by Quinn Loftis
His eyes roamed over her face and it nearly felt like a caress. When she licked her lips nervously, she saw and heard his sharp intake of breath and nearly smiled. She was glad at least that she wasn’t the only one affected. He felt the chemistry between them. That put her at least a little at ease. She felt more on equal ground.
“I’m comfortable around you. I find it hard not to say what I’m thinking. Though I will confess that I have managed to keep most of my desires to myself.”
“Most of them?” she asked hesitantly.
“Most,” he agreed as he reached out and gripped her waist with one of his large hands. He pulled her closer.
Serenity had to tilt her head farther back to look up at him. It might have been better if she hadn’t. His heated gaze left nothing to wonder about. He desired her and he was fighting that desire with everything he had.
“It is so new to me,” he whispered.
“What is?” she asked just as softly, not wanting to break the moment.
“This need. I’m like a man who has been denied anything to drink for decades, and you are the first glimpse of something, the only thing, that will quench me. I’ve never felt something so consuming. Does that make sense?”
Serenity nodded. “I’m beginning to understand that feeling myself.”
“You desire me?” His voice held awe and yet a hint of disbelief.
“Have you looked at yourself in a mirror? Only a blind person wouldn’t desire you and that was only if you didn’t speak. As soon as you opened your mouth, they’d want you too.” She wasn’t embarrassed by her openness, not when Dair was looking at her with such yearning. “So what do we do now?”
His lips twitched. “Do you really want my suggestion?”
Serenity chuckled as she looked away, needing a moment to collect herself. “I suppose your suggestion would include some sort of physical touch.”
She felt his finger touch her chin and slowly he lifted her face to look at him. “Does my touch bother you? Please be honest with me. Because if it does then I will stop. I won’t like it,” he admitted, “but I will always respect your wishes.”
“I think I like it a little too much,” Serenity told him.
“So you don’t want me to stop?”
She slowly shook her head.
“Good.” His voice was nearly a growl. “Because it would be very, very hard for me to be near you and not be able to touch you.”
“Is this moving too fast?” she asked suddenly. “I mean, we’ve only just met. The physical attraction is off the freaking charts; I’m not questioning that. I think we have chemistry and that can’t be helped but what about the emotions?”
“How do you feel about me?” Dair’s hand tightened on her waist.
“I don’t know. I like you. You’re different from the guys in my high school. You’re more confident, commanding, and interesting.”
“That comes with age. They are young and unsure of themselves. But then some males come by being dominant naturally. I didn’t realize until my feelings for you started just how dominant I am.”
“I guess I’m in like with you,” she said with a small smile.
Dair thought about this and finally gave a single nod. “It’s a start. One day you will be hopelessly in love with me.”
Serenity didn’t tell him that was exactly what she was afraid of. Falling for an immortal who didn’t belong with humans wasn’t the smartest thing a girl could do. She decided that it was time to change the subject. “I have a secret obsession,” she said as she stepped back from him. His hand dropped from her and she instantly wanted it back.
“Oh?” Dair’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “What might that be, Princess?”
“Video games,” she answered with a wry smile and then turned and headed out of the kitchen. She didn’t look back to see if Dair followed. She knew he did because she could feel his black onyx eyes on her. Serenity pushed the door to her room open and grabbed her TV remote off of the desk. She sat on the end of her bed and patted the space beside her as she looked up at him.
“I believe you will have a slightly unfair advantage in this competition,” Dair told her as he sat down next to her and took the controller she held out to him.
“Naw, you’re a dude. According to Glory, video games are like standing up to pee for a guy; it just comes naturally.” The look on Dair’s face at her words was all it took to remove any embarrassment she might have felt over the comment.
“Then I should hope that my video game skills are adequate or you will be worried about me using your aunt’s bathroom.”
Dair’s comment caught her off guard and Serenity let out an un-lady like snort. She shook her head at the obviously pleased with himself immortal and pulled up the game menu. Expertly clicking through several different screens until finally reaching the one she wanted, Serenity pointed to the right side of the TV. “Okay, you are on the right, and I’m on the left. It’s a split screen but we are racing each other. Controls are pretty simple. The thumb joystick is what moves you forward and backward and turns you. The arrows move you side to side. You ready?” She looked at him with a raised brow.
“Is this where you humans would say something like get prepared to eat my dust?”
Serenity laughed. “Yah, maybe twenty years ago. How about we just see if you can keep your car on the racetrack and then you can talk smack.”
Little did either of them know that it would be the beginning of many days spent getting to know one another while battling it out through video games―be they war, racing, or adventure.
“So when will I get to meet your aunt and uncle?” Dair asked as Serenity walked him to the front door, which Dair insisted on using despite his ability to appear and disappear from anywhere.
“Um,” she brilliantly replied, caught off guard by his question.
“Isn’t that what the guy in a relationship does? He meets the guardian of the female they are, for lack of a better term, courting, correct?”
She shot him a smirk. “Is that what we’re doing? Courting?”
“In a manner,” he said as he took her hand and lifted it to his lips. Dair pressed a gentle kiss to it, and Serenity felt the tingles clear up her arm and down into the pit of her stomach.
“Well, I’ll ask Darla about doing dinner.”
“Great,” he smiled at her. “May I come to you tonight to tuck you in?” His eyes held the roguish gleam she was becoming accustomed to when he was teasing her.
Serenity’s mind danced with all the possibilities of being tucked in by Dair. She blinked several times feeling her face flush. “That would be nice,” she finally said after clearing her throat.
“Then I shall you see you tonight, my princess of peace.” He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. Serenity had to clench her fists together to keep from grabbing onto him and holding him to her. Suddenly he was gone and the room felt darker without him. She thought this was interesting, considering he had told her that the darkness was his element. Shouldn’t the darkness have fled with him, rather than growing stronger in his absence?
Flopping down onto the couch with a loud sigh, Serenity shook her head. “Oh, brother. Girl, you have got it bad.”
She didn’t want to admit it but really there was no point in denying it. Denying truth never made it any less true; it just made it harder to accept it once there was no longer a way to avoid it.
Chapter 6
“To dream of birds can mean a variety of things. Eagles represent a strong desire to travel and to conquer new horizons. Hawks represent a desire to hunt, fight, or protect one’s territory. Robins represent a desire to nest and raise a family. Mockingbirds suggest that you are the type of person who runs his mouth a little too much but says very little.”
Darla moved efficiently around the cozy kitchen as she finished up the meal she was preparing for dinner. Serenity could tell she was excited, which made her happy but also irritated her just a bit.
�
��I don’t see what the big deal is,” she said for the fifteenth time.
Darla stopped in mid-stride and turned to face her. “The bid deal is that it’s a boy.”
Serenity’s lips tightened as she attempted not to smile. She wanted to laugh at the expression she was sure would be on Dair’s face at being called a boy. Serenity knew that Dair was anything but a boy.
“And?”
“Well, you’ve never had a boy over before.”
She knew what Darla wanted to say was, FINALLY, you do something normal. But what she didn’t know was that Dair wasn’t normal. In fact, nothing about the situation was normal. But as she thought about the Sandman who was slowly stealing her heart, she realized she didn’t want normal. Normal, she decided, was highly overrated.
“Up until now, no boys have interested me,” she admitted honestly.
Darla nodded. “Well, it’s not like you’ve had a massive selection to choose from.”
Serenity laughed. “No, I suppose not.”
“I’ve told Wayne to be on his best behavior.” Her aunt winked.
“You know that Wayne only cause him to want to do the exact opposite, right? In fact I bet right now he is out there in the living room going through his wide array of joke books trying to find one that is sure to cause Dair the most embarrassment possible.” Serenity could tell Darla wasn’t worried in the least.
“The boy needs to prove he can handle a little bit of your uncle.”
Serenity groaned. “That’s asking a bit much at the first meeting, don’t you think?”
Darla continued what she had been doing as she shook her head. “If he’s as awesome as that smile on your face claims he is, then Dair will be just fine.”
Dair took a deep breath as he stood on the porch of Serenity’s aunt and uncle’s home. He couldn’t believe how nervous he was over meeting a couple of mortals, admittedly these weren’t just any ordinary humans. They were the guardians of the woman he was falling for. It was important to him that they like him because he knew it would be important to Serenity as well. He held two roses in his hands, one white and one red. Letting out one final breath he lifted his hand and knocked on the door.
The door opened and Serenity stood looking at him with a shy smile spread across her beautiful face. “Happy to see me?” he teased.
“Perhaps.” She grinned wider and then motioned for him to enter.
Dair held out the red rose to her. “For you.”
“Thank you.”
“You must be Dair!”
He looked up to see Darla come bustling out of the kitchen with a wide, friendly smile beaming on her face. It was one of those smiles that was so genuine the receiver couldn’t help but smile back.
“And you must be Aunt Darla,” Dair said as Darla wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.
“It’s so nice to meet you. You know it’s not every day that Serenity invites a young man home.”
Dair stepped back from the hug and glanced over at a now blushing Serenity. He gave her a quick wink before looking back at her aunt. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“I hope you’re hungry,” Darla said as she motioned for him to follow her, “because I’ve cooked up a feast just for you.”
Serenity laughed. “She’s so kindly going to let the rest of us partake of the feast she made especially for you.”
Dair reached for her hand and pulled her with him as he followed after Darla. “Well, even the plebeians have to eat.” As they entered the kitchen Dair saw that Wayne was already seated at the table. He stood and reached out a large hand to him. Dair met the man’s eyes and saw mischief dancing behind them as he shook Wayne’s hand.
“Dair, I suppose?” Wayne asked.
“Yes sir,” Dair answered. “It’s nice to meet you Uncle Wayne. Serenity has told me a lot about both of you and thinks very highly of you.”
“Well, come on in and have a seat,” Wayne told him and motioned for Dair to take a chair at the table.
Once they were seated Darla started bringing over plates for each of them filled with delicious smelling food. There was roast, potatoes, carrots, corn, peas, rolls, and macaroni and cheese. Dair didn’t have to eat, but he enjoyed it when he did. He waited until everyone was seated and for Darla to begin eating before he picked up his own fork and began. Serenity sat at his right and kept shooting him sly glances, each of which he returned with a wink that drew a lovely flush to her skin.
“So Dair, how old are you?” Wayne asked.
Dair swallowed the bite he had just taken before answering. He had thought about the questions he might be asked and came up with some answers that he hoped wouldn’t raise suspicion. “I’m twenty.”
Wayne nodded. “Are you in school or do you work?”
“I plan to go to school, but right now I’m just traveling a bit. I guess you could say that I have inherited good fortune and have the means to do so.”
“How did you end up in Yellville?” Darla asked.
Dair had expected this question but had struggled to come up with an adequate answer. He knew he needed to have something better than just ‘passerby.’ As much as he hated to flat out lie to Darla and Wayne, he didn’t really have a choice. “I recently purchased some land in the mountains. I’ve been looking for a place to build a cabin, and Arkansas is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been that still has any wild land left to speak of.” He knew that he couldn’t get away with saying he had family there because Darla probably knew just about everyone in the town.
“We have lots of people who buy mountain homes for retirement or just use as summer homes. Although you are much younger than the people we usually get. But then I guess if I had the money to do what I wanted with and didn’t have to work, I probably would as well.” Wayne nodded.
“I want to work. I don’t want you to think that I’m in anyway lazy,” Dair explained. “I’m just trying to find a place to get settled before deciding on what to do next.” He glanced over at Serenity hoping that maybe he could gauge how he was doing by her expression. She smiled and nodded at him approvingly.
“Okay,” Wayne said suddenly. “Time to get down to the important stuff.”
Dair set his fork down and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Okay.” He waited, expecting Wayne to ask him what his intentions were towards Serenity. This was something he had considered as well. He didn’t want to scare them by saying that he wanted Serenity for his own for all time, though that was true enough, but he wanted them to understand that he wasn’t just playing the field, as he’d heard human males call meaningless dating. Serenity was important to him and Dair wanted to make sure that Darla and Wayne understood that.
Wayne cleared his throat before he started. “An old widow bought an antique from a shop. . .”
Serenity let out a loud groan but Wayne just ignored her and kept right on going.
“And brought it home. As she was polishing it up a genie burst from it and said, ‘You have awakened me from my slumber! I shall now grant you three wishes!' The widow asked for a cottage in the country. The genie nodded his head, and suddenly she found herself holding the deed to a little place outside of town. The widow then asked for enough money to be wealthy for the rest of her days. The genie nodded and suddenly they were surrounded by piles of money. ‘You have one more wish,’ the genie said. The widow pointed to her pet cat and said, ‘Ever since my dear husband died this cat has been my faithful companion. Please, turn him into a handsome young man who will make love to me just as my husband did.’ The genie nodded and disappeared. Suddenly there was an extremely handsome young man standing where her cat used to be. The woman gasped with joy, but the man just glared at her. After a few moments, he finally said, ‘Well, I bet now you are sorry you got me neutered!'”
Dair laughed, not only because of the joke but because he had seriously thought Wayne was about to grill him, not tell him a dirty joke. Once they’d all collected themselves, Dair shot Serenity a shy look before
turning back to Wayne. “Okay, I’ve got one for you then. I don’t think the ladies will find it too offensive,” he said, shooting Darla a quick wink. “Why doesn’t a chicken wear pants?”
Dair waited with eyebrows raised, giving them time to think it over and answer. After a few seconds, he answered his own question.
“Because his pecker is on his head.”
Wayne was laughing so hard the table was shaking. Dair glanced over at Serenity whose mouth had dropped open. He reached across and gently pushed her chin up and winked.
“I think he’s a keeper, Serenity,” Wayne said as he took a deep breath, composing himself after the boisterous laugh. “Any man that can tell a joke like that and keep a straight face. . . yep, he’s a keeper.”
“Glad to know that’s your standard, Uncle Wayne,” Serenity said dryly.
“Who’s ready for dessert?” Darla spoke up before Wayne could retaliate.
An hour later, they were still gathered around the dining room table, only playing cards―rather than delicious food―were spread out before them. In all the millennia that he’d been alive, Dair had never played cards before; he’d never had any reason to. But he was a fast learner and picking up the game they called crazy eights with no problems. Wayne kept trying to distract Dair with dirty jokes. What Wayne didn’t realize was, though the dirty jokes weren’t distracting to him, the blush that continued to get redder on Serenity’s lovely skin definitely was a distraction. So in a roundabout way, Uncle Wayne was being successful.
“Did you let them win?” Serenity asked him later that evening as they stood on the porch. The cold night air was crisp and refreshing and was helping Dair clear his head of any ungentlemanly thoughts.
“No, why do you ask?”
“I just figured an immortal who is as old as you are would be, I don’t know, better at stuff.”
“Better at stuff?” he asked with a small crooked smile.
Serenity shoved his shoulder. “You know what I mean.”
“I’m afraid, my lady, that I do not know what you mean. What stuff are you implying I should be better at because of my immortally old status?” Dair’s eyes twinkled with mischief as he spoke in a style that was definitely not from her time period.