Pyromancist SECOND EDITION: Art of Fire (7 Forbidden Arts Book 1) Read online

  She bit her lip, studying him for a moment. “If Lupien is after me to steal my art, it still makes me your enemy.”

  “Yes, but we’re going to change that.”

  “How?”

  “You don’t have to worry about that now. We’ll handle it when we get there.”

  “Get where?”

  “All you have to worry about now is getting back your strength.” He raked his gaze over her smaller waist and thinner arms. “Eat. Rest.”

  “Then what?” she asked, her body tensing.

  The distance she kept between them didn’t escape him. “Then you let me worry about the rest.”

  “It doesn’t work like that, Joss.”

  He hardened his voice. “It’ll work any way I see fit.”

  She gave a small, sad smile. “To think there was a time I thought I loved you.”

  The words were like an unpleasant aftertaste in his mouth. He wished he could make her swallow them, but she was right. He wasn’t the man she’d fabricated in her mind. “Love or no love, it makes no difference. It would’ve been easier for you if you could’ve held on to that pretty illusion of love,” of loving a good man, “but I already told you I’m not going to deceive you.”

  She sagged, leaning her back against the sliding door. “What do you want from me?”

  He closed that distance she fought so hard to maintain and stopped flush against her. “Right now?” He lowered his head, holding her eyes. “This.”

  Using her shock to his advantage, he took her face between his hands and pressed their mouths together. When she gasped, he stole inside. Tangling his tongue with hers, he kissed her like he’d promised himself he would when he found her. It was wild and uninhibited, a stolen kiss, and he took for as long as she battled to come to her senses.

  She protested with a moan and shoved him away with her hands on his shoulders.

  He let her. Dragging his tongue over his teeth, he watched her as he savored her taste on his lips and tongue. Caramel and sin. So sweet for a woman who was so bitter.

  Her dark eyes were huge as she wiped the back of her hand over her mouth.

  She could wipe away his touch all she liked. It didn’t make her any less his. She could deny the attraction until the sky was no longer blue. As hard as he was, as wet was she. He could smell the feminine scent of her arousal. Her chest was heaving with breaths. There was no longer a choice for either of them. They belonged, if only to each other.

  “Best get used to that,” he said with a calculated smile. “I want what you owe me, and I’m not a patient man.”

  Chapter 24

  “Are you hungry?” Joss asked.

  Clelia stared at his broad back as he took a menu from the nightstand. Unbelievable. He was talking about food as if the kiss had never happened.

  “I’ll order lunch,” he said, handing her the menu. “Then I’m booking us tickets on the next flight home.”

  She didn’t trust him, not for a minute. “Where are Maya and Lann?”

  “Working.” He walked to the minibar and took out a bottle of water.

  “Another mission?”

  “Yes.” Unscrewing the cap, he held it to her.

  Automatically, she took it. “You’re not?”

  “I took a sabbatical.”

  “What about Bono?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Why do you ask about him?”

  “You took a holiday to come looking for me. This isn’t one of your missions.” The bottle dented under the pressure of her fingers. “This is personal.”

  He picked up the phone. “Any preferences, or can I order for you?”

  “What are your intentions? What are you planning on doing with me?”

  He held her gaze, his expression flat as he ordered two Caesar Salads, steaks, French fries, and a bottle of Pinotage. When he hung up, she was still standing with the menu and water in her hands.

  “The food will be here soon. Have that shower you wanted. We’re leaving after lunch.” Not waiting for her reply, he settled on the sofa with a tablet in his hands.

  “At least tell me where you’re taking me.”

  He lifted his eyes to her, the color cold like the mist over a lake. “I’ll tell you what you need to know.”

  She didn’t like the look on his face. “What are you up to, Joss?”

  “You have ten minutes.” To emphasize the threat, he checked his watch.

  Bristling, she left the water and menu on the table before escaping to the bathroom. Under the spray of the water, she tried to think, but as long as she didn’t know what Joss was scheming, she couldn’t come up with a new plan of escape. She’d have to take it moment by moment, and use the first opportunity that arose.

  After a quick shower, she wrapped a towel around her body and another around her hair. The clothes she’d been wearing smelled of stale smoke and the beer one of the customers had spilled on her. She didn’t have a choice but select one of the outfits Joss had brought. She grabbed the first dress and pulled it on in the bathroom. It was the red one. After brushing out her hair, she stepped back into the lounge.

  A table set with dishes had been wheeled in. Joss stood in front of the window, staring into the distance.

  He turned at her entry, taking her in. “The dress looks good on you.”

  She avoided answering by busying herself with pulling on the boots he’d packed.

  When she’d done, he held out a chair at the table. “Have a seat.”

  It was an order, not a request. Choose your battles, Clelia. She padded over.

  He seated her before taking the opposite chair. “I paid you a compliment. You owe me a thank you.”

  “Thank you,” she said with spite.

  “You’re welcome.”

  She wanted to slap the patronizing smile off his handsome face, but she said nothing.

  “Do you like the dress?” He rubbed a thumb over his lips while studying her. “You only have to say if you want something else.”

  She blew out a breath. “I don’t need you to buy my clothes. I can manage just fine on my own.”

  “I like buying your clothes.”

  The confession stilled her. Big, strong, capable Joss had never had anyone to take care of since the death of his family, no one he could call his own. As sexually experienced as he was with women, in an emotional way, he was on virgin territory. That was to say if he was capable of emotions other than anger and vengeance, which she started to doubt.

  He served her wine, but only water for himself. In the silence that followed, their meal progressed in a strained atmosphere with Joss seeming preoccupied. The food was tasty, but she’d had a burger at the bar before her shift had ended and she wasn’t hungry. She only ate to refuel her body and build her strength for whatever awaited. The sooner she could escape again, the better.

  When she finished and left her napkin next to her plate, Joss forced a smile. “Would you like me to ring for coffee?”

  “No, thank you.” She took in the tight set of his jaw and the deep groove between his eyebrows. Her stomach clenched with alarm. That look on him was never good. “What’s wrong?”

  “I haven’t been good company,” he said with another false smile.

  She wasn’t falling for his fake humor. “You can’t keep me in the dark.”

  His eyes tightened. “I can keep you anywhere I like.”

  “I deserve the truth, don’t I?”

  He considered her for a moment before saying, “Before I left France, we tracked Lupien to Spain where we lost his trail. He’s on the move again. According to Interpol, he left Spain. I checked my tablet while you were in the shower.”

  “What worries you? The fact that he’s on the move, or that you don’t know where he’s going?”

  “He’s coming after you.”

  It wasn’t new information, but it still hit her like a punch in the face.

  Joss stood and offered her a hand. “The sooner we go, the better. I got us seats on the e
vening flight to Paris.”

  Ignoring his proffered hand, she pushed back her chair and stood. “Paris?”

  He dropped his arm at his side. Taking a travel bag from the closet, he shoved it into her arms. “Pack. We have little time.”

  Chapter 25

  Their flight landed in Paris eleven hours after their takeoff from the Oliver Tambo airport. Clelia was hoping they’d be stopped at customs as she’d left South Africa as Cléane de Villiers, but instead of queuing with the other commercial aircraft passengers, a security official escorted them through a special clearance zone. Whatever chance she’d had at alarming the customs officer was lost.

  “No passport control?” she asked.

  “Part of the fringe benefits that come with the job.” Joss tightened his arm around her as they walked to a waiting car. “Run from me again,” he said, pressing the soft words against her ear, “and Erwan will pay the price.”

  She went stiff in his embrace, the threat turning her heart to ice. “You’ll never find him.”

  “If I could find you…” He gave her a moment for the meaning of the unsaid words to sink in.

  “You’re mean,” she said through thin lips.

  His silver eyes glittered. “I knew you’d understand.”

  Shoving her into the back of the car, he took the seat next to her and held her cold hand in his lap. She’d never been to Paris, but she couldn’t appreciate the scenery, not even the Eiffel Tower, as they crossed the city. All she could think about was Joss’s sinister intentions and the warmth of his fingers that clamped around hers.

  The driver drove them to the Marais district and dropped them on a square lined with Indian Lilac trees. It was only noon, but the sky was dark and thick with rain clouds. Shivering with cold, she pulled on the coat Joss held open for her.

  Joss declined the driver’s help and carried their bags two flights of stairs to the top floor of a residential building. There was only one door where there should’ve been at least four apartments. He deactivated an alarm, unlocked the door, and waited for her to enter ahead of him.

  She looked around. The living room was decorated in Renaissance style. A fireplace dominated the far wall. Crystal chandeliers hung from pressed ceilings. When Joss turned on the light, their crystal beads threw shooting stars over the polished hardwood floors.

  “Another safe house?” she asked.

  “Cain owns several throughout the world.”

  “We’re hiding? How long are we staying here?” she asked, her stomach tightening at the thought.

  He crossed the floor and stopped short of her. “Only tonight.”

  “Where are we going tomorrow?”

  He pulled her closer by the lapels of her coat. “Brittany.”

  Too shocked by his answer to focus on anything else, she stood motionless as he popped the top button of the coat through the buttonhole.

  She barely managed a whispered, “Why?”

  He didn’t answer. He finished unbuttoning the coat, glided his hands under the fabric, and brushed the coat off her shoulders.

  If he was going to kill her, he would’ve done so already. No, he had something different in mind. Unless he was going back to kill her in Lamor. She stood frozen, contemplating the reason for their return to the very place she’d run from as he caught the coat in one hand and draped it over a chair back without breaking their eye contact.

  “This is wrong,” she said in an attempt to appeal to his conscience. Who was she kidding? Joss didn’t have a conscience. “Whatever this is, you don’t have to do this.”

  His steel-gray eyes filled with conviction. “I do.”

  She gripped his arm when he turned away. “Is this about settling a score? Because if this is about revenge, you needn’t bother. I apologized for taking advantage of you and I’ll apologize again. It happened in the heat of the moment. Surely you’re not going to hold that against me for the rest of my life?”

  He looked at where she gripped his arm. “You started this.” He lifted a gaze that was simultaneously cold and heated to her face. “We’re going to finish it.”

  She removed her fingers, letting him go. Hurt flared in her chest. If she’d known how the consequences of her impulsive act would affect her life, she’d never have touched him. His silver eyes were vengeful and filled with sinister promises while a spark of heat kindled in their depths. Her gaze slipped down to the bulge in his pants. If this was about settling a score, she’d settle it so they could both move on. She opened her mouth to tell him so, but he turned for the door, saying brusquely, “I need a shower.”

  Scooting around him and cutting him off, she cupped his erection. “Do it.”

  His nostril flared as he stared at her through heavy-lidded eyes.

  She gripped him harder. “Fuck me and take what you think I owe you so you can get it out of your system and we can both move on.”

  In a flash, his hand was around her neck, his fingers squeezing as he walked her backward until she hit the wall. “You think it’s that easy?” he asked with clenched teeth. “You think a fuck is going to do it?”

  She flattened her body against the cold plaster, her bravado failing as she planted her palms next to her sides. “I don’t understand what you want from me.”

  He worked his jaw, dissecting her with a mixture of raw hunger and devious anger. At long last, he said, “Everything,” shoving her away with a push.

  She stumbled a step sideways, her hand going to her neck where the phantom heat of his fingers lingered.

  “You know what?” he said, his eyes narrowing to slits. “Fuck it.”

  Her breath escaped on a whoosh when he slammed his body against hers, pinning her back against the wall. He crushed his mouth on hers while his hands worked their way under her dress and up her thighs.

  Caught off guard, she gasped into the kiss. She was both turned on and terrified. He didn’t give her time to examine the feelings. He locked his hands around her waist and lifted her.

  “Wrap your legs around me,” he growled.

  She obeyed automatically, the heat of his lust melting her reason. He kissed her again. Delicious pressure pushed on just the right spot when he rotated his hips.

  The kiss turned wilder when he smoothed his hands over her breasts. He explored her mouth and curves while keeping her up with his body. Her arousal climbed, needy and demanding. He groaned, his teeth catching her lip when he palmed her breasts more greedily. Needing something to hold onto, she gripped his hair.

  This was out of control. Wrong.

  She needed him so badly she thought she’d go crazy. She pushed up the hem of his T-shirt so she could feel his skin. Her dress had shifted over her hips. His fingers dug into her globes, slightly parting them when she tilted her hips to bury his hardness between her legs.

  Her body responded to him in ways that didn’t need teaching. She was frantic with lust. If he bruised her skin with how hard he was gripping her, she didn’t care. She needed more.

  “More,” she said, just like on the yacht.

  He stilled.

  What?

  He tore his mouth from hers, staring down at her face with a mixture of shock and fury. Dropping his hands from her breasts to her hips, he steadied her as he angled his hips away.

  Her arms fell to her sides. The rejection stung, making her sound bitter. “Why did you stop? I thought this was what you wanted.”

  A vein pulsed in his temple. “You have no idea.”

  “What do you want?” she exclaimed.

  He lowered her to her feet and tested her balance before taking a step back. “I already told you, everything.”

  She gaped at him, her heart still racing.

  “I know you have needs.” He rested his hands on his hips, regarding her like a rose with thorns that prick to the touch. “There are other ways I could satisfy you.” He looked into her eyes as if he was afraid to look lower, to the rest of her body. “I could make you come in ten different ways without und
ressing you.”

  She took a tremulous breath and stepped away from him, leaning against the wall with her hands behind her back. “I don’t need that from you. I don’t need anything from you.”

  Despite the muscle that ticked in his jaw, his voice was calm. “I could run you a bath if it would help you relax.”

  Rejection morphed into anger. “Stop treating me like a child. I’ll run a damn bath if I want one.”

  After another moment of studying her quietly, he said, “We should go out for dinner. There’s less chance of getting into a fight in front of spectators.”

  Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. Being cooped up with Joss was infinitely worse. “At what time are we leaving for Larmor?”

  “At 9 am.”

  A whole night alone with Joss to get through. “We better have a long dinner,” she said, moving past him.

  He caught her arm. “Will you say yes?”

  “To what?” she whispered, her heart galloping in her chest as she stared up at his darkly handsome features.

  “Just thinking out loud.” He let her go with a strained smile.

  Chapter 26

  Choosing a restaurant in the square, Joss ushered Clelia to a table by the window so his defiant little witch could benefit from the view. The cobblestone streets were alive with nightlife. It made a pretty scene.

  He ordered for both of them when the waiter came over to take their order, ignoring her cutting look. There were many decisions he’d make on her behalf in the future. He guessed it was another thing she’d have to get used to.

  He glanced at her hand resting on the tabletop, her pale fingers slender and the bones delicate. For a moment, he was tempted to fold his hand around hers, to feel the softness of her skin and the warmth of her body, but he suppressed the impulse. Their feelings were far from romantic. Lustful, yes.

  Every so often, she lifted her eyes to the door, but he wasn’t worried. She wasn’t going to run away again. Erwan meant too much to her.