by M. J. O'Shea
He leaned over and kissed me softly, right in front of Lisa. “Yeah,” he murmured.
“You guys are annoyingly adorable.” Lisa smiled at us anyway.
The door rattled, and I jumped up, startled. Turned out to just be Megan, returning from her lunch.
There was a steady stream of customers after that. They started to get on my nerves fairly quickly. I saw PC and Lisa over in the café, talking and laughing. All I wanted was to be over with them, but every time it looked like I was going to be able to hang out, another wave of people would come in and I’d have to help them. Every excuse I could find, though, I’d walk by their table, if only to run my fingers through PC’s hair for a moment or touch him on the shoulder. He’d always tilt his head up and smile at me, cover my fingers with his hand, rub his cheek against my arm.
His touches were oxygen, necessary to my survival. I touched him because I had to… but I was starting to want to as well. And this time I could tell the difference. It wasn’t that unstoppable pull that made his hair so soft under my fingers or the smattering of freckles across his nose so adorable. It wasn’t the bond that made me melt every time I saw him laugh. I was starting to fall for him, and I couldn’t think of a worse idea.
You’re going to get your heart broken, Miles. I sighed. There was nothing I could do about it.
As worried as I was about my impending heartbreak, I still couldn’t wait for my shift to end so I could be with PC again. The unusually busy night had kept me away from him for far too long. After a few hours, Lisa had to go to her own job, waiting tables at a local Italian restaurant. PC grabbed a book and curled up in one of our squishy armchairs to wait for me. I watched him read, smiling to myself, and rang people up quickly, willing the clock to move faster so I could close the store and kiss him until we couldn’t breathe.
It made me smile when I saw Megan clean up her stand and lock her cash register for the night. She closed about a half hour before me usually, which meant my shift of eternity was nearing an end, thank God. When I ushered the last customer out and locked the door, PC jumped out of his chair and wrapped his arms around my waist. He looked so happy to be touching me again. I tried not to get excited.
“That was such a long afternoon. I’ve been waiting to kiss you for hours.”
“Me too. I nearly did, customers or not.”
PC chuckled quietly, then yanked me against him for a long, deep kiss.
All he had to do was touch his lips to mine and I was lost. The way he smiled against my mouth, tugged on my shirt, and wiggled against me trying to get closer; there was no such thing as enough. I wanted him, and I was going to keep wanting him, even if he ran out of my life. I didn’t think there was anything the lycans could do to change that. It was a good thing we were in the bookstore, or else we would have ended up naked again, saying “We shouldn’t be doing this” but doing it anyway. I didn’t think if it happened again we’d stop at the little bit we’d done the night before.
When we finally broke apart, PC cupped my face in his hands, pulling the soft pads of this thumbs across my cheekbones. “It keeps getting better, doesn’t it?”
I nodded, my throat thick. Every kiss was softer, hotter, more binding than the last. “I’m going to miss kissing you, you know, when this is over,” he whispered.
I laid my forehead against his. “Maybe even if we’re not bonded…. I mean, we don’t have to be strangers. I’d miss kissing you too.”
“Let’s see what happens. We may not want to have anything to do with each other.”
At that I laughed. “PC, I’m still going to like you. It’s not like I’m compelled to keep touching you but I hate your guts. We can be friends.”
“Friends who kiss?”
“Probably not.” I couldn’t sign up for friends with benefits with PC. Not with the way I already felt about him.
He smiled anyway. “So Zack texted me when you were helping that last customer. I got a bit distracted by the kissing. He said there’s movie night at my place in about an hour. You want to go? You’d get to meet the whole motley crew.”
My belly fluttered but the answer was clear. “Of course I want to go. Let me close out my register and we can walk. It’s pretty close, right?”
He nodded.
The walk over was fun. Even though it was windy and a little cold, I was warmed through by the way PC took my hand in his and put them both in his jacket pocket. The smile he gave me when he did that was so sweet and hesitant it made my stomach quiver.
I was a little worried about walking into that whole group of people who knew each other so well. I only sort of knew Zack, barely knew PC despite everything, and I’d met Noah all of one time. I didn’t know who else was going to be there. I was in a strange position, being wanted and not wanted at the same time. I didn’t know if PC’s hesitation at accepting my existence would be readable to the others.
“Do you think everyone will like me?” I knew I was fretting, but I wanted some reassurance.
PC rolled his eyes. “What’s not to like? You’re really sweet and you have big dreamy eyes and you’re an amazing kisser.”
I laughed but liked that he’d noticed all the same. “I somehow don’t think that’ll impress anyone other than you.”
“I don’t know. You may have to watch out for Leila.”
I hoped he was kidding.
“Do they know what’s going on?”
“Not sure if Zack and Noah told them. If not, then I will. It’s only fair. I left yesterday evening looking like death and am coming back tonight completely fine and attached to someone they’ve never met. They’re bound to wonder what happened. Especially when my mother shows up tomorrow.”
Tomorrow. I might lose him tomorrow. My gut clenched. I was just getting to know him and liking everything I found out. It wasn’t fair.
“What time is your mom getting in?”
“Her flight lands around ten, she said. I’m guessing she’ll be at the apartment around noon.”
I nodded but didn’t ask any more questions I wasn’t ready to hear the answers to.
PC lived on the top floor of an old building surprisingly close to my dorm. Of course he did. I wondered how far the coincidences went. Did we just happen to live close by, or did I pick that school somehow because it was in the right place? Had I been drawn to the bookstore because he’d always liked it, or did we just have the same taste? Or did we have the same taste because we were bonded? It made me dizzy to think in circles like that. Especially when there was no way I would ever find out the answer.
I could hear the rumble of a group of people before we even opened his door. My stomach clenched a little as he rummaged around in his pockets for keys. When he found them, he reached out to grab my hand, obviously sensing my discomfort at being in a new place. With a small click, he turned the lock and opened the door to the apartment that would be crowded with his friends.
“I think we need to check into it, Zack.” I heard Noah’s voice coming from the next room.
“Babe, can we not talk about work for one night? I just want to watch a movie and relax.”
“But―”
Noah stopped talking when PC let the door close, fairly loudly, I thought. Was he warning them so I wouldn’t overhear? Whatever it was they were talking about, I wanted to think I could handle it. Maybe it was just because he didn’t think I was going to be around for very long, so it was best if I didn’t know their secrets.
I heard the sounds of people shuffling and getting up from chairs.
“Hey, PC. Hi, Miles!” The first cheerful and overly loud greeting was from Zack. I was relieved to see him, even if he was obviously covering up what they’d been talking about. He came over right away to greet us. PC got a teasing punch on his shoulder and I got a big grin and a guyish half hug. “How are you feeling today?”
“Better,” I told him and smiled. He gave me a bit of a knowing smirk and turned to greet PC as well.
“Hi, Miles.” T
he quieter greeting came from the lovely blond vampire, Noah. He, too, gave me a friendly smile. I started to relax. Maybe things were going to work out.
“Zack, what did you two tell the others?” PC asked after the greetings were over. He rubbed the small of my back through my shirt.
“Not much. Noh and I figured it was your story to tell. All Leila knows is that you’ve been with a ‘boy’ since you left last night. You could’ve scraped her off the ceiling with a spatula when I told her that much.”
PC laughed, looking genuinely amused instead of uncomfortable. Maybe he’d really been telling the truth when he said being with a guy wasn’t a big deal. He didn’t let go of me for a single second as I was herded into the room to meet the others.
The dark and tiny Leila was indeed a force to be reckoned with. She gave me a hug and a wet smacking kiss on the cheek before turning to PC right in front of me and saying she liked my big bedroom eyes. I turned about ten shades of red.
“You’ll get used to her,” Zack mumbled from behind me. “It took me a while. She says that kind of stuff to all of us.”
Other than Leila, the outspoken and lovely little vampire, there was Jason, her boyfriend, who was human but a witch, and Noah’s two cousins. One was a beautiful and quite tall blonde vampire named Amanda; the other, Colin, a cousin from the other side of the family, was a big brawny strawberry blond who, as far as I could tell, was a regular human just like me.
PC’s apartment was nice, nicer than I expected, for sure. It was spacious and open with huge cushy couches and chairs, a big bookshelf crammed with books, and actual art on the walls. It was obvious that women lived there too. The place was littered with feminine touches, from the colored throw pillows and blankets to the big dish on the coffee table filled with coordinating candles of different sizes and colored glass stones. The place was nowhere close to what I would have imagined for him, had I ever gotten far enough in my imaginings to do so.
“So what are we watching?” PC asked. I loved watching him smile at his friends.
“Horror movies!” answered Amanda with a grin. She plopped down on the couch next to Colin, Noah’s human cousin. He had this long-suffering look on his face, like she was constantly following him around. That little scenario was both funny and at the same time made my chest ache. I could see myself easily wanting to follow PC around after the bond was broken and he lost all physical connection to me. I already felt pathetic, even if I hadn’t done it yet.
I actually kind of hated horror movies, but I didn’t want to look like a big weenie either, so I kept my mouth shut and took a seat on the empty couch. I wasn’t expecting PC to act all touchy-feely in front of his friends, so I was surprised when he came and sat close to me and reached out to hold my hand.
“C’mere, babe,” he whispered and pulled me even closer. “You gotta stay close to me so I don’t get scared.”
I’d take any excuse I could get. Heart pounding from the softly spoken endearment, I snuggled into him, putting my head on his shoulder. I loved the way he smelled, the way his hand fit in mine, how perfect it felt to be with him.
I still didn’t like horror movies and kept my eyes squeezed closed for most of it, but I couldn’t say I wasn’t having one of the best nights of my life. PC had put his arm around my shoulder at the start of the movie and was fiddling with my hair, and every once in a while he’d lean over to kiss my neck. I knew I was playing with fire, and probably my heart as well, but at that point I couldn’t bring myself to care. My body was in total bliss mode and there was no way I was going to pull away from him.
When the first movie was over, everyone stood to stretch. It took me a while to come out of my little cocoon of happiness but finally I did, standing with everyone else.
“You hungry, babe?” There it was again. “Babe.”
I shrugged. Honestly, my body hadn’t had any time to worry about food.
“A little, I guess.”
“Let’s go look in the fridge and see what snack we can come up with.” PC pulled my hand, leading me toward an arched doorway.
“I really just wanted to get you in here so I could kiss you,” he murmured as soon as we rounded the corner. His quiet words made my stomach quake. He closed the kitchen door with his foot.
PC backed me into the wall, arms on either side of my head, and started dragging his lips across my neck, my jaw, the soft part of my ear. He was sweet and gentle, nuzzling little kisses here and there. It was driving me insane. Finally, I grabbed his head and slammed my lips down on his. I’d had enough torture.
We kissed for long silent minutes, the stillness only broken by faint sounds coming from the other room. In the back of my mind, I wondered what had happened to me in the past few days. I had been so painfully shy my entire life, and here I was in this crazy situation with a guy I’d only really met the night before, and I felt like somebody completely new. I shoved my hands into the back pockets of his jeans, yanking him against me and groaning into his mouth.
“A snack, huh?” Zack’s laughing voice coming from the doorway broke us apart. My face just about burst into flames.
“I guess I got distracted.” PC didn’t sound even a little bit sorry. He grinned at me.
Zack laughed again. “Well, we’re about to start the second movie. If you guys want your spot back, you’d better get back to the living room.”
PC reluctantly scooted away from me but reached out for my hand. “We’re coming.”
The movie was starting as we took our seats on the couch again. I figured our embarrassing moment was going to go pretty much unnoticed until Leila held up the remote and paused the movie. She reached out and flicked on the lamp next to her.
“All right. What’s going on here? Zack goes into the kitchen, comes out looking like he’s about to burst into laughter, and you two look about as guilty as two people can possibly look. And PC, not that I don’t think it’s superhot, but since when are you into guys?”
PC looked at me and I shrugged. “You were going to tell them anyway, weren’t you? Now’s as good a time as any.”
And so he told them. I know Leila caught the flash of pain I couldn’t hide when he said his mother was coming to break the bond. I’m pretty sure Zack and Noah did too. I shrugged internally. What was there to hide? I wanted to be with him, wanted him in every possible way. Yes, because my body craved his touch, but also because he made me laugh. And he had this way of smiling at me that made me feel like the only person in the world. I’m sure I looked at him that way too.
After the story and a pretty intense question-and-answer session, which confused me more than anything, we settled on the couch for the second movie, PC absentmindedly rubbing his fingers through my hair. I closed my eyes for the beginning. It scared me and I didn’t want to be up all night. I must have never opened them back up, because the next thing I knew the others were getting ready to play cards, and PC was shaking me.
“C’mon, let’s go to bed. It’s been a long time since I was up all day. I’m bushed.”
I followed him meekly down the hall to his bedroom and watched while he closed and locked the door. He turned his stereo on, some quiet piano music or something.
“They get pretty loud when they’re playing cards. A bunch of cheaters.” He gave me a heartbreaking grin. “The music will drown them out, at least a little.”
I smiled back, tired and feeling a little sad. It was almost over… maybe. Unless his mother couldn’t do anything to break us. I hoped that was the case.
“I’m going to go take a shower real quick. Get comfy, okay? Take either side, I don’t mind.”
“Okay.”
He leaned over and brushed a gentle kiss on my lips. “Night, in case you’re asleep when I get back.”
“Night, PC.”
I stripped to my boxers and T-shirt and crawled into PC’s bed. It was way bigger than mine and a million times more comfortable. Besides, it smelled like him―warm, masculine, with that faint hint of coconu
t. I loved the way he smelled. I could easily see myself spending many happy hours in that bed with him, talking, reading, laughing… kissing. Oh Jesus. Don’t even start thinking about that. I cuddled up into the blankets, inhaling happily, and tried to pretend the next day was never going to come.
PC shuffled back into the room from his shower a few minutes later, damp-skinned and fresh. I mumbled a little when he crawled into bed and my body turned to his naturally. He tugged at my shirt until I lifted my arms and let him pull it over my head.
“Wanna feel you,” he whispered in my ear. Then he pulled me against him, my back to his warm lean chest. It was heavenly. He was quiet for a few minutes and I floated there in his arms. It wasn’t long, though, before I felt my boxers being slid down. “Don’t like these either. Need your skin.”
My mind was afraid of getting hurt, but my body agreed with him wholeheartedly. I lifted myself up just long enough for the last shred of fabric separating us to slide over my hips and disappear.
“Much better.”
I could hear the smile in his soft mumble. His steady thumping heartbeat and the warmth of his skin lulled me to sleep.
Chapter 7: Deliver Me
A FEW hours later, I heard the door to PC’s room open. I’d been sleeping soundly, head tucked into the comfortable crease of PC’s shoulder. The noise startled me, and I nearly sat up before I realized I definitely didn’t want the blankets to fall away.
“Night, guys.” It was only Zack. I breathed easier. Not that I wanted him to see me naked, but out of everybody, he made me the least nervous.
“You woke me up, you jerk. I was having the nicest dream.” PC’s sleepy voice made his chest rumble under my hand. He wiggled a little and stroked my back, kissing me on the top of my head.
Wonder what he was dreaming about….
“Well, you can be glad it was me and not Leila. She’s still talking about you two. I’m surprised she’s not in here with her camera.” PC made a choking sound and Zack laughed. “Leila cracks me up―just glad she doesn’t live at our place.”
