Volumes of the Vemreaux Complete Collection: A Dystopian Adventure Trilogy, page 59
“No. My guards are no fun. I’m much more fun.”
“Yes, you are. Tell Micah that he should be fired for letting you have your phone when you’re this far gone. Good thing it’s only me you called.”
“Will do, but I’m not with Micah.” Everest laughed, and Sam could picture the black eyes dancing as they often did when the prince of the world was high. Then his merriment melted to alarm, mid-cackle. “Sam, please come get me!”
“Wow. I’ve got to admit, I’m curious now. What are you on?”
Everest’s panic was palpable. “Sam, I’m not kidding! Get down here! He’s holding me hostage! I have to get off this island!”
“You’re not a hostage. You’re supposed to be detoxing.”
“It’ll happen again! They’re force-feeding me blood! You’re the only one I trust, Pan. Help me!”
Sam rolled his eyes at his friend’s flair for the dramatic. “What a horrible life you must lead. When you come back into town, I’ll be sure Josephine doesn’t force-feed you ice cream. I hear that’s like being held hostage, too.”
“Hayden’s gone!” Everest’s voice turned mournful. “That’s why Father Dearest’s given me a break from the torment.”
“Hayden, eh? I’ve not heard mention of this one before. He a new shiny thing you discovered?”
“I’m not sure anything will be shiny again, Pan. If you don’t come get me, I’ll have to take things into my own hands. Scary, that.”
Sam heard Everest taking another puff. “We’ll see you when you get back in town. Cheers, Ever.”
“Good morrow, beautiful boy.”
Sam hung up his phone and shook his head, vowing to shake some real sense into Everest when he saw him next. He reached for his cigarettes on the nightstand and weighed the pack in his hand as he considered their worth. Sliding one out, he lit it and made his way to the window to make his indiscretion less an imposition. He took long drags and coughed as he thought about the eventful day, wishing his girlfriend was related to anyone except for Baird.
“How come you’re still awake?” Blue inquired after she emerged from the bathroom. She was freshly cleaned and smelled of soap and wildflower shampoo. Suzette’s penchant for shopping was never more appreciated than when she came home with seemingly limitless bags of garments for Blue. The matching cotton lavender thick-strapped tank top and pants set made him forget for a second that she could kill him with one hand behind her back. She looked so utterly innocent and feminine, standing awkwardly in front of the hamper she’d just placed her dirty clothes in. While he’d seen far sexier night clothes on many a woman, only her form drew his eyes anymore.
“I can’t sleep without you now. Is that how you planned it?” he teased, taking his last puff and discarding the butt out the window.
He watched her smile as she pulled back the comforter and motioned for him to get in first. From experience, he learned that kissing her cheek right before they climbed into bed together made her too nervous, and she would take half an hour to relax in his arms. If he waited until they were already snuggled up together to press his lips to her soft skin, she could not help but let go of her natural resistance to such closeness.
Hesitantly, she crawled into the large bed after him, warming into his side with growing ease. Each night stripped a noticeable layer of uncertainty away. Now she could drape her arm over his bare chest and draw complicated little designs on his inviting skin as she lay with her head on his shoulder. His tired eyes shut easily, now that she was where she should be. “Goodnight, tesoro,” he breathed, planting a kiss on her forehead.
When he was almost asleep seconds later, Blue commenced her ongoing wrestling match with her confidence, finally permitting the bravery to win out. She was so relieved that the day had not turned disastrous between Sam and her brother, and the high gave her new self-assurance. So lightly that, were Sam not so attuned to her every move he might not have felt it, Blue leaned up and touched her lips to his, bestowing upon the man her very first lover’s kiss.
Every muscle in his body excited at once. Sam’s eyes shot open as he inhaled sharply.
Panic hit Blue like lightning. Her brazen actions tapped on the shoulder of the girl she barely recognized anymore, reigniting the self-imposed distance she so willingly cast aside in his presence. Blue withdrew her arms and twisted so swiftly off the bed that Sam barely had time to make a noise of exclamation. She hit the ground evenly, and scurried under the bed like a silverfish to escape the wrong she’d done. “I’m sorry!” she pleaded, wanting to disappear into the plush carpet from sheer embarrassment. The floor covering mocked her with its luxury, reminding her that she would never belong in a room with someone as amazing as the stunned Vemreaux now sitting alone in the bed above her. “I shouldn’ta done that!” She apologized profusely, her hands flying over her head and pushing it into the soft floor in punishment.
“What just happened?” Sam asked as he hopped out of the bed and cautiously crouched to confirm that his girl was, in fact, hiding under the bed. She looked so pitiful, like a child shielding herself from an imaginary monster. His words came out slowly. “Amoroso, why are you under the bed?”
Blue did not answer, but buried her face as deep as she could to hide her furious blush from him. Her nose hit the base of the carpet fibers, but she still felt exposed. It was worse when she heard the lilt of a grin in Sam’s voice as he tried to speak gently to her. “Blue, it’s okay that you kissed me, you know. You should always do that. Anytime you want.” He reached under the bed frame past the plush covers and cream-colored dust ruffle until his hand found her elbow.
She lifted her head reluctantly and stared at his dazzling face. There was nothing as irresistible to her as his smile of calm experience. Deep down, she knew that he was being sincere, and that she was overreacting. Blue pushed her hair out of her face and extended her hand to touch him hesitantly. Her embarrassment over her actions was too much. Wishing the carpet had swallowed her whole, Blue refused to let him see her face, even as she sat next to him on the floor. She tried to hide her eyes from his, but the insistent finger with faint scars on the knuckles tilted her chin so he could kiss her cheek.
“Listen to me, tesoro.” He spoke low into her skin, forcing her fear to take a back seat to attraction. “Day or night, if you want to kiss me, you do it. I’ll never say no to you, caro mio. Never.”
His bolstering words unfroze her body, but it was his peck on her nose that brought her to ease again. “Okay,” she replied in a whisper. Sam’s eyes narrowed at her meager response, so she revised it. “Okay, I’ll try to believe you.”
Sam scoffed at the affront. His free arm reached across his body and touched the spot where the tattoo caressed him, as if she’d mortally wounded him with her disbelief. “Just stop running from me, alright? If you’re embarrassed or confused about something, do the decent thing and talk to me. It won’t do you any good to hide under the bed from your problems.” He hated the next words that came out of his mouth. “What would your brother say if he saw you cowering like that?” She stiffened next to him, but otherwise did not respond. He pulled her hair back and tucked it behind her peaked ear. “Come on, dolcezza. Let’s get to bed before I say any more stupid stuff.” He reluctantly stood to get into the bed first, claiming the side furthest from the lamp.
The gaping hole next to him was filled a few seconds after Blue debated something in her head. When she cuddled up in his nook, resting her head on his chest and doodling with her finger on his skin, he let out the breath he did not realize he’d been holding. He kissed her forehead, unable to stop himself.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” he responded easily.
She pursed her lips while she pondered the best way to go about wording her query. “Um, are you sure it’s me that you want to be with? Maybe it’s just that you think you like me, so you feel you have to be loyal to me or something. Aren’t you used to…you know, prettier Femreaux who are, like, more on your level?” She shook her head into his shoulder. “I’m not ever gonna look like them, you know.”
She could hear Sam grinding his teeth as he chewed back the sarcastic retort that threatened to shatter his newly acquired sensitivity. “I don’t want you to look like them. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I go after what I want, and I’ve been gunning for you pretty hardcore for a while.” He ran his fingers through her hair more to soften himself than her. “And you don’t know what you’re talking about, love. Not all Fems are gorgeous. Most of ’em are just easy. With skirts that short and tops that low, their faces really never mattered much, you know?” he admitted, dragging his fingers down over his mouth and resting his palm on his jaw to tame his tongue. “You’re the one I want. I don’t need you to look like a slutty Femreaux, because that’s not you. I wish you knew how sexy you are, Blue.”
At this, her lively expression contorted into a scowl. Retracting her hand from his chest, Blue held her ribs, rolled onto her side away from him and curled into a ball. Her voice was small, but clearly huffy. “Don’t make fun of me. You know I’ve never done anything like this before.”
His frustration with himself turned into panic after his brain caught on to what she was saying. “What? I’m not making fun of you!” He leaped off of the bed with a groan at his protesting muscles, ran around to her side and knelt down so that his nose was almost touching hers.
Obstinately, she clenched her eyes shut to avoid his earnest stare. “Ragazza carina, don’t you know how beautiful you are? I can barely control myself when we’re together; I want you so much.” His hand touched her cheek and lovingly stroked the skin it hungered after. Her glower lightened to a mere frown of confusion. He searched for a further explanation. “When you look at me like you want me, too, it does things to me. It throws all my rules out the window.” It was all he could do to keep the breath of distance between their faces and not jump atop her and devour her pouty lips right then and there.
“What rules?” Her eyes opened to look curiously into his.
It was his turn to look uncomfortable. “Just stupid rules that I have to keep this from happening.” He motioned his other hand in between them to indicate their intense connection. When it did not seem she would be satisfied with a simple answer, Sam sighed. “You don’t want to know who I was before you. I, uh, wasn’t all that great a guy.”
And there it was. Out in the open for her to examine and throw him in the trash at will. It was no secret that he had changed drastically to be near her, but he had never said it in so many words. One misdeed after another taunted him. He hoped that somehow she could forgive the man he had never tried to be, until he met the one girl worth changing his wanton ways for.
“Okay.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek sweetly, her fog of distance lifting.
Sam cringed and shook his head, hating the one-word non-answer. “You know I can’t stand it when you say that. It’s kind of a big deal to me what’s happening between us. Tell me what you’re really thinking.”
Blue did not speak for an entire minute as she considered his request. Just when he thought he could take the sweltering silence no longer, she unlocked her arms from around her to reach out to his shoulder. Her delicate fingers crawled along his skin until they reached the back of his tensed neck. “Come lay down with me,” she beckoned, tenderly pulling him forward.
Her invitation was more than he could have hoped for. Somberly, he climbed over her and slumped onto his side of the bed, feeling utterly unlovable and beyond forgiveness. “Will you hold me?” she asked quietly, rolling over to face him.
He obliged, anxious to recover some of the closeness he feared might be lost. He closed the bed curtains around them, enveloping everything in deep red, and effectively shutting out the world. His arm wrapped behind her and pulled her to his chest so she could draw her tantalizingly ticklish pictures on his body. It was a true test of endurance at times to keep from squirming or touching her in return. Exercising patience, Sam closed his eyes and breathed in the flowery scent of her damp hair that wet his pillowcase through. Looking up at the heavy crimson bed curtains, he contemplated just how odd it was that he had a girl in a bed and they were both fully clothed. The most risqué thing he could dream of doing in that moment was to kiss the lips he’d been trying so diligently to avoid until the time was right.
“Sam?” Blue interrupted his thought.
“Yeah, baby?” He squeezed her a little closer for good measure.
He could tell that she was drawing some sort of a maze on his chest. “What color were your eyes before you changed?” When the path she was tracing went down a long corridor in her mind, her fingernail dragged lower onto his belly. When her finger circled his navel, he had difficulty recalling his own name as he sucked in his stomach reflexively.
“Uh, green,” he answered, his onyx eyes flickering over at her sapphire ones.
“Hmm.” Blue considered this new piece of information. She leaned up and kissed the corner of his jaw. “That’s pretty much all I’m curious to know about your past. The rest really doesn’t matter to me unless it’s important to you. So long as you’re here now, that’s what counts.”
Sam swallowed, unable to look at her and absorb the compassion and goodness she radiated solely onto him. He cleared his throat and planted another kiss on her forehead. “Okay.”
“You know I hate it when you say that,” she mimicked him as her fingers ghosted over his stomach deviously.
He chuckled and gave in to the squirm. “Okay, then. You really want to know what I’m thinking?” he asked. He was unable to tear his eyes from the heavy red fabric that hung over them, closing them off further from the world. He felt Blue nod into his shoulder, her hand now up toward his clavicle as she drew the front door of The Way. “You sure? Because there’s no going back once I tell you.”
Blue sat up to stare at him with her brow furrowed as she wondered what could possibly be that huge. Slowly, she nodded.
“You asked for it.” Sam sighed, gearing up to say his piece. “I’m in love with you, Blue. Like crazy, no turning back kind of love. Sappy poems and holding doors open like a chump kind of love. Sharing food and holding hands kind of love. Never want anyone else for the rest of my long, pathetic life kind of love.”
Unable to meet her wide eyes after his admission, Sam pulled the pillow out from under his head and shoved it down over his face. He let out several long, frustrated noises at his lame words that fell far short of how he felt, but was still at the furthest edge of what he was capable of confessing.
When he finished taking out his self-loathing on his pillow, Blue pried the item loose from his grip so she could see his face. “We’re not supposed to run from each other, remember?” She kissed both of his shut eyelids delicately as she touched tenderness back into his face. “I love you, Sam.” The moment the words left her lips, she realized how true they were. More than connected, they had somehow become intertwined with each other.
Sam’s hand reached up and cupped her chin, bringing it over to stop in front of his face. Blue ceased breathing as it dawned on her the next step the man in front of her was about to take. “Can I kiss you yet?” Sam’s lips brushed hers with a feather-like touch as he spoke.
Blue made some noise of consent that she later berated herself about for its lack of refinement and dignity. In that moment, she could not bring herself to think past the swell of his luscious lips as they parted hers, bestowing upon her a truly perfect kiss.
19
Failing the Test
The next morning brought several groans into the training room in the lowest level of the great house. They were all there on time, though Liam only just made it. He would have overslept, were it not for Alec pounding on his door for a solid minute to drag his lead feet out of bed. The bags under his eyes did nothing for his usually charming appearance, except to convince everyone that he would definitely need some beautification before his change.
Sam kissed Blue one last time in the hallway before they entered the training room, knowing they’d get no chance when they were on Baird’s time. Her arms wrapped around his neck to link them closer together, and she stood on her toes to brush her lips to his. The kiss was intended to be short, but lasted until a surly Brody interrupted their tender moment with a loud harrumph when he passed by them. “I’m literally going to be sick, guys.”
Baird was in good spirits. He had never lain in such a luxurious bed before. Even in The Way, his long body hung over the edge of his one-size-fits-all cot. Resting on the couch in the hut was no picnic, either, but he made do without complaining, mostly because he knew of nothing else. The moment his head hit the down pillow, his stern demeanor relaxed, and he was lulled to relaxation soon after.
“You remember the order we did everything in yesterday, so get started. Target practice first,” he reminded them, handing the knives to the nearest guy.
Alec was not a whiner, so he kept his aches to himself as he missed the first two bull’s eyes. “You’ve got to find your center of gravity, Alec,” Baird reminded him. Alec poised himself more appropriately, and this time only missed by a couple centimeters – a fact that seemed to please him.
Baird shook his head, his arms fixed across his chest. “Almost killing your enemy means nothing, except that you’re one step closer to being taken down yourself. I want three dead hits from all of you this morning.” He cautioned them to pay attention. Alec’s professional face betrayed none of his frustration at being the weakest link in this training segment. Hitting three perfect marks took eleven more knives, but Baird did not make any scathing remark or berate him.
Brody and Sam were better marksmen, though they still missed a few. Knowing that Baird would eventually demand perfection, none of them drew cheer from doing better than the day before. Instead, they saw the errors as times they would be put on the defensive in a fight.
“Yes, you are. Tell Micah that he should be fired for letting you have your phone when you’re this far gone. Good thing it’s only me you called.”
“Will do, but I’m not with Micah.” Everest laughed, and Sam could picture the black eyes dancing as they often did when the prince of the world was high. Then his merriment melted to alarm, mid-cackle. “Sam, please come get me!”
“Wow. I’ve got to admit, I’m curious now. What are you on?”
Everest’s panic was palpable. “Sam, I’m not kidding! Get down here! He’s holding me hostage! I have to get off this island!”
“You’re not a hostage. You’re supposed to be detoxing.”
“It’ll happen again! They’re force-feeding me blood! You’re the only one I trust, Pan. Help me!”
Sam rolled his eyes at his friend’s flair for the dramatic. “What a horrible life you must lead. When you come back into town, I’ll be sure Josephine doesn’t force-feed you ice cream. I hear that’s like being held hostage, too.”
“Hayden’s gone!” Everest’s voice turned mournful. “That’s why Father Dearest’s given me a break from the torment.”
“Hayden, eh? I’ve not heard mention of this one before. He a new shiny thing you discovered?”
“I’m not sure anything will be shiny again, Pan. If you don’t come get me, I’ll have to take things into my own hands. Scary, that.”
Sam heard Everest taking another puff. “We’ll see you when you get back in town. Cheers, Ever.”
“Good morrow, beautiful boy.”
Sam hung up his phone and shook his head, vowing to shake some real sense into Everest when he saw him next. He reached for his cigarettes on the nightstand and weighed the pack in his hand as he considered their worth. Sliding one out, he lit it and made his way to the window to make his indiscretion less an imposition. He took long drags and coughed as he thought about the eventful day, wishing his girlfriend was related to anyone except for Baird.
“How come you’re still awake?” Blue inquired after she emerged from the bathroom. She was freshly cleaned and smelled of soap and wildflower shampoo. Suzette’s penchant for shopping was never more appreciated than when she came home with seemingly limitless bags of garments for Blue. The matching cotton lavender thick-strapped tank top and pants set made him forget for a second that she could kill him with one hand behind her back. She looked so utterly innocent and feminine, standing awkwardly in front of the hamper she’d just placed her dirty clothes in. While he’d seen far sexier night clothes on many a woman, only her form drew his eyes anymore.
“I can’t sleep without you now. Is that how you planned it?” he teased, taking his last puff and discarding the butt out the window.
He watched her smile as she pulled back the comforter and motioned for him to get in first. From experience, he learned that kissing her cheek right before they climbed into bed together made her too nervous, and she would take half an hour to relax in his arms. If he waited until they were already snuggled up together to press his lips to her soft skin, she could not help but let go of her natural resistance to such closeness.
Hesitantly, she crawled into the large bed after him, warming into his side with growing ease. Each night stripped a noticeable layer of uncertainty away. Now she could drape her arm over his bare chest and draw complicated little designs on his inviting skin as she lay with her head on his shoulder. His tired eyes shut easily, now that she was where she should be. “Goodnight, tesoro,” he breathed, planting a kiss on her forehead.
When he was almost asleep seconds later, Blue commenced her ongoing wrestling match with her confidence, finally permitting the bravery to win out. She was so relieved that the day had not turned disastrous between Sam and her brother, and the high gave her new self-assurance. So lightly that, were Sam not so attuned to her every move he might not have felt it, Blue leaned up and touched her lips to his, bestowing upon the man her very first lover’s kiss.
Every muscle in his body excited at once. Sam’s eyes shot open as he inhaled sharply.
Panic hit Blue like lightning. Her brazen actions tapped on the shoulder of the girl she barely recognized anymore, reigniting the self-imposed distance she so willingly cast aside in his presence. Blue withdrew her arms and twisted so swiftly off the bed that Sam barely had time to make a noise of exclamation. She hit the ground evenly, and scurried under the bed like a silverfish to escape the wrong she’d done. “I’m sorry!” she pleaded, wanting to disappear into the plush carpet from sheer embarrassment. The floor covering mocked her with its luxury, reminding her that she would never belong in a room with someone as amazing as the stunned Vemreaux now sitting alone in the bed above her. “I shouldn’ta done that!” She apologized profusely, her hands flying over her head and pushing it into the soft floor in punishment.
“What just happened?” Sam asked as he hopped out of the bed and cautiously crouched to confirm that his girl was, in fact, hiding under the bed. She looked so pitiful, like a child shielding herself from an imaginary monster. His words came out slowly. “Amoroso, why are you under the bed?”
Blue did not answer, but buried her face as deep as she could to hide her furious blush from him. Her nose hit the base of the carpet fibers, but she still felt exposed. It was worse when she heard the lilt of a grin in Sam’s voice as he tried to speak gently to her. “Blue, it’s okay that you kissed me, you know. You should always do that. Anytime you want.” He reached under the bed frame past the plush covers and cream-colored dust ruffle until his hand found her elbow.
She lifted her head reluctantly and stared at his dazzling face. There was nothing as irresistible to her as his smile of calm experience. Deep down, she knew that he was being sincere, and that she was overreacting. Blue pushed her hair out of her face and extended her hand to touch him hesitantly. Her embarrassment over her actions was too much. Wishing the carpet had swallowed her whole, Blue refused to let him see her face, even as she sat next to him on the floor. She tried to hide her eyes from his, but the insistent finger with faint scars on the knuckles tilted her chin so he could kiss her cheek.
“Listen to me, tesoro.” He spoke low into her skin, forcing her fear to take a back seat to attraction. “Day or night, if you want to kiss me, you do it. I’ll never say no to you, caro mio. Never.”
His bolstering words unfroze her body, but it was his peck on her nose that brought her to ease again. “Okay,” she replied in a whisper. Sam’s eyes narrowed at her meager response, so she revised it. “Okay, I’ll try to believe you.”
Sam scoffed at the affront. His free arm reached across his body and touched the spot where the tattoo caressed him, as if she’d mortally wounded him with her disbelief. “Just stop running from me, alright? If you’re embarrassed or confused about something, do the decent thing and talk to me. It won’t do you any good to hide under the bed from your problems.” He hated the next words that came out of his mouth. “What would your brother say if he saw you cowering like that?” She stiffened next to him, but otherwise did not respond. He pulled her hair back and tucked it behind her peaked ear. “Come on, dolcezza. Let’s get to bed before I say any more stupid stuff.” He reluctantly stood to get into the bed first, claiming the side furthest from the lamp.
The gaping hole next to him was filled a few seconds after Blue debated something in her head. When she cuddled up in his nook, resting her head on his chest and doodling with her finger on his skin, he let out the breath he did not realize he’d been holding. He kissed her forehead, unable to stop himself.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything,” he responded easily.
She pursed her lips while she pondered the best way to go about wording her query. “Um, are you sure it’s me that you want to be with? Maybe it’s just that you think you like me, so you feel you have to be loyal to me or something. Aren’t you used to…you know, prettier Femreaux who are, like, more on your level?” She shook her head into his shoulder. “I’m not ever gonna look like them, you know.”
She could hear Sam grinding his teeth as he chewed back the sarcastic retort that threatened to shatter his newly acquired sensitivity. “I don’t want you to look like them. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I go after what I want, and I’ve been gunning for you pretty hardcore for a while.” He ran his fingers through her hair more to soften himself than her. “And you don’t know what you’re talking about, love. Not all Fems are gorgeous. Most of ’em are just easy. With skirts that short and tops that low, their faces really never mattered much, you know?” he admitted, dragging his fingers down over his mouth and resting his palm on his jaw to tame his tongue. “You’re the one I want. I don’t need you to look like a slutty Femreaux, because that’s not you. I wish you knew how sexy you are, Blue.”
At this, her lively expression contorted into a scowl. Retracting her hand from his chest, Blue held her ribs, rolled onto her side away from him and curled into a ball. Her voice was small, but clearly huffy. “Don’t make fun of me. You know I’ve never done anything like this before.”
His frustration with himself turned into panic after his brain caught on to what she was saying. “What? I’m not making fun of you!” He leaped off of the bed with a groan at his protesting muscles, ran around to her side and knelt down so that his nose was almost touching hers.
Obstinately, she clenched her eyes shut to avoid his earnest stare. “Ragazza carina, don’t you know how beautiful you are? I can barely control myself when we’re together; I want you so much.” His hand touched her cheek and lovingly stroked the skin it hungered after. Her glower lightened to a mere frown of confusion. He searched for a further explanation. “When you look at me like you want me, too, it does things to me. It throws all my rules out the window.” It was all he could do to keep the breath of distance between their faces and not jump atop her and devour her pouty lips right then and there.
“What rules?” Her eyes opened to look curiously into his.
It was his turn to look uncomfortable. “Just stupid rules that I have to keep this from happening.” He motioned his other hand in between them to indicate their intense connection. When it did not seem she would be satisfied with a simple answer, Sam sighed. “You don’t want to know who I was before you. I, uh, wasn’t all that great a guy.”
And there it was. Out in the open for her to examine and throw him in the trash at will. It was no secret that he had changed drastically to be near her, but he had never said it in so many words. One misdeed after another taunted him. He hoped that somehow she could forgive the man he had never tried to be, until he met the one girl worth changing his wanton ways for.
“Okay.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek sweetly, her fog of distance lifting.
Sam cringed and shook his head, hating the one-word non-answer. “You know I can’t stand it when you say that. It’s kind of a big deal to me what’s happening between us. Tell me what you’re really thinking.”
Blue did not speak for an entire minute as she considered his request. Just when he thought he could take the sweltering silence no longer, she unlocked her arms from around her to reach out to his shoulder. Her delicate fingers crawled along his skin until they reached the back of his tensed neck. “Come lay down with me,” she beckoned, tenderly pulling him forward.
Her invitation was more than he could have hoped for. Somberly, he climbed over her and slumped onto his side of the bed, feeling utterly unlovable and beyond forgiveness. “Will you hold me?” she asked quietly, rolling over to face him.
He obliged, anxious to recover some of the closeness he feared might be lost. He closed the bed curtains around them, enveloping everything in deep red, and effectively shutting out the world. His arm wrapped behind her and pulled her to his chest so she could draw her tantalizingly ticklish pictures on his body. It was a true test of endurance at times to keep from squirming or touching her in return. Exercising patience, Sam closed his eyes and breathed in the flowery scent of her damp hair that wet his pillowcase through. Looking up at the heavy crimson bed curtains, he contemplated just how odd it was that he had a girl in a bed and they were both fully clothed. The most risqué thing he could dream of doing in that moment was to kiss the lips he’d been trying so diligently to avoid until the time was right.
“Sam?” Blue interrupted his thought.
“Yeah, baby?” He squeezed her a little closer for good measure.
He could tell that she was drawing some sort of a maze on his chest. “What color were your eyes before you changed?” When the path she was tracing went down a long corridor in her mind, her fingernail dragged lower onto his belly. When her finger circled his navel, he had difficulty recalling his own name as he sucked in his stomach reflexively.
“Uh, green,” he answered, his onyx eyes flickering over at her sapphire ones.
“Hmm.” Blue considered this new piece of information. She leaned up and kissed the corner of his jaw. “That’s pretty much all I’m curious to know about your past. The rest really doesn’t matter to me unless it’s important to you. So long as you’re here now, that’s what counts.”
Sam swallowed, unable to look at her and absorb the compassion and goodness she radiated solely onto him. He cleared his throat and planted another kiss on her forehead. “Okay.”
“You know I hate it when you say that,” she mimicked him as her fingers ghosted over his stomach deviously.
He chuckled and gave in to the squirm. “Okay, then. You really want to know what I’m thinking?” he asked. He was unable to tear his eyes from the heavy red fabric that hung over them, closing them off further from the world. He felt Blue nod into his shoulder, her hand now up toward his clavicle as she drew the front door of The Way. “You sure? Because there’s no going back once I tell you.”
Blue sat up to stare at him with her brow furrowed as she wondered what could possibly be that huge. Slowly, she nodded.
“You asked for it.” Sam sighed, gearing up to say his piece. “I’m in love with you, Blue. Like crazy, no turning back kind of love. Sappy poems and holding doors open like a chump kind of love. Sharing food and holding hands kind of love. Never want anyone else for the rest of my long, pathetic life kind of love.”
Unable to meet her wide eyes after his admission, Sam pulled the pillow out from under his head and shoved it down over his face. He let out several long, frustrated noises at his lame words that fell far short of how he felt, but was still at the furthest edge of what he was capable of confessing.
When he finished taking out his self-loathing on his pillow, Blue pried the item loose from his grip so she could see his face. “We’re not supposed to run from each other, remember?” She kissed both of his shut eyelids delicately as she touched tenderness back into his face. “I love you, Sam.” The moment the words left her lips, she realized how true they were. More than connected, they had somehow become intertwined with each other.
Sam’s hand reached up and cupped her chin, bringing it over to stop in front of his face. Blue ceased breathing as it dawned on her the next step the man in front of her was about to take. “Can I kiss you yet?” Sam’s lips brushed hers with a feather-like touch as he spoke.
Blue made some noise of consent that she later berated herself about for its lack of refinement and dignity. In that moment, she could not bring herself to think past the swell of his luscious lips as they parted hers, bestowing upon her a truly perfect kiss.
19
Failing the Test
The next morning brought several groans into the training room in the lowest level of the great house. They were all there on time, though Liam only just made it. He would have overslept, were it not for Alec pounding on his door for a solid minute to drag his lead feet out of bed. The bags under his eyes did nothing for his usually charming appearance, except to convince everyone that he would definitely need some beautification before his change.
Sam kissed Blue one last time in the hallway before they entered the training room, knowing they’d get no chance when they were on Baird’s time. Her arms wrapped around his neck to link them closer together, and she stood on her toes to brush her lips to his. The kiss was intended to be short, but lasted until a surly Brody interrupted their tender moment with a loud harrumph when he passed by them. “I’m literally going to be sick, guys.”
Baird was in good spirits. He had never lain in such a luxurious bed before. Even in The Way, his long body hung over the edge of his one-size-fits-all cot. Resting on the couch in the hut was no picnic, either, but he made do without complaining, mostly because he knew of nothing else. The moment his head hit the down pillow, his stern demeanor relaxed, and he was lulled to relaxation soon after.
“You remember the order we did everything in yesterday, so get started. Target practice first,” he reminded them, handing the knives to the nearest guy.
Alec was not a whiner, so he kept his aches to himself as he missed the first two bull’s eyes. “You’ve got to find your center of gravity, Alec,” Baird reminded him. Alec poised himself more appropriately, and this time only missed by a couple centimeters – a fact that seemed to please him.
Baird shook his head, his arms fixed across his chest. “Almost killing your enemy means nothing, except that you’re one step closer to being taken down yourself. I want three dead hits from all of you this morning.” He cautioned them to pay attention. Alec’s professional face betrayed none of his frustration at being the weakest link in this training segment. Hitting three perfect marks took eleven more knives, but Baird did not make any scathing remark or berate him.
Brody and Sam were better marksmen, though they still missed a few. Knowing that Baird would eventually demand perfection, none of them drew cheer from doing better than the day before. Instead, they saw the errors as times they would be put on the defensive in a fight.
