Sure enough, Ruin yanked his shirt off.
She leaned in and kissed him as she splayed her hands across his bare chest. He had the body of a Greek god and the mouth of a devil. She was getting light-headed from kissing. Bubbles of excitement were popping in her chest. Nothing had ever been this good.
His hands slid up her thighs and then he wrapped her in a hug as he buried his face in her neck. His warm fast breath against her skin was such a turn-on, but she didn’t want to go back to being friend-zoned again. Phoebe ran her fingers through his hair as her heartbeat raced.
“Did you do that to prove something or because you wanted to?” She almost didn’t care, but a small part of her still was insecure about how he felt. Being “just friends” was rough on a girl’s self-esteem.
“I did it because I’d go crazy if I didn’t.”
That was the right answer.
Reaching out, she grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. “Can I pick out some of your clothes?”
He leaned his head back against the back of the armchair and stared at her. His dazed look did a lot for her ego. “I don’t know. What if you have bad taste?”
She sniffed. “You’re right—I do like you after all.”
He faux groaned but grinned. “On second thought, you have amazing taste. You should pick everything.”
“That’s what I thought,” she said, settling down in his arms. “They need a couch in here.”
“Like the one in your place... which you’re not selling.”
“Maybe not. We can talk about it.”
He relaxed behind her. “Really?”
She shrugged. “Boyfriends get more say in my life than just friends.” He should know that mortality had some upsides when it came to her. She didn’t want to jump around shouting “pick me!” no matter how tempting it was. This was slightly less shameless.
Leaning down, he pressed a quick kiss against her neck. Mmm. Like a boyfriend would. He was a fast learner.
Phoebe pointed at the TV. “And girlfriends get to pick shirts for their hot, soon-to-be-mortal boyfriends. That one. Definitely.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The jarring ringing made him want to throw something. He just wanted to sleep in. Was that so wrong? He woke up abruptly. He’d fallen asleep. He had. He’d slept... without intending to.
The sky was falling.
“Get the phone,” Phoebe muttered, sliding off his chest where she’d been sleeping.
The night before he’d been holding her, talking, and he’d fallen asleep. They’d slept in the same bed... which he hadn’t intended to happen until after he’d told her about his part in Phillip’s death. Which he would do. Soon.
She nudged him with her hand drowsily. “Seriously. Get it before I start pinching. You don’t seem to like that.”
Reaching over, he grabbed the phone. She was right; he didn’t like pinching. “Hello?”
“It’s Tempus. I’m mortal. I can’t stop time or summon.”
He snapped his fingers.
“Stop it!” Phoebe said, covering his fingers. “Hell, get in your own bed if you’re going to start snapping.” Then, she pinched his side.
“Ow.”
“What happened?” Tempus asked.
“Well nothing... other than Phoebe really isn’t pleasant in the morning.” He didn’t usually see her in the morning. “I can’t stop time.” He concentrated on summoning an extra pillow to hit Phoebe with. Nothing. “And I can’t summon. Zeit mentioned this might happen.”
“The Fates or Father?” Tempus asked.
“Could be either.”
“Must you talk so loud?” Phoebe pulled a pillow over her head.
He ignored her. That was part of being best friends and now her boyfriend—you had to ignore the less pleasant aspects of the girl you were trading in immortality for. “Are you still having to save Lacey’s life?”
“Yes. In fact... just now I had to save her from falling and dying in the shower.”
“Maybe the Fates or father didn’t want me helping you save her life.”
“I wouldn’t have let you help,” Tempus said in a tone that was nearly a snarl.
“You’re not pleasant in the mornings either.” Ruin hung up. Sighing, he sat up in bed and considered the quandary. Why would his father make him mortal? He’d approved of Zeit trading in his immortality for Hannah. Perhaps their father thought he and Tempus should do the same and this was a push in that direction.
“Now you’re too quiet,” Phoebe said, pulling the pillow from her head.
He stared at her.
Phoebe’s hair was a pale halo around her head. Her cheeks were pink, making her blue eyes brighter. She cleared her throat. “Sorry about the pinching.”
“If we were still just friends, I would have pinched you back.”
She smiled and raised her eyebrows. “Where?”
“Where you least expect it.”
“Can I make suggestions?”
He slid down and lay facing her. “I’m mortal.”
She blinked. “What?”
“My powers are gone. Completely gone. And I fell asleep last night. Apparently, I’ll be doing that going forward.” He searched her face. “How does that make you feel?”
She scowled at him and sat up, folding her arms. “You’re an ass.”
“Because I’m mortal?” Wow, that was above and beyond what he’d expected.
“No, because you think I’m going to be disappointed.” She shook her head. “Do you want to know how I really feel? Because I promise you—you’re not going to like it.”
He swallowed. “Yes.”
“You really do? Because this is Pandora’s box in our relationship, Ruin. The point of no return. The monster at the end of the book. Once I tell you, I can’t unsay it.”
He almost said no. “Yes. I want to know.”
She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them, and looked at the wall rather than at him. “I’m happy. I’m glad you’re mortal, okay? Because a relationship with you when you’re immortal is a ticking clock running down and every moment brings us closer to that deadline when it ends.”
“You mean because you’d die.”
“No, I mean because I’d age. For ten or fifteen years, it’d be fine, but then people would start laughing at me behind my back, thinking you’re my boy toy—my midlife crisis. I’ve got great bone structure so I might manage for twenty, but eventually I’d be that creepy older lady Mrs. Robinsoning you, and I’d ask you to stop coming around.” She held out her nails, rubbing one like it had a smudge. “Then there’s kids. I want kids. I want a family. I don’t want to be alone anymore.” She got to her feet, still not looking at him. “So, there you go. I’m happy you’re mortal. Now you’ll panic because you’re still just humoring me on having a relationship. I’m going to go take a shower so I don’t have to watch you breathe into a paper bag while dialing the number for a taxi.”
He dove across the bed and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her back on the bed.
“What the…? Ruin! Trust me, you don’t want to have the most awkward conversation in the world right now. Let me save face and go take a shower.”
Ruin pulled her onto his lap. “Phoebe.” With his hand on her chin, he forced eye contact. “I’m glad you’re happy.”
She rolled her eyes. “You say that now…”
He kissed her to shut her up. It was one of the perks to being a boyfriend. When he pulled back, they were both out of breath, and she seemed more receptive to a conversation.
“First of all, I think all future conversations on serious matters should be kept until afternoon.”
She nodded.
“Second, that wasn’t Pandora’s box. If you wanted me to be mortal, why didn’t you say something?”
Phoebe looked away. “Like I could say something like that. I’ve had to drag you kicking and screaming into a relationship. I’m still worried I’m going to be your next relat
ionship’s cautionary tale. I’ll be Magda 2.0—the second girl who got too attached.”
Maybe he shouldn’t have told her that story.
“Besides, what kind of selfish witch would I be if I told you to give up superpowers for me?”
He was already planning on it. Though she might not believe him now if he told her. In the mood she was in, she probably wouldn’t.
Ruin kissed her temple. “Phoebe?”
“Yes?”
“I’m happy too.” If this was what she wanted, even after he told her about Phillip, then he would be a lucky man.
She snorted. Yeah, no more discussions in the morning. “Right. Because your powers were lame and being human is just chock-full of fun.”
Laying her down on her back, he bent over her. “This past year has been the best year I’ve ever had—especially the last few months. And none of that stemmed from having powers and had everything to do with you.”
“What about the last few days?”
Since they’d kissed again, she meant. Christmas night had changed everything. He was still getting used to this new role in her life, of course, but the fact that their friendship hadn’t changed was reassuring.
“Well, you did kick me when you lost at backgammon.”
“But then we made out on the rug after.” That had been incredible. He’d never felt that much passion for anyone.
“I did summon marshmallows for the fire.” He had used his powers now and again.
“They probably had them in the gift store. I could have sprung for a bag of marshmallows.”
“You never cheer for the same teams I do—even though you don’t even watch sports without me around and you have to keep asking me which is ‘your’ team.” Watching football with her on his lap—even cheering for the other team—it was the best way to watch football.
“What would be the fun in cheering for the same team? It’s supposed to be a competition.”
“Skiing with you was ridiculous... but also hilarious. I might have to join one of these social networks you always talk about just to post the pictures I have on my phone.” Phoebe on skis was amazing. She was so bad that half the times she fell over—from laughing so hard at herself. He was going to print out some of the pictures and hang them in his condo when they got back.
“It’s worse than my singing.”
“Which I’ve heard more of with us being in close proximity.”
“Only while I’m in the shower—and I wouldn’t sing if you joined me.” She was temptation incarnate. Every time she emerged from the bathroom smelling like gingerbread, he followed it up with a cold shower for himself.
“The sleigh ride was nice.” The lodge’s activities had kept them busy during the day and then they’d retired to their room with a game or a movie at night. It should have helped rein in the lust he was feeling. It didn’t. There was always enough time to want Phoebe.
“Mr. Cowper turned really pink on the sleigh ride when he turned around to point out the deer and caught us kissing... and you started that.”
“Sometimes I can’t resist you.” Which was the truth. A dam had broken and he couldn’t seem to stop, even though he needed to tell her everything. And he would. After she was in deep enough with him that she’d forgive him. He couldn’t give her up. He was selfish and cowardly.
“So, what you’re saying is that the last few days have been…?”
He grinned. “Miserable. Hated them.”
She hit him in the shoulder and then tackled him, reversing their positions. “You did not. You loved them.” She aligned their bodies and then lay with her head on his chest.
“I may have loved them.” He wrapped his arms around her. “If I did, it had everything to do with you and nothing to do with the fact that I could summon marshmallows without having to leave our room.”
She sighed. “What shall we do today?” She reached up and toyed with the wishbone necklace. She never took it off that he’d seen.
“The paper says there’s a snowman building contest today.”
“Are we competing or combining our efforts?”
“I’ve never built a snowman before.”
Phoebe was silent and then said, “We’re definitely competing. It’ll do my self-esteem good to beat at least one person.”
He pinched her. And not where she’d hoped.
“I don’t want to leave,” she said when he started stirring in bed. She hated today. Phoebe had been sitting in front of the giant picture window staring out at the snowy landscape and hating New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Eve could bite her. Not only was it the anniversary of Phillip’s death, but tomorrow they had to leave the lodge and get back to their reality. What seemed magical here without magic... might not still have the same feel when she was back at work and Ruin was struggling to find a place in the mortal world for a powerless immortal.
“We should come back here next year,” Ruin said, punctuating it with a yawn. He shuddered. “I don’t like being tired. Sleeping wastes so much time.”
“You tried to stay up again, didn’t you?” She’d gone to sleep at around one in the morning, but Ruin was still watching TV.
“I did, but I think I fell asleep around four a.m.”
“Oh, young grasshopper, you’ll learn to not fight sleep someday.” Her breath fogged up the window and she wrote a “R + P” inside a heart before she thought better of it and wiped the whole thing off with her sleeve. She looked over her shoulder, hoping Ruin hadn’t been watching, but he was grinning at her widely, all traces of drowsiness gone. “Shut up! It’s hard being a girl. You can’t fight some impulses.”
“It’s cute. I don’t think you should fight them. Of course, if you have any urge to sing, you should definitely…” He frowned, staring at a point over her shoulder.
She looked behind her, through the window. There was nothing.
“Hell,” Ruin said.
“What?” she asked, gesturing at the window. “What are you looking at? What could be bad enough to put that look on your face?”
He sat up in bed, running both hands through his hair. “I should have expected this. I don’t know why I didn’t expect this. It’s like I forgot New Year’s Eve even existed. And of all the names to have been given…” He groaned and buried his face in his hands. “Tempus is going to kill me.”
“What? Why would your brother kill you?”
“It doesn’t matter. Because I’m not going to do it.” He dropped flat on his back and stared at the ceiling. “I think I’d rather listen to you singing “Low-rider” than this.”
“What? I don’t hear anything.”
Someone pounded on the door. “That’ll be my brother. He’s in for another long year of saving Lacey.” He swung his legs out of bed and stood up as Tempus continued to hammer on the door.
Of course their conversation was quiet enough she couldn’t hear it—though she considered striding over there like it was her business.
“What?” Ruin shouted and slammed the door. “You’re not getting anywhere near her!” There was a pause, but she couldn’t hear Tempus’s reply. “Dammit, I don’t care what you say! Do you hear me? You’re not going to be in the same room with her... like... ever! There’s no way in hell I’m letting you take her!”
Okay, now, she could intervene. She went to pass him but he yanked her off her feet in a hug from behind that was not at all tender and gooey.
“What are you doing?” he asked in a pseudo-calm voice.
“Going to talk to your brother to find out why you’re yelling at him.”
“No. You’re not. You’re not going to have anything to do with Tempus ever again. And I won’t go anywhere near Lacey so everyone will be happy. Other than the Fates. Who will try to kill everyone.”
“Interesting. Okay, crazypants, how about you fill me in on what happened because, right now, my best guess is that Tempus suggesting swinging and you weren’t all that keen on it... but I just can’t picture that.”
> “Picture what?”
“Not picture. Picture was a bad choice of words. I meant ‘imagine’ because I certainly wasn’t picturing... because... eww.” As much as Tempus looked like Ruin... gross.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“That’s for the best. Tell me what you were talking about.”
Ruin shook his head. “We can’t let you get anywhere near Tempus.” He covered his face with both hands and groaned. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“Okay. How about we start over? I was just saying that I wish we didn’t have to leave when you woke up.”
He dropped his hands and snapped his fingers, pointing at her. “That’s what we should do. We should leave.”
Her jaw dropped. He was acting like a maniac. “Tomorrow?”
“No. Today. Definitely before midnight. As soon as possible.”
Phoebe folded her arms and sent him a scolding look. “Are you kidding me?”
“No. This is serious, Phoebe.” He crossed the room to stand beside her and look out the window. “Those clouds don’t look good.”
“We’re not leaving.” She stomped a foot. “Ruin, unless you explain, we’re staying right here.”
He grabbed her shoulders and stared intensely into her eyes. “Phoebe, I wish I could explain, but if I do—there’s a very good chance you won’t go with me, and I need you to go with me.”
“What happens if I don’t go with you?” There was a twinge in the area of her heart. She couldn’t imagine not going with him.
“You might die.”
It was like he’d dropped a bucket of ice water on her.
“And you can’t die. I can’t let that happen.”
“Because of your promise to my brother?”
Frowning, he cradled her face in his hands. “Phoebe, you have to know what you mean to me.”
Her mouth went dry. Would he say it? “What?” she prompted when he didn’t say it. She’d been wanting to tell him she loved him for weeks. Hell, for months.
“You mean everything.” He shook his head, dumbfounded. “I can’t let anything happen to you.”
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