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Wes seemed a little surprised that I wasn't fawning all over him, but he didn't argue. His pants and briefs came off next, and he grabbed a hold of my hips, tilting me so that I sat on the edge of the counter, with my body at an angle and my head and shoulders against the mirror. The counter and his height lined up perfectly, and a moment later, he was in me, neither rough nor gentle, just somewhere in the middle. It was a little boring, actually, like he couldn't quite make up his mind and take a stand.
But as he gripped my ankles and held my legs up, the pace steadily increased, and I saw sweat break out along his brow. The life energy seeping into me was moderate, just like everything else about this tryst, but compared to Dante, it was fairly significant. That energy made up for the rest of it, and when he came with a primal sort of grunt, that burst of life coursed into me in its entirety. Like fine tendrils of light, it raced through my body, reinvigorating me and making me strong.
He staggered back, and I hopped down off the counter to quickly put my clothes back on. "Wow," he gasped. "That was-"
"Do not say worth the money," I warned. "Particularly since you didn't pay."
He shut up, and I smiled. With a quick kiss on the cheek, I moved over to the door. "Thanks," I said. "It was fun."
He fumbled for his underwear. "You want to go out sometime?"
"Nope."
I left him to get dressed, discreetly closing the door behind me and remembering to take my drink with me. No one was upstairs, so our encounter had gone unnoticed-or so I thought. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I nearly walked right into Seth.
"Oh my God," he said, giving me a once over. "You really did it?"
"Did what?" I asked in a saccharine voice.
"You know what. You've got that-that glow. That, and you're missing a button."
I glanced down at the guilty gap in the blouse and shape-shifted it to its former state. "There. Good as new."
He shook his head, keeping his voice low so we wouldn't be overheard. "I didn't really believe you'd do it. I saw you walk off with him and thought, 'No, she wouldn't. Not here.' So I came over and-"
"You what? Came to stop me?" I couldn't help an incredulous laugh. "Seth, what I do or don't do is none of your business."
"What about Dante? You just cheated on him."
"I cheat on all my boyfriends. Did you forget? It's what I do."
"You didn't need the energy fix. I could tell."
"Yeah, but I wanted the energy fix. What are you, jealous?"
"What happened to you?" he demanded, evading my question. "How did you change so much? You're better than this."
"I've always been like this. You were just too starstruck to notice."
I turned and left him, heading back out to our friends, making sure I neatened up my appearance in tiny increments as I walked. The alcohol was really kicking in at this point, but I was pretty sure I still managed to walk without looking obviously drunk. When I reached the group, Kayla gestured to be picked up again. I was a little hesitant, but she seemed so insistent that I handed my drink to Doug and lifted her into my arms again. Mercifully, I didn't fall over.
She studied me with those big blue eyes, and I wondered what she sensed. Something about her gaze affected me in a way that Seth's chastising hadn't. I felt bad for what I'd done. Dirty. Cheap.
"She sure does like you," said Maddie. "And you're great with her too. You should have kids of your own."
I ran a hand over Kayla's fine hair, recalling the dreams Nyx had sent me while she'd stolen my energy. They'd all shown an impossible future, me with a daughter and husband. "Can't," I said. "Doug would be lousy at child support."
"Oh, be quiet," he snapped back good-naturedly. I think he'd been drinking as much as me by now.
Seth returned just then and touched Maddie's arm, his expression grim. "We should head off. Terry and the others will be back, and Kayla's probably getting tired."
Maddie's face fell a little. "Already?" It was the first time in their idyllic relationship that I'd ever seen signs of clouds.
"We need to get her back," Seth reiterated mildly. "And I've got a chapter to write."
She rolled her eyes. "Ah. Now the truth comes out."
Interesting. Maddie had to put up with the same stuff I had.
"Stay," Doug told her. "I'll give you a ride."
"Yeah, like I'd trust you behind a wheel right now."
"Then you drive me and Kincaid home, and Mortensen can go now."
They all finally decided that was a good idea. As Seth and Kayla were about to go, Maddie suddenly did a double-take. "Oh! Wait. You have to give Georgina her present."
I blinked. "Present?"
Seth's face turned almost- almost -mischievous, though he was still clearly bothered by what had taken place in the house. "Uh, yeah. I just got a box of advanced copies of the next Cady and O'Neill book and wondered if you wanted one."
"I..." I stopped, unsure what to say. Maddie laughed.
"You've been the belle of the ball all night, and this is what makes you speechless?"
"Hey, it's not that easy. I mean...this is Cady and O'Neill. You know how I feel about them. I've sort of accepted that I wouldn't get to read their next installment until October. If I get it now, my whole universe will be thrown out of whack."
"So you don't want it?" asked Seth.
"Oh, I want it. Just seems...I don't know. It feels like cheating."
"They're in the car right now," teased Maddie in a singsong voice. "Sure you don't want one?"
I looked at Seth's smile, and something weird passed between us. I could hardly believe that minutes ago, we'd been fighting in the house. The looks we exchanged, the way I felt...it was almost like it used to be. I hastily turned away.
"Yes," I groaned. "Of course I do."
Seth said good-bye to the rest of the bookstore gang and tried to find Casey, but she was surrounded by a throng of relatives. Giving up, he led me out of the yard to where he'd parked a block or so away. Kayla was still in my arms. None of us spoke, and it was just as well because my feelings were all tangled up. Every post-breakup interaction between us had been angry or painfully tense lately. Yet, in these last few moments, things had become almost comfortable again. Was it possible we'd ever move past this phase? Could the pain I'd gone through with him really ease up so quickly?
He unlocked the car and got the book for me. I hoped I didn't gape like a schoolgirl when I saw it. All Fools Night . The cover showed the skyline of Washington, DC, blurred like a Renoir painting and overlaid with dark indigo. All sorts of warnings about it being an advanced copy and not for sale were on it, but I paid those no heed. I didn't want to sell it. I wanted to read it. Now.
When I dragged my eyes up from the cover, Seth regarded me with happy amusement. "I can't believe you're really that excited."
"Why wouldn't I be? And why are you surprised? Lots of people love your books."
He shook his head. "Yeah...but it's still surreal to think that I can write something-create something-that affects people so strongly that they get an emotional involvement with what I've pulled from my head. And to realize that someone I know personally...knowing it affects you like that...well, like I said, surreal."
The sweet, earnest look in his eyes was making butterflies dance in my stomach, so I hastily looked back at the cover. I almost wished we'd start fighting again. "Seth...why...why are you doing this?"
"Giving you the book?" He was puzzled.
"No, I mean...being nice. And worrying about me back there."
"You don't think I'm normally nice?"
I looked back up and sighed. "You know what I mean. We've been avoiding each other since New Year's, and when we have been together, it's been disastrous. Yet, here you are bringing me this...I just don't understand it. Was it Maddie's idea?"
He stared at me for a long time, or at least it felt like it. A chill ran down my spine, and for a second, I felt disoriented, like I was in this time and another, reliving the same moment over again.
"No. I did it because hate shouldn't last forever," he said finally, voice soft. "Because eventually, you have to forgive. You can't just stop caring or..." He didn't finish the phrase. "I think we'll always have a connection, no matter where we go or what we do. And if so, I'd like us to be friends."
