Kali’s smile died when she saw opposite them, a few lanes down, sat a man in the same position.
The precise sameness was eerie.
She did a mental back flip as her heart thumped harder.
He had the same skill she had.
“Your pupils have dilated, and your breathing changed,” noticed Blue. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”
Her eyes tore from the man down the alley, and back to Blue’s face. He was observant and blunt; both were traits she was well acquainted with.
She could be as blunt.
“Blue, have you heard of Implicit Muscle Memory?”
“No.”
“Why has your face gone stiff? You’re not being honest, and that’s not fair when you asked me not to lie.”
“You surprise me. I never know what to say to you. It’s interesting how your mind works.”
“I could say the same of you, Blue. Looks like I’m up.”
Handing her half-eaten dumpling to him, and her cup, Kali cocked her leg to land her boot in-between his parted legs. He had well-built thighs, the long curve of muscle showing through his leathers. She was pleased he appeared well fed and developed. LoCaste often had a gauntness that screamed of malnutrition.
Blue sucked down air and slid back in the seat as Kali leaned to redo the Velcro on her moon boots. The close proximity was causing serious damage to his calm. Her ponytail tumbled over her shoulder, and she flicked it back with a shake of the head, sending Kali-scented air his direction, a fragrance that made him harden in the worst way.
Standing, she tucked loose hair behind ears that were elf-like. Even those he found attractive.
“You’re okay to hold those for me, right?” She pointed gun fingers at him. Kali pointed twice more to ensure she had a set of three. “You haven’t got people waiting on you?”
“Yours was my last delivery of the night, and I’m not expected anywhere.” He looked at the food in his hands. “I can hold these for you.”
He seriously thought that was why she wanted him to stay. Her lips twitched. “Do you shoot?” She jerked her head to the empty lane. Her brow puckered as she tried to work out where Christabella and Max had scurried. She’d been into her conversation with Blue and hadn’t been paying attention to them.
“No. The recreation centre in my quadrant is a dangerous place.”
“Bella and Max have run off to rec.” She sighed. Christabella was a clinger; the weeks after Max dumped her were not going to be fun. Never had Kali known someone who could boast a legion of stalkers like Max could. “We’ll take their turns.”
“Max abandoned you for another?”
“Hmm?”
“He brought you here on a date then left you alone.”
“You’ve misunderstood,” she laughed. “Max is on a date with Christabella. I was the third wheel. An escape route if it went badly.”
He felt immense relief, but Blue managed to keep it out of his expression. He suspected some seeped into his voice though. “Escape route?”
“If it went bad, and Max gave me the signal, I’d accidentally-on-purpose toss a drink over Christabella, or get sick, and we’d leave.”
His mouth popped open. “Mean.”
Kali’s nose wrinkled. “It’s an act of kindness. Max is an ass when it comes to girls. He looses interest fast, and it’s better this way.”
“Why?”
“He’s got the normal urges. He won’t intend to maintain a relationship with a girl moon mad for him, but still rec. HiCaste avoid having loads of RecRom encounters logged. It’s frowned upon and makes you less desirable to suitors.”
Blue’s cheeks reddened. “I see. You do this to save them heartache.”
“You make me sound noble. I do it because I care about Max. One day, he’ll meet a keeper, someone he loves and respects. I don’t want him to lose her because he’s known as a womanizer who’ll screw anything.”
“He is a womanizer who’ll screw anything.”
“Yes, but he’ll grow out of that. Let’s shoot.”
Blue uncoiled from his seat. “Do you use Max the same way?”
Now she coloured a little. “Once, but it was awful. He kept trying to drag me into a RecRom when I clearly wasn’t interested.” She glared in Christian’s direction.
Blue tapped his foot, agitated. “What did Max do?”
Kali blushed harder. “Punched him in the face.”
“I see.”
“Do you? People assume Max and I are secretly solar-hot for each other when we’re not. He’s a brother to me, and I know that for a certainty.”
“How?”
“He was my first.” She shuddered. “It was awkward and I have nightmares about it. It freaks him out too. What’s between us is affection. We take care of each other until we meet our soul mates.” Embarrassed she’d over shared, Kali tugged at the hem of her tunic, enormously aware of why she felt the need to make it clear she and Max weren’t a couple. “Got it?”
Reserving judgment, Blue looked away. “Don’t know how to shoot.”
Silently frustrated, Kali took the drink from him and slurped until it was gone. She offered Blue a sip halfway, but he declined as he unzipped his jacket. Kali got flustered watching him tug it off, and looked away to chuck the dumpling in the waste unit. Now she’d realised she liked him, she was fidgety. She had gone to the range annoyed Max was on a date, and irritated the delays courtship rituals brought to the game. Now she wanted to abandon the whole thing and focus on her conversation with Blue.
She wanted to know he got the hint she was available.
Maybe he was put off knowing about her and Max’s past? How else could she have addressed his fears of them secretly lusting after each other?
Kali dried her hands by rubbing them on her butt as she searched for a decent laser pistol from the rack.
Blue was messing with her, right? Who didn’t know how to shoot? It was one of the more primitive skills to learn in a society of peace, but it hadn’t gone that out of fashion.
It was retro.
What if he genuinely didn’t know how, and she made a joke, and he was offended?
“I don’t mind teaching you how,” Kali offered. “Grab a pistol that’s easy to hold, but heavy enough, so you extend some effort.” Picking a weapon, she quirked an eyebrow when Blue chose a sturdier blaster the more proficient shooter chose. “You sure about that one?”
He heard doubt in her voice and set the blaster down. He picked up the twin of the pistol she carried.
Blue watched Kali as she moved her weapon from palm to palm playfully. After a nanosecond, he did the same. Exactly the same, even down to how her fingers gripped the hilt.
Kali opened her mouth to question him then decided against it. “Stellar?”
“Standard,” he affirmed and waited for her to take the lead.
“Go first and I’ll help you with your stance.” She stared a challenge. “Since this is your first time and all.”
Blue narrowed his eyes. “You don’t believe me.” His head tilted down until it was level with hers, and his opticals slipped down his nose.
Kali caught herself before she took a startled step back.
Sapphire eyes peered at her with singular intensity then changed colour. Now emerald eyes raked her down before sliding to the side and focusing on the task. Blue’s lips curved. He pushed the thick black frame up the bridge of his nose, and the glass dimmed the strength of his stare.
He turned his back to her.
Kali placed a hand to her chest, blinking at the floor, concerned her heart rate was spiking for no reason other than Blue looked at her.
Walking with slow measured steps to the line, he looked left then right. He discharged two rounds. His aim was wide, and he hit the target at the edge, scoring him twenty out of a possible hundred, and missed the second shot altogether since the weapon recoiled and jerked his hand as he fired.
The shooter in the alley to their left had the same sc
ore; his shot had hit the target in exactly the same place a nanosecond before Blue had taken his shots.
Kali leaned back on her heel and rubbed her neck. “He has no technique, Blue,” she explained and came up beside him. Lifting up onto her toes, she whispered into his ear. “You would have been more successful if you’d copied the guy two lanes down to our right.”
She should be asking questions; like if he had seen her use her ability. Maybe he didn’t know she could do it too, and he had made an impulsive decision to show her his skill because she’d noticed and asked about it.
Caving to the delicious thought of getting closer, Kali moved in front of Blue and threaded her fingers with those of his free hand. His hands closed over hers, palms cool and dry. Again, his long elegant fingers captured her attention. She wiggled her hand from under his and placed it on top to guide his fingers around the hilt.
Satisfied, she lifted their arms. “You want a two handed grip, and to bring the weapon eye-level.” The position forced him to move closer to her. His broad chest pushed into her back as she lifted their joined hands, and corrected how to position his arms as they caged her in, his forearms resting on her shoulders.
He was tall, and she liked that.
“By holding the pistol this way you’re afforded greater control of the recoil,” she instructed. “So your second shot won’t go wild.”
Kali relaxed into the pseudo embrace, her temple resting against his chin. He breathed heavy, and his warm rush of breath blew across her skin. The shooting range smelt like limes from decontamination, but he had a masculine spicy thing going on that made her want to nuzzle.
The scent curled around her, creating a cocoon of Blue she felt utterly safe in.
She nudged his foot with hers, and the backwards motion bumped her ass into his groin. Kali expected him to jolt and move back. He did jolt, but crowded closer until he was pressed into her from her upper back to her butt.
“Um, you need to, ah….” Kali babbled as her body heated. “Your foot needs to go, ah, go the other way.”
As he moved the foot back, Blue’s gaze slid down. His focus narrowed onto Kali’s profile. The bold sweep of her upturned nose made him think her cute. Burning with want, his gaze lowered to her graceful chin then even lower until he became fixated on the twin swells under her tunic. The effect on his body was like being bludgeoned on the head. Out of respect, he forced his eyes back to her face, and stared at her lips instead, admiring the prettiest dusky pink he’d ever seen.
Kali missed the covetous looks Blue gave her since she was concerned her heart worked at double its normal resting rate. Kali thanked her stars he didn’t call her out. She didn’t have a reasonable explanation for her behaviour other than he sniffed good and felt nice. It would have been a pointless dance around the obvious truth she was taking liberties with the lesson.
There was something heady about having so much male flesh surrounding her. Max hugged her all the time, but it was never sexual in nature.
Nothing about Blue’s arms around her felt friendly.
“Lean your weight on your back foot and bend your knee. Stellar.” She shifted and rubbed his hands under hers, transfixed by how his skin felt in comparison, tough at the knuckles and joints, but smooth closer to the wrist. As easy as she saw these hands, was as easy as she could see them on her body. “Now be careful when you shoot. The muscles in your hand contracting when you pull the trigger affect your aim.”
Blue was having trouble thinking straight. Kali snuggled into his arms, and she’d put herself there. Her touch was soft; undeniably curious as her fingers stroked between his. Raw sensation ran down his body, twisted his guts, and made him shiver. He adjusted his stance when his leathers became uncomfortably tight. He’d been in this condition before near her, though he’d never been this close.
It was a form of torture.
“Unavoidable,” Blue muttered.
“Yes, but you can compensate by slowly squeezing the trigger allowing you to adjust as you fire.”
The lesson ended.
Kali stood there, trying to think of something, anything, to keep her where she was.
Coming up blank, she cleared her throat and let her hands fall away. With a nervous smile thrown over her shoulder, she ducked out of his arms.
Blue fired and scored seventy out of a possible hundred.
He moved out of Kali’s way, slanting a heated look at her as he passed. They were close, and Kali had to twist her torso when he passed so he didn’t touch her. She swore some kind of energy crackled between them.
Blue noticed they drew a lot of eyes. Being affectionate wasn’t a problem in polite society as long as you found a RecRom to cool off if things got to too hot.
He was LoCaste, and that he didn’t belong near her wouldn’t have escaped notice either.
Kali knew people stared and didn’t give a quark. At that internalized rebellion, her heart kicked. She felt brave, empowered. It was freeing to forget who she was and what was expected.
Positioned to fire, she waited for the target to snap up before nailing two shots dead centre.
Wriggling in joy, she spun, and collided with Blue. Her hands landed on his shoulders to stop herself falling.
Blue steadied her against him.
Kali was all he could see, hear, and feel. His body tensed at the feel of her hips under his hands, the swell of her chest pressed to his. Lust reared, and white noise roared in his ears. Instinctively, he pulled her closer, and lowered his head until it would be easy, simple, to kiss her. “Do you always react this way to small victories?”
The knowing twinkle she caught in Blue’s eyes was electrifying. Kali stared at him, astounded how her attraction had switched from curious to ardent between heartbeats. He wasn’t superficially confident, his strength ran deeper.
It was solar-hot.
Sizzling all over, her hands smoothed his shoulders and linked at the nape of his neck. She tilted her head in invitation. “Sore loser, huh?”
“Kali,” Max bellowed. He sounded pissed. “We’re leaving.”
Christabella flounced past, bashing into Kali as she went, and her face red with some heated emotion.
Kali dragged her bottom lip into her mouth, raked it with her teeth in frustration. She was going to kill him. Beat her beloved Max to death with a brick. “Standard,” she called back, easing from Blue’s arms.
She hesitated, giving him an opening to say something, or signal interest in seeing her again, but when Max had shouted he’d closed down, his eyes shuttering, and that twinkle fading.
Disappointed, she turned to walk away.
Blue caught her hand.
Her heart tripped.
“Wait. I … I’d like to–” He swallowed convulsively. “I’d like to see you again. Like this. Go on a date.” He frowned. “Without Max.”
“Um, yes, let me give you my data.”
Tugging her TalkMe from her pocket, she waited until he had his then exchanged BMIDs and linked networks.
Kali gave into her impulse and brushed the lightest of kisses to his lips. It was intolerably forward, but in case he wasn’t that into her, she’d have the memory of her lips on his.
She pulled back, and Blue followed. Body leaning until his feet caught up. He wrapped an arm around her waist to haul her close, and kissed her harder, making her tremble when his tongue flicked out to sweep across her bottom lip, soothing the tenderness her teeth caused. Blood pounded in Kali’s ears and flooded other parts making them heavy and hot. She placed her hands on his cheeks, and dove into it, let herself become lost.
He set her down, still close, and they both lingered, enjoying the unexpected surge of desire.
Shocked shy, Kali dropped her gaze from his and moved away. Bringing her TalkMe to her lips, she tapped it with her forefinger. “Message me, okay?”
Blue caught the secret upward curve of her mouth, and thought it beautiful. As he stared after her, he wondered if messaging her right then
would be considered too eager.
***
Summon (Rae Wilder) Page 34
