six minutes for my energy to calm back to yellows, yes?”
“Seems about right.”
“How long would it take for you to do it?” I ask.
He shrugs. “You’re getting orange again, so let’s see. Relax. Take slow, easy breaths.”
“We’re doing it now?”
“Shhhh.” His eyes close and his face is serious. His hands hold mine.
I stay steady and calm like he asked, waiting. A warm whoosh of air rushes through me toward him, pushing me up onto my toes. I’m left with a strange feeling, like I’m standing inside an enormous cavern and if I yelled, it would echo. I watch him. The moonlight licks over his face and angled jaw. He looks sexy when he’s serious. Cold air blasts through me, from front to back, and I feel like myself again.
Baron opens his eyes and gazes first around me, then at me. “There. You look normal. For you. How do you feel?”
“Good, I think. Yeah. I feel relaxed.” Actually, I feel like I’ve taken a muscle relaxer. Drowsiness forces my mouth into a yawn.
He grins a little. “You won’t be for long if we stay like this.” He lets go of my hands. “Today’s been overwhelming. We’re both exhausted. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay, but I don’t think I’m going to see you until Sunday morning. I think you guys are going to some concert tomorrow night.”
“We’ll see.” A little smile curves his lips.
“Good luck at your competition.”
“Thanks.” He pulls his necklace over his head. “Take this. You need it more than me.”
“No, I’m not taking your stone.”
“Hahn can give me another. Trust me, take it.” He puts it over my head. The peridot plops against my chest, solid and cool. He tugs me close and holds his soft, warm lips to my forehead. I lean in, craving more, but with an abrupt turn he releases me and gets in his Jeep.
It takes a second to recover from the energy lashing at our hasty separation. I gather my wits and walk inside. Baron waits until I get in to pull away. I slump on the couch and hold the stone, rubbing the flat side with my thumb, grateful to have a part of him with me. The events of the evening swirl through my head.
I hear a car door slam, peek outside and see Jamie One and her girlfriend. I’m not in the mood for small talk, so I bolt to my room before they get to the door.
I toss for a while in bed before I’m able to fall asleep—hours where I can’t stop thinking about my name on Baron’s chest and the symbols, but more than that, how bad I want to kiss him.
•◊ 6 ◊•
BONDED
I awake with a start, gasping, crying out for Nami. As the dream fades, I remember Baron told me my name is Peruvian. I wonder if the brown skinned woman with braids could be Peruvian. I look at my alarm clock and realize I have half an hour to get to work, and bolt out of bed.
“Women’s lit is on aisle four,” I say to the girl at the counter two hours later. She thanks me and walks away.
I’m curious how Baron’s climb went, but haven’t heard from anyone. I turn my attention to my computer, wanting to make use of my time and see if there are any books at my disposal for research. I know Baron said I wouldn’t find anything in books, but it beats just sitting here.
I search ancient Incan tribes and it sends me to several books under archaeology and anthropology. I jot down their titles and, seeing the store is relatively empty, head over to the anthropology section.
I scan the shelves and find one of the books. Flipping to the index I locate the Ts. I find nothing resembling Tabari.
I locate the other two on my list in the archaeology section and take them back to the front counter. One is a large, thick textbook. The other, a smaller paperback with lots of photos. I choose the smaller one first because the entire book is dedicated solely to Incan tribes. I flip to the back and search through the Ts, Baron’s stone dangling from my neck as I slump over the pages. There is nothing. I sigh, frustrated.
My cell phone
“Seems about right.”
“How long would it take for you to do it?” I ask.
He shrugs. “You’re getting orange again, so let’s see. Relax. Take slow, easy breaths.”
“We’re doing it now?”
“Shhhh.” His eyes close and his face is serious. His hands hold mine.
I stay steady and calm like he asked, waiting. A warm whoosh of air rushes through me toward him, pushing me up onto my toes. I’m left with a strange feeling, like I’m standing inside an enormous cavern and if I yelled, it would echo. I watch him. The moonlight licks over his face and angled jaw. He looks sexy when he’s serious. Cold air blasts through me, from front to back, and I feel like myself again.
Baron opens his eyes and gazes first around me, then at me. “There. You look normal. For you. How do you feel?”
“Good, I think. Yeah. I feel relaxed.” Actually, I feel like I’ve taken a muscle relaxer. Drowsiness forces my mouth into a yawn.
He grins a little. “You won’t be for long if we stay like this.” He lets go of my hands. “Today’s been overwhelming. We’re both exhausted. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay, but I don’t think I’m going to see you until Sunday morning. I think you guys are going to some concert tomorrow night.”
“We’ll see.” A little smile curves his lips.
“Good luck at your competition.”
“Thanks.” He pulls his necklace over his head. “Take this. You need it more than me.”
“No, I’m not taking your stone.”
“Hahn can give me another. Trust me, take it.” He puts it over my head. The peridot plops against my chest, solid and cool. He tugs me close and holds his soft, warm lips to my forehead. I lean in, craving more, but with an abrupt turn he releases me and gets in his Jeep.
It takes a second to recover from the energy lashing at our hasty separation. I gather my wits and walk inside. Baron waits until I get in to pull away. I slump on the couch and hold the stone, rubbing the flat side with my thumb, grateful to have a part of him with me. The events of the evening swirl through my head.
I hear a car door slam, peek outside and see Jamie One and her girlfriend. I’m not in the mood for small talk, so I bolt to my room before they get to the door.
I toss for a while in bed before I’m able to fall asleep—hours where I can’t stop thinking about my name on Baron’s chest and the symbols, but more than that, how bad I want to kiss him.
•◊ 6 ◊•
BONDED
I awake with a start, gasping, crying out for Nami. As the dream fades, I remember Baron told me my name is Peruvian. I wonder if the brown skinned woman with braids could be Peruvian. I look at my alarm clock and realize I have half an hour to get to work, and bolt out of bed.
“Women’s lit is on aisle four,” I say to the girl at the counter two hours later. She thanks me and walks away.
I’m curious how Baron’s climb went, but haven’t heard from anyone. I turn my attention to my computer, wanting to make use of my time and see if there are any books at my disposal for research. I know Baron said I wouldn’t find anything in books, but it beats just sitting here.
I search ancient Incan tribes and it sends me to several books under archaeology and anthropology. I jot down their titles and, seeing the store is relatively empty, head over to the anthropology section.
I scan the shelves and find one of the books. Flipping to the index I locate the Ts. I find nothing resembling Tabari.
I locate the other two on my list in the archaeology section and take them back to the front counter. One is a large, thick textbook. The other, a smaller paperback with lots of photos. I choose the smaller one first because the entire book is dedicated solely to Incan tribes. I flip to the back and search through the Ts, Baron’s stone dangling from my neck as I slump over the pages. There is nothing. I sigh, frustrated.
My cell phone
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