Part 8 (1/2)
It was the same sort of petulance that had caused him to give in and kiss her awhile ago, just after that exchange-that kiss-with Selena. Still annoyed by her calling him a youngster in that condescending tone, he'd given Selena the mental flip-off when she walked away-as if the kiss had never happened.
Probably what surprised and annoyed him the most then was the way his f.u.c.king knees had gone weak. And his brain had collapsed. Because if his brain would have been working properly, he would have yanked Selena back for more ... instead of succ.u.mbing to a different pair of puckered lips and an easy a.s.suagement of his ego.
h.e.l.l, after what had happened with Sage-who'd called his kiss ”nice”-and Selena-who'd pretty much done the same, though not in so many words-Theo couldn't be blamed for feeling a little petulant himself. His ego had been more than bruised. ”I have to take care of something,” he told Jen now. ”I'll catch up with you later.”
He didn't hear what she said as he slipped away, his eyes paring through the milling crowd. The festive mood had obviously deteriorated since the girl had gone missing, and despite the happy ending, it was tainted by the false alarm.
Theo pa.s.sed a group of the twenty-somethings he'd been hanging out with all evening-Jen's friends-and realized they weren't all that that young. They merely young. They merely seemed seemed young to him. h.e.l.l, at age twenty-eight, he and Lou had been raking in the bucks because of their techno-geek brilliance. They'd had the CEOs of two Fortune 500 companies afraid to turn off their BlackBerrys without asking them first. They'd had the owner of one of Vegas's biggest casinos turning the entire electronics systems over to them and their consulting firm for a security upgrade. They'd been workaholics on track to retire by the time they were forty-five, figuring they'd have a chance to live and travel and maybe even marry by then. young to him. h.e.l.l, at age twenty-eight, he and Lou had been raking in the bucks because of their techno-geek brilliance. They'd had the CEOs of two Fortune 500 companies afraid to turn off their BlackBerrys without asking them first. They'd had the owner of one of Vegas's biggest casinos turning the entire electronics systems over to them and their consulting firm for a security upgrade. They'd been workaholics on track to retire by the time they were forty-five, figuring they'd have a chance to live and travel and maybe even marry by then.
It probably would have happened, too, if all h.e.l.l hadn't broken loose. If the men and women in the elite Cult of Atlantis hadn't decided that immortality was worth the destruction of the rest of the earth and civilization.
And so, as Theo walked past the group and they offered him a beer, he took it. He nodded and smiled and wished to h.e.l.l that he remembered what it was like to be so young and to have had such an uneventful life. It would, he thought, be heaven not to have those nightmares that still woke him in a cold sweat.
Gangas sucked, but they were nothing compared to what he and Lou and the rest of the survivors had lived through for the first twenty years after the Change. sucked, but they were nothing compared to what he and Lou and the rest of the survivors had lived through for the first twenty years after the Change.
He was halfway through the beer when he found Selena.
Rather, when she found him.
It wasn't exactly how he'd planned for the meeting to go.
”What the h.e.l.l did you think you were doing?” she said, walking right up to him. She bristled like the way Lou used to wear his hair-straight up spiky all over.
”I might ask you the same question,” he responded, removing the beer bottle from his mouth. He'd been in the middle of a drink. ”Sneaking out without any protection or any weapon except that thing around your neck.”
That surprised her, for she grabbed at her belly where he suspected the object hung, beneath her tunic. But that didn't keep her from flaring back at him. ”What I do is none of your business. You're not my father or my son-or anyone in between. You have nothing to do with me and you couldn't even begin to understand the things I've been through in this life. Your busted stunt out there could have gotten either one of us killed.”
”I was trying to save your life,” he shot back wryly. ”Paybacks, you know?” Theo s.h.i.+fted on his feet. ”Did I hurt you?” he asked, thinking mainly of the ganga ganga slashes. slashes.
”Other than to give me a d.a.m.ned heart attack, no. But I don't need any help from you,” Selena replied. Her voice had calmed, as if she realized it had risen too loudly, but they were in the edge of a shadow from one of the small houses, beneath an apple tree. ”I knew what I was doing. I'm a long d.a.m.n way from being a child.”
He had to agree with that.
And from the look in her eyes, she was pretty d.a.m.n p.i.s.sed at being treated like one. ”I'm old enough to be your mother,” Selena was saying. ”So back the h.e.l.l off and go hang out with your friends. You can give orders to Jennifer all you want. She'd probably appreciate it. Just don't go riding around and doing stupid stunts like that.”
He smothered a smile. He'd never heard that that lecture before. Not that it ever made a difference. lecture before. Not that it ever made a difference.
Theo felt some of his annoyance drain away. He was getting it now. ”That's not what you were saying a while ago, over there. I believe your exact words were something like 'not bad for a guy who was dead three days ago.' ”
That fl.u.s.tered the h.e.l.l out of her. Her eyelids fluttered and she stepped back.
Theo pressed his advantage, all of a sudden feeling very much in control. That fascination he'd seen earlier in her face, and the flash of horror, had given way to worry.
The kind of worry that made him want to cuddle her up and tell her it was all going to be okay-except that he'd realized he he was the cause of the worry. And that, in his mind, wasn't an altogether bad thing. was the cause of the worry. And that, in his mind, wasn't an altogether bad thing.
”Maybe we ought to test it out again and then you can compare the way I kiss to a guy who's never never been dead.” He stepped closer and suddenly his own veins were singing. His skin leapt and p.r.i.c.kled and he looked down at her mouth ... been dead.” He stepped closer and suddenly his own veins were singing. His skin leapt and p.r.i.c.kled and he looked down at her mouth ...
... which had sort of puckered and crinkled, and then a little tip of tongue slipped out nervously, and that little flicker nearly had him dropping to his knees.
”Don't,” she said, and put out a hand to stop him. It touched his chest.
Now, Theo had been taught very well that when a woman said no no or or don't don't or or stop stop, that was what a guy did. Even if her eyes said yes. yes. Even if the Even if the zing zing of attraction between them was practically visible. So, much as he wanted to, he didn't move any closer. But he looked down at her and caught her gaze with his-a bit difficult, in the faulty light, but he did manage to do so. of attraction between them was practically visible. So, much as he wanted to, he didn't move any closer. But he looked down at her and caught her gaze with his-a bit difficult, in the faulty light, but he did manage to do so.
”Aw, come on, Selena,” he said coaxingly. ”I'm just a kid. What do you have to fear from me?” He grinned when her lips twitched and he noticed that her breathing had s.h.i.+fted into something more sketchy. A little disrupted.
”Nothing,” she managed.
”Then why don't you teach me a thing or two? Show me how it's done?” he asked, his voice low and mellow; his eyes focused on hers.
Her fingers convulsed on his chest and he reached up to close a hand over them. ”You're crazy,” she managed to say. He could tell what a task it was for her to force those words out.
”What do you expect from a guy who was dead three days ago?” He leaned in, trapping her hand against his chest, and was rewarded by her eyes widening and her breathing s.h.i.+fting. ”I might be crazy, but I still want to kiss you”-she opened her mouth to speak, but he continued-” ... among other things.”
Her eyes fluttered and her body s.h.i.+vered. Taking that as a good sign, he leaned in.
She met his mouth with hers, lush and warm. Their lips s.h.i.+fted and molded, their tongues danced and slid, and he gathered Selena closer. His body jolted alive and hot as he tasted her-the warm sleekness of her mouth-and as she gave a little sigh against his lips.
Good. Really ... f.u.c.king ... good was about all his brain could process, because it was all hot and needy and alive was about all his brain could process, because it was all hot and needy and alive. More ...
But before he could get in deeper, get her gathered up against him and get down to business, she s.h.i.+fted back a bit. Pulling her mouth away from his reluctant one, she pressed both hands flat onto his chest. He was certain she could feel the racing of his heart.
”You could have killed us, doing that whole Kate & Leopold Kate & Leopold thing.” The lecture tone was back in her voice, albeit unsteadily. thing.” The lecture tone was back in her voice, albeit unsteadily.
”That what?” He literally had to s.h.i.+ft his brain back into play and he eased away-fully, painfully aware of how close the swell of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were to the back of his hand where he held hers pinned gently to his chest.
”The horse thing,” she replied a little more steadily. ”Riding up and yanking me onto the horse without stopping.”
”That wasn't a yank, that was a scoop. Or even a sweep,” he said, his mouth sliding into a smile. Now they were getting somewhere. ”Kate & Leopold?”
She gave an exasperated sigh. ”It's on a DVD.”
”I figured that. A chick flick, with a name like that. But I was thinking more like Hidalgo Hidalgo,” he replied. ”When I saw it in my head. The whole sweeping-scooping sort of thing.”
”I don't remember it in Hidalgo Hidalgo,” she replied, looking as if she was considering it. ”But maybe.”
”Okay, then, Robin Hood. Robin Hood.”
She shook her head, a twitch of a smile on her lips. ”I don't think so.”
”Prince of Thieves, with Kevin Costner?” he replied, s.h.i.+fting to brush a lock of hair back from her shoulder. It was warm and heavy, and she smelled fresh and alluring. His heart was still pounding and he couldn't quite pull his attention from her pretty kissed-and-crinkled mouth. ”I'm pretty sure it happened in that movie. Just like that.”
She shrugged and the back of his hand burned from the brush of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. ”Maybe, but I wasn't paying any attention to Kevin what's-his-name. I was more interested in Alan Rickman.”
”Alan Rickman? Geez, you and every other female I've ever known have had a thing for that guy.” He was chuckling, breathing easier now, and her eyes had lit with humor. He was fully aware of her warmth, her curves, the alluring, feminine smell that clung to her skin and hair ... He was already thinking about sliding his hands under her loose tunic to cup those b.r.e.a.s.t.s she'd been b.u.mping against him ... not to mention the round curve of her a.s.s. His mouth dried, thinking about sliding against her, skin to skin- But then Selena stepped back, her hands leaving his chest, breaking his hold on her. ”Theo,” she said, all business back in her voice, the laughing dying from her eyes. ”You're too young to be messing around with someone like me.”
Man, this woman can change like quicksilver. He tried to readjust, to rein in his heated thoughts, but she was continuing her motherly lecture before he could respond. He tried to readjust, to rein in his heated thoughts, but she was continuing her motherly lecture before he could respond.
”I realize I put you in an awkward position earlier,” she was saying, easing away with her hand, palm out as if to keep him at arm's length. ”And I really appreciate that you played along. But I don't need a pity kiss. And, really-continuing on this way would just embarra.s.s both of us. You don't owe me anything. I would have saved anyone's life if the opportunity arose, so you don't need to feel like you have to make it up to me.”