Chapter Eleven

“We’re going where?” The shock in his voice caused her to stop fighting with the pin she was trying to use to keep her hair up. She faced him and took a deep breath.

“It’s Holi. It’s a celebration in my culture. I don’t expect you to understand but I’ve been doing it ever since I was a child with my parents and they’d expect me to be there—killer or no. I can’t miss it.”

“I kinda figured that.” Luke pouted and Priety reached up to press a kiss to his sexy lips. “And I don’t want you to miss something as important as a cultural holiday. What does Holi mean anyways?”

“Roughly, it means burning.”

“Sounds like herpes… that’s not something I would celebrate.”

Priety laughed. “No,” she told him. “There are many stories about what Holi signifies but they all end the same way—good triumphing over evil. Love over hate—fun stuff.”

“Good over evil, huh? Sounds like my kinda party,” Luke told her. Priety had turned back to the mirror to fuss with the pin and her hair once more. She watched as he moved in behind her and took the pin. He pressed it between his luscious lips before picking up another and began fixing her hair. That stunned her to no end. No other man had ever been that gentle with her before—not even her beloved father. She had tears in her eyes as she watched his concentration. He removed the pin from his lips and had his tongue stuck out one corner of his mouth slightly stressing his concentration. She knew he was thinking hard; she often times did the same thing when she really wanted to figure something out.

“Tell me more about this triumph over evil story,” he said.

She blinked back her tears and met his gaze in the mirror. The smile he gave her took her breath away. She thought it again, Luke Stanton was a beautiful man with beautiful brown eyes, a strong set of cheekbones, full lips with a proud chin.

“Well, one story is there was a demon-king named Hiranyakashipu who…”

“Wait. Hira-what now?”

“Hir-any-aka-shi-pu,” Priety enunciated slowly. “He won over the kingdom of earth and ordered everybody to worship him and not the gods. But his son Prahlad refused to pray to his father and continued to worship the almighty Lord Vishnu, a Hindu god who is considered to be the preserver of the universe. Hiranyakashipu tried many times to kill Prahlad for his outright defiance but Lord Vishnu saved him every time. One of Hiranyakashipu’s sisters named Holika had powers to walk through fire unharmed. So, Hiranyakashipu ordered her to kill Prahlad by walking through the fire with him. However, Lord Vishnu came to his help and Prahlad was saved while Holika died.”

She saw his brow shoot up in confusion and she knew a question would leave his lips.

“Wait a minute. I thought she could walk through fire without getting hurt. How comes she died?”

“Ah, that, my dear Luke, is the bare bodkin of it all. There was a loop hole, you see.” She beamed, rather proud of her feigned Indian accent.

Luke moaned. “There’s always a loop hole.”

“You see, Holika didn't know that her powers were only effective if she entered the fire alone. “

“I guess she should have read the fine print. Those are always the killers.”

She smiled at his joke. “Even today, bonfires are lit on the night of Holi in memory of the event and burning of the wicked Aunt Holika.”

“Sad,” Luke whispered. He was finished with her hair by the end of the story. He had done a marvelous job.

“Yeah,” Priety answered. “There’s also a story about Radha and Krishna and Kamadeva.”

“Kam-who-now?”

“The Hindu god of love. I should tell you the story some day for they say he rides a parrot.”

“A parrot, eh? Sounds manly.” Luke smirked. “Okay, so what do we need to do about this, Holi thing?”

“Well, we dance through the streets, eat yummy food and throw color powder at each other.”

She laughed as one of Luke’s brows arched again.

“Say what?”

Priety grinned and took his hand. She knew he was allowing her to drag him after her, otherwise there was no way she’d be able to move Luke.

* * * *

As the day wore on, they found their way into the heart of the Holi celebrations. She squealed as Luke grabbed a handful of colored powder and tossed it at her. She tried ducking but it smacked her right in the forehead. His laughter as he got splashed with powder from behind caused her heart to soar with emotion. She didn’t cry because she didn’t have time. He took her in his arms and twirled her around to the beat of the Indian drums.

Those drums, that released those absolutely breath-taking sounds, that tantalized the soul, were absolutely breath-taking. The pounding filled the air and caused one to sway at their will; the drums, the most powerful instrument in the world.

She allowed her soul to whisper to his and to answer whatever waves he was sending back to her. He’d shocked her; he never once complained at being at the celebrations. Some other men would have complained and caused a scene about getting hit with colored powder, but not Luke. He had integrated himself into something that was from her very essence of being; her beliefs. From time to time he would pull her to him when someone passed a little too close to her. She could tell even though he was having fun he was still on alert, afraid they would harm her.

At one point a car backfired and he pushed his body before hers. That took her breath away. He was a man that wanted to protect her with his life and Priety had never had that before.

That night as they showered together, he was so tender. She sobbed and pressed her face to his wet chest. He took her hair in his hands and washed it with care. Luke kissed her senseless, turned her gently to face the wall and entered her slowly from behind. Priety was in heaven. She arched backward into Luke’s hard body.

She cried out to him and he answered by kissing her ear, nipping at her neck and raking his fingers softly over her back. By the time they were both over the moon, the colored powder from the day’s festivities was gone and the two stumbled, still wet from their shower, onto the bed.

* * * *

Luke spent the whole night, after Priety went to sleep, thinking of ways to catch his first ever serial killer but nothing came to mind. Most of the night was spent thinking of Priety in a way that caused his heart to race and his pajamas to tighten, and then guilt washed over him like the plague.

He used the night to decide where to go the next day. He needed some perspective on things, to sum up everything that happened up until that moment in time. He had fallen for someone involved in one of his cases. He always prized himself on being objective, cold and no-nonsense when it came to the women that were involved in any way with his work. Priety had something that intoxicated him.

Priety moaned and snuggled into his chest and Luke couldn't help himself. He bowed his head and kissed her head and then her ear lobe before resting back against the bed wondering how many ways he had just complicated things by not being able to resist her. It wasn't that she forced herself on him and he was weak; it was that he wanted to so much but was afraid. After they made love he thought about leaving her before she could hurt him but something was inside of him telling him not to. Something, inside, told him she was different from all the others and Luke wanted to stay around and see what that something was.

Luke glanced at the bedside clock and frowned; it was way past midnight and it began to dawn on him that he was not going to get any sleep. He started thinking about the last time he had a good night's sleep and no date could come to mind.

With a sigh he moved away from Priety and stuck his feet out of the bed. “Luke?” Priety's sleepy voice called and he turned to see her sitting up. “Is something wrong?”

“No, sweetie, go back to bed.”

He watched as she pulled the sheet up to her chest and arched a brow at him. “I may be all groggy from what you did to me last night and still a bit sleepy but I'm not an idiot. Talk to me.”

Luke sighed and walked over to the window to glare out at the darkness with contempt. “I am all out of fight, Priety,” he whispered.

He turned his head to see her pushing her feet out of bed, wrapping her naked body with the black satin sheets. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled her body close to his. “You can't give up, Luke. I need you.”

“What does that mean? Does it mean you want me to save you? Does it mean you want me to love you and care for you?”

The silence between them seemed to last forever before she spoke. “All of the above.”

“I don't want to hurt you, Priety... the last woman...”

He heard her intake of breath as she pulled away from him and stepped around to face him. She leaned against the window looking up into his dark eyes. Reaching up she touched his cheek and he couldn’t help but give in to the urge to turn his lips to press a kiss into her palm.

“I am not like the last woman you've been with, Luke. I am me and I can only give you so much. I have no money, no power, no stature and I barely graduated high school. It is too soon to be talking about forever. Don't you think?”

“So you don't want me that way?”

Luke didn’t want her to feel as though he was trying to force her but the questions he was asking were necessary. They were painful for her, he could tell for her eyes glazed over with raw emotions. But in order for him to heal, he had to get them out.

“I want you in every way imaginable,” she told him. “But your eyes tell me that you want to run.”

Luke gripped her shoulders and pulled her into his chest. The sheets fell to the ground to puddle at her feet. Her arms were now wrapped tightly around his neck. “I promise to try and be a good man to you,” he whispered against the side of her head. “I promise to at least try not letting my work or the fears of getting hurt again take control.” His fingers sank into her long, flowing hair and he moaned, “ So help me I want you.”

The kiss was hungry and Luke felt like he couldn’t breathe without her. He only meant to kiss her but there was no such thing. Picking her up, he kept his lips fused to hers, his tongue moved against hers. Her legs wrapped around him tightly and he moved them to the bed, placing her down on her back. Luke ate from her neck, the swells of her breasts and against her shoulders. He growled as her nails dragged down his back.

He made a trail down her body, stopping to lick against her ribcage, her belly button. He could smell her arousal and his mouth watered. He gripped her knees and pulled her legs apart.

“Luke,” she panted.

He had to taste her. Her body arched, her hands found the back of his head pressing him deeper into her. He didn’t complain. He feasted from her, taking great pleasure in her taste, her scent, her. She was delicious. “Priety,” he growled.

Her legs tightened.

Licking his lips, he rose over her body and looked down at her face. She smiled at him through half closed lashes. But he wasn’t finished yet. He found her entrance and sank within her.

* * * *

Priety’s eyes shot open. No matter how many times she made love with Luke Stanton, he still managed to completely satisfy her. He made her body boil, her eyes roll into her head and sent her senses flying. She used her body to beg him for more and he responded. She licked her lips, dug her nails into his back and arched into his body. She felt her body shattering around him once more and she welcomed it. She heard him growl. His face was now pressed against her neck, his tongue lashing her heated flesh. Her mouth fell against his unhurt shoulder and let her teeth sink into it.

He yelled in pleasure and she felt him explode. She slumped into the bed, panting for air and he slipped on top of her, breathing in her scent and pressing her sweetly into the bed.

* * * *

The ringing telephone woke Priety and instantly she had a smile on her face. Luke was with her holding her against his chest. “Luke?” she whispered before pressing a kiss to his pulse.

She giggled when he moaned. “Luke, your cell phone is ringing.”

She watched as his hand snaked out and grabbed the silver phone from the bedside table. “Stanton,” he groaned with his eyes still closed.

Suddenly his body tensed against her and his eyes flew open, “Uh-huh...I'll be there...”

“What?” Priety questioned sitting up.

“I have to go to a meeting.” Luke moved from the bed as though she had the plague and she pulled the sheets up to her chest as she sat up.

“Okay, let me get dressed.”

“You're not going,” Luke let out on a breath. “Keep the doors and windows locked. Don't answer the door for anyone.” He pressed the cell phone into her hands and she curled her fingers around it. “Only answer this phone.”

“Luke, you can't just leave me here!” Priety exclaimed and wrapping the sheets around her body she rushed for the door where he stood. Luke turned and gripped her shoulders. Automatically Priety lifted her lips to him. When he kissed her, she felt her heart soar again.

“I'll be back as soon as I can,” he promised. “My number at the precinct is programmed under speed-dial seven on my cell and if you have to use the house phone, hit speed dial seven on that as well.”

Priety clung to him long after he had let her go. “Priety, sweetie? You have to let me go...”

Sighing, she stole another kiss and locked the door behind him before pressing her back to it. Never in a million years did she think she would be in danger, running from a deranged killer and at the same time fall hard for the one man who was set to protect her. Then again she always thought she would marry an Indian husband and do all the things that were dictated to her by her culture. Luke was the opposite of that. Luke was the tall piece of chocolate that stormed her life and left her defenseless against his kisses, his touch, even a look from him.

The way he looked at her just caused her to lose all control and melt to his wishes. His brown eyes turned from brown to hot liquid. They resembled the sky during a thunderstorm. When his eyes got like that she could tell exactly what he was thinking.

He reminded her of a sexy lover from the romance novels she stopped reading years ago. Walking back into the bed room, she stripped the sheets from her body, placed fresh sheets on the bed, and scooped the used ones up. Without even getting dressed, she dumped them into the laundry and started the washer before heading back and getting dressed in a pair of jeans that once belonged to Luke—when he was a lanky kid—and an over-sized dress shirt that he now wore. She giggled as the sleeves fell down over her fingers. She lifted her arm to sniff at the shirt for his scent.

A faint scent of Arctic Breeze aftershave caught her senses sending them into a frenzy.