Xena in the flesh: all curves, all the time.
“You’re new around here,” she said, and they both laughed. Hers was light and airy. “I’m Jen.”
“Theo,” he said, and glanced down to look at her feet. She wore sandals and some sexy bracelet around her ankle. Jen looked to be in her mid-twenties, which technically put her about fifty years younger than Theo. But who was counting? She certainly wasn’t. Not the way she was looking at him.
“Where did you come from?” Jen asked, bending over to pick a strawberry.
Theo wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or not, but she bent away from him and he got a very nice view of her round behind; perhaps a little too much of a view to be strictly proper because those shorts were really short. He held back a smile. Not that he was complaining.
After all . . .
It hit him then, like the proverbial ton of bricks: he could look; he could appreciate and flirt. He could do a hell of a lot more than that now, couldn’t he?—and without feeling guilty as if he were betraying Sage.
Because she hadn’t chosen him. And there was no chance of them ever being together.
Not that there’d ever been anything to betray. At least, as far as she was concerned. But he’d been—hell, he supposed he still was—in love with her. And when that happened, there was no one else.
But now he was free to consider—and appreciate—other opportunities.
With that thought settling firmly in his mind, even as he tried to ignore the empty scraping in his chest, Theo tested out a warm smile on Jen. “I’m from Envy, and I’m not quite sure how I got here. I just know Sam brought me to Selena.”
Jen’s eyes traveled over him and back up. “Well, you don’t look too sick to me.” She smiled and . . . Sheesh, was that a little flicker of tongue over her top lip? Just enough to get his attention, but not enough to be crude. “You look just fine. To me.”
Theo met her eyes just long enough to let her know he read her loud and clear, then pulled his gaze away. It still felt odd, but he’d get over it. In fact, maybe this was exactly what he needed. A little diversion.
Then her eyes widened in horror and she clapped a hand to her mouth. “Oh. Oh no. Are you . . . do you know one of Selena’s patients?” She looked as if she’d just walked into a pile of something messy. “Like . . . is someone you know dying?”
“No,” Theo replied, trying to hide a smile. “I don’t know anyone here.”
She frowned, and he didn’t think it was wholly because of the sun in her eyes. “So you were here to see Selena? Or Cath? I mean. You don’t look like you’re dying. Are you? I mean . . .” She gave up and sort of shrugged. “People only see Selena when they’re dying.”
For some reason, Theo didn’t want to say that he’d just been brought back to life. Might put a damper on things if the girl thought he’d been dead. Unless she was into those vampire books that had been all the rage back before, and undeadness didn’t bother her. The ones in which the guy looked about her age but was really a hundred and twenty years old.
Kinda like him.
“I’m perfectly healthy,” he replied.
“You sure look like it,” she said, perhaps unaware that she’d just made the same observation moments earlier. “That’s a bang-ass tattoo on your arm.”
Theo smiled back and let a little heat into his gaze. It felt good. It had been a long while since he’d done that. “Her name is Scarlett. I’ve got a blue one on my back I call Rhett.”
Jen looked at him blankly.
“You gonna stand around all day, or you gonna do your job?”
Theo and Jen turned to see Frank standing there, holding a clump of weeds dripping dirt from their roots.
“Oh, right,” Jen said, and adjusted the hem of her shirt by pulling it down tighter over her breasts. “I better go see if Selena needs me today? Maybe I’ll see you later tonight? In Yellow Mountain? For the storytelling?”
That was three
“You’re new around here,” she said, and they both laughed. Hers was light and airy. “I’m Jen.”
“Theo,” he said, and glanced down to look at her feet. She wore sandals and some sexy bracelet around her ankle. Jen looked to be in her mid-twenties, which technically put her about fifty years younger than Theo. But who was counting? She certainly wasn’t. Not the way she was looking at him.
“Where did you come from?” Jen asked, bending over to pick a strawberry.
Theo wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or not, but she bent away from him and he got a very nice view of her round behind; perhaps a little too much of a view to be strictly proper because those shorts were really short. He held back a smile. Not that he was complaining.
After all . . .
It hit him then, like the proverbial ton of bricks: he could look; he could appreciate and flirt. He could do a hell of a lot more than that now, couldn’t he?—and without feeling guilty as if he were betraying Sage.
Because she hadn’t chosen him. And there was no chance of them ever being together.
Not that there’d ever been anything to betray. At least, as far as she was concerned. But he’d been—hell, he supposed he still was—in love with her. And when that happened, there was no one else.
But now he was free to consider—and appreciate—other opportunities.
With that thought settling firmly in his mind, even as he tried to ignore the empty scraping in his chest, Theo tested out a warm smile on Jen. “I’m from Envy, and I’m not quite sure how I got here. I just know Sam brought me to Selena.”
Jen’s eyes traveled over him and back up. “Well, you don’t look too sick to me.” She smiled and . . . Sheesh, was that a little flicker of tongue over her top lip? Just enough to get his attention, but not enough to be crude. “You look just fine. To me.”
Theo met her eyes just long enough to let her know he read her loud and clear, then pulled his gaze away. It still felt odd, but he’d get over it. In fact, maybe this was exactly what he needed. A little diversion.
Then her eyes widened in horror and she clapped a hand to her mouth. “Oh. Oh no. Are you . . . do you know one of Selena’s patients?” She looked as if she’d just walked into a pile of something messy. “Like . . . is someone you know dying?”
“No,” Theo replied, trying to hide a smile. “I don’t know anyone here.”
She frowned, and he didn’t think it was wholly because of the sun in her eyes. “So you were here to see Selena? Or Cath? I mean. You don’t look like you’re dying. Are you? I mean . . .” She gave up and sort of shrugged. “People only see Selena when they’re dying.”
For some reason, Theo didn’t want to say that he’d just been brought back to life. Might put a damper on things if the girl thought he’d been dead. Unless she was into those vampire books that had been all the rage back before, and undeadness didn’t bother her. The ones in which the guy looked about her age but was really a hundred and twenty years old.
Kinda like him.
“I’m perfectly healthy,” he replied.
“You sure look like it,” she said, perhaps unaware that she’d just made the same observation moments earlier. “That’s a bang-ass tattoo on your arm.”
Theo smiled back and let a little heat into his gaze. It felt good. It had been a long while since he’d done that. “Her name is Scarlett. I’ve got a blue one on my back I call Rhett.”
Jen looked at him blankly.
“You gonna stand around all day, or you gonna do your job?”
Theo and Jen turned to see Frank standing there, holding a clump of weeds dripping dirt from their roots.
“Oh, right,” Jen said, and adjusted the hem of her shirt by pulling it down tighter over her breasts. “I better go see if Selena needs me today? Maybe I’ll see you later tonight? In Yellow Mountain? For the storytelling?”
That was three
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