have failed Emotion 101 . ' I see what you do. You slip into rebel goth mode to scare away potential emotional intruders."
"Don't go trying to bare my soul," she snapped, spooked by his perception. "It's so dark it casts a shadow like blood on the moon . ' I think maybe you're so smart be cause you know a little something about hiding. Let he who carries his protective shell for crawling into bare his soul first."
"You're changing the subject. You don't react well to emotion because you don't know how. Has no one ever made you feel anything?"
"Screw you, Aiden McCloud."
"I wish the hell you would. I'm way past due.”
“I have a headache," she said, telling the truth.
" And I've got a bladder like a water balloon."
She bet he did. "I have to go, too. Wait, I'll be right back."
"Like I have a choice. You're special, you know," he called after her.
She scoffed. What the hell was with him? "Yeah, right:' she said.
"I'll just keep telling you until you believe me”
“Cold day in hell, McCloud."
"You can't scare me away."
"The handcuffs and abduction didn't do it for you?" she asked, returning. "I guess if that didn't scare you, you think nothing will, but don't count on it." She held up an empty measuring cup. "Here ya go"
Aiden raised his head. "What the hell is that for?”
“Aim and pee. It's so easy for men."
"I do not pee well in public."
"Don't tell me you're one of those. I took you for the kind of guy who could take a whiz on the side of the highway in plain sight."
"Let me rephrase that . ' I do not pee well while a sexy woman is holding my target."
" And your hose. I'd have to hold that, too, I believe.”
“ Gee," Aiden said. "I wonder how long a jail term you can get for hijacking and abduction? Thanks to your coffee stop audience, there are now witnesses and photographs.”
“ Dragon's blood, are you touchy." She unlocked his an kles and one wrist, but she cuffed the other wrist to her own. "What the hell?" he said getting up. "Oh, it feels good to stretch. You're not coming in there with me "
"I won't watch. We'll stand back to back."
"Fine for now, but it won't work in the morning.”
“ Yeah, yeah" She'd been hoping that by then, he'd be addicted to having her around and wouldn't bolt when she let him loose ... which probably meant that she needed some insurance ... like sex. Fantasmaglorious sex.
In the bathroom, standing back to back, she realized that she'd never found herself in so ludicrous a position, but her giggle seemed to have a direct effect on the sound of running water, as in ... his stream stopped.
"Now see what you did," Aiden said. "You scared the big guy, and he's not done, so now we have to wait for him to come out of hiding. What's so funny?"
"The women at the coffee stop. One wanted to rent you for an hour. They dubbed you the Silver Fox.”
“ Wonderful. Why?"
"They saw your silver boxers, and they think you're a fox. Personally, I don't see it. Anyway, they asked questions about you"
"You didn't answer them?"
"Don't worry. I didn't use our names. I told them a pack of lies about paying you to be my traveling sex slave.”
“ Storm!"
"You're never gonna pee if you don't calm down"
Aiden took a deep breath and told her in boring, step- by-step detail how to go about restoring a great work of art, never mind that she'd already watched him do an everlasting restoration on a wall mural at the castle.
"Great lesson," she said. "But, duh, why?"
"To get my mind off you behind me or to get my mind off your behind. Either way, you're a distraction. I can't keep the big guy on task if we're thinking about you naked back there."
"I'm not naked. I'm wrapped in a blanket, mostly.”
“Yeah, and I'm dressed, mostly."
When she got him back to the bedroom, Storm tried to cuff him again. The first arm was easy, because she was cuffed to it. But catching his ankles was like chasing a greased pig, and she didn't appreciate him being so heartily entertained while
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