Dangerous Cravings

Dangerous Cravings (Blood and Soul Box Set 2)
Second Edition
Kate Hill
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2008 Kate Hill
Excerpt from The Red Curtain

Ash stared at the candle burning on the desk in front of him. The clock across the room struck eleven. A quiet house wasn't something he had to adjust to after Jen had gone, since for the last year of their marriage she had often stayed out until the early morning hours. Tonight, rather than concern or anger, the stillness offered a certain freedom. Their divorce had been official today. Rather than the legal battle Jen had promised, she had done exactly what he had expected and settled quietly out of court. The sum hadn't exactly made her happy, but to Ash, it was more than she deserved.

The phone rang, but instead of answering it, he raised the volume on the message recorder and leaned back in his chair to listen.

"Hi. It's Woodrow. Are you sick of hearing 'After Love' on just about every radio station yet? You turn out those hits like there's a pipeline from your brain to the number one spot on the charts, my friend. Even Dechrista has been singing that song around the house and rock is not exactly her flavor. Anyway, I want to find out when we can get together to talk about the love theme we're supposed to be working on. Call me as soon as possible. I hate doing rush jobs."

The machine clicked off and Ash sighed. He would call Woodrow late tomorrow afternoon. At the moment, another love song was the last thing he wanted to work on. The last batch of songs he had written was anything but romantic.

His fiasco of a marriage had soured his view of relationships -- not that he ever thought much of them to begin with. Snuffing out the candle, he walked to his bedroom and opened the window shades. It was a clear night and the three-quarter moon bathed the yard in light.

Loving the scent of crisp autumn air, he opened the window partway and dragged a chair in front of it. He picked up his acoustic guitar and began playing. Funny how the songs he wrote with the help of the classic instrument sounded so different when rock musicians took them over.

His eyes slipped shut as he played. He was still a talented guitarist in spite of the arthritis in his fingers that he had spent the past few years trying to ignore. Age was a funny thing. It slipped up on a person with scarcely a whisper. Strange that even in his youth he had never desired to be in the spotlight, which was why he had never publicly performed his own music. Playing in private while writing for other people was more fulfilling to him than anything. Perhaps Jen hadn't been completely at fault in their failed relationship. He had tried to give her what she wanted, but there were some things he just wouldn't do.

Get a grip, Ash. If she wasn't happy, she should have at least given you the courtesy of admitting that she wanted somebody else. You would have your dignity and she would have gotten a far bigger settlement than what she received today.

"Fuck," Ash muttered, opening his eyes, his fingers not missing a note on the guitar.

His heart skipped when his gaze fell on the window of the house across the street. Faint flickering light, like that from candle flames, glowed behind the sheer red curtain.

Briefly, he was transported back in time to the first night he and Jen had spent in the house, but it wasn't her he was thinking about. It was the graceful, silver-haired woman in the black lace underwear.

As if summoned by magic, she appeared, looking just as she had ten years ago. Slowly, she pushed aside the curtain and opened the window. Her silver robe, open in front, revealed her full breasts partially covered in a white lace bra.

Ash's fingers slowed in their playing and something in the back of his mind told him to turn away.

Why should he? It wasn't as if he had the pretense of a marriage anymore. Still, he felt a little perverted, ogling his neighbor from afar. But, if the woman was concerned with being stared at, she shouldn't be standing in front of an open window in her underclothes.

She braced her hands on the window's edge and closed her eyes. A half smile on her lips, she rocked slightly, then he realized the motions of her body were mimicking the rhythm of his guitar.

He stopped playing.

Though he couldn't be sure from such a distance, he thought he detected an expression of disappointment on her face. Slowly, her eyes opened and she grinned, raising her hand in a slight wave.

He forced a smile and returned the gesture while cursing under his breath. The last thing he wanted or needed was involvement with another woman. Why now? They had lived next to each other for a decade, but had never spoken a word. Not that it was surprising, since he usually worked nights and therefore knew none of his neighbors. After seeing her that first evening, he'd been careful not to make a habit of gazing out his bedroom window. Whatever had possessed him to do so tonight was... fate, perhaps?