by I. T. Lucas
Probably feeling awkward about initiating their date, Ella was rambling on, the scent of her embarrassment overpowering the stinky perfume.
Shopping was a great idea.
He was going to buy her a lineup of good smells and ask her to throw out the hippie patchouli or give it back to whoever had thought it was a good scent on her.
“Let’s go.” He grabbed his phone, his wallet, and his car keys off the kitchen counter.
She glanced at his feet. “Don’t you want to put shoes on first? And maybe exchange your sweatpants for jeans?”
“Yeah.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “I should, shouldn’t I?”
Smiling, she nodded.
“Do you want to wait here? It will only take me a minute.”
“If you don’t mind, I would like to see your room.” She stuck her hands in the back pockets of her torn jeans. “I want to see if you are really as tidy as you claimed to be.”
For a moment, he had no idea what she was talking about, but then he remembered the hotel in New York. When he’d hesitated to invite her to his room, she’d assumed he was embarrassed about it being messy.
“By all means.” He motioned for her to go ahead of him.
Later, he should thank his mother for insisting that he always make his bed. The habit was so ingrained in him that he couldn’t leave his room in the morning unless everything was in its place.
“Very masculine,” she said as he opened the door for her. “And tidy. I’m impressed.”
He noticed her looking at his motorized reclining armchair. “Take a seat.” He motioned to it. “I’ll be out in a moment.” He ducked into the walk-in closet and closed the door.
Changing into one of his nicer pairs of jeans, he heard Ella engage the recliner’s motor, and a moment later her contented sigh.
Julian smiled. Ray could laugh all he wanted about his old-man chair. The thing was the most comfortable seat in the house.
As if sensing that someone was thinking of him, Ray resumed his playing, no doubt in an effort to impress Ella.
It worked.
A moment later Julian heard the chair’s motor engage again and then his bedroom door open. Ella’s chunky boots clanked on the hardwood floor as she walked toward the grand piano in the living room.
Grabbing a button-down off the hanger, Julian pushed his feet into a pair of loafers, saving the time it would have taken him to put on socks, and tackled the buttons on his way to the living room.
He found Ella leaning with her elbows on the side of the piano and gazing at Ray with open admiration.
“Ready to go?” Julian asked.
She nodded and waved at Ray. “See you later.”
His roommate stopped playing. “Pop in anytime. I’m home most days, practicing. Maybe next time you could stay a little longer and listen to one piece from start to finish.”
“I would love that. You play beautifully.”
47
Ella
The first ten minutes of the drive were unnerving. As soon as the self-driving mechanism engaged and the windows turned opaque, Julian sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.
He was brooding, and the compliments she’d paid Ray could be the only reason for it. Julian seemed to have a jealous streak and Ella wasn’t sure how to feel about that.
With her limited dating experience, she didn’t know if that was true of most guys, or just the possessive and controlling types. Julian didn’t seem like one, but she’d been wrong before.
Well, that was why they were going on an actual date. They were going to talk and get to know each other, and she was going to pay close attention to any telltale signs of character flaws that were unacceptable to her. She didn’t expect perfection and was willing to overlook one or two annoying habits, maybe even more, but some things were not negotiable.
A little jealousy was fine, she wouldn't want a girl to flirt with Julian either, and so was a little possessiveness, but not control. The moment he started to demand that she do or not do things, she was going to walk away from him no matter how attractive Julian’s total package was.
Heck, she was willing to settle for a much more modest package deal in exchange for a respectful and easy-going attitude.
Like Magnus’s.
Observing him interact with her mother and her brother was warming Ella’s heart. The guy somehow managed to balance everything perfectly. He was easy-going and accommodating, helpful and respectful, but he wasn’t a pushover.
He had what she thought of as a good alpha vibe.
Magnus often took charge, but it was seldom about him. His primary concern was taking care of the people he loved and being the pillar of strength they could lean on.
That was what Ella wanted from a partner, or mate, as the immortals called it. Hopefully, Julian could be that person for her.
But that was putting the cart in front of the horse, or as Amanda would say the eyeshadow before the foundation.
He cast her a sidelong glance. “You know that those piercings will close once you transition.”
Chuckling, she removed the hook from her nostril. “These are fake piercings. The one on my brow is glued on.”
“Why use them at all? They don’t help to obscure your features.”
“It’s for the total effect. Like the nails.” She wiggled her fingers. “Metallic blue nail polish just goes with the Goth look.”
He cast her another glance just as the windows started to clear. “I’m getting used to the pink hair. It’s actually not so bad.”
“I’ve heard better compliments, but as I said before, I appreciate the honesty.”
As the computerized voice announced that self-driving was going to disengage in thirty seconds, Julian put his hands on the steering wheel. “That’s good because I’m a terrible liar.”
“Tell me what you hate the most about my new look.”
“Easy. The contact lenses and the eyeshadow because I love your eyes so much. But that’s also the best part of the disguise. Your eyes are very distinctive.” He reached with his fingers and smoothed them over her cheek. “I also don’t like those dark smudges on your face. They make your cheeks look hollow. I like your softness.”
“So, you’re okay with the hair?”
He glanced at her again. “Yeah. It’s cute.”
Cute wasn’t what she was going for, but she could live with that. “I’m only going to put in the colored contact lenses and heavy makeup when I go outside the village. The only thing you’re going to see is the hair, which you’re okay with.”
Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, Julian shook his head. “If you enjoy the new look, you shouldn’t change it on my account. I’ll get used to it. You’re beautiful even when you impersonate a Goth fairy.”
That was so sweet of him to say. “Thank you. But I don’t like makeup, and I really don’t like contacts. They irritate my eyes.”
“What did your mom say about all that?”
“She didn’t see me yet. The three of them went shopping.”
“I hope you called her and told her that I’m taking you to the mall. She’ll be worried if she comes home and you’re not there.”
Arching the brow with the fake piercing in it, Ella tapped her temple. “Did you forget about this? I don’t need to call or text my mom. I sent her a mental message.” She chuckled. “It will be so funny if we bump into them at the mall and my mom doesn't recognize me. She’ll get mad at you for going out with some other girl.”
“Then we should go to a different mall. I don’t want to be there for the showdown.”
“Chicken.”
“You bet I am.”
Cute. She liked that he didn’t mind belittling himself, even if only teasingly. With his many attributes, Julian could’ve been a pompous ass, but he wasn’t, not even a little.
She wondered how it was possible. Bridget probably had a lot to do with it, raising Julian to be modest and not boastful.
“
You keep surprising me,” she said.
He glanced at her with a cocked brow. “Me? I’m the most boring and predictable guy.”
“You’ve just proven me right. Those are precisely the kinds of things I would not have expected a guy like you to say.”
“What do you mean by a guy like me?”
“You know what I mean. Your good looks alone would make any human guy strut around like a peacock and expect girls to drop their panties as soon as they saw him. But you’re also a doctor, and most of them are the most pompous people I’ve met. They think that they know everything.”
Pushing his fingers through his hair, Julian grimaced. “The panty-dropping thing I’ve been guilty of, I admit that, but it just happened whether I expected it or not. And as to knowing everything, I’m well aware of my limited knowledge. Even in my own profession I still have a lot to learn, and I certainly don’t know much about other disciplines.”
He waved a hand. “For example, if this car broke down, I wouldn’t know how to fix it. On the other hand, I know that I can learn almost anything I put my mind to.”
“Almost? What can’t you learn?”
“Quantum physics. I just can’t wrap my mind around it. And believe me, I’ve tried.”
“Perhaps you just need a good teacher. Did you try learning about it from books?”
“Books and recorded university lectures. I still don’t get it.”
Fiddling with the frayed edges of her jeans, Ella was reminded of something the Russian had told her. “I hate to bring him up, but Gorchenco told me that you should always hire professionals to do what they are trained for. You need to find a good teacher and pay him. That will be the fastest way to learn a difficult subject.”
Julian’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “I don’t want to take anything from a morally corrupt, evil man. Even if it’s good advice.”
That wasn’t smart. Julian was letting his emotions cloud his judgment. As much as she resented the Russian and detested what he’d done to her, Ella wasn’t going to ignore the things she’d learned from him.
48
Julian
“I’m sorry.” Ella gave him a lopsided grin. “I know that shopping for clothes is torture for guys.”
She wasn’t sorry at all, and she hadn’t bought that much either, but she sure as hell had spent hours going from store to store and trying things on.
Julian took the latest shopping bag from her hand. “Ready to call it a day?”
“Yeah, my feet hurt and my eyes are burning. I can’t wait to take the contacts out. But I had fun. Thank you.” She looped her arm around his neck and pulled him down for a quick kiss. “You’re a prince for letting me drag you around all day long.”
Transferring all the shopping bags to one hand, he wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her back. Just a quick peck on the lips because they were in a crowded shopping mall and getting aroused was out of the question. “I had fun too.”
They’d eaten an early dinner in one of the mall’s restaurants, and after that Ella hadn’t made too much of a fuss when he’d insisted on buying her perfumes, especially when he’d told her how much he hated the patchouli smell she had on.
It had been a good day.
Hell, it had been great.
Nothing had been said, but they were officially a couple. Ella’s acceptance of his gift had been the final proof of that.
She’d been relaxed with him, comfortable as if they’d been dating for a year and not just one day, and the longer they were together, the better it got.
Was that what being fated for each other felt like?
Or maybe it was just his inexperience with actual dating, and that was how everyone felt? Or at least those who found someone they really liked?
He was trying hard to keep some emotional distance and not let his obsession with Ella cloud his judgment, but what he was discovering was better than the fantasy, and the very real and down-to-earth Ella was much more than what he’d built up in his head.
Like her crusty sense of humor, which was increasingly surfacing the more comfortable she got with him. Julian hadn’t expected to like it so much, but it was refreshing being with a girl who wasn’t afraid to express herself without worrying about making a guy think that she was sweeter than cotton candy.
She also liked to touch and be touched, which suited him perfectly because he craved the closeness and implied familiarity. They’d been holding hands or having their arms wrapped around each other throughout the day. He especially loved the way she’d leaned her head on his arm or thanked him for doing that or this with a smile or a peck on his cheek.
The truth was that he was looking forward to many more days like that, shopping with her, carrying her bags, and giving his opinion about the things she wanted to buy. Being a couple was so much better than prowling for hookups and spending his days alone.
“You’re just saying that.” Ella’s eyes smiled as she threaded her arm through his. “Admit it. You’ve been suffering valiantly.”
“How about I prove it to you? I’ll take you shopping tomorrow too.”
She laughed. “I think I spent enough money today. I need to find a job before I go on another shopping spree.”
“Guardians are paid very well. I’m sure Magnus can afford it.” They exited the mall and headed for his car.
“It’s not a question of whether he can afford it or not. I don’t want to spend his money. I want to have my own.”
He opened the passenger door for her and dropped the bags on the back seat. “Magnus thinks of you as his daughter,” he said as he turned the ignition on.
“That’s very sweet of him, but I am not. And even if I were his daughter, I would’ve felt bad about mooching off my parents instead of working for my spending money.”
“What about when you go to college? The clan will pay for your tuition, but you’ll need spending money.”
She shrugged. “I can work part-time.”
Julian frowned. He hadn’t considered it before, but there was a very real possibility that Ella would choose an out-of-state college.
If she did, he would have to follow her there because there was no way he was letting her out of his sight.
Just thinking about it felt like a vice was closing around his heart.
“What’s the matter, Julian? It suddenly feels as if the temperature in this car has dropped ten degrees. Did I say something to upset you?”
He reached for her hand, remembering at the last moment that she didn’t like it kissed. Was it something that reminded her of Gorchenco?
Instead, he threaded his fingers through hers and just held it, resting their conjoined hands on her thigh. “I hope you’re going to choose a local college. Now that I found you, I can’t fathom being without you.”
“Oh, crap.” She pulled her hand out of his and reached for her eye. “Why did you have to make me emotional? Now my eyes sting, and I have to take the freaking contacts out, and I don’t know how to do that. Eva didn’t show me how.”
“I’ll pull over and help you.”
Searching for a place to park, he spotted the vacant lot of a closed-for-business mattress store.
He parked, killed the engine, and turned to Ella. “Let me see.” He cupped her chin and lifted it. “Your eyes are red.”
“They feel as if I polished them with sandpaper. Can you take the contacts out?”
“Ouch.” His own eyes teared as his empathy kicked in. “Look up and open your eyes wide.”
“Yes, doctor.”
Since Ella didn’t expect him to move so fast, the first contact was easy. She didn’t even have time to blink before he got it out.
“Oh, wow. It’s such a relief.”
He caught her hand, stopping her from rubbing the eye. “It’s going to itch much worse if you get makeup in it.”
“Right. Can you get the other one too?”
“Look up again.”
“Yes, sir.”
&nb
sp; This time, she blinked before he could pinch the contact out. “I’ll either have to hold your eye open or show you how to do it yourself.”
“You do it. I’m scared to do it myself.”
Her trust melted his heart.
Holding her eye open, Julian quickly pinched the contact, got it out, and let go. “All done.” He kissed her lips. “Should I kiss the boo-boos away?”
“Yes, please.”
He gently kissed one eyelid, and then the other, not caring about the shadow he was getting on his lips. If it made her feel better, he would lick the makeup off them, but he doubted she was willing to go that far.
“You don’t happen to have tissues in here, do you?”
He shook his head. “I don’t get sick. But I can drive to the nearest pharmacy and get you some.”
“No, that’s okay.” She bent down and lifted the bottom of her T-shirt to her eyes, exposing a very tempting midriff.
It wasn’t flat, and Ella didn’t have the muscles of someone who exercised regularly, but her skin looked so soft and creamy, and her slightly rounded belly was cute and feminine.
Once she was done wiping the makeup off, she glanced up at him. “I probably look like a raccoon.”
He couldn't lie. “A raccoon that got punched in both eyes, or an escapee from a zombie movie.”
“Great.” She covered her eyes with her palms. “I will have to spend the rest of the drive like this.”
“Don’t be silly.” He pulled her hands away from her face. “No one is going to notice.”
A slight scent of fear wafted off her. “There are traffic cameras on the way. Without the contacts, I’m exposed to facial recognition software.”
“Would sunglasses help? I have a pair in the glove compartment.”
“I don’t know if regular sunglasses would do the trick.”
As she looked at him, Ella’s worried blue eyes stood in stark relief against the backdrop of the dark makeup smeared all around them.