felt like he’d known before he was even born. Pure instinct calling to his soul.
Nicole had just stepped out of her patrol car on the other side of the gate as Joran stepped outside of the woods. Even buttoned up, with her hair wrapped under her hat, Nicole looked every much the knockout that she did in his dreams.
The hybrid took a deep breath, desire stirring in his body. It wasn’t the time or place.
“Out for another jog?” Nicole raised an inquisitive brow.
It was hard to hide the smile that lifted at the corner of his mouth. There was no letting anything pass with her. She was on to him, and if he weren’t careful, he’d find himself back on the ground trying to explain a number of things very quickly. Time for a little deflection.
Joran shrugged. “I only like to jog at night when pretty deputies need rescuing.”
The hybrid was surprised when he was rewarded with a small blush. She didn’t seem the type.
“I, um…” Nicole fumbled over her words, and he was surprised with the effect they had on one another.
Joran took a few steps forward until he stood just in front of her. The soft light from the setting sun created a halo around her very blonde hair. She was too damned beautiful.
Nicole frowned and let out a quiet sigh. “I wanted to let you know there might be some trouble from one of the deputies. Maybe nothing, but he was stirred up.”
Without thinking, Joran stepped forward and placed a hand on her arm to comfort her. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to do. Still this was much further outside the bounds of their real relationship, especially since their last major interaction in the waking world had been her locking him up for the night.
Nicole looked down at his hand and then up to him. Their eyes met.
“What is it about you?” she whispered. “Why do I feel like I already know you? Why are you in my…” She sighed and shook her head.
Joran stepped a little closer. He could feel the electricity that passed between them. More. He wanted more. They were destined for more, and she needed his protection.
“Maybe some people are just drawn to one another,” Joran said, his voice just above a rumble.
The small shiver that passed over her didn’t escape his attention before she shook her head and moved slightly away. Joran dropped his hand but could still feel the heat from her body.
Nicole cleared her throat and looked away. “So the deputy, Ted, really seems to have it out for you all, for whatever reason. He’s a bit of a dick in general, but this feels like more than that.”
Joran nodded. He knew their presence made a number of the locals itchy. Maybe it was because they were outsiders, or maybe the humans sensed something different about them deep down inside and were reacting. It was hard to say really.
“Just thought you all should know,” Nicole said. “I’m going to say something to Frank, but Ted can be really stubborn. If he comes by, give me a call. If I’m here, he shouldn’t do anything too stupid.”
Nicole pulled out a business card with her number written on the back. “Day or night, I’ll come.”
Joran stared down at the card. Last night she’d had him on the ground and brought him in to sit the night in jail. Now she was willing to bail them out and was warning them about one of her comrades. Maybe he really was winning her over.
She turned back toward the car. “Well, that’s all I wanted to say. You have a good night.”
Joran stepped forward. “What about dinner?”
Nicole stopped and turned to frown at him. Her soft pink lips formed into a sweet sort of confused pout. “What?”
Joran took another few steps forward until he was standing in front of her once again. Their close proximity was all he needed to get drunk off her sweet lavender scent. It nearly drove him wild.
“Dinner,” he said quietly. “What about dinner?”
Nicole shrugged after a moment. “Sure,” she said. “You could call during dinner.”
A small smile slid across his face. “What about dinner with me? Tonight?”
Nicole’s soft brows shot up in surprise. “Dinner? With me? And you?”
Joran nodded. “That’s the idea.”
“I can’t. That wouldn’t be right.” Nicole leaned forward. “I arrested you last night,” she whispered.
The hybrid couldn’t stop the small chuckle that escaped. “I remember.” He grinned. “You can bring the cuffs if you’d like. I’m not against it.”
Her mouth dropped open, and for a moment, he wondered if that was a step too far.
He shrugged. “You said it yourself. There’s something between us. I know you can feel it, too. I’m not actually a criminal, so why fight it?”
Nicole closed her mouth and nibbled on the tender skin there. It made him ache to take her in his arms.
“Okay,” she said after a moment.
Joran had been so engrossed in her mouth that he’d nearly missed her reply. “Okay?” He blinked.
Nicole nodded. “I just need to go home to change.” She looked down at her uniform. “Meet me at Joe’s Shack at seven.”
Her reply surprised Joran. He’d expected her to say no, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He had the perfect amount of time for him to talk to the men about their new buddy Ted and get ready.
“Seven it is.”
* * *
On her way to her apartment, Nicole still couldn’t quite believe she’d agreed to the date. It seemed like such an epically bad idea, but when she stared at Joran, it was hard to feel anything other than the flopping of her stomach. Arresting a man and then going out with him the next day would look inappropriate to say the least.
Still, it did give her a good chance to get to know him in an up close and personal sort of way. If he were hiding something, he might slip up in a more casual setting.
A blush spread across her face as her mind wandered as to just how personal they could get. She only knew how personal he was in her dreams.
Nicole shook her head. Going in like this was a bad idea. If she were going to grill him for some information, she needed to make sure she was in the headspace to do it. This wasn’t about fun and food.
Joran had been right, though. It was hard to ignore the burning attraction, the magnetic draw that came from just being in the same space as him. It was so intense that she hadn’t been able to breathe with him standing so close to her.
Nicole groaned. How the hell was she going to do this date if he had this sort of effect on her? It wasn’t like she was going to be able to interrogate him if her mind was a constant pile of mush, and she was too busy imagining him naked.
A slow smile spread across her face. She’d break out the big guns. If he made her feel like mush, the only way to counter that was to make him think with a totally different part of his anatomy. This sounded like the perfect time for a little black dress and heels.
Lord, she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d even tried to dress up for a man. Nicole had always been more of a jeans and t-shirt sort of woman. Still, sometimes it was the only way to win.
For a moment she was struck with how strange the situation was to think it was some sort of war with Joran that she needed to win. But that was exactly what she was feeling. This wasn’t even about the interrogation. It was more like she felt she needed to make sure she had control.
Nicole stopped outside her apartment and sighed.
This really was a bad idea. The fact that her whole body vibrated with excitement only signaled just what a bad idea it was, but she was committed now. Nicole would figure out Joran first and her own emotions second. It was the only choice she really had.