Amber

Chapter 2 - Baseball!

@copyright Jean G Hontz and Sharon Pickrel

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"Naw, nothing to worry about, boss.  If our Cayden's got his eye on her, she's gotta be a good sport.  He knows better," Damon said.  He eyed Fiona like a a doctor checking for bacteria.  "You are a good sport, aren't you?"

Robyna kicked him under the table.  "Damon, I am so gonna tell Penny on you if you don't watch it."

"Man, you're no fun at all," Damon said.

"Not to worry," Fi told Ash. "I have 6 uncles and four aunts and they act no more grown up than these guys do.  Well, maybe one does. Sometimes."

"Hey, I am too grown up.  And I can prove it.  It says so right on my library card.  I can take books out of the adult section all by myself," Cayden protested.

"Wow! So you finally passed remedial reading?" Carly asked.  "We need to celebrate."

Robyna snorted and looked away, right into Sal's eyes.  Flushing slightly, she hid in her beer. 

"Sal, Cayden mentioned your mom is in the hospital. How is she doing?" Lynne asked.

"Better, thanks. I'm heading over to see her in a bit. We think we can spring her tomorrow." 

"Oh, that's good news then," Lynne replied smiling. "Do you have a big family too?"

"Oh yeah. I'm the baby," Sal replied. 

"Baby?" Cayden echoed, eying the six plus feet of him, the wide shoulders.  "I'd like to meet your mom someday if you're the baby.  She must be a saint."

"To put up with us, oh yeah. She's an old fashioned type. Still grabs us all by the ears."

Fiona giggled at the picture that put in her head.  "His mother is all of 5'3."

"Oh yeah, had to be," Robyna said.  "With eyes in the back of her head, hearing like a hawk, probably psychic to boot?  A nice soft voice, never raised it once in her life and still you all just know when she means business.  Am I right?  Gets that look and you just take a big step backwards."  She looked at Lynne and Buffy.  "We need to hire her, ladies.  Pay her whatever it takes."

Fiona grinned and Sal snorted.

"So how did you end up owning a bar, Fiona?" Buffy asked after the snorts and giggles had died away. "I'd have guessed you doing almost anything else."

"Oh, I just kind of drifted into it," Fiona replied.

"Are you from Manhattan? You don't sound like it," Lynne asked.  "Although I can't quite place the accent."

"Oh, no. We moved around a lot.  And English isn't my first language."

"Oh? I'd never have guessed," Lynne commented.

"Mine neither," Rai commented.

"With you we can guess," Buffy retorted.  "Get him pissed and he reverts to Spanish," she mock-whispered to Sal.  "Oh, lala, my poor virgin ears."

"Your virgin what?" Chase asked, brows flying upward.

"You missed those." Buffy retorted.

"Easily remedied," he promised.

"Why do you call her Buffy? Her name is Elizabeth isn't it?" Fiona asked Cayden.

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Perfect match," Cayden said.  And in more ways than one, but how'd she know her name was Elizabeth.

"Buffy who?" Fiona asked, lost.

"TV show," Carly explained.  "She looks just like the Buffy-character on the TV show."

"It started as a joke," Ash explained.  "The boys here were trying to bust her chops and it didn't work, but the nick name stuck.  Especially when you recall the other slang meanings of the word 'buff' and the valley girl connotations of Buffy."

"We would never try to bust her chops, boss.  What do you take us for?" Declan protested.

"Yeah, no trying allowed.  We'd succeed everytime," Cayden explained.  "But we like her, so we're nice to her.  She's buff."

"Oh yeah, just like Chester and Shroedinger are always nice to each other," Ash said, rolling his eyes.

"In your dreams, buster," Buffy retorted. "Seriously, Fiona, he's impossible. Trust me on this."

Cayden feigned a pained expression.  "Buffy you wound me deeply with such slander.  Really, Fiona, she thinks I'm cute.  She's secretly in love with me, but hides it cause Chase is around and she's afraid I might get hurt."

Chase almost spewed his beer, he started laughing so hard. 

"Oh yeah, definitely," Buffy replied.

Lynne grinned. "I'm sorry to tell you, but they're like this all the time, Fiona. Even so, you're welcome to come by even if not to play baseball, any time you like."

"You can play with the baby," Damon pointed out.  "If he likes you we'll even let you babysit.  We're real friendly that way."

"We'll do nothing of the sort," Lynne reassured Fiona. "Anders can be a bit of a trial.  I think he hangs out with a certain Squirrel too much."

"But she's a girl, Lynne.  She'll be fine.  It's genetic, girls and babies...right?" Demon gave her his best little boy grin as he said it.

"Uh oh," Ash moaned.

"You are sooooo dead," Buffy threatened.

"You gotta catch me first, honey," Damon teased. 

"I'll help her," Robyna said, a fell promise in her eyes. 

"Uh oh," Damon said.

"Sounds like a good time to pull my escapist trick," Sal said. "I do gotta go to the hospital."

"Yeah," Fiona agreed. "And I need to do the books. Give us a call and let us know who survives the battle royal when you guys get home."  She shook her head and grinned. "Really, thanks for a fun afternoon."

"Oh, yeah, it was great," Sal agreed.

"I'll walk you back," Cayden said to Fiona, pulling some money out and putting it on the check.  "You never know what you'll run into on the mean streets of the City."

Her startlement was out of proportion to the comment. "Oh, okay," was what she said. "That would be nice."

Sal threw some money at the bill and waved bye to everyone, but smiling at the very last at Robyna.

She smiled back before she realized she'd done it. 

Cayden, watching her, saw her catch herself, trying to pull the smile back in.  Then he held out a hand to Fiona, helping her up from her seat.  When they were safely out on the street he said, "Tell me about Sal."

"What about him?"

Cayden shrugged.  "I'm curious, that's all.  What kind of a guy is he?"

"Well, I trust him to run the bar. And he knows how to keep a secret. He is a bit inquisitive though, and he's pretty sharp on the uptake, so don't lie to him."

And he obviously loved his mama and was protective of his boss in a low key way.  But Robyna was vulnerable.  "Thanks for the warning, I'll keep it in mind."

They were walking along, Fiona obviously considering adding more when she suddenly stiffened. "Shit, shit, shit. You should get lost. Call me. Just.. just right now, go."

He looked at her face and took a hold of her elbow, his grip gentle and unbreakable.  "I don't think so honey." 

"Look, you don't understand," she said as she looked behind her. She skipped sideways into an alleyway.  "They won't bother you, they want me."

"Then you can explain it later," he said, keeping pace just behind her, shielding her with his body.  "Trouble is, I saw you first, so they're out of luck."

She gave him an exasperated look, and closed her eyes for a moment. A second later she was drawing a sword out of the air. "Can you use one of these things?"

He blinked.  "Well yeah, but trust me, I don't need one."  He said it mentally, making the contact clear and strong but not overwhelming.  Still, just to make sure she got the point, a sword of his own materialized in his hand.

"They aren't magical creatures and I doubt they'll go down short of a thrust through the heart, but hey, give it a go," Fiona replied, taking a fencers' stance as four, no six, men came around the corner.

At first glance they looked like men, but looking closer Cayden noticed the hands were far from human, having more fingers, and when one of them smiled his teeth were sharply pointed. Their eyes too were not right he saw as they came closer. They had eyes like a cat's, the slit pupils and all.

The six began to advance, pulling out knives and guns.

"I told your master I'm not interested. Now go home," Fiona said loudly.

The men kept advancing.

Cayden grinned, taking up his stance, body turned sideways, spinning the sword in a circle, whirling it so fast it blurred.   He used the motion to gather the power he needed, feeding it into the sword until he was surprised the energy wasn't crackling along the edges of the blade.

He parried hard as the first blow came, striking sparks, then caught the knife on its guard, ripping it out of unhuman hand, taking some of the extra fingers with it.  He danced back a few steps, avoiding the spray of blood and swinging the sword in a continuous circle the whole time, while in his free hand a poinard appeared.  He feinted at the second man coming at him, while striking low, slashing viciously upward with the shorter sword, evicerating him.  He spun on the ball of his back foot as he janked the blade free sending it into oblivion, taking a two handed grip as his sword come up out of nowhere, slashing a horizontal arc, taking off the head of the man closing in behind him.

Fiona had two guys after her, but her sword moved so fast the blade was nearly invisible.  She felled one, then the other tried to retreat but she kept after him.  "Oh, you remember this sword. I cut your guts out with it last time. Tell your master to fix you up and send you back to me again," she hissed as she sliced through his neck letting the head bounce on the pavement, then rammed the blade through his heart. "Or maybe not."

The dead creature began to sizzle and then burst into flames. The rest began to wink out. "Coward!" Fiona shouted toward the heavens.

Within a second or two the living creatures all winked out, leaving only the still sizzling body on the ground in front of her.

"I suggest we get out of here before any cops arrive. I've no interest in trying to come up with a plausible explanation."

Cayden sent his sword into oblivion after the poinard.  Then he focused for a second on the bodies and body parts, making them vanish.  They'd reappear in Ash's cellars but he wasn't telling her that, not until he knew a hell of a lot more.  "Good idea.  I'd like to wash this blood off.  It really clashes with my shirt."  He said it while he sent a mental alert to the townhouse.

Fiona pulled her own shirt off, leaving just her tee-shirt and wiped off her blade and then tossed it to him.  She kissed the blade and then, closing her eyes, sent it off into her version of oblivion.  She turned on her heel and headed down the alleyway, opposite from where they'd entered, not looking back to see if he was keeping up, or if he'd even followed.

He gave a short laugh, using her shirt to wipe the blood from his face and arms.  Then he trotted after her, his eyes appreciative of the view she presented from the rear.  She was one hell of a woman and his curiosity, among other things, was definitely piqued.

She didn't say a word, instead taking a complicated path through back alleyways until he realized they'd gotten near to her bar. She took a key out of her pocket and opened an unmarked door then turned to him. "Thanks for seeing me home.  But you'd be a lot better off if you forgot what you saw and didn't come back here."

He put a hand on the door, next to her throat, turning his body so she was forced back into the door.  Then he bracketed her against it with his other hand, caging her there without touching her, deliberately keeping every other aspect of his body nonthreatening. "Baby, if that's what you think, you're in for a huge surprise." He drew a deep breath into his lungs, dragging in the scent of her, breaking it down into all its parts, learning about her. She smelled like rain and fog and all the mysteries of the night, fresh and clean under the sweat and the faint coppery scent of blood.  She smelled like heaven.

He lowered his mouth towards hers, making the movement slow, slow enough so she could stop him if she wanted to, holding her eyes with his.  He was within an inch of her lips, could see her pulse start to race, beating at her throat, the blue vein throbbing in time with her heart, when he stopped, just for a second, watching the flush spread under the cream of her skin.  Then he resumed his descent, his lips the only thing moving towards her, his warm breath feathering hers in advance of his kiss, heating them for him.

"This is a really bad idea," she said just before their lips met.  But then her lips told him another story.

He gathered them against his, making them cling while he traced them with his tongue, the edges and the seam between them, nipping lightly and then tugging on her lower lip with his teeth, seeking entry, coaxing her into giving him what he wanted. When she did he moved his whole body a fraction closer to hers, feeling the heat of her along his entire length, as his tongue swept into her mouth, a cavern of delights as sweet, as spicy hot as he'd imagined it would be.  He painted his tongue along hers, then began to explore, hunting for treasure in every secret place in her mouth, feeling her shiver, hearing the breath catch in her throat and a purely male kind of satisfaction sent fire pooling in his abdomen, settling lower in his groin.

She pushed against his chest with both hands flat on him, and broke the kiss, breathing hard. "Cayden, it isn't that... Well, that's obvious, I guess. But really, you don't want to get involved in this. At least no more than you are.  And the only way I can try to keep you out of it is to ask you to leave.  I'm sorry. I should never have thought, even for an instant, I could be.. act normal. I should know better. I'm sorry."

He didn't budge, lowering his mouth to the temptation of her jaw, dotting kissed along it, nibbling up to her ear lobe.  He tugged on it once, blowing air into her ear.  Then, his lips close enough to scorch he whispered, "You really don't know me at all, do you?"  He flicked the tip of his tongue along the whirls in her ear, feeling her quiver.  "Because if you did, you'd know the last thing you need to worry about is acting normal with me.  I've known since the night I met you you aren't normal."  He was still speaking in her mind, combining the words with reassurance, calmness, total acceptance.

He leaned his forehead against hers, filling his head with the scent of her, forcing his hands to stay flat against the door, to not crush her against him.  "You reek of power.  Power that is known, trained and harnessed.  Not the same kind as mine or of a kind I've encountered before, but I recognize it all the same.  Some sort of magic, if I had to guess.  Damon will know when I ask him.  Magic is his territory.  Talent is mine."

"Damon won't know. Unless he's met someone in my family, and I very much doubt that."  She was speaking aloud, although he was certain she could have matched his mental speech with no problem.  "Look, it's obvious I'm really interested but this is not the time for a love affair. I've got to figure out who is trying to kill me. And you are, despite how much I might enjoy it, a distraction."

"It never is, angel.  If we waited for the right time, we'd be waiting for ever."  He laughed softly, lifting his head to look down at her.  She really was adorable, thinking she needed to protect him.  Her eyes were sheened with the beginnings of desire, her cheeks lightly flushed, her lips rosy and glowing.  She was adorable.  "And I can guarantee there's more to me than just a distraction."

All of them were, each and every one of them on that team. All his friends, almost his family were powerful in some way, Sal the only mostly normal one at that table. She hesitated. Maybe she could chance it. But all too often she'd heard the stories. How lovers were used as pawns in the games her family played. She didn't want that to happen to these people. Especially not to Cayden.

And then how was she supposed to even explain what she was, what her family was, what the essence of her power was?  Sure, some normals had been told and some even brought to see the city and the courts. Still.. "All right. But can we at least go inside?" she suggested.  She'd been doing her best to avoid a psychic contact for several minutes now. Kissing him was definitely a distraction but the knocking on her mental door was getting a whole lot louder and she really needed to respond. Maybe she could manage to take it in the bathroom.

He was inside her head, a shadow.  Not inside her shields, he wouldn't do that to her, invade her privacy like that, not unless he had no other choice.  He wanted her to invite him in, not force her.  But still, even on the edges of her mind he could sense her emotions, the confusion, the concern, the part of her mind racing to find answers.  He brushed a kiss at the corner of her mouth, feeling the corners of his kick up for a moment.  Then he stepped back a pace, letting his arms drop.  "Sure."

"Thanks," she replied, moving to open the door. His hand reached above her easily to take the weight of the door. She led him inside to a private elevator which she also unlocked and then stepped into, Cayden on her heels. She hit the top button. "My loft is up here," she said. She groaned inwardly. Brilliant conversation, Fiona.

"It's a nice set up."  Cayden looked around memorizing the layout, the location of exits, windows, hiding places.  It was unobtrusively defensible.  Coupled with her sword play, she was someone who expected violence, or at least lived with the possibility of it and planned ahead.

"It's home. Listen I need to use the bathroom. Drinks are over there, if you are so inclined," she said, nodding toward a table by the sofa.

He let her go, not saying a word.  Then he poured a drink and began to survey the loft, taking in the details, using them to learn more about her.  And everything there spoke volumes to him....the colors she chose, the textures, the materials in the upholstery and the curtains, the arrangement of the furnishings, the furnishings themselves...it all spoke volumes and he added it to the growing catalog in his head labeled Fiona Gerard.

She leaned against the back of the door, breathing hard. She did not need this now!  Someone wanted her dead and she had no idea who. Well, beyond the fact it was, no doubt, a relative. Then she felt the contact again and this time she accepted the call. A face, partially transparent, floated in front of her, before the face, and the scene behind it took a more solid shape.

"I need to talk to you, Fi."

"Not now. Someone is with me. If I come through now he'll be all the more eager to figure out what is going on."

"Little Fiona has a beau?" came the reply with a kinder smile than the words implied.

"Oh, drop it. Listen, some of those creatures just came through and attacked me."  She frowned at him. "I can't figure if they are trying to kill me or just take me prisoner."

The man frowned. "Prisoner is my guess, but don't let that stop you from killing them."  He thought for a moment then said, "All right. Contact me later. I'll bring you through."

She nodded, and the vison faded.  She sighed, took a deep breath, washed her hands and face and then stepped back out into the loft, her eyes on Cayden.

"Better. Thanks."

He smiled, leaning against the counter that divided the kitchen from the living area.  "Let's play let's make a deal, ok?  I won't ever lie to you, even about the little, tiny, insignificant things, and you won't lie to me.  Everybody has secrets.  I'm not asking to know all yours right this minute.  But you're in danger from someone or something.  And when you say something to me, even as minor as I need to blow my nose, I need to know that's the truth or I can't help keep you alive while you sort out whatever is going on, because I won't always have time to sort out the truth from the evasion."

"Cayden, look, it really is too complicated. I needed to take a call. I washed up.  That's it."

"Everything's always complicated, angel.  You've no idea the complications I deal with daily.  That's why trust is important.  I can sense power, it's like a sixth sense I have.  It's got a smell and a taste and sound to it for me."  He set his glass aside and crossed the room to her, stopping in front of her.  He wanted to pull her in his arms and rock her, comfort her, promise her it would all be alright.  But he didn't.  She'd hate it, she wouldn't believe it and he never made a promise he wasn't sure he could keep and until he knew more about what he was dealing with he couldn't promise it would all be alright.  "I'm not going to walk away, honey.  I like the way you kiss way too much.  And you really do need someone watching your back."

"It's a family matter. Seriously. You don't want to have anything to do with my family. It's a fight over power. Not the kind you just talked about, but the more mundane sort of power. And it's about revenge and hatred. If there's something we are really good at, it is warring with each other, regardless of how foolish and unhelpful that may be. The problem is, none of us are easy to kill, and just when you think you've offed one of us, up we pop again. So the hatred extends beyond and through time and space and place. And, because of the sort of battle it is, I have no idea who I can trust."

"You'll figure it out, baby."  He ran a finger along the curve of her cheek.  "I fight in wars everyday.  It's what I do, keeping folks in this part of the world safe from beings with the sort of power I was talking about.  And believe me, they aren't easy to kill either.  A lot of them who are causing trouble because they want the sort of power you're talking about.  So I'm not taking on anything I'm not familiar with.  Which means you can stop worrying about protecting me."

"I'm starving. Want something to eat?" she asked.

"Can you cook?" he demanded suspiciously.  "Because if you can't I'm doing the cooking.  That's all there is to it."

"And how do I know you can cook?" she asked suspiciously before she walked into the kitchen area and began pulling out fresh veggies.

"Because we don't lie to each other," he said, his eyes laughing at her.  "Remember?  That's the deal we made."

"Ah, true. Okay, I can cook, but I'll bow to your obvious need to provide sustenance. I'll make the salad, you can cook," she paused as she leaned down to check out the options, 'whatever you can find in there that appeals to you. Warning. I can really pack away the food so don't starve me."

For some reason he found that hilarious.  An hour later he wiped his mouth, watching her prove her point on the clams diavlo he'd made.  "Glad you like it," he murmured, wondering what happened when she was ravenous.  Seriously.  She'd put away a huge burger and fries only a couple of hours ago.  Then the thought caught him up short.  Fast metabolism.  Too many fingers, cat pupils, magic Damon would recognize.  "You're really aren't from around here are you?"

"No. Not even close. Will you think I'm crazy if I say you can think of it as a sort of parallel universe?"

The Refuge ran through his mind, Marc and Dinah out on the Rim, dragons, the stories he'd heard about the war they'd fought out there, the Lokapala.  "No, not at all."

She nodded. "Well, that's the easiest way I can explain it. We, I, can travel using our minds from one place to another, just by imagining it. Earth has always been a sort of .. place to grow up for us. To get away from the family, try to stay out of the politics. Problem is, others can track us through shadow. So .. thus the creatures you saw. They are from a parallel world."  She watched him closely, trying to gauge if he was merely humoring her or if he really did believe it.

"Like the dimensions and universes the dragons cross to travel through space-time?"

"Oh, so they are real here?" she asked.

"And they aren't other places?"
 
"They are in some shadows. Others not. Depends. Some shadows have fire breathing dragons that eat people. As I said, it depends.  Strictly speaking, we don't travel through time, but there are shadows where time passes differently. So sometimes its a challenge to know what day it is at home, and how that compares and changes with the shadow where you are. Same with the other side of my family, at the Courts."

She sipped her drink. "Anyway, I'm a daughter of two warring factions. So I have enemies both on my father's side and on my mother's. At the moment, I'm not sure who is out to get me, or whether the aim is to just take me captive or instead to kill me."

"Shadows?  Courts?" he prompted carefully, refilling her wine glass.

"Parallel worlds we call Shadows.  Originally we thought they were merely a manifestation of our imaginations created entirely by us with no real existence of their own.  Awfully ego-centric granted. The idea was that there are two antithetical powers that create everything. The Pattern and the Logrus. Gain power over either, or both, and you can walk in shadow and gain other powers as well. But only those with the blood of my family in their veins can walk either."

"Fascinating," he said.  And he meant it.  He was close to enthralled.  "The Pattern and the Logrus?  What are those?  If I get too nosey tell me and I'll shut up.  But this is...breathtaking."

"They're sort of a labyrinth. You have to walk them, just as you would a labyrinth in its truest sense. They more or less take you apart and put you back together again. But they kill those they don't want walking them. And we've recently realized they are sentient. Not to mention manipulative as hell."

"Amazing world you come from.  Makes some of the places Marc and Dinah talk about seem dull in comparison.  How long have you been here?"

"Information goes two ways, you know," she replied. "What exactly are you."

He grinned.  "What they call an Awakened.  Aware, emergent and gifted.  Not everyone is anymore and they don't know why.  But basically it means that I've got the -pathic gifts...telepathy, empathy, telekenesis, teleportation.  I can create things from my imagination.  I have access to the full potential of my mind, not just the small percentage non-Awakened have.  I'm pretty close to immortal.  Meaning I can be killed, but I won't die of natural causes.  I can manipulate energy, which is why power is a tangible thing to me."

"Ah. Can you regenerate lost limbs or organs?"

"Those of us whose gift is healing can, both their own and for others.  But it's not my gift.  Can you?"

"Possibly. One uncle's eyes were put out and he regrew them in 5 years. Another uncle though lost an arm and now he uses a mechanical one brought to him from, well, a sort of mystical place.  A cousin is hoping his ear hurries up and grows back quicker than it is."

He leaned his head on his hand, just looking at her, loving the way she looked, relaxed and at ease, talking to him  "So what exactly can you do?  Besides travel to parallel worlds, and fight like a genius with a sword and kiss like you invented it?"

"I'll pass the compliment on to my Uncle Benedict who taught me swordsmanship.  I'm a sorceress, but that is not true of all members of the family. Some are magically inclined, others just like to use slightly more mundane methods of achieving their goals. I'm pretty much immortal in the same way you are. Well, maybe. No one is ever certain if any of us has ever really died. It's complicated."

"I know a few people who could find out for you if you really want to know."  He made the offer dead pan.

She smiled. "You think so do you? Obviously you don't know my Uncle Brand."  Then, after a moment, "So, the people at the game. They are not all.. Awakened."

"No."

"And you've known them for a long time? You trust them?"

His eyes narrowed slightly, parsing the question.  "Yes.  I've known most of them for years.  I've worked for Ashley Jacobs for a very long time.  Most of us have.  Buffy is his newest recruit and she's been with us for like twenty some years now, I think, other than Robyna but she's different.  Chase, Rai, Carly...well let's just say they're in a different category altogether than the rest of us."  He met her eyes.  "Why are you asking about them?"

"Because I'm trying to understand you and why you insist on being involved in my life," she replied, easily seeing the suspicion. She'd grow up with it, every minute of her life.

"Well, I told why I insist," he said.  "I like the way you kiss.  I'm sure you can extrapolate the rest, but if not I'll be happy to elaborate."  His eyes caressed her face, sliding over her throat like they were hands, skimming her breasts, tracing her ribs.  "And, it's what I do," he added when his eyes had completed the round trip back to her face.  "Keeping the streets safe for the more mundane among us.  You really can trust us, angel." 

She watched him, her eyes wide.  She wanted to believe him, but... "I should get down to the club."

He cupped her face, his hand gentle.  "Want me to go with you, honey, just for the company for a while?"

"I thought you had a job," she replied, lips twitching.

"I do," he said.  "But I'm not on call tonight.  Damon is, Dec and Robyna are back up.  I'll only get called in if the moral equivalent of a gang war broke out among my sort of bad guys.  Fortunately that sort of thing is generally confined to Halloween, the equinoxes and solstices...except on St. Michael's of course.  But that's demon central Robyna says and anything can happen there."

"All right, stay right here.  Let me shower and change and you can tag along. I might even teach you how to mix a proper mojito."

"I'll just do the dishes to take my mind off of you in the shower, with all the little drops of water slipping down over your skin and how I could be chasing them, trying to catch them with my tongue before they got away."  He nodded, gathering their dirty dishes together.  "Yeah, that sounds like the best plan."

She shook her head and laughed. "It's going to be so sad when you discover your imagination is better than the reality."

He leaned close to her, his lips almost brushing her ear, his breath warm, sensually intimate on her skin.  "Just keep telling yourself that, angel, if it makes you feel better.  But I promise you, you're wrong."

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