by Sarah Biglow
“Oh.” I could see the wheels turning in Dad’s head, but he stayed quiet.
“So, that young man who brought you home the other day after you got hurt. Is he your … boyfriend?” my mom asked. I hadn’t expected that jump so fast.
“Sort of. I mean, I guess he is. We went on one date.”
“But you dated girls in school. We met them,” Dad chimed back in. “You and Lisette were together all last year.”
“I still like girls but right now, I think I’ve got something good going with this guy, Henry,” I answered.
“How long have you felt this way?” Mom asked.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Since freshman year. I didn’t know how to tell you until now. I thought you’d be mad or kick me out.”
“So, he is the first boy you’ve dated?” At least Mom wasn’t screaming at me or trying to disown me.
“Yeah.”
“He’s like you isn’t he … with abilities?” Mom asked, her voice hushed.
“Yeah. We met at the internship and things just sort of evolved. He’s a good guy.” The last part was as much to convince them as it was to convince myself that I could let his jealousy go.
“Are you … uh … being safe?” Dad’s cheeks burned bright pink at the question.
“God, Dad we’re not having sex,” I yelped, embarrassment shooting up the nape of my neck all the way to the tips of my ears in a warm flush.
“But if you do, you need to be safe,” Mom said.
“I just said we aren’t doing that.” It did make me wonder if they knew I hadn’t been a virgin for years.
“Well, maybe we should have him over for dinner. Get to know him,” she said. “How about this weekend? Should we invite his parents?”
“I’ll ask him if he wants to come over. His parents aren’t really in the picture.”
“Oh. That’s too bad. Does he have any dietary restrictions? Oh, I could make a vegetarian dish just in case.” Mom was deep in food prep mode now. It wouldn’t have mattered if I’d answered or not.
I turned to Dad. “So, you’re not mad or anything?”
“Are you happy?”
“For the first time in a long time, I think I am,” I confessed.
“I won’t lie, it’s going to take me a bit to fully understand but of course we aren’t mad. Just like with your abilities, you are still our son, Declan.”
“Thanks.” I pulled him into a hug, momentarily forgetting my own strength. He wheezed and I softened my grip. “Sorry, Dad.”
I left him somewhat dazed while Mom was busy planning what sounded like a three-course dinner with dessert and raced back to my room. I didn’t bother texting Marisol. I called her, pacing back and forth in my room as it rang.
“Hi,” she said, sounding out of breath.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to catch you at a bad time. You just said to let you know how it went. It was good. Well, maybe even better than that. Mom wants to invite Henry for dinner.”
“That is wonderful. I told you it would go well.”
“Thanks for being there for me this summer. I don’t’ think I would have gotten up the courage to do all this without you.”
“You are stronger than you give yourself credit for, Declan.”
Before I could respond, my phone buzzed with an incoming text from Henry. “Hang on, Henry just texted.” I pulled up the message: ‘Want to grab dinner?’
“Hope it is something good.”
“Yeah. It is. I’ll let you go. I should text him back.”
“See you later.”
I ended the call and answered Henry’s text. ‘Definitely. Where?’
Waiting for the three dots on the screen to resolve into a text was infuriating. He had to know I was waiting for an answer. How hard was it to respond quickly? Finally, after an agonizing three minutes he replied. ‘How about a picnic at your favorite spot?’
I considered his suggestion. I wasn’t really a picnic kind of guy, but then again, until recently I hadn’t really been a dating guys kind of guy either. ‘Sure. See you in like an hour.’
Much like the last time we’d gone out to dinner, I stared at my closet with a slight scowl, trying to decide what to wear. I’d settled on a navy-blue collared shirt and khakis when Mom knocked on my door.
“You look nice.”
“We’re just having dinner,” I said with a small smile.
“I can tell I’m going to like him already. No one has made you smile like that before.”
“I’ll ask him about dinner this weekend.”
“Good.” She picked at her cuticles. “I just want you to know that this won’t go beyond your father and I if you don’t want it to.”
“Thanks, Ma. I’ve already told my friends so it’s whatever.”
“Well, all right then. You have a good time.”
I waited for her to retreat back to the living room before I headed out. I didn’t want to show up too early and look like I was over-eager.
Henry pulled up half a block from the clearing just as I approached from the opposite direction. He climbed out of the driver’s side and darted around to the back, pulling out take out bags and camping lanterns.
“Want some help with that?” I offered.
“Grab the blanket from the back,” he answered and strode past me.
I shouldered the rolled-up blanket he’d pointed to and closed the tailgate of the truck bed. Even in the twilight, I could still spot Henry up ahead. He’d set the take out bags on the bench and was depositing little swirls of blue flame into the camping lanterns.
“Okay, even I have to admit that’s pretty cool,” I said and laid the blanket out at his feet.
“I’ve got a trick or two up my sleeve you haven’t seen yet,” he said with a smile. His face looked better and I was glad I hadn’t done permanent damage.
“I told my parents,” I announced as he set two take-out containers of Italian between us. I spied the logo for Spencer’s family restaurant, Sorano’s on the bag.
“Given that you didn’t show up with a suitcase suggests it went well.”
“Yeah. They were pretty cool with it. I mean, my mom went kind of overboard. She wants to have you over for dinner this weekend. Fair warning, when she’s trying to impress someone, she cooks … like a lot.”
“That sounds nice. I’d love to come over.” He toyed with the lid to the container in front of him. “Maybe you can come by my place.”
“Are we there yet?” I probed.
“Well, we survived our first fight. I’d say so.”
“Cool.” I watched him sweep hair out of his eyes with his right hand and caught sight of what looked like blood in the bluish light. “What’d you do there?”
“Huh?”
“Your sleeve. It’s got blood on it.”
He glanced down at his shirt. “Shit, I didn’t realize. I gave blood earlier. I went by headquarters and they took some. They like to keep up to date samples.”
I hadn’t had to give any blood samples. As far as I knew, neither had the others. It seemed a little strange. “Oh. Well, as long as you’re okay.”
“Yeah. I’m good.” He looked down at the food and pushed it aside, scooting closer to me. “You know, I’m not really that hungry.”
The way his eyelids fluttered and the way he leaned forward suggested he had other things in mind than eating. My dad’s awkward comment about sex popped into my head. He worried too much. Besides, I wasn’t ready to take that step. I nudged the other container of food out of the way and leaned forward to meet him half-way. Our lips met and much like the last two times, literal sparks flew. His fingers brushed my cheek, leaving a trail of warmth in their wake. He was careful of my recently injured shoulder, pulling me closer by wrapping his arm around my ribcage.
“What if somebody sees us?” I asked when he pulled away and I could breathe again.
“So, what?”
I might have come out to my parents and close friends, but there w
ere still a lot of people in town who were still ignorant. I wasn’t ready to let them see this side of me. And while this place was relatively peaceful and not well travelled, Everston was still a small town with plenty of prying eyes. “I just … I’m not ready for people to know—like just random people. This town isn’t that big and people talk.”
“We can go back to my place if it makes you feel any better. I live alone so no pesky roommates to interrupt us.”
“What about neighbors?’
“They don’t pay any attention to me. We’ll have complete privacy. And I don’t know about you but I want to see where tonight leads.”
Sweat dampened a spot on my lower back. It sounded like he had more on his mind than just making out. “I don’t think I’m ready for …”
“Relax. I told you before, I’m not into rushing things. I get this is the first time you’ve been with a guy in any capacity. We’ll take it slow. But, that doesn’t mean we can’t still have some fun. Come on. Help me pack this stuff up.”
We gathered up the food and blanket, then retreated to his truck. On the ride over, I tried to picture what his apartment would look like. Would it be big or tiny? Messy or organized? I realized I didn’t really know all that much about Henry as a person. And here I was, speeding toward a private evening with him.
Chapter Fourteen
Henry
Declan’s nerves were palpable as we headed back to my place. It wasn’t exactly in the neatest of conditions, but it was still in good enough shape for company. It wasn’t like we’d be doing much that required examining my belongings. I wanted to make it up to him for giving in to my jealousy over his flirtation with Monica. I was also riding high on the adrenaline of making off with the data that had been requested of me.
“What are you thinking about?” Declan probed.
“Just how lucky I am. I mean, most guys would have tossed my ass to the curb. But you gave me another chance. I appreciate it.”
“You have feelings. That’s normal. Or so my empath and telepath friends keep telling me.”
“Yeah, that’s got to be exhausting having to keep them out of your head. I can give you the tech we use if you want.”
He shook his head. “No. I’m used to it now.”
As much as I’d initially balked at having to wear it, I was grateful for it these days. The situation was becoming more complex and there were more threats looming than I cared to think about. For now, I would just focus on the guy in my passenger seat.
I didn’t think I’d be nervous inviting him into my home, but as I pulled into the parking space behind my building, my heart started to beat faster. This was really happening. He climbed out of the passenger seat and looked at the modest building.
“This whole thing is yours?” The awe was evident in his tone.
“Nah. Just a studio apartment on the first floor.”
“Must be nice to live on your own.”
“You know, being an adult isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Don’t get me wrong, I like the freedom to come and go as I please without anyone telling me what to do but I barely have enough money after rent and utilities to do anything fun.”
His cheeks flushed. “You didn’t spend it all on dinner, did you?’
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to starve or freeze to death. Come on in.” I stepped up to put the key in the lock and froze. I could swear I felt someone watching me. Not the same feeling I got when Felipe gave me a heads up to his presence with a flashing image of my family burning alive. When I turned there wasn’t anything obvious to give away whoever it might be observing us. Shaking it off, I unlocked the back door and we headed inside.
I should have actually cleaned the place up before I offered the invite for him to come over. It was in worse shape than I had remembered. The futon was unmade and dirty dishes were piled in the kitchen sink.
“Not bad for a librarian,” Declan commented with an approving nod.
“Thanks. I uh … should have cleaned up. Sorry about the mess.”
“If I can’t handle it when you’re messy, what’s the point?” he said and reached for my hand.
“That’s good to know.”
He kicked the front door shut with his foot and moved in to kiss me. I hadn’t expected him to be so assertive now that we were in private, but I liked it. If he was fully committing to this relationship, so was I.
He pulled back. “Is this okay? I mean with your face?”
“I barely even feel it anymore,” I answered, tugging off my shirt and discarding it on the floor. He studied me bare chested and smiled big.
“Like what you see?” I snickered, fighting with the hem of his polo shirt.
“You know, maybe that should be your new strategy for fighting crime. Just dazzle them with your seriously killer abs,” he replied and deftly pulled his own shirt off. Rapid healing really was in effect. I could barely see the tiny scars on his shoulder where the bullet wounds had been stitched back together.
“I’ll take that under advisement, although if we really wanted to knock them off balance, we’d just send you in there. Super strength looks sexy on you. I know if I were a bad guy, I’d be swooning,” I agreed, fighting the urge to trail my fingers over his torso. I led him over to the futon, pushing him down first.
I studied him lying there and the excitement woke every nerve ending in my body. It had been a long time since I had been in a position like this. He propped his head up with his right arm.
“I know I’m pretty to look at, but are you just going to stand there all night?”
“What, I can’t admire the view?” I settled beside him on the futon, running my fingers over the dense muscle of his chest and abdomen.
“Am I reading this whole thing wrong? I thought you wanted to do this,” he said, rolling onto his side.
“I do. So much it hurts. Literally. I just haven’t messed around in a while and sometimes I lose control and things get hotter than I mean them to.”
“Like, you light people on fire if you get too turned on?”
He had no idea how close he was to the truth. “I’ve burned people before. It’s scary as fuck. I know you’ve got this whole rapid healing thing going on but I don’t want to hurt you. That is the last thing I want to do.”
“Well, maybe I’m fire resistant, too. I’m willing to risk it. I can’t be the only one who felt the spark there.”
I couldn’t deny what he’d felt. It had come at me loud and clear. But there was still so much we didn’t know about each other. So much that could still send this relationship veering off course. But, damn it, I wanted to be kissing him not worrying about what might happen in the future. If I was here in the present, that’s all that mattered. “You weren’t the only one who felt it. If things start getting out of control you need to tell me. I hurt you once already. I’m not going to do it again.”
“I promise if things start catching on fire, you’ll be the first to know,” he said.
I slid my hand down his arm and pulled him to me until there was barely any space between us. I closed my eyes and let my other senses take priority. His lips were soft and gentle against mine and even with the amount of muscle mass he had on me, the contours of his chest and abdomen didn’t feel sharp or hard. They were perfect beneath the pads of my fingers. My whole body tingled at his touch as his hands roamed over my torso and trailed up my spine before settling between my shoulder blades. I could tell he was used to being the one in charge in these situations and so I let him set the pace. We were only evenly matched to a point.
Time lost all meaning as we laid there in each other’s arms, connected at the mouth. It was beautiful until the heat started to prickle at the edge of my fingers. I pulled away, afraid of hurting him. Declan gripped my hands tight in his, even as the heat intensified. There wasn’t flame yet, but it wasn’t long until it came out. No matter how hard I wished it away.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said and kissed the tip of each fing
er, the dampness of his lips cooling the fire within me.
“Maybe we can just take a breather for a minute,” I said and curled into the reassuring mass of his body.
“Yeah. We can do that.” He ran his fingers through my hair.
A beam of sunlight hit me straight in the face, pulling me from sleep. I blinked and let out a groan and rolled over to find Declan snoring softly beside me. We were both still shirtless. I didn’t remember falling asleep. I watched him slumber, taking note of the easy rise and fall of his chest. I did my best to free myself from the tangle of blankets and his embrace without waking him. I failed. He snuffled and opened his eyes. A dopey, still half-asleep smile adorned his face.
“Morning,” he said and stretched.
“Morning,” I replied.
“So, uh that’s definitely not something I’ve ever done before,” he said and rubbed the rest of the sleep from his eyes.
“You can’t tell me you never accidentally had a sleepover with an ex?” I said with a gentle nudge to his shoulder.
“Nope. I got really good at sneaking out of bedroom windows. All the girls I dated had fathers who would have murdered me if I’d been caught staying the night.”
“Well, you’re welcome to crash here whenever you want. No need to crawl through the window and no parents to try killing you.”
“Cool.” He looked around. “So, we never actually ate last night and uh … I’m starving.”
I looked around the apartment. “Let me see if dinner is salvageable.” I’d been so focused on the romantic part of the evening I’d left the damn food in the back of the truck. I grabbed my shirt and tugged on my shoes leaving Declan lounging on the futon.
The morning was already hotter than it had been in days. A slick sheen of sweat covered my face and neck the minute I stepped out of the building. Normally, I didn’t mind being warmer than the average person, but this was uncomfortable, even for me. I darted to the truck and popped the back door open. Just as my fingers wrapped around the plastic bag with the untouched food, the little hairs on the back of my neck prickled. I spun around, but there was no one in sight. Again, it didn’t feel like Felipe’s brand of snooping, but no one else I knew had such powers. “You’re just being paranoid,” I muttered as I retreated back to the air conditioning.