6. Rena #3
“What?” Chance asked, his hand tightening on my knee.
“Do you think anything will happen?” I asked, looking out the tinted windows.
“Rena, look at me,” he replied in a tone I’d never heard from him before. When I met his eyes, he smiled, just a little. “If I thought anything would happen, we wouldn’t be going back to your house. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay,” I said, unconvinced.
“Beau sure as fuck wouldn’t be bringing Reese either,” he pointed out. “We’ll be cautious, but there’s no reason to think that we’ll have any problems.”
I nodded.
“Plus,” Reese said, looking over her shoulder at me. “They’re kind of badass, so even if something happened, they’d handle it.”
I scoffed. “I’d rather nothing happened.”
“Trust me, yeah?” Chance said, holding my gaze.
I nodded. Strangely, I did trust him.
By the time we got to my house and I’d let us inside, I was so ready to be home.
Even though I knew we’d only be there long enough for me to pack a bag, I still relished being surrounded by my own things.
It had been a confusing and overwhelming twenty-four hours, and there was comfort in the familiarity of home.
“Not how I pictured it,” Chance said as he looked around my living room.
“Why? What’s wrong with it?” I asked, looking around.
My couch was overstuffed and comfortable.
My coffee table and end tables were thrifted, but they matched and they were in really good shape.
The throw blanket I’d tossed over the arm of the chair was a little crazy looking, but I’d used scrap yarn to make it, and I thought it added a little bit of charm to the room.
“Nothing,” he said. “You need help getting packed?”
“No,” I replied, hurrying toward my room. “Just make yourself at home for a few minutes.”
Reese followed me, but I paused halfway down the hall and turned to face the Vampires in my living room. “Not you, Flu! You don’t get to sit on my couch!”
“I just drove you all the way here,” he complained as Reese smirked.
“Don’t care,” I called back, turning back around.
It didn’t take long to pack up some clothes, toiletries, and my blanket, but I was struck with analysis paralysis when I stopped at my desk and tried to decide whether I should grab my laptop.
I couldn’t really afford to take a lot of time off, and I wasn’t sure how long I’d be staying with the Bouchers. On the other hand, I was a few weeks ahead, and I couldn’t imagine being able to concentrate on work when everything was in chaos.
“Don’t bother,” Reese said, stuffing a pair of shoes into the front pocket of my suitcase. “Trust me, you won’t have the bandwidth.”
“I’m the boss. I can’t just disappear.” I swiped my hand over my forehead, wiping off the sweat there. The heat was becoming a real nuisance.
“So email everyone from your phone and tell them there’s a family emergency and you’ll be out for the week. It’s not a lie.”
“It’s not the truth, either.”
“I’m your family,” she said with a shrug. “And if this shit isn’t an emergency, I’m not sure what would qualify. I even told Mr. Miranda and Noah to steer clear for a while after Danny called, all freaked out. We’re at DEFCON 1.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” I said, turning away from the laptop.
“Plus, if you and Chance break the seal, you guys won’t come up for air for a while anyway.”
“True,” Chance called from the living room.
“Earplugs,” I called back to him.
“You get everything you need?” Reese asked as she lifted my suitcase from the bed. “Coat?”
“Hall closet,” I replied. I let her roll the bag to the living room and stopped in the laundry alcove to make sure I hadn’t left anything in the washing machine by accident. I’d just made sure I’d turned off every light when Chance came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“You almost ready?”
“Am I taking too long?” I asked worriedly.
“No, but I figure if I feel like this, you probably feel worse,” he replied.
“It’s bad for you too?” I asked, turning to face him.
“Like I’ve got fire ants under my skin and they’re trying to dig their way out.”
“That’s a visual I would’ve preferred not to have.”
“No shit,” he said, leaning in until our foreheads were pressed together. “It’s not so bad when I’m touching you, though.”
“Yeah, same.” Raising my hands, I set them on each side of his neck, above the collar of his shirt. Neither of us had worn coats since the heat had provided plenty of warmth.
“Fuck,” he groaned, his eyes drifting shut. “That feels good.”
“Reese and Beau are waiting for us,” I reminded him.
“Who the fuck cares?” he replied. His nose bumped mine as he nuzzled closer, and every inch of my body felt electrified when the warmth of his breath whispered across my lips.
He stopped just short of kissing me, his mouth so close I could almost taste it.
“Yes?” he asked, his fingers tightening on my hips.
I lifted onto my toes and closed the distance between our mouths, completely unaware of just how quickly things would change once I’d crossed that line.
Kissing him was like jumping into a cold pool after a hot day.
Shocking. Soothing. Weightless.
Nothing else mattered.