by Linda Palmer
Kit got to me in a heartbeat. “Whose ass do I need to kick?”
“No one’s.” I told him the good news.
With a grin, he opened his arms. I stepped into them. His hug was amazing. So amazing that it seemed perfectly natural to add a kiss, which was kinda, sorta, almost certainly too sexy for witnesses. Only I didn’t think about that until too late.
We broke apart. Cheeks burning, I glanced toward my parents and found them both beaming at us. I cleared my throat unnecessarily. “So what’s next?”
“We should probably start packing up,” Dad said.
Mom disagreed. “Not until we review their video.”
“That’ll take hours,” I told her. “Why don’t we finish here, head for the hotel, and meet up later, after Sid’s gotten some sleep.”
Now Mom agreed. “Of course. What was I thinking? You must be exhausted, Sid.”
We were back at the van in just over an hour and on the road to Santiago thirty minutes later. Although it was ridiculous, I could’ve sworn that everything looked a little brighter that day. But gorgeous as the scenery was, I wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a nap, both of which would include Kit if I had my way.
I did have my way, so it was sex in the shower—wet and wild—and whole lot of fooling around in my bed afterward. Finally I curled up stark naked in the arms of an equally naked guy. It didn’t get better than that.
The room was almost dark when I woke up next to Kit. Since he was still asleep, I stole a moment to treasure him. No man had ever looked as good to me, and I wanted him again. So much that I couldn’t resist brushing my lips over his. Without opening his eyes, he smiled.
“Don’t move,” I said. “I’m checking you out.”
“Of the room?”
“No, idiot. Your body. I want to see what you look like.” I flipped on the bedside lamp. Kit obligingly kicked off the cover. I crawled across the short distance between us and sat back on my heels. His skin felt warm to my touch as I slid my fingers over his muscular body. I tasted him now and then, moves that took his breath every time. Finally I settled right where I wanted to and began to gently rock my body. He tipped his head back, softly groaning his pleasure. We came in seconds, me first followed by him.
When he could move again, he pulled out the drawer in the night stand on his side of the bed. He brought his hand back full of complimentary condoms. “We should probably be using these.”
“Why? Are you diseased?”
“No, I don’t want to knock you up. Well, not unless you want me to. Do you want me to?”
Crazily touched, I was speechless for a second. “Give me a couple or three years, okay? I want you to myself for a while.”
Now he was the one at a loss for words. “I’m going to be around that long?”
“Absolutely.”
“Are we talking about white dresses, black tuxes, and I dos?”
I burst out laughing. “Geez, Macho-man. We barely know each other.”
“That’s not true.” He actually sounded hurt.
“You’re right. It’s not. I’ve known you most of my life. Even so, I know next to nothing about Christopher Macchioni, starting with how that’s spelled.”
He gave me the letters.
“Now I want to know how this dream thing works.”
“It’s a little hard to explain and harder to understand.”
I burst out laughing. “No joke.”
Kit thought for a second. “First I should tell you that most of the gods and goddesses of classical mythology were real.”
“Were?”
“Yes. The immortality thing was the myth. They did live uncommonly long lives though.”
“Will you?”
“Nope. And their powers were apparently real, too, but highly exaggerated in the myths.”
“But how’d they get here in the first place?”
“No idea, but if you believe what you see on TV, they were most likely aliens.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Are there a lot of people running around with mythical ancestors and special powers?”
“Damned if I know.”
“How’d you find out you did?”
“My dad, who is not going to be thrilled that you’ve found out, too. See, we’re not supposed to act on our abilities, since doing so puts the entire family at risk.”
“Hm. What made you crash my dream?”
“Ben. He’s never played by the rules.”
“So if he hadn’t taunted me, you’d have no idea I even existed.”
“Exactly.”
“Apparently I owe Ben big time.”
“Don’t say or even think that.” He leaned over to look me in the eye. “I’m serious, Boone. Don’t. You’ll never hear the end of it.”
“I won’t.”
“Good.” He settled his head on the pillow again. “Now it’s my turn to quiz you.”
“But I’m not finished!”
“We’ll take turns.”
That began a hilarious question and answer session that lasted until the phone rudely interrupted. I was laughing when I answered it. “Hello?”
“Ellie.” It was Mom. “We’re thinking about getting some dinner and then going to Sid’s room. He said he has some interesting clips.”
Since I had no idea what was and wasn’t captured on camera, a knot of dread formed in my stomach. I’d really meant to talk to Sid first chance we got. Unfortunately, I had my mind on someone else.
We met my parents and the guys in the restaurant. I tried to read Sid’s expression, but got nothing. “I hope we didn’t bore you to tears.”
He grinned. “Not at all. It was a refreshing challenge.”
I’ll bet.
If Kit was equally worried, he sure didn’t show it.
Our meal was worthy of the Hyatt’s reputation. Afterward, we walked together to the elevator. Moments after, we were heading down the hall to Sid’s room on the sixth floor. He’d basically set up a work area near the TV. I saw laptops, the cameras, and some other equipment I didn’t recognize. We spread out and sat on the couches and in the leather accent chairs. When Kit chose his, I sat on the arm of it. He slipped an arm around me.
“We’ll start with the hike to the cave.” On the TV, which had been connected to the laptop some way, I saw the woods and me walking in the lead. I waited for the ass shots, but they weren’t there. Unable to resist, I glanced at Sid, who gave me a wink. I sagged with relief.
Soon Kit and I changed places, and he took the lead. My filming was pretty much crap, but even I had to admit that it had a cinéma vérité flare that made it ring with truth. No sets in this episode. What you saw was what was there. I caught my Dad nodding in approval. He and Mom put their heads together and whispered to each other.
“Now I’m going to skip to some pretty spectacular shots of the cave, itself.”
I saw the interior of the lava tunnel. I easily recognized Kit’s work. Steady hand. Smooth transitions. But the same raw feel.
The humanoid stalactites we’d found looked even scarier on film than they had in person, a nice touch to the episode. My shots of Kit taking photos added another touch of reality. Who wouldn’t shoot pictures in that situation?
Nothing could’ve prepared me for what I saw next. Sid sure didn’t warn us. But there they were—eyes glowing in the distance. Mom gasped and shot a startled glance my way. I kept my expression as blank as I could. Had one of us filmed the Cherufe? I honestly didn’t have a clue who held the camera then. I sure hoped whoever it was hadn’t caught Ben in human form.
Suddenly something gigantic lunged at us. I got a tantalizing glimpse of rock and molten lava before the camera bounced on the cave floor. Although all we saw from there was the beam of the abandoned flashlight, we heard plenty. My screams. Kit’s curses. The fight.
All at once, I scooped up the flashlight and charged the Cherufe. Just as I swung, the screen went dark. Dead silence followed. Had the camera quit? Or had Sid
simply deleted what no one else needed to see? Whichever, I’d be eternally grateful.
My Dad looked from the blank screen to Kit and me. “What happened?”
I left the explaining to Kit, who sat up straighter in the chair when he realized I wasn’t going to answer. “When the light went out, that, um, thing got away.”
“Was it the Cherufe?” Mom’s voice came out a squeak.
“Looked like it to me.” Laughing, my dad jumped up to hug us both and then Sid and Doug. “Well done. I’m thinking a two-hour finale to the series. We’ll show them everything. What do you say?”
“Excellent idea!” Mom applauded. “We should celebrate. I’ll order champagne.”
Chapter Ten
It was almost midnight before we managed to get away from everyone. Once in our suite, I plopped onto the couch. Kit landed beside me, so hard that I bounced. Since we couldn’t be that close together without kissing, that’s what we did and wound up horizontal on the cushions. I went for the hem of his shirt.
He caught my wrist in his fingers. “We never finished the condom discussion.”
“Relax, I’m safe for ten years.”
“Huh?”
“IUD.”
“Ah. A modern woman. So we’re good to go.”
“Yes, and I really wish we would, as in now.”
On Wednesday, Kit and I did some morning exploration of Santiago, all we had time for. At noon, we boarded Phil’s jet. It was during the flight home that Kit got a text offering him the World Wonders job. Since everyone expected him to be thrilled, that’s how he acted, but I could tell something was wrong. Finally I found a chance to find out what.
“You don’t seem very excited about the job.” My voice was barely a whisper.
“The timing sucks.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, though I hoped I knew.
“What do you think I mean?”
He looked so unhappy that I got right to the point. “Don’t you dare turn down this offer because of me. I want you to take that job, let go of everything that ties you down, and get on with your career. I’m not going anywhere, so I’ll be easy to find whenever you catch a break.”
“And that’s the problem,” he said. “You’re not going anywhere. How the hell am I supposed to leave you behind?”
“You’ve wanted this job for years.”
“I’ve wanted you longer.”
I honestly didn’t know what else to say.
“You could come with.”
“You know I can’t. I’m knee deep in bills and frosting.”
He just looked at me, those brown eyes brimming.
Of course that made me tear up, too. “When do you have to let them know?”
“Saturday.”
“Then let’s put it out of our heads until then.”
Kit didn’t bother to go to his own apartment when we finally got back to the complex Wednesday night. Instead, he followed me home.
The first thing I did was call Hanna. “How’s your dad?”
“Besides the broken ribs, bruised liver and spleen, and concussion? Much better. He’s eating, drinking, walking. He was so lucky. And how about you? Did you get lucky, too?”
“As a matter of fact…” I waited for her squeal and got it.
“Are you freakin’ kidding me?”
“I have so much to tell you. Hurry home, okay?”
“You bet. You know, maybe there is a reason for everything.” She and I often talked about fate, karma, and blind dumb luck. Kit’s accompanying me to Chile definitely fell into the third category.
I asked about her grandmother before we rang off. Everything was better with her, too. I loved that Hanna was so upbeat.
Once I’d ended the call, I gave him an update after which we fell into bed, both of us emotionally and physically exhausted. The phone woke me at six Thursday morning. I grabbed it to keep from waking Kit, but saw his eyes had opened.
“Hello?”
“Ellie. Phil Havens here. I’m going to be in your area today. I was wondering if we could get together for dinner tonight. My treat.”
I sat for a second doubting my ears. Phil and I had never been close. Why was he suddenly inviting me to eat with him?
“Ellie? Are you there?”
“Yes. What’s this about? Mom and Dad?” Maybe he wanted me to talk them out of quitting.
“Let’s save it for dinner, shall we?” He named a time and place. “Bring Mr. Macchioni with you. I’d like to meet him.”
When I got off the phone, I shared Phil’s invitation and request. Kit didn’t have a problem with a free meal.
We fooled around a little—who could resist with a guy like him in your bed—before eating toast and drinking coffee. Kit split for his apartment. I dressed for work. I don’t think I’d ever dreaded going to Hot Cakes as much as I did that morning. But I slapped on my happy face and greeted Leslie and Cherie with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.
When I looked at our schedule, I saw that Leslie had somehow managed to get orders from five new customers. That shocked me. Of course I cornered her and asked how she’d done it. She told me she had a degree in marketing and some new ideas how to get Hot Cakes out there. I couldn’t believe my good luck. Maybe I could make this work, after all, and keep myself so busy I wouldn’t miss Kit every time he left town.
When closing time rolled around, I was in pretty good spirits but still glad to get out of there. I already longed for the open air. On my walk home, Kit called to tell me he was working in his apartment. I said I’d drop by for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted to watch him doing his thing. Second, I wanted to see who the lucky subject was today.
Kit’s door was unlocked, as he’d promised. I slipped inside and glanced around. Our apartments had the same layout, but his living-kitchen-dining area had professional photographer gear in it—lights mounted on tripods, background stands, a fancy camera on another tripod, and box umbrellas that prevented shadows. I was impressed.
He waved when I came in and abandoned his female model to give me a wet kiss. Introductions came next. Her name was Teri Walker. It was hard not to smirk when he called me his woman. Teri’s eyes revealed her surprise. I took a seat and watched for a good hour, loving the way Kit expressed himself to get the shot he wanted.
When he left us alone for a couple of minutes, Teri approached me. “You’re the one he’s been talking about, aren’t you? The one he’s loved forever. You’re very lucky, you know. He’s true blue.”
“True blue?”
“Never hits on anyone—no funny stuff, no innuendo, no expected payback. I always feel safe with Kit.”
I realized I did, too.
“And his work is utterly amazing. You should see my portfolio. I look like a goddess.” She laughed as if that wasn’t really the case. Did every woman in the world have self-esteem issues?
“He’s very special to me,” I said. “And I’ve loved him forever, too.”
Her smile of pleasure clearly came from the heart.
Kit’s rejoining us resulted in sudden silence. Of course he picked up on it. “You ladies been talking about me?”
We looked at each other and shook our heads in denial before bursting into laughter. He just sighed and got back to business.
We got to the Sidney Street Café before Phil, but he’d made a reservation that ensured we’d be seated. The restaurant was as gorgeous inside as out. I’d have been nervous if Kit hadn’t been with me. I seldom dined in ritzy restaurants these days.
“I liked Teri,” I said to him once the waiter left us.
“Yeah. She’s nice. It won’t be long before someone picks her up.”
“She definitely has the looks for it.”
He shrugged in reply and leveled his gaze at me. “I’d like to photograph you.”
“Okay, but not nude. Those shots have a way of biting you in the butt when you get rich and famous.”
We were both laughing when Phil joined us. “Sorry
I’m late.”
A portly man with gray eyes and hair, he had a way of making you feel that you were the most important person in the room. Tonight was no exception, though he included both of us. It was like we three dined in our own little bubble. I could see why my parents had worked with him for so long. Charm, grace, brains—he had it all.
Curious as to why Kit and I were there, I got right to the point. “What can we help you with, Phil?”
He laughed softly. “Just like your mama, aren’t you? Business before pleasure.”
“Business?” Kit sounded as surprised as I was.
Phil launched into what could only be a pitch for a new series. He raved about our camaraderie and banter, style of filming, and astounding results. He laid out a plan to involve social media—something my parents had never done—to decide what we would look for and when. He also offered us an insane amount of money and, best of all, creative control.
Honestly, I was so stunned by the offer that I couldn’t even speak. Kit stepped in, smoothly assuring Phil that the two of us would talk about it and get back to him in the next few days. Although we downshifted from serious to small talk, I felt a little dazed for the rest of the meal.
The three of us parted with smiles and promises. Kit drove us straight home. We wound up in my apartment, which had a better bed. After showering together—always fun—we made slow sweet love. It wasn’t until we were cuddled up and almost asleep that I asked a question that had been bugging me. “Do you shape shift like Ben?”
“No.”
“Can you make other things shape shift?”
“For example..?”
“That rock you turned into Tinkerbelle that first time.”
“Didn’t need to. She was really there.”
I gasped. “Tinkerbelle’s real?”
Kit laughed so hard he couldn’t answer for a second. “You saw what you wanted to see.”
I pounded him with my pillow. “Don’t be a jerk. If you’re really what you say you are, there’s obviously more out there than I ever imagined.”