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“It’s his first time on the bus,” I assured her. “He gets carsick. He’s just a little nervous.”
“Never could stand a clingy fella.” She sniffed. “Grow a pair, sonny.”
To keep from laughing, I bit my lip so hard that it bled. He leaned in and licked the wound closed for me. The bus started and rolled forward. We got comfortable in our worn leatherette seats. I rested my chin on his shoulder and whispered, “You know what I’ve noticed? People don’t like you.”
“I’m very likable!” he protested.
I looked over to the old lady, who was shaking her head.
“I like you,” I assured him. “I like you very much.”
“Well, that’s a comfort,” he said, pouting slightly. I leaned forward and caught his lip between mine, biting down. He groaned, pushing me back slightly. I could hear the little old lady chuckling.
Just then, the headrest of the seat in front of me slammed back, whacking me in the temple. “Oof! Really?” I griped. “Before the bus even pulls out?”
“I paid for the seat, lady,” groused the mountain of a man sitting in the seat in front of mine. “Deal with it.”
Collin’s fangs snicked out, but I squeezed his hand and shook my head. He put the fangs away and settled for glowering at the back of the man’s head.
Unfortunately, the giant pile of misanthrope sitting in front of me didn’t limit himself to rearranging my face with his headrest. For the next hour, the poor woman next to him had to hear his opinions on the health-care crisis, the economy, and “kids today” and how the current president was responsible for it all. And vampires. And any other minority you could think of. All in a loud foghorn voice that reminded me of my uncles after a few beers.
“I’m going to kill him just to shut him up,” Collin muttered.
“I’ll help you hide the body,” I promised.
The braying political commentator finally quieted, and I saw his seatmate’s shoulders relax. He stood to get something out of the overhead bin. As he moved, the zipper from his jacket whipped against my face. I winced, rubbing my hand over my cheek. Collin arched his eyebrow as my fingers snaked up. When the jerk sat back down, I had the contents of his wallet—two twenties and a handful of ones—crumpled into my palm.
Collin’s mouth popped open. “What are you—”
I shushed him gently, waiting for the woman in front of us to lean toward the window. When her head turned, I slipped my hand through the gap in the seats and dropped the cash into her breast pocket. I considered it hazard pay. The loud guy plopped back into his seat, none the wiser.
Collin whispered, “Morlock the Magician?”
I smirked. “I was always good with sleight-of-hand. Birds, not so much.”
“I’m continually amazed by the skills you have picked up along your way. What will you take away from your time with me, I wonder?”
“A profound fear of ravines and root cellars,” I muttered.
“The root cellar wasn’t all bad,” he murmured.
“A commitment to carry an industrial-sized can of anti-automotive-boob touch-up paint in every car I drive?”
He squeezed my hand. “I would hope that wouldn’t happen to any person more than once.”
“A distrust of any man bearing jewelry, family heirloom or otherwise?”
He chuckled. “I will remember you said that when we reach a gift-giving occasion.”
I shot him an incredulous look. He expected us to reach a gift-giving occasion? He said “when,” not “if.” He planned to spend more time with me. I tamped down the excited butterflies swooping through my belly. I didn’t know how to respond, what to say. So I just smiled and kept his hand clasped in mine. I kept him entertained with observations about our fellow passengers for the three-hour ride.
“When we arrive in the Hollow, what are your plans?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said. “A lot depends on how Iris reacts to her car being vaporized.”
“I told you, I’ll take responsibility for the car,” he said. “Do you think you would be interested—”
The driver’s voice boomed over the PA. “Folks, we are five minutes away from our stop in lovely downtown St. Louis. Please remember to stay seated until the bus comes to a complete stop. Standing to reach items in the overhead compartment can result in fallen luggage and cranky seatmates.”
