Midnight Kiss: Tales of the Were (Were-Fey Love Story Book 3) Read online

  “So, I guess you’re stuck. Mind if I take a look?” Lance asked politely.

  Tina moved aside as he walked around the edge of the car so that he faced the engine head on. He touched a few things and checked a dipstick or two, keeping his own counsel except for asking her a few pointed questions about what had happened just prior to her breakdown. He scowled a few times and his overall expression was a frown when he stood back from the engine.

  “What’s the verdict?” she asked nervously.

  “Well, this car isn’t going anywhere until it gets a few new parts and some fluids.” He launched into a technical explanation that she just about followed.

  Apparently, she’d let one of the necessary fluids for the engine get too low—or maybe it boiled off somehow—which caused some small, but essential parts, to break. In short, the engine needed major repairs to get going again, which left her effectively stranded in the middle of the desert.

  “Where were you headed?” he asked, looking from her to his parked motorcycle and back, speculatively. “I could maybe give you a lift.”

  She had to swallow hard before she could answer. The thought of riding on the back of his motorcycle brought that weakness back to her knees again.

  “I am running late for something. I just need to get back into town and drop off a package, but it’s pretty important that it gets there on time,” she told him. “I’d be grateful for lift, if you’re sure you don’t mind.”

  “How big is the package?”

  “Small. It’s in my purse,” she told him.

  “Okay, then,” he said, closing the hood decisively. “Let’s leave a quick note on the dash in case anyone comes along, so they know this situation is being dealt with, and we can be on our way.”

  She liked the way he seemed to know exactly how to handle things. That hadn’t changed about him. He’d always been fairly resolute, even as a teenager. She’d liked the way he’d stood up for himself, even back then.

  She scrambled in her purse for a piece of notepaper from the back of her date book and scribbled off a note she placed under the windshield wiper. She then checked the back of the car for anything she couldn’t leave behind. Luckily, she kept her car neat out of habit. All she needed was her purse.

  Tina closed the doors and headed toward the motorcycle where Lance was waiting for her. He had an extra helmet in one hand that he must’ve taken out of one of the big saddlebags. He looked at her dubiously.

  “Have you ever been on a bike before?” His piercing gaze looked her up and down. Was it wrong that she felt his gaze like it was some kind of invisible caress?

  “Um…no. But I’m eager to try,” she told him trying to show some enthusiasm. She wasn’t about to turn up her nose at his mode of transportation. He was saving her a lot of trouble, after all.

  He chuckled and moved closer to her, plunking the big helmet down over her head. “This will help. Keep the face shield down unless you like bugs in your teeth,” he told her, giving her another one of those rare smiles.

  He then took her shoulder bag out of her hands and lengthened the strap to its full capacity before lowering it over her helmeted head and sliding it around so that the bag rested against the small of her back.

  “It’ll ride easier this way,” he told her.

  Lance led her over to his bike and got on, then gestured for her to do the same. It wasn’t as easy as he’d made it look. Of course, he was a lot taller, with longer legs than she had. Tina managed to hop on, resting her butt on the little pad behind him. She arranged her bag at her back, marveling at the fact that he’d been right about it resting easy back there. She adjusted the strap a bit, but then she wasn’t sure where to put her hands.

  Lance solved that mystery by the simple expedient of reaching back and grabbing both her hands. She jumped a little, but realized he was just being efficient. He’d put on his own helmet while she’d been fiddling with her bag, so it wasn’t as easy to talk to each other. He placed her hands around his middle and patted them once as if in reassurance. He then seemed to look down and nodded at the placement of her feet on the little doo-dads she’d found that seemed the logical place. She must’ve guessed right.

  Lance half-stood and she loosened her grip on him as he restarted the beast beneath them. Once he had the engine going, he sat back down and waited for her to put her arms back around him before he put the bike in gear and started off.

  He went slowly at first, letting her get used to the movement of the bike under them. He was a considerate guy for all his bad boy looks. She would never have gone off with anyone else like this, but she had always had a soft spot for Lance. Her instincts had pegged him as one of the good guys long ago, and her instincts were never wrong. There was nothing in the mature Lance’s aura that made her think anything had changed as far as his basic nature. If anything, he’d become even more of a good soul in the time since they’d last crossed paths, but she sensed a great deal of confusion just under the skin. Maybe…just maybe…she could help him sort that out.

  To read more, get your copy of Phoenix Rising by Bianca D’Arc.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Bianca D’Arc has run a laboratory, climbed the corporate ladder in the shark-infested streets of lower Manhattan, studied and taught martial arts, and earned the right to put a whole bunch of letters after her name, but she’s always enjoyed writing more than any of her other pursuits. She grew up and still lives on Long Island, where she keeps busy with an extensive garden, several aquariums full of very demanding fish, and writing her favorite genres of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi romance.

  Bianca loves to hear from readers and can be reached through Twitter (@BiancaDArc), Facebook (BiancaDArcAuthor) or through the various links on her website.

  OTHER BOOKS BY BIANCA D’ARC

  Paranormal Romance

  Brotherhood of Blood

  One & Only

  Rare Vintage

  Phantom Desires

  Sweeter Than Wine

  Forever Valentine

  Wolf Hills*

  Wolf Quest

  Tales of the Were

  Lords of the Were

  Inferno

  Tales of the Were ~ The Others

  Rocky

  Slade

  Tales of the Were ~ String of Fate

  Cat’s Cradle

  King’s Throne

  Jacob’s Ladder

  Her Warriors

  Tales of the Were ~ Redstone Clan

  The Purrfect Stranger

  Grif

  Red

  Magnus

  Bobcat

  Matt

  Tales of the Were ~ Grizzly Cove

  All About the Bear

  Mating Dance

  Night Shift

  Alpha Bear

  Saving Grace

  Bearliest Catch

  The Bear’s Healing Touch

  The Luck of the Shifters

  Badass Bear

  Loaded for Bear

  Bounty Hunter Bear

  Tales of the Were ~ Were-Fey Love Story

  Lone Wolf

  Snow Magic

  Midnight Kiss

  Tales of the Were ~ Jaguar Island (Howls Romance)

  The Jaguar Tycoon

  The Jaguar Bodyguard

  Tales of the Were ~ Lick of Fire

  Phoenix Rising

  Guardians of the Dark

  Half Past Dead

  Once Bitten, Twice Dead

  A Darker Shade of Dead

  The Beast Within

  Dead Alert

  Gemini Project

  Tag Team

  Doubling Down

  Gifts of the Ancients: Warrior’s Heart

  Epic Fantasy Erotic Romance

  Dragon Knights ~ Daughters of the Dragon

  Maiden Flight*

  Border Lair

  The Ice Dragon**

  Prince of Spies***

  Dragon Knights ~ The Novellas

  The Dragon Healer
r />   Master at Arms

  Wings of Change

  Dragon Knights ~ Sons of Draconia

  FireDrake

  Dragon Storm

  Keeper of the Flame

  Hidden Dragons

  Dragon Knights ~ The Sea Captain’s Daughter Trilogy

  Book 1: Sea Dragon

  Book 2: Dragon Fire

  Book 3: Dragon Mates

  Dragon Knights ~ Outliers

  The Captain’s Dragon

  Science Fiction Romance

  StarLords

  Hidden Talent

  Talent For Trouble

  Shy Talent

  Jit’Suku Chronicles ~ Arcana

  King of Swords

  King of Cups

  King of Clubs

  King of Stars

  End of the Line

  Diva

  Jit’Suku Chronicles ~ Sons of Amber

  Angel in the Badlands

  Master of Her Heart

  Futuristic Erotic Romance

  Resonance Mates

  Hara’s Legacy**

  Davin’s Quest

  Jaci’s Experiment

  Grady’s Awakening

  Harry’s Sacrifice

  * RT Book Reviews Awards Nominee

  ** EPPIE Award Winner

  *** CAPA Award Winner

  Come over to The D’Arc Side…

  WWW.BIANCADARC.COM