I nodded, my words lost. The anticipation was almost too much. The tension between us was so tight that I was afraid we might cause our own lightening.
“Are you sure? I just told you a very scary story.”
Here I was ready to kiss his lips off, and he was still thinking about his tale.
This man holding me killed women. A lot of them. Now he was basically asking me if I was okay with his past. I wasn’t. And yet, the man he spoke of was impossible to reconcile with the Gabe who saved my life. And Scarlett and Penny’s. How could he be bad?
I gulped, feeling the moment slip. I wanted it back. “You also said you are not that person anymore. It’s ancient history. I trust you. Just promise you’ll never leave me. I need you.” I wanted to elicit that promise from him. He was my forever.
He nodded. “I’ll never hurt you. I promise. I love you.”
Love.
He let go of me and stepped back a few feet. The air around me chilled, the heat of his body gone. I longed to pull him close once again, but I wasn’t sure what had happened. He could’ve kissed me, and he didn’t.
Maybe he needed to hear I love you from me as well. I licked my lips. “I—”
“You need to finish your piece. I want to see what it is.”
I backed away and took a deep breath, wondering what I’d done wrong.
“Okay, but that reminds me.”
I went over to a shelf and found the necklace I’d just finished. I held it out for him. “I made this for you before everything fell apart.”
He took it from me, running his thumb along the charm. It was made to look like the night sky and hung on a thick chain. It looked like he did when he was in the jar.
“Thank you,” he said, his voice thick. He put it on and retreated to the doorway without looking at me. He returned carrying his guitar. “Would you like some music?”
“That would be nice, thanks.” My hands shook as I worked. We’d entered uncharted territory, and I still wasn’t sure what would happen. Maybe that’s what made it so tense.
He settled on the table, closer than was safe when I was using my soldering iron, but I doubted it would hurt him. Could genies get hurt? I added that to the thousands of questions I had.
He strummed away and sang. His voice was rich like chocolate, and suddenly I was very hungry, or maybe I was turned on—it was hard to tell. I tried to solder two pieces together, but it wasn’t working. I’d not had trouble like this since I was barely starting out. I nearly slammed down my soldering iron and attacked him.
“You’re distracted,” he said.
“I’m craving chocolate.” I didn’t know what else to say. What I should’ve said was “I’m craving you,” but we weren’t that comfortable with one another yet. Strange how I nearly said “I love you,” but I couldn’t talk about sex.
A pinch flashed across my forehead, and he waved a truffle in front of my lips.
He pressed the truffle against my mouth, and I opened for him, catching his finger with my lips. The tension returned again, and he raised his eyebrows at me. The chocolate was infused with some kind of pepper, hot and sweet all at the same time. Just like Gabe.
I swallowed. “I need some more solder. Can you get it for me?” I pointed to a shelf across the room. I needed him away from me for a moment, or this piece might never get finished. My stomach buzzed at the thought of what the rest of the day would bring. Maybe we’d end up in my room.
The glass felt sharper in my hand, and electricity hummed along my skin. This was not what I had in mind when I planned on working today.
I arranged a few pieces, trying not to think about where Gabe was, but I could hear his footsteps approaching. He set the solder next to my hand and then ran his fingers lightly up my arm. Oh gosh.
I tensed. “Gabe.” My body craved his, but my mind was a mess. Things would never be the same after today. I wanted things to change. I wanted to kiss him and love him and touch him and have him be mine. Not that he could totally be mine. That would kill me, but we could still do plenty. But my nerves got the better of me.
“Relax,” he whispered in my ear and then brushed his lips on the back of my neck. My toes curled, and I could not think straight. I took a few breaths, but his mouth floated across my neck. This was impossible.
I dropped the soldering iron, took off my gloves, and spun around.
His eyes sparkled as he grinned at me.
“What are you doing?” I asked, breathless.
“Distracting you,” he said, dropping his lips to the front of my neck and working his way down my collarbone. I wanted those lips on my own.
“It’s working.”
“I know.” He chuckled, his breath tickling my neck.
He pressed his body against mine and took my face in his hands, his eyes capturing mine. I snaked my arms around his back and held him close, in case he thought of moving away again. I wasn’t letting go.
“You are truly the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and I’ve been around a very long time. Liv, I love you, and I will love you for the rest of eternity.” He ran his lips along my jaw, and then he kissed the tip of my nose.
He abruptly pulled away. “Another song, I think,” he said. “Finish your piece, and maybe we can go somewhere more comfortable than your workshop.”
I nodded, wondering for a second what he would do if I attacked him. But I didn’t, because I’m a chicken. Instead I went back to my glass. This was not going to be my best work, but I could redo it later.
Before I could get started though, the door crashed open.
“Happy Birthday!” Scarlett yelled.
Chapter 4
Gabe
Scarlett stood in the doorway shaking off an umbrella. Penny and Ali were behind her.
Liv glared at the three of them. “How many times do I have to tell you? I don’t celebrate my birthday. Besides, it isn’t until this weekend.”
Scarlett marched up, hands on her hips. “Well, you’d be expecting us this weekend. Besides, we go over this every year. We’re going to celebrate it anyway. The movie starts in an hour, and I don’t want to be late. Let’s skedaddle.”
“What movie?” Liv gave me a regretful look. She’d wanted me as badly as I wanted her, but I reined in my desire. This was probably a good thing anyway. If we’d been left alone for long, things could get out of hand. Even if the death wish didn’t kill her, sex could.
Those lips though. I needed to kiss her. We’d only kissed once before, and I desperately wanted a repeat. But, I hoped to coax the words “I love you” from her. She hadn’t said them, and while I didn’t need to hear them, I wanted to before I kissed her again.
“The new Harry Potter one.”
“There are no new Harry Potter movies.” Liv creased her eyebrows and started cleaning up her glass. I helped.
“It’s a spin-off,” Penny explained. “Let’s go.”
Liv sighed and grabbed my hand. I wove my fingers through hers, enjoying the touch that she rarely initiated. “I’ve tried for four years not to celebrate my birthday. They never let me stay home. You’re coming, right?” She tugged me closer.
“I didn’t know it was your birthday. I would’ve gotten you something.”
She gave me a small smile. “You got me chocolate.”
I gave her a nod and kept her gaze. “Maybe I can get you more—later this evening.” And perhaps we could finish what we started. It was possible I’d still be the death of her. Maybe there was something in the book about preventing that as well.
“I’d like that.”
Ali cleared his throat, and the twins snickered. I growled, and spun on him, but he just laughed. Liv reluctantly pulled away from me and shook her head at Scarlett’s questioning eyes.
At this point, Liv would not tell her friends to go away, even if she wanted to.
Scarlett looped her arm through Liv’s and dragged her out into the rain.
“No singing waiters,” Liv warned. She sat
close to me, her hand resting on my knee, and I had my arm casually slung across her shoulders. I liked having her there.
The waiter brought the appetizers and Coke for everyone but Penny, who ordered a water. Chips, wings, and other things I didn’t recognize covered the table. Ali filled his plate with at least one of everything.
“What’s that?” I pointed to something that looked like a small round falafel.
“It’s a popper. Here try one,” Ali said and handed me one. Cheese and spice flooded my mouth, and I was fairly certain I had a new favorite food. Though that happened quite frequently. I grabbed for one of everything, and Liv laughed at my full plate.
A clown holding a balloon animal appeared at the edge of our table. Liv shook her head.
“It’s her birthday.” Scarlett pointed at Liv.
“It is not. I have almost a whole week,” Liv whined.
“But we’re celebrating today,” Scarlett said with a grin.
Liv stuck her tongue out at Scarlett. The clown’s face split into a grin, and he made Liv an elaborate hat. She flushed, but didn’t turn away the attention. I knew she wasn’t crazy about the attention, but she allowed people to dote over her anyways because she knew it would make them happy. She was a much better person than me.
The clown pointed to me.
“Oh, it’s not my birthday.” I didn’t actually have a birthday. I suppose I did, but I was created before time existed.
He winked and then started looping balloons together. One balloon popped, and everyone jumped. Liv squealed and leaned into me, her shoulder pressed into my chest and her hand on my hip. I willed the clown to pop another one.
He slid one loop on my wrist and the other on Liv’s. The balloon felt weird on my skin, but I didn’t remove it. I couldn’t figure out what the balloons were supposed to represent. Liv flushed red.
Penny cackled. “He cuffed you together.”
Liv took a sip of her Coke, the balloons tugging on my wrist. She pointed to the clown, who was looping two more balloons together. “You’re not off the hook.”
Then the clown did the same thing to Penny and Ali and made a heart for Scarlett.
I whispered in Liv’s ear. “He has no idea how accurate this is. I’m chained to you. Forever. And I like it.”
“Me too,” she muttered, staring at the balloons.
I kissed her cheek, but she grabbed for another popper, leaning away from me. The rejection stung a little, but I tried not to let it bother me. Perhaps she worried that I’d try to kiss her in the middle of the restaurant. Perhaps I would.
This was amazing and frustrating and wonderful and excruciating all at the same time. I even loved my own insecurity with it all. This feeling of love and everything that went with it was new and exciting, and I wanted it to last forever.
The rain cleared while we were eating, and after dinner we strolled along the boardwalk. Inflatable pool toys filled the shops gearing up for summer. Based on the movies I’d watched, summer was full of fun and beaches. With no school to get in the way, Liv and I could spend even more time together. The possibilities were endless. Hours of uninterrupted alone time.
“Thanks for a fun birthday. You guys never disappoint,” Liv said.
Scarlett threw her arms around Liv. “We’re not done yet. We still have ice cream.” Liv gave me a look of annoyance, but her smile countered it. I wondered which emotion she was actually feeling.
We arrived home far later than I’d wanted. If we’d gotten home earlier, Liv and I could’ve escaped to her workroom and finished what we started. But darkness had descended, and I knew better than to hope Liv would invite me in. Granted, I had more than one way I could get in, but I was suddenly embarrassed.
On her porch, Liv fluttered her eyelashes. “Thanks for putting up with them. They can be a little much sometimes.” She shuffled her feet and looked down. What was she thinking? What did she want?
“I had fun.” I didn’t know what else to say. I’d never been so unsure of myself before. You’d think thousands of years of existence would allow me to think of something better than “I had fun.”
Liv glanced at her phone. “Holy crap, it’s almost midnight.”
I drew her close. “I better kiss you now, before you turn into a pumpkin.” Maybe I watched too many movies on my downtime. Ali thought it would be funny for me to watch Aladdin, and before I knew it, I’d watched at least ten Disney movies. I didn’t stop smiling for a week.
She wiggled out of my grip, slid off one of her navy blue shoes, and handed it to me. Then she leaned up and kissed my cheek. “Maybe tomorrow.”
She opened the door and disappeared inside, leaving me standing on her porch holding her shoe. Desire and frustration swirled inside of me. That girl certainly had captured my heart. In more ways than one.
And I liked it.
Chapter 5
Liv
I woke the next morning wondering why I turned Gabe away. I wanted that kiss, but for some reason, everything felt way too real. Sure, I’d been ready in the workshop, but then the nerves set in. What did this mean? Like, was this forever, forever, or would this pass? Did I love him? I wasn’t sure. I definitely had stronger feelings for him than Kole, but still. How did I know if I was really in love?
Maybe I’d be braver today. I’d practically told him I’d kiss him. I didn’t know what possessed me to give him my Chuck, but he just started with the Cinderella references, and I ran with it.
How did he know about Cinderella? He’d been locked up in a bottle for three thousand years. He never seemed confused about modern references either. There was another question I’d probably never get around to asking since I was always worried about whether or not I should kiss him.
Hopefully it wasn’t a stinky shoe. My face flushed. I was an idiot. Oh gosh. I couldn’t face him this morning. What was I thinking?
I got ready in record speed and was halfway down the walk, bound and determined to make it to school before Gabe. I had some work to catch up on after school, and I had to make a visit to the Glittering Goddess so I could successfully avoid him.
I reached for my phone. Scarlett would know if I’d made a fool of myself or not.
Dammit. I forgot it.
I turned around and ran up the stairs, tripping over London, who hissed. Stupid cat. I took the last few stairs more cautiously. My phone sat on my nightstand where I’d left it. Three messages from Scarlett and two from Penny.
I bounded down the stairs, nearly tripping over the cat again. I overheard Ty on his phone in his office and caught the word “pregnant.”
I froze. A beat of silence hung in the air before he continued. “I’m not upset. I figured we’d do this eventually, but I have another year before I can move out. Liv needs me.”
Who the hell was he talking to? How could he have gotten a girl pregnant? Sure he traveled a lot, but really, he was always working.
I stomped into his office and glared at him. He held up a finger. I crossed my arms and tapped my foot. His office was a usual mess of papers and pictures. Stacks of glossy photos were spread out on his desk, his laptop set on top of them. He raised his eyebrows at me and listened to whomever was on the other side of the call.
“I have to go. I’ll call you back in an hour. Yep. Love you, too.”
He hung up the phone. Love you too? How serious was this thing? Well, pregnant is pretty serious.
“You got a girlfriend?” I asked, attempting to bury my anger. Ty and I never hid anything from each other.
He ran a hand through his hair and stared at me. “Yeah,” he said with a sigh.
I didn’t know what pissed me off more. The fact that he hid it from me or the fact that he felt he had to.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” A few hot tears pricked my eyes, but I didn’t let them escape. It’d just reinforce to Ty that he shouldn’t tell me things that would upset me.
He mimicked my stance. “Because she lives in Colorado.” His voice was matter of f
act. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“So.” I kept my eyes locked on his. He needed to know that I wasn’t about to let him ruin his life for me.
“So, I didn’t want you to force me to leave.”
I knew what was best for him. I would win this one. He just didn’t know it yet.
I threw my arms up in the air. “Why not? You’ve put your life off for me. Go.” Sure. I wanted him around, but that was selfish, and I knew better. He had a girlfriend that he loved. Love. There it was again. It didn’t matter. What mattered was he loved her, and she was pregnant. No, he wasn’t getting away with this.
He relaxed his shoulders and dropped his arms. “This is exactly why I didn’t tell you.”
“Is she pregnant?” I whispered the last word because I didn’t really want to know the answer that would make it real.
The blood drained out of his face. That was all the confirmation I needed. “You heard?”
“Yep.”
He sank into his chair. “Yes, Stacey is.”
I dropped my eyes to the pictures on his desk. Bright orange and pink fish. Brilliant red corral. A freaking scary shark.
Pregnant. I was going to be an aunt. Ty was going to be a dad. My world flipped upside down. Also, who was Stacey? Ty had never mentioned her before. She would probably be my sister-in-law someday, and I didn’t even know her. This wasn’t fair. Focus. This was about Ty, not me. He needed to be with Stacey.
“I can’t believe you aren’t on an airplane. The poor girl is probably in tears.”
“She’s tough.” His lips twitched. Of course she was. Ty wouldn’t be with anyone else. That didn’t mean she didn’t want her boyfriend out there with her going to doctor’s appointments and marrying her for crying out loud. He was going to miss out on everything because he was here taking care of me.
“Do you plan on raising this kid together?”
He ran his hand through his hair and kept his eyes down.
The Blazing Glass Page 3