Part 9 (1/2)

On the ride home, they sat in silence, neither saying anything for a long time. Lina gazed out the window at the cityscape rolling by and replayed the delicious moment when Brandon had knocked the s.h.i.+t out of Jude over and over again. At last, she reached out, touching Brandon's hand and drawing his gaze.

”Jude is my ex-boyfriend,” she said. ”He dumped me for the blond woman we saw with him yesterday. You did me a favor back there tonight. Something I have wanted to do personally for three months now. So, thank you, Brandon.”

Brandon studied her for a long, nearly quizzical moment before raising his hands. You're welcome, he signed. I think.

Chapter Twelve.

When they arrived back at Jackson's, it was well after midnight. They had stopped by Lina's apartment building along the way, and she'd left Brandon to wait in the cab while she ran up to throw together a change of clothes and grab her toothbrush. He felt badly, disrupting her life as he had, and told her so. Disrupting, h.e.l.l, he'd thought glumly, remembering the looks on people's faces at the wedding reception-Lina's friends, all wide eyed and shocked-after he'd laid Jude out on the floor. More like ruining her life.

I'll get a hotel room tomorrow, he'd begun to sign, but she'd caught his hands.

”No, you won't,” she said. ”Jackie said it was fine. You could stay at his place as long as you'd like. And he asked me to keep an eye on his plants, so it's like killing two birds with one stone. It's no big thing, really, Brandon.”

He sat on Jackson's sofa while Lina went into the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. He looked out the eastward- facing windows at the nighttime city skyscape, the looming silhouettes of neighboring buildings dotted with pinpoints of light. He forked his fingers through his hair and sighed heavily, jerking against the knot of his tie, loosening it from around his neck.

Not my tie, he thought. Jude's tie. This is Jude's suit. I punched the h.e.l.l out of him, and here I am, wearing his G.o.dd.a.m.n suit.

He shrugged his way out of the coat and stood, pulling his s.h.i.+rt tails loose from his pants and unfettering the gold cufflinks. How the h.e.l.l did Lina sleep on that thing last night? he thought, frowning as he glanced down at the couch. He hadn't sat there for more than a moment, but it had been long enough to feel a persistent loose spring poking him in the a.s.s. No matter how he'd fidgeted or s.h.i.+fted, its sharp point had seemed to find him. That's it, he thought, kicking off Jude's too-big leather loafers. She's sleeping in the bed tonight, and I'll take the floor. I may have ruined her life, but I won't ruin her spine, too. Christ, on top of the kitchen counters would be more comfortable.

Lina walked into the living room, wearing a fresh T-s.h.i.+rt and sweatpants as pajamas. She had washed her face, scrubbing away any hint of the makeup she'd worn for the wedding. Her headful of curls bounced with each step and she tucked wayward tendrils behind her ears before hopping over the back of the sofa. ”How are you doing?” she asked, sitting comfortably, looking up at him.

Brandon sighed wearily and sat next to her on the couch. He squirmed slightly, frowning as the wayward spring point found his a.s.s once again. I'm alright, he signed.

”Look, stop worrying about Jude,” she said, patting her hand against his thigh. ”He's an a.s.s when he's sober, and when he's drunk, he's even worse.”

I shouldn't have punched him, Brandon signed.

”No,” she replied, smiling wanly. ”You should have kicked him in the b.a.l.l.s.” He laughed at this, and she leaned against him, resting her cheek comfortably against his shoulder. ”So we're good now?”

At the moment'? he thought, glancing down at her, feeling her hair tickle his mouth and nose. I'd say we're just about perfect.

He settled for nodding, and she signed to him: Good. Because I was thinking we could get your car back tomorrow.

His good mood, brought upon by her proximity and the sweet fragrance of her hair, immediately withered. I can't afford it, he replied.

I'll pay for half, she said, and when he lifted his hands to offer protest, she sat up from his shoulder, shaking her head. ”Come on, Brandon, we'll wind up spending it anyway on cab fare at this rate,” she said aloud. ”And those tow companies will only keep the cars a few days before they try to track down the owner. If they trace it back to your grandfather, he's going to know you're here in the city-if he hasn't reported it stolen already.”

He hasn't, Brandon signed. Her comment had caught him off guard. He'd never thought about anyone connecting the car to the Grandfather.

”How do you know?” she asked.

Because he wouldn't take that chance, he thought, but said nothing to her. He'd rather write the car off as a loss than have the police out looking for it-looking for me, risking anyone finding out who-and what-I am.

But Lina was right. If the tow company was able to run the car's license plate, then the Brethren would know where to find him.

It was an inevitability anyway, and only a matter of time, but frankly, Brandon had enjoyed the time he'd spent with Lina-more than anything or anyone's company in a long time-and the idea that he would have to leave the city, and her, left him dismayed.

I'm not ready yet, he thought, looking at Lina. I don't want to leave. I've fallen in love with her.

”We'll get your car back,” she said. ”And then we'll go see a friend of mine. He was my partner on the force until last year. He's got a lot of money, and he knows a lot of people. I'm going to see if he can hook us up with an attorney, someone who can help you.”

Brandon blinked in surprise. I don't need an attorney, he said.

”Brandon, come on,” Lina said. She reached for him, draping her hands against his. ”I'm not stupid. I know you're in some kind of trouble. I don't know if it's something to do with money-”

I told you it's not, he said, pulling his hands back and signing sharply. I told you I don't give a s.h.i.+t about my family's money.

”Well, then it's something else,” Lina said. ”I don't know what, but I know it's something, because Jackie's scared to death of them finding you, and so are you.” He tried to turn away, but she caught him firmly by the chin, forcing him to look at her, to watch her mouth as she spoke. ”Tell me what's going on. I want to help you. I'm a cop. Maybe there's something I can-”

No, Lina, he signed, ducking his head away from her. Look, I know it's your job, but I don't- This doesn't have anything to do with my job, Brandon, she signed back, slapping his hands aside, her brows narrowed.

That's not why I want to help you.

He blinked at her, meeting her gaze and suddenly realizing. He didn't even have to open his mind to her to understand. He wasn't a little boy to her anymore, one of Jackie's students, the teenager whose hair she'd ruffled after a hard-fought game of basketball five years ago. She saw him differently now, just as he saw her, too, and she wanted to help because she cared about him.

Brandon touched her face, brus.h.i.+ng his fingertips lightly along her cheek, settling his palm against her. Her heart trembled at this, its tempo quickening, and he sensed it; his touch pleased her. He leaned toward her, holding her gaze, and when he canted his head slightly, she tilted hers up to meet him. He drew her near and closed his eyes, letting his lips brush lightly, gently against hers.

He'd waited the last five years of his life for that moment, that opportunity, having imagined kissing Lina a thousandfold in countless adolescent fantasies. The reality was so much sweeter, by far more wondrous than anything his mind could have fathomed. Her lips melded against his own, pressed in perfect complement, and when the tip of her tongue brushed against him, he opened his mouth, whimpering soundlessly. He moved his free hand to her face, and pulled her against him, tangling his tongue against hers, kissing her deeply.

He felt the intake of her breath against his mouth, could sense the eager, hammering cadence of her heartbeat in his mind. He could smell the hot musk of her blood as it raced suddenly, wildly in her veins; and his body reacted. He felt a tingling warmth in his gums, a tightening in his groin, and he leaned toward Lina, pressing her back against the couch until she lay beneath him, enveloping his hips between her thighs. She clutched at his hair as he drew his lips away from hers. The tips of their noses brushed; her breath fluttered against his lips and she whispered his name, fully aware of the hardening length of him, the swell of his growing arousal pressing through his pants against her.

For a moment he hesitated, uncertain and frightened that he would forget himself, that his body would forget the difference between bloodl.u.s.t and desire, and that he would hurt her. He could feel his canine teeth throbbing, wanting to drop, his gums aching, and he drew back, breathless and alarmed.

I can't do this, he thought. Oh, Christ, I can't...

Lina reached for him, touching his face with her hands. ”Brandon...” she breathed, and he abandoned any reservations at this simple, poignant plea. He kissed her again, trailing his lips to her neck. She craned her head back, guiding him with her hands, leading his mouth to the frantic measure of her pulse beneath her throat. His lips settled there, his tongue drawing against her in slow, deliberate circles. Her fingers tightened in his hair and she writhed beneath him, undulating her hips against him, and forcing the strain against the fly of his pants to grow nearly unbearable. His mind clouded with a wondrous heat and he lost himself, succ.u.mbing freely, touching her, tasting her with the same intense pa.s.sion that had seized him the day before.

His hand moved to her breast, and her nipple hardened eagerly against his fingertips. He let his mouth follow his hand, sliding his tongue against her through the thin fabric of her T-s.h.i.+rt. He hooked his fingers against the neckline and jerked, ripping seams loose of their moorings, tearing open the front of the s.h.i.+rt. She wore no bra beneath, he drew her nipple lightly between his lips, teasing her with the tip of his tongue, making her clutch at him urgently.

He explored her with his mouth, every wondrous curve and lean muscle between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and belly and upward again to her throat. He reached between them, touching her through her sweatpants, caressing her amazing heat through the confines of the fabric. She guided his hands with her own, s.h.i.+fting her weight, raising her hips so he could slide his hand beneath her waistband, the hem of her panties, and she gasped as he kissed her mouth, as his fingertips brushed through the soft nap of tightly curled hair between her thighs. He touched her further, his fingers delving between her warm, wet folds, and he moaned soundlessly to slip inside of her, to slide first one finger and then another into her wondrously tight sheath. He moved his hand against her, sliding his fingers slowly in and out, venturing deeper with each thrust. Lina moved her hips in time with his hand, and faster still, urging him to match her pace. He drew his lips away from hers and looked down at her, watching as she closed her eyes and rocked against his hand, moving toward a powerful release he could feel coming upon her, tightening through her entire body.

”Stop...” she whispered, grabbing his wrist, trying to stay him. She trembled against him, opening her eyes, and he tried to move his hand again, to bring her to the pleasure he knew she wanted desperately. ”Stop,” she said again, holding him still. He blinked at her, confused, wondering if he'd done something wrong. ”Do you have anything?” she asked, and when his confusion only deepened, she smiled. ”A condom, Brandon. Do you have a condom?”

He shook his head. He drew his hands reluctantly away from her and sat back somewhat to sign. I've never... he began, feeling foolish. His fingers hesitated, then moved again, his right index finger tapping his upturned left thumb. This is my first... he started to sign, but still he couldn't manage the humiliating admission.

Lina caught his hands, drawing his gaze. ”Hush,” she said, smiling gently at him. She pulled against his arms, drawing him toward her again. ”Come here.”She caught his face between her hands and kissed him deeply, settling him against her once more. She reached between them, unfastening his fly, pus.h.i.+ng the slacks away from his hips. For a moment, they laughed together, nose to nose as they wriggled and shrugged their way out of their clothes, and then she smiled at him again, kissing him, using her hands and her long, lean thighs to guide him inside of her. Brandon gasped at the sensation of it, her wet, amazing heat enveloping him. She urged him deeper, her fingers hooked against the small of his back, and then deeper still by opening her legs farther, allowing him greater access. She showed him how to move, the pace to set, the rhythm that pleased her, and he met it gladly, eagerly.

He started slowly, but with her hands to guide him, her quickening breath against his mouth to encourage him, he began to move more quickly, driving himself into her. His mouth abandoned hers, and he took her hips between his hands, lifting her from the couch, pulling her against him to meet each thrust. He looked down at her, and she was beautiful to him, her body glossed in sweat, her hair a thick mess of curls spread about her head, her eyes closed, her hands clutching at the sofa cus.h.i.+ons, her breath hiccupping as again, he drove her to the brink of release. G.o.d, I'm in love with this woman, he realized.

This time, she didn't beg him to stop, and he delivered her. Her entire body went rigid, her muscles tightening against and around him and she arched her back, crying out. That powerful, wondrous, gripping pressure coaxed his own shuddering climax, and Brandon gasped sharply, crumpling forward, shocked by the intensity.

He tucked his head against her shoulder and trembled, breathless and exhausted. Lina stroked his hair gently; he felt her lips settle lightly against the crown of his head. This is what I want, he thought, closing his eyes. Right here, all of this. I want to be with Lina. I want a life that's just like this.