Chapter 6

Finally! Her date had arrived. Safe. Predictable. Not the burning passion she'd sensed from Tall, Dark and Bourbon, who had turned around to watch her.

Though her peripheral vision could see him, she ignored him.

Her date paused at the hostess stand, scanned the room. His gaze landed on Harper. Smiling, she waved at him.

He looked around again, and then looked back at her. The welcoming smile on his mouth slipped a little, like car tires skidding on ice. Harper felt an equally icy chill race down her spine. Get ready for disappointment again.

He strode forward, with the air of a military man headed out to accomplish his duty – or face a firing squad. Chet, his name was Chet. Database architect.

Charlotte at the hostess stand shook her head and made the letter L with her hand. Loser.

Well, let's see. He can't be that bad.

Medium height, brown hair thinning on top, but pleasant features and he'd dressed in a sports jacket, turtleneck and dark trousers. He resembled the professors who taught English at her college. Nothing remarkable. Ordinary.

Safe.

"Hi, I'm Chet." He didn't bother sticking out a hand, but sat down across from her. "You must be Helen."

"Harper."

"Harper. Does that make you a harpy?" He laughed at his own insipid joke.

Gritting her teeth, she forced a smile. "Only when I must become one."

His gaze kept whipping around the room. Sheesh, barely met him and already he seemed disinterested. You're no hot ticket, buddy, but you seemed pleasant enough on the internet.

Chet waved down their waitress and ordered a whiskey. Harper shook her head at the offer of alcohol.

"Just water, please. No ice. Room temperature if you have it."

Their waitress hurried over with two glasses of water.

"Your internet ad said you work for a Fortune 500 company." Harper sipped her water, glad the flush from her earlier bout of arousal had faded. "Tell me about it."

He began talking with animation about his work. Harper tried to focus, but felt her eyes glaze over. Why did dates always being like this? Men prattling on about themselves as if their careers held a vast deal of importance, more than hers.

When his whiskey arrived, he gulped it down, making little slurping sounds. She hid her annoyance.

When he surfaced for air, she managed a smile. "Sounds like you're on a fast track with your career."

Chet squinted, as if trying to see her properly. "What do you do?"

Perhaps she judged him too quickly. "I'm studying to become a volcanologist…"

Mirth filled his face as he grinned, a not entirely humorous grin, but rather condescending. "Oh, like Mr. Spock?"

He made the Vulcan sign.

Harper barely suppressed a sigh. That old joke. She spoke slowly, wishing she could sparkle at small talk the way Char did. Or her convos online with Darkbird1790.

"You're wearing red, like the red shirts in Star Trek. Not a good sign." He laughed again.

"You asked me to wear red."

His expression fell. "Yeah, I forgot. So, you study volcanoes?"

"I'm finishing my masters in geology at the University of …"

Chet's gaze roved around the room. "Fascinating."

Guy sounded like Mr. Spock himself, only with less sincerity. Debating on whether she should end this now, before he ditched her, she smiled at the approaching server.

After draining his drink, Chet suddenly stood, glancing at his cell phone. "Oh damn, so sorry, I forgot I have to do laundry tonight. Big meeting tomorrow. Maybe another time? I'll call you Helen."

"Call me Harper," she told him, but he was already gone, sprinting for the door, not before stopping to talk to Charlotte. Flirting, it seemed. Charlotte turned away from him and busied herself with her phone.

Finally, Chet walked off.

Leaving an empty glass and her to pay for his lone drink.

A text appeared on her phone. Charlotte. "Forget that jerk. He's a loser. You deserve better. What about hottie at the bar?"

Harper texted back. "Not in my league."

The server approached, glancing at the empty place setting. She gave Harper a conspiratorial wink. "He wasn't meant for you. Guy looked like a dope."

"Thanks." The woman's friendliness erased a little humiliation. Best she pay and leave, with dignity somewhat intact. "Check please."

The waitress shook her head. "This one's on me. If I could, I'd charge his credit card."

After thanking the server, Harper pulled her purse over one shoulder and headed for the exit.

Barely had she taken two steps toward the hostess stand when her path was blocked by the sexy guy at the bar. Charlotte grinned and behind the guy's back mouthed, "Go for it! He's cute."

He was, she had to admit.

Close up, he was even more devastating. His eyes, dark as sin, gave him an otherworldly air that contrasted with the charcoal silk business suit, the red handkerchief tucked into a suit pocket, and the short black hair and close-cropped beard. He looked like an urbane businessman.

But a threat lingered around him, a scent of danger her sensitive olfactory senses detected. The kind of businessman who'd shake your palm with one hand while sinking a dagger into your back with his other if he sensed you tried to pull a fast one.

Harper told Charlotte she'd catch up later. Maybe over wine and one of their favorite rom cons.

She stepped outside, but Hot and Sexy followed.

"I'm Jared. Jared Griffin. You are?"

"Leaving."

"I see. But not yet. I want to get to know you."

Harper felt a tug of intrigue mixed with sexual need and alarm. Why would this man, who could have any woman at the bar, judging from the way they flirted with him, want her?

"Why?"

"Because you look interesting." He tilted his head at her. "Much more than the other women I've met.

Curious, she paused and studied him. Was he trying to pick her up? It made no sense. Why would he want her?

Up close,Harper Ashley was prettier than he anticipated, with a full, Cupid's bow mouth perfect for kissing. Her cheekbones were high, her skin baby smooth. Blue eyes the color of Egyptian lapis he'd seen once during his travels held a touch of wariness.

How would they look emblazed with passion? Glazed with pleasure as he took her, stroking deep inside?

Harper's fingers curled around her purse straps as if she could read his mind. She backed off two steps.

Jared shook off his lust. Xavier made it clear. Romance, not sex.

"That guy is a pint-sized imbecile for what he did to you."

There, gallantry.

Didn't work, for her eyes narrowed. "Mind your own business."

As she walked away, he kept in step with her. "I apologize for my gender. We can be right bastards at times."

There.

"I'll say."

Jared pushed on. "I'm Jared. I overheard you tell that …guy… that you're a volcanologist? I'm into volcanos."

He winked. "They're hot stuff." Like me, he hinted.

Harper rolled her eyes.

"Have you ever seen Indonesia"sKawah Ijenvolcano, on Java?"

She halted and stared. "You know about Kawah Ijen? Few people do."

"I've been there."

Harper narrowed her gaze. "Are you serious? Then tell me, Mr. Hot Stuff, how to get there? By helicopter?"

Jared grinned, glad for the challenge. "You can do a midnight hiking tour. Tourists love it. Takes about two hours to reach the crater, and there's another 45-minute hike down to the bank where the lake is and the blue flames."

Sensing her interest, Jared warmed up to his subject. "The blue fire is actually sulfuric gas coming up from the cracks, more than one thousand degrees Fahrenheit."

"One thousand, one hundred twelve," she amended.

He smiled, not annoyed at the interruption. Hooked her, like a fish. Forget sweet words and romance. This woman could be seduced by gas and heat. What irony. He knew these areas quite well.

"The flames are blue, the largest on the planet. Locals refer to the flames as Api Biru, or blue fire."

A wistful look came over her. "I've always wanted to go. My department at the university has organized an expedition, but I'm last on the list."

"Then convince your boss you need to go. You won't regret it. It's magnificent."

She blinked. "How do you know about it?"

"I'm something of an expert on hellfire," he said.

Seemingly lost in thought, Harper kept walking. She didn't look up and nearly crossed in front of a car.

"Whoa!" Jared grabbed her elbow, yanked her back.

Something rushed through him upon touching her bare skin. Stronger than desire, deeper and intense, it stole away his breath.

No longer could he ignore this, whatever it was. Chemistry, connection. He'd never felt anything like this before and for a sheer moment, it scared him.

Scared him more than the thought of eternal darkness and damnation. It shattered his aplomb, filled him with disquiet. He could not control it.

Harper looked at him, the sodium parking lights seeming to reflect in her blue eyes. Her expression softened, yet she seemed as bemused as him. "Thank you. Have… we met before?"

Jared released her. "No."

He turned on his heel to leave. "Watch where you're going next time, and don't be foolish or you'll get run over."

Voice curt, hiding the wonder and alarm he'd felt upon touching her, he dismissed her hurt expression. Yeah, he was a bastard. A right bastard.

Xavier wasted his time, indulging a daughter's wish for nothing. Jared knew he was beyond saving.

Damn. He glanced at the shrouding darkness, the parking lot lights illuminating the vehicles underneath. Not much time, but he felt an urgent need to correct a certain situation. Maybe he'd dropped the ball tonight with Harper, but he itched to amend rude behavior.

Ruder than his.

That man, Chet. Ruined his chances at making inroads with Harper. He knew the damage a guy like that inflicted on women. Made them distrustful and bitter, less likely to open up to future relationships.

Guy seemed familiar somehow. For a few seconds he recalled the horrible human/Skin who had killed his only real love, Bella. That slime's name had been Chet as well. Jared narrowed his eyes. He'd dealt that Chet a little justice, enough to make him miserable for the rest of his days on earth.

Only Xavier had stopped Jared from killing him entirely, healing Chet's wounds as the man screamed and screamed from having his testicles ripped out.

He hadn't thought of Bella in years. It was too painful to remember her face, her light laughter, how she made everything brighter and happier.

How she had sacrificed herself to save him, diving in front of Jared as Chet tried to shoot him.

Men named Chet are always a problem for me.

Flaring his nostrils, he selected through various smells and mortal scents until picking up the unique smell of the man's cheap cologne. He used his magick to see the scents in the air, and followed the trail to a vehicle. Still here. Guy, Chet was his name, was still around.

Using his powers, he rested a hand on the four-door sedan and detected Chet's motives. Chet wanted to flirt more with the pretty hostess at the bar, and waited until Harper left so he could return to the bar.

Not only a dull man, but a stupid one. Jared smiled, followed the scent trail to a clump of trees outside the bar and a bench. Yep, there he was.

I could squash you like a bug, but where's the fun in that?

You squash him like a bug and your last chance is gone. Forever.

The omnipresent voice booming in his head made him wince. Xavier, reminding Jared he teetered on the razor's edge of eternal damnation.

Approaching Chet, Jared pretended to consult his phone. He glanced at him.

"Hey buddy, got the time? My phone's all screwed up. Supposed to meet a lady friend here and want to make sure I'm not late."

Chet glanced at his own cell phone. "Eight-thirty. Hope your lady friend is better than the dog of a blind date I had here."

"Oh?"

"She thought herself smarter than me.'

A five-year-old is smarter than you.

"Is your date still here?"

"She left. I was just about to go back inside and talk with the pretty hostess. She's more my style." He grinned.

He couldn't let this asswipe escape without punishment. He loathed men who hurt women.

Don't you do the same?

That tiny pinprick of a conscience nagged him. Ignoring it, Jared folded his arms across his chest.

"Trying to score a date because you need to satisfy an itch in the crotch?"

Crude statement. It got the man's eyes widening, but then he grinned slyly. "What other purpose are dates but to find a girl to screw? Especially when you have a bothersome itch."

The asshole had the temerity to wink at Jared. Bosom buddies, men sharing a moment of camaraderie about women.

What you know about women wouldn't fill a petri dish.

"You have an itch," Jared said slowly.

He flicked his gaze at the man's trousers.

Burn baby burn.

Suddenly Harper's blind date began to moan, rubbing his privates. "Oh dear heavens, it itches, ow ow ow, what the hell is happening to me?"

Satisfied, Jared walked away. "Instead of a blind date, try lotion and a hand job next time, asshole."

Laughing silently, he waved a hand and vanished back to his home, knowing midnight approached and he didn't dare show his face to the public after that.

Especially not to Harper, for instead of saving his soul, she would shrink back in horror.

And run away screaming, as many other women had done since the curse was laid upon him nearly one hundred years ago.