Fighting Fate

by Louise Clark

  A week ago—two nights ago!—she had been a Beacon, afraid of inviting her real world friends to her home. Afraid because she couldn’t be sure that Uncle Andrew wouldn’t walk in at any time. She was still a Beacon, and always would be one, but now she had an opportunity to see what life was like without the specter of Andrew’s sudden appearance to hold her back.

  She could begin tonight. She could ask Cody in. She could let him make love to her on her own bed, in her own room, without being fearful Andrew would interrupt them. Although, to be fair, she would never have expected Andrew to show up at three-thirty in the morning.

  Her body tingled with anticipation. She could ask Cody in. She wanted to ask him in. Did she dare?

  Cody’s mouth was on hers, shutting off rational thought. His lips were warm, dry, and evocative as he gave her little nibbling kisses that made her nerve endings tingle. She moved her head, tilting it so she could enjoy his touch more, then put her hands on his shoulders to hold herself upright. She could feel the evidence of his response hard against her. He wanted her as much as she wanted him.

  “My key,” she mumbled against his mouth, still drowning in his kisses. “It’s here. In my jacket, I think. What did I do with it?” She let his shoulder go so she could reach in her pocket. Her fingers fumbled inside, finding nothing, even though the keychain had to be there. She wasn’t functioning very well at the moment. His kisses were too seductive and she wanted him too much. “Cody, you’ll have to give me a second here. I can’t think.”

  “I don’t want you to think,” he said, taking the opportunity to nibble the throbbing artery in her neck.

  Faith groaned. “Cody, stop! For a minute. Only a minute. Just till I get my key.”

  “Promise?” He kissed his way up and along her jawline back to her mouth.

  This time the kiss was long, intense and deep. Faith surrendered to it, allowed her body to flame with desire. She forgot she was supposed to be hunting for her door key.

  He released her mouth. Lifted his head. “Okay. Take a break. Find your key.” He kept her close to him. One hand slid up under her shirt to stroke her body. It lingered at her breast, caressing, teasing. Her nipple came alive, shot sensation through her body, added heat to the firestorm inside her.

  Faith drew a shaky breath. If this was taking a break, she wasn’t going to make it. Her fingers trembled as she searched in her pocket. She touched something hard, with sharp edges, but her mind had apparently become incapable of rational thought and she couldn’t identify the object. She closed her fingers over it and pulled it out.

  Then laughed with delight. “My key!”

  The moment for commitment was very close. With key in hand she could open the door. Then she would have to decide whether to invite him in or say good-night.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him, an invitation in her eyes. He responded, his mouth coming down on hers. His tongue teased her lips, and she opened to him. He probed deeply and she responded, wanting more. The need to be with him, to invite him in and give herself to him, was strong. Did she dare?

  Yes. The kiss blazed between them, providing pleasure, offering a promise. When it had burned low enough for Faith to break away she said, in a voice that was sultry with anticipation, “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to manipulate the door. Would you like to do the honors?”

  “My pleasure,” he said, his voice as husky as hers. But he didn’t move. He kissed her again and built up the flame that had forged her commitment to this moment.

  Faith sighed and moved against him. Her breasts were rubbing over his hard chest, her already sensitized nipples pulsing with arousal. She wanted him, oh my how she wanted him. Nothing mattered right now but Cody and her desire for him. Nothing. He drove her crazy, but he was the most unexpected, the most fun man she’d ever met. “Take me inside.”

  He reached up, snagged the key chain that dangled off one of her fingers and reached past her for the door. He fumbled a bit as he turned the key, throwing the deadbolt, but his grip was firm as he lifted the latch and shoved, hard.

  A relic of nineteenth century construction, the door was big and heavy, but over the years the hinges had been kept well oiled. Cody’s push, full of pent up energy, contained more force than he needed. The door swept open, hit the doorstop with a thump, then bounced back before it stopped.

  “Wow,” Faith said, and giggled.

  Cody looked a little surprised for a moment, but it didn’t take him long to recover. He eased Faith into the dark hall. With her back against the wall he pinned her with his body. “Are you sure about this?”

  “Yes.” She reached up to stroke his cheek. “Stay the night.”

  “Oh yeah,” he said. He caught her lower lip with his teeth and sucked.

  Faith melted. “Upstairs. Now!”

  He laughed. Then stilled. “What was that?”

  Faith escaped from the sensual fog he’d created, but slowly. “What are you talking about?”

  Cody straightened, then stepped away from her, tension in every muscle of his gorgeous body.

  Frowning, Faith stared at him. “What’s the matter?”

  “A sound, coming from there.” He pointed.

  To the living room.

  Faith’s heart shuddered. Horror enveloped her.

  Uncle Andrew had already broken his promise.

  Improbable as it seemed, he’d lain in wait until he’d seen her beacon, then he’d come forward to interrupt her evening. Just to prove he could.

  Or maybe he wanted to continue their argument. That would be a more charitable assumption. After all, he’d always respected her privacy in the past. The Friday evening visit was a compromise they’d worked out at the beginning. She’d been in high school then, a gangly girl with little or no social life. Andrew’s regular visits had begun after her father had left, when they were all raw with the pain of his abandonment. Chloe had made Andrew welcome, treated him as part of the family. It had seemed right to see him every week, to talk over her experiences, to hear about his.

  They all knew he could come forward any time he could find Faith’s beacon, but he’d always respected her space. Still, there was no denying that it was three-thirty in the morning and he was here. That in itself was an intrusion.

  So what was she going to do about it? “Cody, it’s okay. This is an old house. It creaks and groans all the time.”

  His body language didn’t change. “That wasn’t a house sound I heard. It was someone moving around. There it is again!”

  He was right. The sound was definitely the kind made by a person trying to be quiet but not quite succeeding.

  Oh, damn and double damn. Now what was she going to do?

  Cody looked around the hall. It didn’t contain a lot. There was a cupboard for coats and shoes and the antique half-table on which she had placed a bronze tray she used to catch the mail, but little else. He zoomed in on the metal plate, the only moveable object in the area. “It’s not much,” he muttered, scooping up the mail and dumping it on the table, “but it will have to do.” He hefted his weapon.

  Faith stared at him, aghast. He was planning to do battle to protect her. Though the sentiment was lovely—the thought that he would fight for her warmed her right to her toes—it was totally unnecessary.

  Furthermore, she was quite sure Uncle Andrew would not bother to pause for discussion or questions when Cody leapt into the living room brandishing a bronze tray. If attacked Andrew would retaliate. There would be a scuffle.

  The thought of two big males fighting for survival in the confined space of her living room had visions of broken tables, shattered crystal, and torn curtains blazing in her mind. She grabbed his arm. “Cody, wait!”

  Her voice rang out, loud in the heavy silence. As the sound died off, there was a moment when nothing happened. She and Cody stood frozen, waiting, testing the potential for utter disaster. In the living room, the quiet sounds of someone moving about had stilled. Uncle And
rew was taking stock of the situation.

  Maybe, if she was lucky, he’d take the hint that she was with someone and go back to his own time.

  He didn’t. He switched on a light in the living room.

  Cody shook Faith loose and lunged, clearly intent on doing damage. Faith screamed, “No, Cody! Don’t!” and followed him as he charged into the living room.

  Just inside the opening he stopped short. Faith landed hard against his back. Though his body still quivered with the preparation for battle, she could feel the tension easing out of him. She peeked over his shoulder, knowing what she would see. Wishing she would not.

  “Oh, my heavens!” Elizabeth said. Her face was puffy with sleep, though her eyes were wild with fright. “I’ve interrupted you. I’m so sorry!”

  “Liz?” Faith said, coming around Cody to stand in front of her sister. “What are you doing here?”

  “After you and Cody left I sat down for a minute to think. I must have fallen asleep.” She rubbed a hand across her face. “What time is it, anyway?”

  Cody glanced at his watch. “It’s almost four.”

  “In the morning?” Liz squeaked.

  Cody nodded. He turned to Faith. Putting his hands on her shoulders he said gently, “It’s too late for your sister to go home on her own so I’m going to take off.” When Faith opened her mouth to protest, he silenced her with a kiss that left her wanting, but told her clearly that he was not about to change his mind. Moments later the door closed after him.

  Liz flopped down on the couch were she’d so recently been snoozing.

  “Why did you stay?” Faith remained where she stood, her hands bunched into fists.

  Liz rubbed her face again. “I didn’t plan to. Like I said, after you and Cody left I sat for a while thinking about things. It got dark and I was tired—and unhappy! I guess everything caught up with me.”

  Faith sighed and sat down beside her sister. “I was going to go to bed with him.”

  “I kind of figured that. Sorry.”

  Faith patted her on the knee. “It’s okay. I thought you were Uncle Andrew, you know.”

  “Yeah. When I realized it was you and Cody, I thought you’d jump to that conclusion. Just because Andrew has never shown up in the middle of the night and has always respected your need for private times, I knew you’d figure he was far more likely to be here than your sister, who was in the house when you left.”

  “Stop it, Liz! I know your opinion.”

  “Who embarrassed you tonight, Faith? Your eighteenth century ancestor or your twenty-first century sister?”

  “I get the point,” Faith said curtly.

  Liz nodded, then stood up. “Okay. Can I crash on your spare bed? Cody’s right. I don’t want to have to go home tonight.”

  “Sure.” Liz nodded and stood up. As she headed out of the room, Faith said, “Liz. What am I going to do? I’m in lust for a guy I work with who comes from the same kind of background Dad does. I like him, a lot, but I don’t even know if we have anything that will last beyond a few nights of hot sex. What if I’m tearing my life apart for a guy I’ll lose eventually, anyway?”

  In the doorway Liz paused. “You’re not tearing your life apart because of Cody, Faith. Andrew was right. You’re doing this for yourself, because you can’t accept that you are different. Instead of celebrating that special part of you, you want to destroy it. Think hard, Faith. This isn’t about Cody. It’s about you.”

  At nine o’clock on Monday morning Faith settled at her desk with a hot, strong coffee, and logged into her computer. She’d spent Sunday trying to come to grips with her issues, but got nowhere. That had led to a restless night and not enough sleep. She stared at the screen as the computer went through the initialization process. She was so tired she was enjoying watching the various messages flash across the pretty blue backdrop.

  A few sustaining jolts of coffee cut through the fog. She opened her e-mail, downloaded a dozen messages and focused on the most important. The first one she opened was from Cody. “Call me when you get in,” it said.

  A warmth spread through her as she read the words. She picked up the phone and dialed his number, but got his voicemail. Of course. What else was new? “Hi,” she said into the machine. “I’m in. Call me when you can.” She heard her voice as she spoke. It was low and husky, sounding sexy even to her ears. What was Cody going to think?

  Hopefully, exactly what her voice was telling him.

  As she hung up the phone she closed her eyes very briefly. Memories of Saturday night made her smile and sway a little in her chair as music blared in her brain. The music festival had been fun—and not just because Cody had sent her flying with his kisses. He was unexpected and spontaneous. Being with him made her feel—what?

  Happy.

  She shivered. She shouldn’t feel that way with Cody. She couldn’t. He was a computer scientist. He dealt in algorithms and binary codes. In Cody’s world everything was rational, reasonable and calculable.

  Faith was a Beacon. In her world things happened through emotion, visualization and desire. Though there might be a scientific reason for her Beacon ability, it was buried pretty deep. What Faith did was magical, unexplainable even to her. How could the scientist in Cody Simpson cope with a talent like Faith’s? If he ever found out, he would run away so fast she wouldn’t have time to catch her breath.

  She stared gloomily at the computer screen. Her life was a mess. She’d pretty much forced Uncle Andrew to abandon a friendship that spanned ten years and more. She was obsessing over a guy she expected to dump her if he ever got to know her well enough to build a relationship worth having and her sister was mad at her. She needed help. Big time.

  “Hi there.”

  Faith’s heart leapt and her spirits soared at the sound of his voice. It was as if a lamp had been turned on to light a dark afternoon. “Cody! I left you a message.”

  “I know. I just picked it up.” He’d been leaning against the doorjamb. Now he entered her office. She stood up and discovered that he was very, very close.

  She lifted her head. Her lips parted.

  He smiled and his eyes narrowed. His head moved, bending closer. “I called you yesterday.”

  “I wanted to see you,” she whispered. What she really meant was that she wanted to kiss him. Right now. Here in her office. Oh heavens!

  “Come out with me tonight,” he said.

  Her body throbbed. Yes! Yes! Yes! pounded through her veins. Go out with him tonight, retire to his apartment—not hers since there was always the possibility Andrew would show up once he got over his annoyance—and satisfy the need that was clawing at her. “Cody…”

  His mouth hovered over hers. Dropped a light kiss. Retreated before she could demand more. “Please.”

  She was trembling with pent up desire. “Cody, I want to, but…”

  He kissed her again, another light fleeting caress that she tried to capture but couldn’t. “But what?”

  She took a step back, physically and mentally. Yesterday she had sat in her kitchen and stared at the phone as it rang, not once, but twice and then a third time. Stared at it and knew that the person calling was Cody. She’d been afraid to answer, afraid of the choice she’d almost made. She’d thought about what Uncle Andrew had said, about Liz and her anger, and she’d asked herself if going to bed with Cody was the answer. If they made love she’d be giving herself to him. She’d be committing to him. Surely that kind of commitment needed something stronger than the hot flame of desire to sustain it.

  She looked at Cody. He was watching her with that sexy half-smile on his mouth, a question in his eyes. She cursed herself for what she was about to say. “I want to get to know you better. There are things…we need discover about each other.”

  He stared at her for what was probably only a few seconds. For Faith it was a lifetime. Her heart slammed against her ribs, racing with fear and hope until he smiled. “Fair enough. Have lunch with me today. And tomorrow and W
ednesday and every other day you can.”

  “Lunch,” she said. Her voice was little more than a whisper.

  He smiled, caught her chin in his hand and stroked her skin. “Yeah, lunch. Nice and safe. No opportunity for us to let the physical overwhelm the intellectual. I can’t promise I’ll wait forever, but for now, I’m happy to explore the many different parts of Faith Hamilton.”

  He understood. Between the lazy, sensual stroke of his thumb and the stimulating caress of concern, she felt as if she was melting. She wanted him to take that smiling mouth and place it where his thumb was, then work his way along her jaw to her lips. As he kissed her, she would lean her body close to his and rub against him until they were both hot with desire.

  He drew his thumb across her lips, then turned away.

  And froze.

  “Hello, Ava,” he said. He positioned himself so that his body was in front of Faith, giving her the time to pull herself together.

  “Cody!” Ava said. “I see you and Faith are talking. Did I just hear you say you would be having lunch together?”

  Faith almost groaned. How long had Ava been standing in her doorway, listening to their conversation? Too long probably.

  “Faith will be having lunch with me, yes. You’re welcome to join us.”

  No! Faith shrieked in her mind. “Yes, Ava, do join us,” she said, coming out from behind Cody and smiling as if she wasn’t worried about a thing.

  Ava waved her hand. “Thank you both, but I’ve got an appointment at one o’clock that I will need to prepare for. You enjoy yourselves.”

  Cody smiled at her, a wolfish grin that was more dangerous than amused. “We will.”

  Ava glanced at her watch. “Faith, would you drop into my office as soon as you have a moment? There’s no rush. I just came by to talk to you about Angela. I need your input on how she’s handling her new duties.”