He was gone.
The shock of it had little time to register. “You there, Joey? Anyone home?” Maggie’s voice drew her attention reluctantly away from the place Gévaudan had been standing only seconds before. “I thought for a moment you might be having an out-of-body experience or something.” The redhead lifted the half-empty wine bottle in invitation, but Joey shook her head with a sigh.
“Something like that, I guess. I’m just tired. I should probably turn in so I’ll be fresh to start over in the morning.”
She forced her body to move in accordance with her words, but she couldn’t shake the disorientation the strange encounter with Gévaudan—or more precisely, with his eyes—had left her with. She slipped off the stool and immediately lost her balance; only a quick clutch at the edge of the bar saved her from a fall.
Maggies voice floated down. “You all right? Are you going to need some help getting home?”
The concern in the redhead’s voice was a welcome and familiar comfort. Joey grasped at as she righted her-self. “No, I’ll be okay.” She grinned wanly at Maggie as she searched her pocket for change. “Thanks for everything.”
Maggie waved away the neatly folded bills Joey retrieved from her wallet with an answering grin. “It’s on the house. You be damned careful heading home now, okay?” Joey nodded, starting across the room as Maggie’s words chased after her. “Don’t forget to watch out for strange men, you hear?”
For once Joey fully resolved to follow well-meant advice.
Chapter Two
Luke stalked away from the tavern in a distinctly satisfied mood. It had been a very pleasant surprise to see just how receptive she’d been to his challenge. That had been an added bonus to the confirmation of his earlier observations; she was an attractive woman. The subtle curves of her body had not been disguised by the loose-fitting jeans and overlarge shirt she’d been wearing. Her long, pale hair was worn in a severe and practical braid, but it was not difficult to imagine it loose about her shoulders. Her face was stubborn and serious, but he was easily capable of bringing distinctly different expressions to those sensual lips and sternly arched brows.
As he walked, Luke ignored the occasional suspicious, vaguely hostile stares of the few people he passed. They were nothing. At the moment he was firmly focused on the woman, and what tactics he might use to catch her. Yes, she had faced him down with surprising courage, but she hadn’t managed to hide her inner fire from him. And he was no ordinary man to be so easily turned aside.
She believed herself safe under that stern, no-nonsense facade. But there was wildness under that calm, collected exterior—a dichotomy that made the challenge infinitely more interesting. “Joelle Randall,” he murmured to himself, tasting her name.
It seemed one more good sign among the others that her first name held the lilt of his mother’s native tongue. The sensual sound of it suited her—that hidden part of her that he intended to awaken—though she might prefer the camouflage of her nickname. Before he ended his play with her, her control would be defeated by the passion he sensed rigidly concealed in her heart. And that passion would be entirely his.
Luke slowed as he left the outskirts of town, automatically searching the darkness beyond the reach of man-made light. His taut smile eased. It wouldn’t do to become overconfident like a clumsy cub on its first hunt. He could still scare her away, his natural magnetism would not be complete proof against her practiced wariness. He couldn’t expect her to fall as easily as the others. This would require more finesse, and he was more than willing to take the time. He had learned patience long ago.
The softest whisper of a footfall from behind caught him in midthought, and he turned on his heel to regard the man who had been trailing him.
“Allan,” he acknowledged, making out familiar features in the waning light. “You know better than to sneak up on me like that.”
The older man shrugged. “You have to admit I’ve gotten pretty good at it, if I was able to come this close before you noticed me.” His smile hid an undercurrent of unease; he had good reason to know it was never wise to provoke Luke.