stopped at the door, and he saw her confidence falter. She peered into the night, as if to see what awaited her outside. She was really scared of something.
He tempered his more assertive side to keep from spooking her. He placed his hand on the door above her head, taking a moment to look over body and breathe in her scent.
“What’re you looking for?” he asked, stopping just short of their bodies touching.
“Nothing.” She shoved the door open and stepped away from him quickly.
The fall night was cold enough that he saw his breath rise to the stars when he exhaled.
Kaylee waited for him a few feet away, studying him. He joined her, moving into her personal space for warmth and his own personal enjoyment of being close to her. At her silence, he spoke.
“Here’s what I see happening. We go for a drink. You realize I’m the only one who can give you the answers you need. I realize you’ve got a lot more going for you than those cute ears and the hot bod.”
She touched her ears self-consciously.
“We figure out we can trust each other, even if we both keep lying,” he continued. “Or, we can skip all that to the part where we rip off each other’s clothing and make rough love.”
Kaylee appeared ready to laugh before she shook her head. Her emotions were near the surface, but not yet close enough to override her realism.
“This was a mistake,” she said, starting away.
“You wouldn’t make a mistake like this. Driving across DC to bail out a stranger? Not you.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” she snapped.
“I know you’re scared, and you’ve seen something you can’t rationally explain.”
She froze.
Nathan approached slowly, watching the colors of her aura as she struggled to figure out what to do. He moved in front of her and rested his hands lightly on her arms. Moonlight reflected in her pale blue eyes, and he saw the fear there. She’d taken a chance on him, because he was probably the only resort she had. Her cheeks were red from emotion and cold, her cute features and perfect complexion framed by errant golden curls. He couldn’t remember seeing anyone able to charm him with a combination of innocence and indignation.
“This is a judgment free zone,” he said softly. “Whatever you saw, whatever you think of me, I’m the one who can help you understand.”
“You’ll think I’m crazy. I think I’m crazy,” she said, breathing faster.
“Promise. I won’t.”
A car door slammed from the parking lot nearby. Kaylee jumped, clearly on edge.
Nathan didn’t give himself the chance to ponder why Shadowman showed itself to her. Instead, he focused on the gorgeous woman before him, enthralled by her face in the moonlight. How long had it been since someone had made him feel alive, just by standing close to her?
“I deal with … supernatural things for a living.” As he spoke, he instinctively cupped her cheeks, wanting to comfort her.
Kaylee’s look was tortured, her gaze riveted to his. She wanted to believe him, if she could get over her reliance on the limited reality she knew.
Nathan wasn’t certain what compelled him to do what he did next, except that he felt almost like he had fallen under her spell.
He leaned forward and touched his lips to hers lightly, briefly. She didn’t seem like the kind who would hesitate to tell him, if she wasn’t interested. Nathan pulled back enough to see her face.
She didn’t push him or yell. She was gazing up at him, lost. The vulnerable expression disturbed him. He dealt with first gens who gave him a similar look all the time. They were like little sisters who just needed a nudge in the right direction and an occasional shoulder to cry on. He never thought more of them.
He wanted to do much more than just comfort Kaylee. He wasn’t going to be able to hand her a snow globe and walk away. No, he wanted her to trust him the way others did automatically and wasn’t certain why it bothered him so much that she
He tempered his more assertive side to keep from spooking her. He placed his hand on the door above her head, taking a moment to look over body and breathe in her scent.
“What’re you looking for?” he asked, stopping just short of their bodies touching.
“Nothing.” She shoved the door open and stepped away from him quickly.
The fall night was cold enough that he saw his breath rise to the stars when he exhaled.
Kaylee waited for him a few feet away, studying him. He joined her, moving into her personal space for warmth and his own personal enjoyment of being close to her. At her silence, he spoke.
“Here’s what I see happening. We go for a drink. You realize I’m the only one who can give you the answers you need. I realize you’ve got a lot more going for you than those cute ears and the hot bod.”
She touched her ears self-consciously.
“We figure out we can trust each other, even if we both keep lying,” he continued. “Or, we can skip all that to the part where we rip off each other’s clothing and make rough love.”
Kaylee appeared ready to laugh before she shook her head. Her emotions were near the surface, but not yet close enough to override her realism.
“This was a mistake,” she said, starting away.
“You wouldn’t make a mistake like this. Driving across DC to bail out a stranger? Not you.”
“You don’t know anything about me,” she snapped.
“I know you’re scared, and you’ve seen something you can’t rationally explain.”
She froze.
Nathan approached slowly, watching the colors of her aura as she struggled to figure out what to do. He moved in front of her and rested his hands lightly on her arms. Moonlight reflected in her pale blue eyes, and he saw the fear there. She’d taken a chance on him, because he was probably the only resort she had. Her cheeks were red from emotion and cold, her cute features and perfect complexion framed by errant golden curls. He couldn’t remember seeing anyone able to charm him with a combination of innocence and indignation.
“This is a judgment free zone,” he said softly. “Whatever you saw, whatever you think of me, I’m the one who can help you understand.”
“You’ll think I’m crazy. I think I’m crazy,” she said, breathing faster.
“Promise. I won’t.”
A car door slammed from the parking lot nearby. Kaylee jumped, clearly on edge.
Nathan didn’t give himself the chance to ponder why Shadowman showed itself to her. Instead, he focused on the gorgeous woman before him, enthralled by her face in the moonlight. How long had it been since someone had made him feel alive, just by standing close to her?
“I deal with … supernatural things for a living.” As he spoke, he instinctively cupped her cheeks, wanting to comfort her.
Kaylee’s look was tortured, her gaze riveted to his. She wanted to believe him, if she could get over her reliance on the limited reality she knew.
Nathan wasn’t certain what compelled him to do what he did next, except that he felt almost like he had fallen under her spell.
He leaned forward and touched his lips to hers lightly, briefly. She didn’t seem like the kind who would hesitate to tell him, if she wasn’t interested. Nathan pulled back enough to see her face.
She didn’t push him or yell. She was gazing up at him, lost. The vulnerable expression disturbed him. He dealt with first gens who gave him a similar look all the time. They were like little sisters who just needed a nudge in the right direction and an occasional shoulder to cry on. He never thought more of them.
He wanted to do much more than just comfort Kaylee. He wasn’t going to be able to hand her a snow globe and walk away. No, he wanted her to trust him the way others did automatically and wasn’t certain why it bothered him so much that she
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