She shivered again and shifted, trying to warm herself more.
Thank God, Steve had shown up when he had. She hated to think what would have happened if he’d been even just a few minutes later. The Soul Eater would have wrapped his hands around her neck and then lifted her essence right out of her. She would have died on the lonely cold stone step — another casualty in the battle between good and evil. A battle so few even knew existed.
But Steve…
She smiled, recalling how upset he’d seemed at the thought of her having a boyfriend of some type. And then the flood of relief that seemed to wash over him when he realized he’d been mistaken. Lauren found it altogether charming and innocent. He’d seemed as crestfallen as a ten-year old with his first crush.
There was a lot to admire about Steve Curran, she decided. At once a hardcore and devoted detective, he had an inner softness that he desperately tried to keep hidden. She kept seeing it in flashes, never for more than a second or so. But she knew it existed.
He could be absolutely stone, though. She’d seen enough evidence of that tonight when he’d come out of the car. She’d never seen him look so…primed. There was no doubt in her mind that he could kill if he needed to.
That he would kill.
She couldn’t blame him. After all, tracking the Soul Eater for as long as he had without even really knowing what it was, or why it did what it did would have driven most other men insane by now. But Steve just kept on coming at it like another case that needed solving. His determination and naivete over the entire affair made him even more appealing.
When was the last time you felt this way about a man, she asked herself.
The answer came fast and without blinking.
Never.
Oh sure she’d had boyfriends before. But they’d never lasted beyond a week or two. She’d had enough sex to know her way around a bedroom. But there were parts of her that had never really succumbed to the fullness of making love.
How could she? After what her brother had done to her?
That was the real reason why no man ever stuck around long enough. It was like they could sense there was something there. Some kind of emotional baggage that would inhibit her. And so far, no one had shown any signs they’d be willing to tackle the job of removing it.
Until Steve.
He knew about her past. He knew about the hell she’d endured.
And he seemed quite willing to try despite it. If only he would let himself make the move. And if he thought I’d let him, she thought with a small smile.
She could tell he had a hang-up about her wanting to become a nun. It probably seemed weird to him, to be romantically attracted to a woman about to enter the Church.
I wonder….
In truth, Lauren wasn’t entirely uncomfortable with the notion of falling for a man like him.
Images of the two of them danced in her head. Intertwined bodies, undulating, frothing, and cresting on the shores of desire.
She wasn’t a nun yet, was she? Couldn’t she indulge? Just once?
But as quickly as she tried to reason out any tryst she might enjoy, she knew instinctively there might be a lot more to a guy like Curran. What might start out as some delightful romp could well turn into something… serious.
Serious.
Steve.
She sighed again as more rain beat against the window and roof. Lauren clutched the covers to her chin and opened her eyes. She could almost convince herself that Curran was standing at the foot of her bed, naked from the waist up.
She could imagine the etched details of his strong chest, the tightness of his abdominals, the rounding of his shoulders and biceps, and the tough sinews that lined his forearms.
She could imagine him bending over her, pressing his lips against hers. Feeling his warm breath tickling her neck as he nuzzled her. And then the moistness of his tongue as he traced his way all over her body.
Everywhere.
Oh my…
Sweat broke out along her hairline as the images danced faster.
Lauren sighed again and rolled over on her stomach, squeezing her legs together, hoping to ward off the fuzzy sensations sweeping through her lower body.
Steve.
She swung her legs out of bed and sat up, wiping her hand across her forehead. It came away damp. She stared at the line of moisture on the back of her hand and watched it dry there.
She shivered — unprotected in the darkness.
This is what she got for trying to figure out her problems when she should have been sleeping. She frowned. I should just get a glass of water, drink it down, and go back to bed.
But would that help her?
She got out of bed and paced her room. She looked at the wall, at the crucifix hanging there. She walked toward it, running her hands over the cool wood.
She knelt and bowed her head.
Across town, Curran lay in bed.
Wide-awake.
Tonight had been close. If we hadn’t gotten there just then…his thoughts trailed off and images filled his head of another crime scene. This one with a chalk outline that looked like the shape of Lauren.
If we’d been any later, he would have gotten her.
The Soul Eater.
The hundred year-old oak tree in his backyard groaned under the forces of the wind and Curran heard it creak. One of these days, it was going to crash down and probably split his roof in half. But Curran had never been able to bring himself to have it cut down. Something about its strength and resilience after all these years impressed him.
Hell, it inspired him.
Was that how he saw himself, he wondered. Like an old oak standing in the wind?
He didn’t feel very resilient just then. After all, the notions of the supernatural still made him wince. He was a facts and figures guy, not someone who got turned on by the latest new age mumbo-jumbo hype.
But Kwon had been right. When science couldn’t explain what was happening, where else could you turn? And at what point did the supernatural stop being so far-fetched?
Now seemed as good a time as any.
And there’d been very real danger tonight.
To Lauren.
He sighed.
She was beautiful. And Curran really wanted her.
He thought about how she looked in the white blouses she seemed to wear everywhere. The way they buttoned up so high and yet still managed to show off the roundness of her bosom.
He sighed again. His groin swelled vaguely.
He looked down.
Maybe just -
No.
