I watched him walk toward me, his strides long and lithe, graceful in an almost feline sort of way. He wasn't a classically handsome man, but his rough-hewn features were easy on the eyes and his body was well toned without being too muscular. His hair, like his skin, was a rich black, although these days there seemed to be a fair amount of silver glinting through the shaggy thickness of it.
He stopped several feet in front of me, his gaze briefly skimming me before resting on the fists clenched at my sides.
"I hope you're not going to aim those at me, Risa."
"You've already had one good story out of my family," I said, amazed that my voice actually sounded civil. "I'm not about to give you another one."
"Really?" The black depths of his eyes were wary, watchful. "Then what do you want?"
"Coffee." Although, in all honesty, several large bottles of alcohol—the stronger, the better—would probably have been more suitable right then. I might have the constitution of a werewolf, which meant it was damnably hard for me to get drunk, but several bottles would at least soften the haunting sense of loss.
Jak raised an eyebrow, but waved a hand toward the small café not far up the road. "They make fairly good coffee."
"Then let's go."
I strode forward, the heels of my sandals clicking on the concrete, a tattoo of sound as fast as my heart. He walked beside me, his familiar woodsmoke scent washing over me, raising memories of lazy evenings spent in front of the old log fire in his house, our bodies entwined…
Damn it, he used you, I reminded myself fiercely. Remember that, and only that.
The automatic fly-screen door swished open as we neared the café. Inside was shadowed, the air a mix of rich coffee, fried food, and sweaty humanity. The air-conditioning obviously wasn't doing a great job at this end of the room.
I wove through the tables, heading for one near the back, close to the overhead vent. The rush of cold air had goose bumps racing across my bare arms, but at least it was free of the more unpleasant smells in the space.
"So," Jak said, pulling out a chair and sitting down opposite me, "what is this all about?"
Instead of immediately answering, I asked, "What would you like to drink?"
His smile held a wry edge. "Forgotten already?"