Life, Liberty, and Pursuit

by Susan Kaye Quinn

  * * *

  Eliza’s heart was still pounding from David’s kisses as he quieted next to her on the couch. His head rested on her shoulder, his warm breath blowing across her chest and leaving goose bumps. He surprised her by yawning, his jaw and mouth moving deliciously against her sleeveless shirt. His long eyelashes brushed against her neck as his eyes blinked slowly several times.

  She smiled. “Am I boring you?”

  “Never,” he breathed on her chest. But soon his breathing slowed, and she felt his eyelids droop and close as he fell asleep on her shoulder. It felt so natural having him there. She shifted to get more comfortable, being careful not to jostle him awake, and closed her eyes. She smiled again when she thought about him wanting to wait to make love. She had been so wrapped up in all her mental battles about Princeton that it had never crossed her mind. She hoped he hadn’t taken it the wrong way when she laughed.

  She heard Clayton and Tea tiptoe out of the kitchen and head up the stairs to the bedrooms. There were noises from the upstairs hallway that sounded a lot like kissing, and then very quietly, she heard two distinct doors click shut. She assumed they had gone to their separate bedrooms, but she wasn’t about to get up and check. She was busy being David’s pillow, and with any luck, she would be for the rest of the night.

  Chapter 19

  Last Tango in Albuquerque

  David woke up alone on the couch. Not being in his rack disoriented him at first. A mouth-watering smell filled the air, and he realized he was at Eliza’s house. He didn’t remember Eliza getting up, or anything at all after he lay his head on her shoulder. His sleep had been deep and dreamless. He was still in his traveling civvies and probably in desperate need of washing up. He staggered up the stairs, avoiding the breakfast scents filling the kitchen for now, hoping to get cleaned up before facing everyone.

  The reunion with Eliza had been exactly what he needed. Eight weeks of separation had disappeared in that first kiss. It reassured him somewhere deep inside, and a weight had been lifted from his heart. Eliza’s parents’ bed looked slept in, so at least Clayton had made it to his assigned quarters. He did a double take at the bed, wondering if there had been more than one occupant. It didn’t seem so. He would have to grill Tea about Clayton, but for now even that couldn’t dim his excitement for the day ahead.

  Showering woke him fully. He had a limited amount of civilian clothes with him at boot camp, but Tea had come prepared. He threw on some khaki shorts and a dark collared shirt she had brought to make him presentable. It was odd not being in uniform. He had no idea what the plan was, having not thought that far ahead, and it felt strange to be without a schedule. But as long as he was by Eliza’s side, it didn’t matter what else they did. He was glad he wouldn’t have to fend off Johnny’s protective stares while he spent the day holding and kissing her. He picked up his pace in getting dressed and padded downstairs.

  Eliza’s laughter and Clayton’s voice rang from in the kitchen. The sun streamed in the window, surrounding Eliza in a halo of light. Her back was to him, and he drank up the sight of her. Soft white shorts clung to her legs and a pale blue top bared her arms. Her hair was pulled back, exposing her neck to his hungry eyes. He snuck up behind her as she put dishes on the table and kissed the side of her neck.

  “Good morning,” he murmured.

  “Good morning, sleepyhead,” she said, turning in his arms and giving him a proper kiss. When they parted, he noticed the thin golden chain and tiny ring around her neck. An amazing feeling of satisfaction washed through him. He held it between his fingers, almost weightless, and bent down to kiss her again. He desperately wanted to have this moment every morning for the rest of his life … except for the onlooker. Clayton watched them with a mixture of amusement and happiness on his face.

  “Are you going to kiss or eat breakfast?” he asked, bringing a steaming hot omelet to the table. Clayton had changed into fresh civvies as well.

  “You cook?” David asked, astonished.

  “I have many hidden talents.” Clayton grinned, and David narrowed his eyes at him. He shouldn’t make comments like that if he was going to date David’s sister. Eliza wiggled out of his arms to continue setting the table.

  “Eliza, sugar, could you go wake little Miss Tea and tell her breakfast is ready?” Clayton turned back to the stove to conjure another round of omelets from the piles of ingredients sitting on the counter. David saw his opportunity and took it, even though he would have preferred to capture Eliza for a few more kisses before breakfast. This might be his only chance to talk to Tea alone.

  “I’ll get her!” David said. “I’ll be back in just a minute.” He kissed Eliza and dashed up the stairs before anyone could object. He paused at the closed door and then knocked softly.

  “Hey, junior,” he called. “It’s me.”

  Tea opened the door and then glided back across the bedroom to the mirror over Eliza’s dresser. “Good morning, David!” she sang. He frowned. Normally his diminutive names for her at least gathered a scowl. She brushed her hair while she gazed into the mirror, a small smile lighting her face. Hiking boots graced her feet, a strange departure from her usual footwear. She was probably in on their plans for the day.

  He glanced around Eliza’s room. A neat, eclectic collection of books and music sat on her shelves, and the room had the right amount of mess to show it was lived in. A pile of letters on the desk caught his eye, and he hoped they were his. He would try to find a reason to bring Eliza up here later.

  “Tea, about Clayton—” he said. She wheeled on him in one smooth motion, fire-breathing anger alive on her face. She stabbed her finger at him.

  “David, don’t you even try to keep me away from Clayton!” Her raised voice made him involuntarily peek at the open door, hoping no one heard.

  He threw up his hands in defense. “I didn’t say that.”

  Her anger dissipated, but she fixed a steely stare on him. “What are you saying, then?”

  He fidgeted. He was more afraid of Tea when she got her Irish up than he ever was of Tomasz. Perhaps because Tomasz might pound him into the ground, but Tea could do much, much worse. He backtracked and thought madly.

  “I’m saying I don’t want you to get hurt, Tea.” He said it softly, hoping she would hear his real concern. Her face softened, and she came over to pat his arm, which was crossed over his chest.

  “I’m not going to get hurt, David. Clayton would never hurt me.”

  “I’ve known Clayton a lot longer than you have.” He hesitated, unsure what to say. Look out, he’s a charmer? That didn’t seem fair.

  “Well, I might know him better than you,” she said. “It was a long car ride, after all.” He frowned, thinking about the time after the car ride. He didn’t know exactly what had happened last night, after he fell asleep.

  “I just want you to be careful, Tea. You guys just met …” He wanted to tell his little sister she shouldn’t sleep with his best friend, but there was no good way to say that.

  “Clayton and I are right for each other.” That was not what he was looking for.

  “You can’t know that!” he said. “You barely know each other!”

  “I do know it. Like I knew that you and Eliza were right for each other, from the very beginning. And I was right about that, wasn’t I?” She smiled sweetly. That smugness was certainly something she and Clayton had in common. But he was still her big brother.

  “I’m just saying I want you to take it slow. You and Clayton have time to figure out if you’re right for each other.” A sudden pang of jealousy stabbed him. Clayton and Tea could see each other as often as they wanted, or as often as classes and homework and training would allow. It was a precious gift, one that he and Eliza had been denied.

  “I know.” The dreamy smile returned as her eyes drifted to the door. He could hear Clayton dow
nstairs, clanging around in the kitchen. He sighed. His little sister was bubbly and brilliantly happy, with an infectious cheerfulness that would draw in someone like Clayton with a magnetic attraction. Clayton was charismatic and whimsical, a devastating combination for Tea, who seemed to live just this side of Silly-town. They probably were meant for each other.

  His shoulders slumped. “You know I’ll have to beat him senseless if he ever does something to hurt you, right?” She reached up on her tip-toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

  “Don’t worry—he wouldn’t dare.” She grinned. “Time for breakfast!” She skipped past him. He hoped for Clayton’s sake he understood that hurting Tea wasn’t in his best interest, and that David wasn’t the one he needed fear. He shook his head and then hurried down after her.

  Breakfast was fantastic, and the hand-holding and whispered thoughts on the other side of the table didn’t bother him with Eliza to occupy his attention. It felt natural to sit and eat breakfast with her, as though they were meant to do this all the time. And yet he knew that tomorrow the reality of life without Eliza would slam back. While he was here, there were some things they needed to talk about, things that could only be said in person. He was suddenly very curious about the plan for their day.

  As they were cleaning up, he wound his arms around Eliza’s waist, capturing her with an armload of dishes and no way to fight back.

  “What are we doing today?” he whispered in her ear. He could feel her shiver as his warm breath reached her, but she was surprisingly comfortable with his advances, in spite of Tea and Clayton standing only a few feet away. Admittedly, they were preoccupied, with Tea threatening to turn the sink sprayer on Clayton if he didn’t let her wash the dishes. Eliza handed the dishes over to Clayton, who was cringing in mock fear from Tea’s threat of attack, and then she turned to snuggle closer to David. She ran her hands under his loose shirt and across the small of his back. He was amazed at her boldness with witnesses nearby, but nowhere near objecting. Something had changed about her.

  “I thought we might take a walk,” she said, “while it’s still cool this morning.” She ran her palms up his back, sending shivers there as well. “Later we’ll meet my friend Addison for lunch. Is that okay?”

  “Anything with you is okay with me.” He kissed her, wondering how long they could keep going before she would get uncomfortable. Before she gave any sign of breaking away, they caught some crossfire from the sprayer as Tea and Clayton wrestled with it. They laughed and moved out of range. Life would not be dull with Clayton and Tea around.

  Eliza gave them each dark sunglasses to keep from going blind. The brilliant blue sky stretched overhead, thin with altitude, capping rich plateau vistas. The Rio Grande Botanical Garden was a short drive from Eliza’s house. He let Tea drive, hoping she wouldn’t crash, even with Clayton in the front seat. His back seat time with Eliza gave him a chance to explore the extent of Eliza’s new-found comfort with public displays of affection. He whispered in her ear and kissed her neck, waiting for her to push his hands away.

  She didn’t. The downtown Albuquerque streets slipped by unnoticed.

  They walked hand in hand along the pathways winding through the Garden. It was a maze of walkways filled with giant, prickly cactus plants interspersed with explosions of wildflowers. He paused in front of one of the unique glass sculptures that were placed haphazardly throughout, letting Tea and Clayton gain some distance ahead of them. He pretended to examine the brilliant blue flames of glass—they rose straight up from a bed of tiny round cactuses—but he was really thinking how to broach the subjects that he wanted to discuss.

  “These are truly strange,” she said, looking sideways at him.

  “Not as strange as some of the people in Albuquerque, apparently,” he said. She gave him quizzical look, so he quickly got to his point. “Has that creep Carter come around bugging you anymore?”

  She shook her head. “No, no. I think Nicolas scared him off for good.”

  “But he’s going to Princeton, right?” He needed to do what he could now to ensure her safety at school.

  She opened her mouth and then stopped, looking ahead to where Clayton and Tea had disappeared around the corner of the maze. Finally, she said, “He’s been accepted, but I don’t know if he’s going.” He nodded and moved on to his main point.

  “So, how are things going with Nicolas?” He tried to sound casual, burying the jealousy clouding his brain. They were walking again, and he took her hand, trying to show he wasn’t jealous or mad.

  She raised an eyebrow at him. “He’s still upset, but I guess we’re sort of talking now.”

  He stopped her and pulled her in, gently touching his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry I came between you and your friend. I don’t want you to lose a friend because of me.” He swallowed. “I’m glad you’re talking again.” It was getting harder to bite back the jealous wave sweeping over him. Of course he wanted to come between her and Nicolas. But he needed her to fix that friendship. He needed Nicolas to look out for her when he couldn’t … while they were at Princeton … together. He clenched his jaw, hoping she didn’t notice, and quickly relaxed it. It was easier to say the words when he wasn’t looking at her, so he closed his eyes and pulled her closer.

  “I need you to tell me everything, okay?” he whispered into her hair. “Especially when I’m not around, and even more so if I’m not going to like it.” That was the hardest part, knowing she wouldn’t tell him everything. But she would be safer with Nicolas around, and he would have to trust her.

  Her hair moved against his face as she nodded. “I promise.”

  His stomach clenched, but he managed a small smile as he pulled away from her and they started walking again. His sunglasses hid his eyes, helping him fake his way through several minutes of wrestling with his emotions. They rounded a corner of the path and found Tea and Clayton by a brilliant orange and yellow glass sculpture that looked like a giant sea anemone gone berserk. They weren’t paying any attention to the sculpture, too wrapped up in each others’ arms and about to kiss. He cleared his throat and nearly laughed when Clayton jumped and quickly put distance between himself and Tea. They decided it was time to retreat to the air conditioned comfort of Tea’s car and Eliza’s house.

  * * *

  The morning was like one of her David fantasies come true, only it kept going. David took every opportunity to kiss her, and Eliza took a few herself. He seemed surprised that she didn’t hold herself back. Their decision to not make love was liberating in a way: they were free to explore without worry that they would cross that line. But there was more to it for her. When Carter messed with her head last fall, public displays felt like an embarrassing reminder of the humiliation of that night. Now, with Carter gone, those images no longer lurked in her mind. And she simply had a hard time keeping her hands off David.

  During their walk in the Gardens, she had almost told him about Princeton, but she wasn’t prepared with Clayton and Tea right around the corner. The right time would present itself later that afternoon, when they were alone. She was a little afraid of what his reaction would be.

  They picked up Addison on the way to lunch and sandwiched her in the back between Eliza and David. Clayton and Tea were as cute as a couple could be, holding hands in the front seat like they had known each other for months, not hours. On the way, Addison kept giving her wide-eyed looks in the back seat that said Good God, Eliza, you didn’t tell me he was that hot! Eliza just smiled wide and laughed a few times. David kept looking at them, unable to understand their secret code about his hotness, which at one point made Eliza melt down into hysterical laughter. He had to think they had lost their minds.

  The Thai place smelled great, enticing them in with promises of lunch. They placed their orders and settled into one of the oversized booths. Addison was grinning, Tea and Clayton were lacing fingers across the
table, and David’s sea blue eyes never seemed to leave Eliza’s face. The cloud of bliss that surrounded the five of them would have sucked in the other customers, had there been any.

  A pinging sound signaled that someone had entered the restaurant and caused her to reflexively look at the door. Eliza saw him and froze. What was Nicolas doing here?

  He hadn’t seen them yet. She shot a look at Addison, and her wide-eyed expression told Eliza she didn’t know. Her stomach clenched, and David noticed and frowned.

  “Who is that, Eliza?” His voice was quiet and strained.

  She felt the blood drain out of her face. “It’s Nicolas.” Nicolas had seen them, and was staring at them from across the room, his jaw clenched. He hesitated and then started walking towards them. Her heart leaped up to her throat. She stood as he approached their table, and David was on his feet in an instant. He held her hand gently in his, but was otherwise completely still.

  Nicolas stopped a few feet away, leaving some distance between them.

  “Eliza,” Nicolas said. He only glanced at her, but stared openly at David, sizing him up.

  “Nicolas,” she said. She held her breath, waiting for them to fight or yell or something worse.

  Her mouth fell open as David dropped her hand and offered it to Nicolas. “Nicolas, I’m David. Nice to finally meet you,” he said in a level voice. Nicolas regarded David’s outstretched hand only a moment longer than was polite, and then shook it briefly before they both dropped their hands. David’s hand found hers again. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Clayton was on high alert. Her nerves were stinging with this unexpected turn.