believe it yet himself, but hearing someone say it made it seem possible. So much of his body was close to mine, I grew warm from the outside in, from skin to muscle to bone, like every night I’d fallen asleep with my head on his chest. His fingers threaded through the ends of my hair, and the close-by rhythm of his breath was as familiar as well-worn jeans. The last of my composure fell away like melting ice.
“Oh, God, I was so scared.” I broke open, sobbing into the thin white cotton of his undershirt. “I thought I’d never see her again.”
Shane turned my face up toward his and wiped the tears across my cheeks with his thumbs. “It’s okay, Cassie. She’s safe now.”
And he leaned down and kissed me.
Tears streamed down my face, hot and stinging, but I opened my mouth on his and let the taste of him mix with the salt. He brushed my jaw with his fingers and pulled me closer, deepening the kiss, his tongue touching the roof of my mouth.
“ Cassie ,” he said, his voice a whisper in my head. I couldn’t speak, so I just leaned closer, pressing against him. My fear didn’t so much recede as grow tame, and as Shane kissed me, it seemed to me that things would be all right, that Mina would wake up and we could all go back to the way we were before I’d left. I slid my hands over his shoulders to the back of his neck, drawing him closer and tilting my head to fit my mouth to his. He murmured something unintelligible in response, but his meaning was clear enough from the swirl of images in his head. Before I even processed what he was asking me, I was saying yes.
Shane curved an arm under my knees and stood, lifting me up, his mouth still on mine. I hardly noticed as he walked up the stairs, but I felt it when he used his mind to swing the door to his room open. He walked in and set me on the edge of his bed.
“Cass,” he said softly. “Are you—”
I put my hand up to his mouth. “Don’t talk,” I said, and I took off my shirt. We were about to make things a hundred times more complicated, but I didn’t care. Shane got onto the bed one knee at a time, straddling my legs, and I pulled his shirt over his head and pressed my hands against the hard muscles of his chest. His mouth came down to my neck, and I shuddered at the feel of his warm tongue on the hollow of my throat, at the way my body remembered his.
“ Are you sure? ” His voice rang in my head like organ music as his hand grasped my waist. The calluses and cracks on the pads of his fingers, built up from years of working on cars at Charlie’s, scraped my skin and made me tremble. “ I have to know. ” He threaded his other hand through my hair and cupped my skull, tipping my head back so he could kiss my jaw.
My heart was pounding and I could only moan in response. His hands on my body, his lips on my skin—all I could think was “ More. ”
“ I have to hear you say it. ”
I was about to find my voice, to tell him yes, now, when his cell phone, still in his pocket, vibrated against my leg.
We both realized at the same time who was probably calling. Shane jumped up and yanked his phone out of his pocket so fast it flew across the room. I dove for it, but he was already lifting it up with his mind, and it soared toward him and opened in midair.
“Hello? Uncle Lionel?” He paused, listening, his eyes closed. “Thank God. Thank God. Okay. See you soon.”
He flipped the phone closed. “She’s awake. She’s all right.”
Chapter Six
Shane slammed a stack of dirty plates into the sink. “This is ridiculous. I can’t believe we’re even talking about it.” His voice was quiet. Even Bruce could probably tell how furious he was.
“You’re the ridiculous one. Don’t you want to figure out what happened?” Mina gestured with her coffee mug, and café au lait sloshed out and onto the floor. “Sorry, Uncle Lionel.” She bent to wipe it up.
I exchanged a glance with Bruce. The two of us were staying out of
“Oh, God, I was so scared.” I broke open, sobbing into the thin white cotton of his undershirt. “I thought I’d never see her again.”
Shane turned my face up toward his and wiped the tears across my cheeks with his thumbs. “It’s okay, Cassie. She’s safe now.”
And he leaned down and kissed me.
Tears streamed down my face, hot and stinging, but I opened my mouth on his and let the taste of him mix with the salt. He brushed my jaw with his fingers and pulled me closer, deepening the kiss, his tongue touching the roof of my mouth.
“ Cassie ,” he said, his voice a whisper in my head. I couldn’t speak, so I just leaned closer, pressing against him. My fear didn’t so much recede as grow tame, and as Shane kissed me, it seemed to me that things would be all right, that Mina would wake up and we could all go back to the way we were before I’d left. I slid my hands over his shoulders to the back of his neck, drawing him closer and tilting my head to fit my mouth to his. He murmured something unintelligible in response, but his meaning was clear enough from the swirl of images in his head. Before I even processed what he was asking me, I was saying yes.
Shane curved an arm under my knees and stood, lifting me up, his mouth still on mine. I hardly noticed as he walked up the stairs, but I felt it when he used his mind to swing the door to his room open. He walked in and set me on the edge of his bed.
“Cass,” he said softly. “Are you—”
I put my hand up to his mouth. “Don’t talk,” I said, and I took off my shirt. We were about to make things a hundred times more complicated, but I didn’t care. Shane got onto the bed one knee at a time, straddling my legs, and I pulled his shirt over his head and pressed my hands against the hard muscles of his chest. His mouth came down to my neck, and I shuddered at the feel of his warm tongue on the hollow of my throat, at the way my body remembered his.
“ Are you sure? ” His voice rang in my head like organ music as his hand grasped my waist. The calluses and cracks on the pads of his fingers, built up from years of working on cars at Charlie’s, scraped my skin and made me tremble. “ I have to know. ” He threaded his other hand through my hair and cupped my skull, tipping my head back so he could kiss my jaw.
My heart was pounding and I could only moan in response. His hands on my body, his lips on my skin—all I could think was “ More. ”
“ I have to hear you say it. ”
I was about to find my voice, to tell him yes, now, when his cell phone, still in his pocket, vibrated against my leg.
We both realized at the same time who was probably calling. Shane jumped up and yanked his phone out of his pocket so fast it flew across the room. I dove for it, but he was already lifting it up with his mind, and it soared toward him and opened in midair.
“Hello? Uncle Lionel?” He paused, listening, his eyes closed. “Thank God. Thank God. Okay. See you soon.”
He flipped the phone closed. “She’s awake. She’s all right.”
Chapter Six
Shane slammed a stack of dirty plates into the sink. “This is ridiculous. I can’t believe we’re even talking about it.” His voice was quiet. Even Bruce could probably tell how furious he was.
“You’re the ridiculous one. Don’t you want to figure out what happened?” Mina gestured with her coffee mug, and café au lait sloshed out and onto the floor. “Sorry, Uncle Lionel.” She bent to wipe it up.
I exchanged a glance with Bruce. The two of us were staying out of
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