Destiny Strikes Read online

  Lingering vibrations rippled under the soles of his boots as the ground shuddered. The woman’s sultry laugh delivered a second punch of pure fire to his groin that contradicted any danger present.

  “Why didn’t you just say so, lover?”

  After securing her helmet on the seat off the bike, she then avoided eye contact before stalking off in the opposite direction.

  “You really don’t want to do that, Miss.”

  He’d obviously upset her when she turned back to him with a glare. The flash of lightning highlighted her pinched expression. Her full bottom lip popped out from its clasp between her teeth. The wet sheen took his breath. Travis frowned over his helpless fascination with the full bow-shaped lips and their strange blue tint.

  She blazed a trail back in his direction.

  With a heavy gaze, and thoughts of having never attended a runway show in his life, the enticing full swaying hips and long-legged stride of any Victoria Secret model captured his full attention. Gusts of wind carried her with each step closer.

  Face-to-face and standing near enough to Travis that a fitted set of his handcuffs in the space left between them would prove challenging, electric blue eyes swallowed the whites of her eyes. Ice-cold anger burned in their depth, contradicting the heat radiating from her body, which fed a steady stream of desire straight into his.

  As good as any physical stab at unbalancing him, the proximity worked. His blood pumped faster and he restrained the need to cross his arms to prove just how much room she’d left between him and her breasts. The mood was broken when her lips parted.

  “Look. I'm well aware you're not going to let me go with a warning. If you don’t mind, let’s get this over with. Then, maybe I can get the hell out of here. My brother, who’s on the force, is going to have a field day with this.

  Shrugging, he said, “And”? His obvious lack of concern caused her lashes to brush her reddened cheeks briefly.

  “I know my rights.” She paused then continued. “And this isn't what I would call due-process. My saddlebag could just be full. Then again, how you saw me tuck the bottle between my legs under that stoplight is beyond me. Is it illegal to hold a beverage while driving? Hell. You could arrest a lot more people on their way to work every morning. Did you think of that?”

  She jammed her hands into her seat pockets, clearly unaware her breasts grazed his chest. He accepted the unspoken challenge in her blue gaze. Willpower and resolved crushed the desire to know if the powder blue lips tasted like cotton candy.

  “Ma’am.” He leaned in close, their breaths mingled. “This isn’t a case of who you know or what you know. This town is mine to protect. If, for any reason, I find a person becomes a threat”—the tips of their noses touched and ignored the spark tingling the edge of his—“I’ll handle the problem. Now, step back before I add ‘hindrance of an officer in his duties’ to what could be considered a growing list of charges.”

  Travis placed his right hand over the firearm holstered at his side. She was the very definition of trouble: argumentative, deceptive, and dangerously beautiful. Pity the foolish sap who failed to heed the warning signs. Beauty could be deadly.

  She stepped away, giving him some much-needed breathing room, held up her hands, and huffed. “I guess I’m at your mercy.”

  “Since you seem familiar with this procedure, this shouldn’t take long.” He recited the mandatory test requirements. “If at any time I have to repeat myself, the test will end. If I feel you haven’t been assessed properly or you refuse any part of the test, at that point you will be arrested. Do you understand the instructions you’ve been given?” He waited for her answer.

  “Blah, blah, blah”

  Stiletto-heeled boots added height and mastery to the long-legged frame. Very few people were adept with stopping and holding a bike steady with footgear like hers, and Travis couldn’t help but be impressed by the full swaying hips as she sashayed through each portion of the test.

  She passed.

  Travis concluded she would not be a threat to anyone, except perhaps to his sanity this late at night.

  “I need you to hand over . . .” he began, but deafening rumbles of thunder drowned out the rest.

  The wind picked up speed. A bolt of lightning struck the field behind the SunTrust Bank across the street. In its flash, Travis eyed the woman who looked like a goddess in her prime: beautiful, uncontrolled, and dangerous. With a sequencing round of thunder, his hand wrapped around her wrist and with the slightest yank, her body crashed against him.

  As if struck by the thunderbolt, his muscles seized and blood coursed through his veins, firing his nerve-endings. Travis dug his fingers into her shoulder, drawing her closer. Caught between unimaginable bliss and crushing pain, through clenched teeth, he hissed, “We have to leave. Now.”

  “Let me go, you jackass!” She shoved against his chest. “You can leave if you want, but if I go anywhere, it will be home.”

  Crushing need hammered at him. He loathed the idea of her freedom. On the other hand, it could’ve been his throbbing cock. Or the indecision playing havoc with his scrambled brain cells. Her growled confession next to his ear startled him.

  “I can’t kill him. I’ve already hurt so many,” snapped him out of whatever connection bound them together, she shoved harder at his chest.

  Travis met her gaze, and damned if he didn’t see twin bolts of lightning strike within the blue depths of her eyes.

  Her final thrust forced them to separate. The impact of power struck him between his breastplate, sending him two steps back. Pain flared again. He looked down. His clothes and skin were unmarred but why did his tattoo feel like it was on fire? He rubbed the sore spot.

  His gaze jerked up. Not far from him, she shook out her shoulders, as if she were covered in ants, and couldn’t get them off fast enough.

  Travis searched for focus beyond his disgraceful one-sided lust.

  The surrounding area and buildings appeared unharmed. Except for his bruised ego, no damage had been done, other than a few blackened circles here and there. All signs of the storm had disappeared.

  Had he ever seen a storm pass so quickly?

  Scrubbing a hand over his scruffy face, he chanced a glance in her direction. With slender hands on her hips, she tapped one foot on the asphalt, apparently time spent in his embrace put behind her.

  “I don’t know what just happened,” he said. “And I don’t care to dwell on it. You passed the sobriety test, and the bottle wasn’t open. But the law is clear. Alcohol and driving don’t mix.” He held out his hand. “By the way, I’ll need to see your license, insurance, and registration.” The probation incident she mentioned earlier needed confirmation.

  Smug satisfaction transformed her lips. Then she folded her arms under her generous breasts, ignoring his order in favor of riling him. “What? Now you’re asking? Isn’t that a major screw-up in procedure, Officer?”

  Husky laughter followed her as she turned and headed over to her motorcycle then rummaged through the left saddlebag. She returned with the information he’d asked for.

  Travis took the documents to his car, inputted them into the database, and verified the info that came in. He stepped from the car, disconcerted. In his entire career, he’d never been so careless.

  Something about her cockiness looked sexy, with her leaning casually on his 2014 Ford Mustang cruiser. Pushing his shades higher, he noticed a strange odor of burnt rubber tinging the air as he neared her.

  “All right, Fallon, your record is clean. You’re free to leave,” he said, handing her papers over.

  “Thank you, Officer. This turned out to be an electrifying night despite my fears.” One slender finger slid down the hood of his car. Then she walked away with an oddly mischievous smirk gracing her lips.

  Perplexed
, his gaze slid from her to his car. When he glanced in her direction again, he saw that her helmet was in place as the bike roared to life. Walking the bike on the road, she sent him a saucy wink before flipping the faceplate down and riding off.

  Inside his car, Travis waited until he could no longer hear her motorcycle before turning the patrol car’s ignition switch. Click. .

  Just great, his damned car had died.

  Shaking his head, he placed a call to the town towing yard.

  Checking his watch, he saw it was two hours before midnight.

  A gravel-filled voice announced, “Po’ Boys Towing. What can I do for you?”

  “This is officer Orion.”

  “What’s up, Travis? You got a car for me to pick up?”

  “Yeah. Mine.”

  “Where are you?” he asked. “You need a ride too.”

  “I’m not far from the office. The car died by the SunTrust on Main Street. I’ll just walk.”

  Before ending the call, Travis told the mechanic what limited information he had on the car prior to it malfunctioning.

  Travis slammed his palm against the steering wheel.

  Leaning his head against the headrest, he closed his eyes. When his fingers encountered the dark shades pinching the bridge of his nose, he removed them and threw the glasses onto the passenger seat. Minutes later, habit made him pick up the bottle of tiny tablets that took the edge off his worst headaches. With his hand cupped inches from his mouth, it hit him. The caplets were useless when there wasn’t a damn thing wrong with him.

  How had he not noticed until now? What was different?

  A few oncoming drivers forgot to dim their headlamps, blinding him as they lit up the interior of his car.

  Brake lights from the slowly passing car highlighted his reflection through the drivers’ side window. Adjusting the rearview mirror, he stared at his reflection in horrified fascination. Eyes swallowed in obsidian, without visible whites, and dotted with light-gold flecks weren’t the eye color staring back at him.

  Pulling the flesh around both sockets, he thought his breathing sounded overly loud. But it was hard to remain calm. Years of looking like a freak from a Comic-Con convention, something had happened to restore the violet eye color he’d been born with? Uncertainty over supposed miracles and pushing thoughts of Fallon Strikes out of his mind, one question plagued Travis the rest of his shift. Why couldn’t he stop thinking about her?

  CHAPTER 4

  Seven and a half hours later, Travis’ shift was almost over.

  As luck would have it, he made it to the office without incident, and the strange glow illuminating his skin disappeared a couple of hours later.

  Elbows on the desk, Travis scooted his chair back stretching out his spine and wearily rubbed his eyes. Knowing Officer Calvin would show in a matter of minutes, Travis went around the desk and grabbed a bottle of water from the small fridge. He also removed leftover sandwiches he’d been unable to finish, setting them on the desk for Calvin.

  After tossing the water lid into the trash, he paused before the window and looked out at a quieter scene than last night. Rays from the morning sun as it rose bathed the town in a tranquil quiet before streets became busy.

  Even though his twilight hours were uneventful, after his encounter with the vexing beauty on the motorcycle, dawn brought a different sort of dilemma.

  The tattoo on his chest still bothered him. With one finger, he pushed the shades he always wore higher on his nose, even though there was no need. Questions plagued him. Would the glow appear again? Would his eyes return to the demon black portrayed on TV? What the crap had happened last night?

  Keys clattered on the outside door, distracting him. This side of the building stayed locked but citizens entered the hardware store freely. Late-night civilians in need of assistance used a doorbell.

  Travis went to the door and opened it. Calvin, the stout and darkly tanned officer he covered for last night stood outside, all smiles. Since Travis and Calvin weren’t riding the big city beat any longer, they’d never lost the partner mentality, no matter how small Seagrove was.

  Travis noticed Calvin’s smile indent his cheeks after he spied the plate Travis had earlier set out.

  “Good morning, partner,” Calvin mumbled around a mouthful of cold-cut turkey sandwich. “Thanks for covering my ass last night. My daughter has an ear infection.” He winced. “At least the screaming has stopped.” Calvin sat, the chair squeaking under his weight, and swept breadcrumbs away saying, “Sorry about the double shift, and your car.”

  Lifting one shoulder, Travis brushed it off.

  “Did the mechanic say what’s wrong?”

  Travis shoved his hands in his pockets, continuing to watch the pottery shop signs switch from ‘Closed’ to ‘Open.’

  “Glad to know your daughter’s okay.”

  “What’s wrong,” Calvin asked, “not so talkative today? Is it the sandwiches?” Travis glanced over his shoulder, watching Calvin hands raise in the air. “Man, you know I can’t resist Donna’s cooking.”

  Travis didn’t know anyone who could either. She’d forced the plate into his hands yesterday. “I know you’re doing double duty, you’ll need your strength.” He’d left with a kiss on the cheek.

  “It’s been a trying shift. All I want is for the day to be over.”

  “Sorry to hear that.” Calvin eyed the third sandwich on Donna’s plate.

  Travis couldn’t suppress a chuckle. “Go ahead. Eat all of them if you want. Donna made more than enough for both of us. I hate to see good food go to waste, especially when I don’t have an appetite.”

  “I’m going to head out. I just saw my vehicle being towed in.”

  Travis didn’t wait for an answer as he walked over to the Red Rollback truck, and waited while his 68 Ford truck lowered to the parking lot asphalt. Firm handshake, and cash paid for his vehicle, he was about to hit the road when Calvin shouted.

  “The loaner squad car should be here within the next hour. Dispatch will also relay all our calls this way. We’re back in business. Great thing crime is low here.”

  With a simple thumbs-up and, “I’m outta here,” his mouth full again, Calvin closed the door.

  Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he rubbed the mark on his chest. Last night, it felt as if he had left a part of himself behind with the exotic beauty.

  Chest heaving, Travis struggled to breath.

  One minute he’d been dreaming about stars. The next, he’d been thrust into a fantasy where his hands and feet were spread and fastened to the bed with invisible bindings.

  Muscles flexed, straining to free himself, Travis realized he was naked and his dick was hard as stone.

  “Calm down. This will end soon enough. I don’t want to rush this.”

  Jerking his head around to see where the voice coaxing his testicles to draw up tight came from.

  Fallon appeared from the shadows of his bedroom. His eyes glazed over her outfit. The black leather corset pushed her unbound breast high. He watched her cherry-red nipples hardened before his unwavering gaze. A belt contraption cinched her waist and flared in four lengthy sections over her hips. Thin strips at each end flowed down her thighs and disappeared into knee-high stiletto boots. Her mound was bare.

  His jaw locked, he ground his teeth, his body razed in sensual agony.

  She sauntered over to the mirror-dresser combo. Her pale slender fingertips skimmed his badge, gun, keys and his wallet, that he’d placed there before falling into slumber.

  Something about her nearness to the possessions that defined his existence doused his desire.

  “Why are you here, Fallon?”

  Her husky voice caressed his skin. “It’s only a dream.” Her luscious bottom lip rolled inward. “I ne
ed you.”

  His roof vanished and lightning flashed above them. He closed his eyes against the bright intensity as the bed dipped. Then she was on him, straddling his waist, and he nearly dislocated both arms.

  The sight of her in such a sensual position, so soon after thinking about the things she could do to him and where, had the nerves in his sack tingling. Blood rushed to fill his enlarged member even more. How she ended up in his home didn’t matter not at all compared to the demand from his rod, and every pulse for release blotting everything else out. The strength of it made his teeth grind against his back molars as her silky hand wrapped around the overstimulated head of his erection. The sensation left him panting through clenched jaws.

  Then Travis noticed how her image began to weave in and out of focus. What centered his vision were the smooth thighs gripping his hips and the hard nipples skimming his chest. His cheeks billowed as he fought the demands of his body to find release on the flat stomach. He felt her soft breaths against his cheek as she leaned over him. One slim finger came to rest against his lips.

  “Shhhh, lover, it’ll be over soon,” she whispered seductively.

  Her chuckle drove him mad as her torture continued. Her wet tongue passed over his lips as she removed her finger.

  “I need you to finish this, now,” he growled against her throat. He raged at his helplessness as she swiped at his ear with the same moist caress.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll be together. Accept—”

  Thunder slapped his ears like a palm on a drum, and drowned out the rest.

  His sweat clung to her skin as she peeled away from him, advancing his downward spiral into madness. How could her face be directly above him, and he not see it clearly? Try as he might to focus, the view remained bleary, like he’d been staring right into the sun. He tried to blame the darkness that surrounded them. As soon as he’d reasoned it out, the scenery changed. The earth beneath them fell away, and all that remained were stars. One particular constellation stood out more than others. It outlined the same shape as the tattoo he wore on his body.