Chapter Three
Mai found herself grateful it was a chilly day as she set up in the back of her old, rusted ’85 Bronco. She loved her truck because it was so useful in so many ways. Not only were the back windows tinted to the point she was invisible during surveillance, but it was large enough to haul her shit if needed. It might suck down gas like a drowning man gasping for air, but she had no intentions of getting rid of it any time soon. She’d bought it brand new, after all, driven it right off the lot over thirty years ago.
A side-effect of being nearly ageless, though, was one tended to outlive nearly everything. Still, she’d care for it for as long as she could.
She made herself comfortable, leaning against the interior wheel well with a pillow she kept in the back so her ass wouldn’t go numb sitting on metal. With her phone nearby and her snacks there, too, she got ready for what could be a long wait.
When he’d stopped by the previous night, Ryan brought a folder filled with info on four bail jumpers. He usually came to her place bearing gifts, and last night was no different. She appreciated the cash and it wasn’t as though the police really had time for it, either. They had to deal with real issues. Hunting down some guy who would more than likely cost them a ridiculous number of man-hours wasn’t generally worth the effort. That’s where Mai came in.
After about an hour of nothing, Mai’s phone went off. It was Ryan asking what she was up to. She told him that she was currently parked down the street from a house the skip might be hiding in. Not on duty for another couple of hours, he coyly—bluntly, actually—asked if she wanted company. Mai smiled and said yes. She always said yes when it came to Ryan.
Mai told him to stop by if he wanted to and to bring something warm to drink. He told her he’d be there soon.
****
Roughly a half hour after she’d received her final message from him, Ryan appeared. He rapped his knuckles gently against the hatch of her truck before opening it and sliding in with her. He slammed the door behind him and offered her the steaming cup of cocoa in his hand.
“Thank you.” She grinned, taking the object gingerly to avoid spilling boiling liquid over herself.
Ryan shifted from side to side and did his best to get comfortable, but he was a large man and it was difficult. Even though the back of a Bronco was decently sized, Ryan still had to sit with his legs crossed and a little to the side.
“Comfy?” she openly teased.
He sent her a sideways glare, but the smirk on his lips kept it from appearing angry. “So, who’s this guy you’re looking for?”
Mai reached for the file at her right and handed it to him so he could read for himself. “This is supposed to be his girlfriend’s place,” she said. “He listed it as an address.”
“You seriously think he’s going to show up here when it’s in his file?”
She shrugged a shoulder. “Maybe, maybe not, but I need to check it out at least.”
He gave her a small nod and let his eyes drift through the tinted glass toward the house two doors down. Mai’s Bronco fit in with the rest of the neighborhood, which was useful. At least no one would get suspicious of the hulking vehicle that came from nowhere.
****
Twenty minutes. It took twenty minutes before Mai could taste the lust in the air. She did her best to ignore it and focus on the task at hand, but within twenty minutes it grew to the point she couldn’t.
“Oh my God.” She laughed as she turned to the man at her side. “Can’t you control yourself, at least a little?”
“Nope.” He grinned. “How the hell am I supposed to concentrate when you smell so good?”
As though proving his point, Ryan leaned over, buried his nose in the crook of her neck, and sniffed obnoxiously just so she could hear it. Mai giggled and shoved at him, but the beast of a man didn’t even budge.
Remaining where he was, Ryan kissed her skin. Mai felt a jolt of desire wash through her. It was a familiar sensation, but always stronger with him. The succubus side of her craved it. In fact, both halves of her genealogy did. Both the succubus and djinn thrived and fed off adoration, and there was no one who adored her like Ryan.
“Stop.” She sighed, putting up no real attempt to stop him.
“Say it like you mean it,” he replied, kissing her again and nipping at her skin.
But she couldn’t, so she didn’t bother trying.
Ryan continued to kiss at her neck, trailing his lips along her pulse points. Mai shivered with every scrape of his well-manicured beard.
“You’re distracting me.” She sighed as he continued.
She felt him smile against her skin. “You’re distracting me,” he replied.
Mai giggled lightly. While she wanted to continue, there were more pressing issues—sort of. For now, the two had to pretend to be adults. So, she shoved at him with her shoulder, forcing Ryan away from her. She glanced back to see a smile tugging at his bearded face.
“Behave,” she said with a grin.
Ryan mocked surrender, putting his hands up as though submitting to her demands. Mai rolled her eyes and shook her head before turning her attention back to the job at hand.
Ryan sighed as he reached for his cup of steaming coffee. “How long have you been watching this guy, anyway?”
“A couple hours, I think.”
She could see him shake his head out of the corner of her eye. Ryan knew what it was like to sit for hours on end inside a vehicle. He knew what came along with stakeouts, like the back pain, the boredom, and the anxious desire for something to happen. For the moment, however, she had company, and was glad for it.
For a little while, the two of them were silent. The only thing that passed between them was playful glances and nudges. Unfortunately, the sexual tension began to build. Truthfully, it never faded. It was something that always lingered in the background with the two of them and was often brought to the foreground quickly.
Mai could feel him touching her, tenderly trailing his thumb across the small of her back. She felt his eyes, too. She knew he was watching her intently, and the thought made her skin prickle.
“We should go out, or something,” he randomly said.
“Out where?” Mai asked, keeping her wavering attention on the house in the distance. “There’s only one neutral place in the city. Outside that, there are a thousand different Fay who could see us.” She looked at him over her shoulder with a slightly morose expression. “They’d report you.”
Ryan’s beautifully hazel eyes met hers. She could see his mind swarming with thoughts and ideas, but knew he couldn’t land on a single, plausible one. There was sadness reflected back at her, the same kind she felt knowing they couldn’t be seen in public together.
“A date would just be nice,” he said under his breath.
Mai sighed and gave her attention to the house once more. “I know.”
Ryan placed his whole hand on her back. She felt a wave of reassurance wash through her, but the sensation wasn’t alone. As always, mixed within it, was the same desire they would forever feel for one another. It was like a smolder that was always there, but his stare or his touch was a breath meant to start the fire.
“Don’t you have work?” Mai asked, hoping to save them both from the moment.
“Want me to leave?” he said in a tone that told her he felt the growing attraction, too.
The playful way he spoke caused her to turn and look at him again. Ryan’s eyes danced over her with the same hungry glint they generally held. She’d seen it a hundred times, and it always stirred her feelings for him.
Ryan took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he met her stare. “Maybe I should head out?” he said. “We can’t seem to be alone together for too long, can we?”
“No,” she replied. “It doesn’t look that way, does it?”
He smiled at her and nodded. “Call me when you’re done?”
“Probably,” she said with a laugh.
Ryan chuckled. Cradling the back of her head, he pulled her close and kissed her deeply. Mai returned the sentiment. Eventually, they’d part and he’d make his way to work, but for those few minutes they could pretend the outside world didn’t exist. Mai would hold him and he’d hold her, they’d cradle one another and live in their little bubble where sides didn’t matter and they could be happy. They could pretend and lie to themselves.