I don’t want to lie to her, especially knowing that in spite of what Phoenix thinks, we could use her magical expertise. But I respect Phoenix’s wishes and whatever’s going on between them. I might not know much about female friendships, but from the little Phoenix has told me, being best friends for as long as they have isn’t always a smooth road.
“Haven’t you heard?” I smile in what I hope is a casual way. “We’re on our honeymoon.”
Sabra rolls her eyes and goes back to her chalking with exaggerated movements. “It’s about time. You two have been eye-fucking each other since the first day I found you two shacked up in that cabin together.”
“What?” I cough out the word. “I don’t know what you’re talking about?—”
Thankfully Phoenix opens her bedroom door then, saving me from having to respond to Sabra’s completely off-base comment.
But then I really get a good look at Phoenix and all but swallow my tongue for a completely different reason. Her hair is sleeked back away from her face. She’s wearing a slinky black and silver dress that clings to every curve. Smoky eye makeup makes her blue eyes look enormous. The hunger inside me roars to life.
“Told you so,” Sabra sing-songs from her spot on the floor.
I hop up off the couch and ask, “Ready?” The word comes out about an octave higher than my normal voice as I hold out an arm for her to take. Touch. I want to touch her so badly my hand actually trembles slightly.
Phoenix ignores my outstretched arm and walks in front of me out the door and down the stairs. Behind me, Sabra is chuckling. “Oh my god, tell me she’s not still blue-balling you after all this time?”
That doesn’t dignify a reply, so I ignore her and head after Phoenix down the stairs. I want to talk to her and maybe make some kind of game plan before we get to the club. But she just throws a leg over her motorcycle and gestures impatiently for me to get on behind her.
It’s hard not to look at the expanse of exposed thigh as I climb on carefully. I can feel her warmth as the smooth denim of my jeans nestles against her outer thighs. I wrap my arms around her waist to hold on. The contact makes my whole body come alive. The hungering beast inside me rumbles in satisfaction at the pressure of her in my arms, but only for a moment before a craving for more becomes like a drumbeat inside my head. I grind my teeth against the wanting. It feels too good to be wrapped around her like this.
If she thinks anything similar, I have no idea because she just immediately takes off without warning.
If I thought the car was bad earlier, it’s nothing compared to the way the bike zips and zooms through traffic like we’re threading a needle. At least it’s both an excuse to hold as tight to her as I like and a distraction from the monster in my belly that craves more.
Still, by the time we get to the club, I leap off the damn death trap with shaking legs. “Why the fuck do you ride this thing?”
She laughs in my face with genuine amusement. “What does it matter? We’re immortal. It’s exhilarating to have the wind in my hair.”
I get now why she slicked it back so much before we left. She ruffles her fingers through it, messing up the sleek style. With it wild and wind-swept like that, it looks like she just had sex. I don’t need to be having thoughts like that right now.
“You look good,” I say in a gruff tone before I can stop myself.
“Oh?” Her eyebrows rise like I’ve genuinely surprised her. One hand is still in her hair. It catches on one of her rings,and pink colors her cheeks as she tries to yank it out. She only succeeds in getting it caught more thoroughly.
“Here,” I say while reaching over and helping her untangle it. My fingers brush against her scalp as I work the ring free.
Her big blue eyes come my way. It’s like she’s holding her breath, which is when I realize how close I’m standing to her. I try not to let it affect me—or her dizzying perfume and that tight dress that’s showing so much skin. “There,” I say as I get her hand free. My voice has gone suddenly deeper.
“Thanks,” she says quickly and then spins away from me. “Come on, we don’t want to miss her if she’s already hunting here.”
Oh right. We’re here on a mission to catch a dangerous goddess, not on a date. Besides, we’re married already. No need to date if you’re already married, even if it’s not that kind of marriage. I shake my head hard, trying to make all the stupid thoughts shake loose.
Time to get in the game and focus on what we’re actually here to do.
“So what are we looking for, exactly?” I whisper to Phoenix as we approach the bouncer at the entrance. There’s only a small line outside the club despite how popular it is. We take our spot at the back.
“Anything out of the ordinary. Any woman who looks like she’s actively on the prowl or leading a guy out of the club alone.”
I look around at the people in line with us. Most folks are already paired up or in groups. “Night like this, that might be hard to tell apart from normal club behavior.”
“I don’t know,” she says while watching the crowd. “I’m sure we’ll know it when we see it. She’ll stand out somehow.”
Skeptical, I nod anyway. I can’t be mad about getting to spend my Friday night dressed up with Phoenix at a swankydowntown club, even if we are spirit-hunting instead of actually on a date.
“You go in and flirt with anything that moves,” she says matter-of-factly, “and we’ll see if we can get any hooks on the line.”
“What does that mean exactly?”
