taken up by a hard-on. The thought made him feel oddly sexy and deliciously wrong.
“We’ve gotta go…” She said it softly, as if she didn’t believe it, or didn’t want to. “Um, I mean—yeah. We need to go before he calls the cops on us.” She climbed off him and dusted off her clothes. Shani looked well and truly flustered, dots of burgundy high on her cheeks.
Royce hid his grin, beginning to seriously wish he could get it up. “Yeah. And I’ll be hurting pretty soon. You don’t need to help me out again…” He tried to laugh it off, but he couldn’t help the twinge of embarrassment.
“I know, baby.” Shani didn’t seem to notice the term of endearment she used, wrapped up as she was in organizing the clothes and other items in the back of the van. “We’ll stop at a motel.” She spun around, slamming the back doors as she went. Their eyes met and heat flared between them. “It’s not like we got anything better to do—waiting for Frank to get back…” Her words trailed off as she blinked up into his gaze.
He broke eye contact first, shrugging up his sweatshirt a couple times to release the heat and sweat climbing up his neck. The sun was starting to filter through the trees, so Royce pulled off the sweatshirt to go only in short sleeves.
Shani’s gaze scoured him, lingering on his biceps and chest, his neck, and finally his lips. Royce knew they had to either get out of there or fall on the ground making out again.
“Let’s go.” She strode past him toward the front seat. “Shouldn’t be too far.”
He swung open the passenger side door and climbed in. As Shani pulled out of the campground and started again down the gray country road, Royce recounted the scuffle. He hadn’t meant to hurt her, that much he knew. But the way he’d pushed her had been aggressive—there was no doubt about it. And his programming normally wouldn’t allow him to use force of any kind unless the client asked for it, especially with a female client.
Royce flicked a glance Shani’s way, watching her maneuver the van and curse the GPS under her breath. With her, he’d pushed, shoved. He felt sure that if he’d wanted to smack her, he could have.
“You okay?”
“Yeah… I’m good.” Royce flexed his arms under his shirt, trying not to be too obvious. Then he stretched his arms over his head, feeling the strength in his back. He knew it looked like an innocent movement. But hell, he felt strong. Hard. Toned. For the first time in his undead life, he realized those muscles packed on his body were more than pretty. If he wanted to, he could overpower her. He could probably overpower lots of people.
“What’s so funny?”
Royce didn’t realize he’d been chuckling until she said it, but that made it all the funnier. He lifted a hand in front of his mouth to hide his laughter, but then even that seemed ridiculous. Loud guffaws left his lips, shaking his body. “Nothing.” He reached over and took her hand. Shani didn’t try to pull away, not that he would have let her.
“You are one weird slave-boy, you know that?”
That only made him laugh more.
Chapter Six
Shani drove the Pacific Coast Highway past wine country and through northernmost California. Small towns dotted the roadside, one more eccentric than the next. When they stopped for gas, Shani went into the attached convenience store to pay cash. The white girl with dreadlocks who took Shani’s money didn’t seem to mind or notice that every other person in line had the hooded gaze and secretive air of a marijuana grower.
“Is there a motel around here?” Shani hoped the girl didn’t think she was a love-bot, though it was the only logical assumption. “I drove through the night.” She wished desperately that she had some dark glasses and a hunter hat like the two guys stepping up to the counter behind her.
The cashier pulled out a stained and folded map from the register and traced directions with a colored pencil.
“We’ve gotta go…” She said it softly, as if she didn’t believe it, or didn’t want to. “Um, I mean—yeah. We need to go before he calls the cops on us.” She climbed off him and dusted off her clothes. Shani looked well and truly flustered, dots of burgundy high on her cheeks.
Royce hid his grin, beginning to seriously wish he could get it up. “Yeah. And I’ll be hurting pretty soon. You don’t need to help me out again…” He tried to laugh it off, but he couldn’t help the twinge of embarrassment.
“I know, baby.” Shani didn’t seem to notice the term of endearment she used, wrapped up as she was in organizing the clothes and other items in the back of the van. “We’ll stop at a motel.” She spun around, slamming the back doors as she went. Their eyes met and heat flared between them. “It’s not like we got anything better to do—waiting for Frank to get back…” Her words trailed off as she blinked up into his gaze.
He broke eye contact first, shrugging up his sweatshirt a couple times to release the heat and sweat climbing up his neck. The sun was starting to filter through the trees, so Royce pulled off the sweatshirt to go only in short sleeves.
Shani’s gaze scoured him, lingering on his biceps and chest, his neck, and finally his lips. Royce knew they had to either get out of there or fall on the ground making out again.
“Let’s go.” She strode past him toward the front seat. “Shouldn’t be too far.”
He swung open the passenger side door and climbed in. As Shani pulled out of the campground and started again down the gray country road, Royce recounted the scuffle. He hadn’t meant to hurt her, that much he knew. But the way he’d pushed her had been aggressive—there was no doubt about it. And his programming normally wouldn’t allow him to use force of any kind unless the client asked for it, especially with a female client.
Royce flicked a glance Shani’s way, watching her maneuver the van and curse the GPS under her breath. With her, he’d pushed, shoved. He felt sure that if he’d wanted to smack her, he could have.
“You okay?”
“Yeah… I’m good.” Royce flexed his arms under his shirt, trying not to be too obvious. Then he stretched his arms over his head, feeling the strength in his back. He knew it looked like an innocent movement. But hell, he felt strong. Hard. Toned. For the first time in his undead life, he realized those muscles packed on his body were more than pretty. If he wanted to, he could overpower her. He could probably overpower lots of people.
“What’s so funny?”
Royce didn’t realize he’d been chuckling until she said it, but that made it all the funnier. He lifted a hand in front of his mouth to hide his laughter, but then even that seemed ridiculous. Loud guffaws left his lips, shaking his body. “Nothing.” He reached over and took her hand. Shani didn’t try to pull away, not that he would have let her.
“You are one weird slave-boy, you know that?”
That only made him laugh more.
Chapter Six
Shani drove the Pacific Coast Highway past wine country and through northernmost California. Small towns dotted the roadside, one more eccentric than the next. When they stopped for gas, Shani went into the attached convenience store to pay cash. The white girl with dreadlocks who took Shani’s money didn’t seem to mind or notice that every other person in line had the hooded gaze and secretive air of a marijuana grower.
“Is there a motel around here?” Shani hoped the girl didn’t think she was a love-bot, though it was the only logical assumption. “I drove through the night.” She wished desperately that she had some dark glasses and a hunter hat like the two guys stepping up to the counter behind her.
The cashier pulled out a stained and folded map from the register and traced directions with a colored pencil.
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