Jovie tries the last, shrugs, and hands it to me. “I prefer the Lillivanna.”
I take the glass, feel a spark between our fingers, and pant a breath as I strain to keep my composure. There’s no way I’m going to make it all week without a boom of one kind or another. I down the shot and set the glass back in the tray.
“How manydoesit take to get you drunk?” she gasps.
“Hoping to take advantage of me?” I tease as I finish eating.
“Just wondering what a big guy like you can take.”
I down the last of my Lemon Charger, feel my Storm slow until it’s like syrup inside me, and lean back. “About twice this.But I’ve got a nice buzz going. Any chance you’re up for the pool?”
Jovie wipes her face with a napkin and looks up at the fish in the tank one more time. “Alright, sure.”
I get up and offer her a hand. She takes it, and I savor the little zing between our fingers again.
As we walk back to her room, I find myself in awe once again that I’ve finally found her.
Jovie leans into me.
“Hey, I uh…”
“Hmm?”
“I don’t think you know how much it means to me that you let me touch you so much.”
“What do you mean?”
“Even my own people do not touch me.”
We stop outside her door. Jovie turns to face me. “Why wouldn’t they?”
“My Storm is different. Rogues don’t touch Royals, ever. But a lot of my kind won’t touch me simply because I’m...”A Torchbearer.I just don’t know what that is. And if I say anything, I know she’ll ask. “I can’t control my Storm like most. I can’t hide it like they do. It’s more powerful and reckless. If it ever gets to be too much…”
Jovie rises on her toes and presses a finger over my lips. “Just touch me once, and don’t let go. Keep us in continuity.”
The notion she wants me to stay so close has me leaning toward her, but I’m feeling playful and quickly but gently nip at her finger, then lick the taste of alcohol from it.
Jovie gasps, draws her finger from my lips, and steps back into her door. She clumsily scans her armband, flings herself into her room, and hides behind the door, peeking out at me. “I’ll change and meet you at the pool?”
“Don’t want an escort?” I ask.
Jovie swipes a loose strand of hair from her face. “Need a minute to calm down.”
“Alright. See you soon. If I don’t, I’m going to look for you and make sure you’re okay.”
My Storm is a bit intoxicated and wants me to push the door open and take her. But I don’t want to push her before she’s ready. It’s important to me that she wants me, and I get solid confirmation it’s mutual.
“I’ll show up,” she says. “I just need to take my gauntlets off and change.”
“Ah, okay. That makes sense.”
Jovie slowly closes the door.
I brace myself on the wall beside her door and listen to her soft humming. I think she’s happy.
I hope she is.Because if she stays with me, this might be as good as life gets. I wish I could walk away, let her down easily, and protect her from the chaos unfolding with my home fleet. But my Storm won’t let me. And I’m torn, trying to decide what’s better for her: me and my problems or her freedom to start over with someone else.
I squirm under the protest from my Storm.
