Deadshifted (8 page)

Then came a moment when he stopped fighting her and went limp. I could see him accept defeat, tears streaming down his face. And then he looked at me, looking at him—and beyond, to the ocean at my back. I could almost read his thoughts. If he was being made to leave one body of water—so what, when there was a much bigger one nearby? His hand slipped out of hers and he barreled toward the nearest railing, twenty feet away from Claire and me.

CHAPTER NINE

“Claire, hang on.” I trusted her wheelchairing skills to save her as I let go and raced to stop him. It was silly really, he was just a kid, and I was so much bigger. I beat him easily and swooped down to catch him just as Asher had the night before. He barreled into me, let me pick him up, and then tried to climb over me, to use me as a launching ramp to get out to the sea.

“Hey!” I tried to pry him off me while he fought like a monkey to stay on and climb higher. The ship rolled with a wave and I fell to the deck with a yelp, taking Thomas down. He knocked my breath away as he landed on top of me; it was all I could do to breathe and keep him still.

“Thomas!” Liz warned at full volume. He didn’t stop fighting me until she was near enough to cast a shadow over us both, like a passing hawk.

“Woman, restrain your child!” Claire chastised, wheeling over.

“It’s okay—” I let go of Thomas carefully, like passing a baton, only releasing him when I knew Liz had a firm hold.

“It’s not okay. What kind of mother are you?” Claire went on, squinting up at Liz. “Who lets their child do that?”

“Edie?” Asher arrived just as I was managing to stand.

“That monster knocked over your fiancée.” A bony hand emerged from under Claire’s blanket to point at the offending child.

“I’m so sorry. I have no idea what’s gotten into him lately,” Liz said. I could see she was on the brink of tears—and I heard Claire inhale, to give her no quarter.

“It’s fine. Honestly. It’s fine,” I said, trying to cut things off.

Asher looked me over, his eyes dark. “You’re okay, right?”

“Completely.” I gave Liz as warm a smile as I could. It wasn’t her fault that Thomas was unruly; kids his age were just like that. Toddlers were supposed to be scared of strangers and new things—being on a cruise ship must be terrifying for him.

Not to mention his dad being some kind of cold scientist. That had to be rough, on both of them. “I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been there to catch him,” she said, shaking her head, Thomas clutched near.

“He probably would have run into the railing, like a bird into a windowpane, is what,” Claire said.

“Yes, exactly,” Liz agreed, trying to smile us into liking her again. It was working on me. I gave her another smile back, and she seemed fractionally relieved.

But Asher was looming nervously, worried about me. She shied away from him in a skittish-horse kind of way, spinning Thomas to her other hip. “Why don’t you come to dinner with Nathaniel and me tonight? It’s the least I can do.” She asked me, not him.

“Oh, that’s okay—” I began. I felt bad for her, she seemed genuinely nice and a little lonely, but I didn’t want to volunteer to spend my free time with her husband.

“Sure,” Asher butted in, calmly. “What time?”

Liz smiled even more, all of her even white teeth showing. By us accepting, her child’s behavior would be forgiven, and calm would be restored. Something about the way she held herself, her facial expressions, the place she stood—I’d seen this eggshell walk before, and it made my heart bleed a little for her.
Oh, Liz, you’re definitely too good for him.

“Seven. At the, uh, fancy one on the ninth floor,” she said, not willing to try the French.

“Thanks. We’ll see you there,” Asher answered for both of us. Freed to leave, Liz carried Thomas away.

“If I’d had a child, he would never, ever, act like that,” Claire said, and rearranged her blanket carefully back over herself. I didn’t say anything—but I didn’t think I’d ever get to be as freely judgmental as Claire again. In a few years,
that
kid might be
my
kid, no matter how hard I tried. At least Asher wasn’t Nathaniel, though.

Asher was quiet while I pushed Claire back to where Hal was now waiting.

“I can’t believe you conned this nice couple into pushing you around,” Hal said with the kind of over-enunciating that hearing loss sometimes brought on, as if by making himself more clear, the world would return the favor.

“Only the one. Him, I’m not so sure about yet,” Claire said, pointing to Asher, who manufactured a good-natured grin. “Don’t try flirting with me, young man,” she warned. “I’m a taken woman. It will get you nowhere.”

Abashed, Asher laughed and smiled for real.

“That’s better, boy. I can tell when people are faking,” Claire said, and then turned back to me. “Thank you for the lovely walk. See you at dinner soon, I hope.”

“Thanks. You too.” I waved as Hal pulled her away.

The second they were out of earshot, Asher turned to me. “Are you really okay?”

“Honestly. I’m fine.” We walked off the deck and caught the next elevator. As soon as we’d stepped inside, he started touching the arm I’d fallen on, for medical purposes. I hissed, and he frowned deeply.

“You didn’t fracture it, did you?”

“No. It’s just a bruise.” I swung it around to prove to him I still had my full range of motion.

“And … your stomach?” he said tentatively.

“Is currently fine too.” The doors opened, and we walked without talking down the halls until we got to our room. “You’re not going to try anything out again at dinner, are you?”

“Probably not.” I blinked at him, and he half shrugged. “I thought you’d appreciate my honesty, rather than me lying and disappointing you again.”

I stared at him flatly. “You’re a better study of human behavior than that.”

He held his hands up. “Oh, come on, Edie, I was teasing. I won’t touch the man. But there’s no rule against talking to him, is there? I mean, there’s probably a reason his kid keeps running away.”

“I think we’re a little far for a children’s protective services call out here, Asher.” But I had seen that cowed look on Liz’s face. I couldn’t just ignore it.

“Besides, I was just being polite,” Asher went on. “And the opportunity presented itself. I’m an opportunity taker.” He took a step nearer me, as though an opportunity were around. I frowned.

“This is currently not super-sexy.”

He got a devilish gleam in his eye. “What if I told you we were getting married next week?”

I squinted up at him. “I’m listening.”

“On a secluded beach in Hawaii,” he went on, his voice as smooth as a late-night radio host.

“Did it involve bribery?”

“It leaned more toward highway robbery. But it looks beautiful in the pictures they showed me. I didn’t think you’d mind.”

I wrinkled my face in disbelief. “Married on Hawaii. That’s even more frivolous than I’d previously thought.”

“Too late. It’s done. We just have to show up.”

He did look hopeful. He wanted my approval—even if he was still going to take chances. In the end, he was who he was. I wasn’t going to be able to change him.

I sighed. “It’s a good thing you’re handsome.”

“It is, isn’t it?” he agreed. And he leaned in.

*   *   *

Our clothes were off and we were on the floor together in no time. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but I knew how I felt. Our future was barreling down toward us like a bullet flying out of a gun. I was looking forward to it, yes—but I also knew it was going to hit me.

Sex was a way to press
PAUSE
, to stay in the here and now, and now, and now.

The top of Asher’s back was against the side of the couch, and my legs were wrapped around his waist. He was curved up, and I could play my hands down the flatness of his stomach. I could feel his muscles flex when he pushed into me, and I tried to settle deeper into his lap. We hadn’t said a word since we’d started; we didn’t need to.

Then the intercom overhead chimed so loudly I squeaked in surprise.

“This is Captain Ames speaking—”

I stopped what I was doing, although Asher didn’t. He was able to ignore the captain—who was sharing the fact that we were trying to outrun a storm. And while the outbreak of nausea among passengers was directly related our speed, it would be a good idea if we all washed our hands. He started singing the “Happy Birthday” song to show us how long we ought to wash our hands for, by way of demonstration.

I couldn’t help it. I laughed out loud.

“You’d think this would turn you on,” Asher teased. “I know you’re a fan of hand washing.”

“This is the least sexy song on the planet.”

“Then don’t listen to it,” he challenged me, still sliding himself incrementally in and out of me.

“I can’t help it. He’s so loud,” I said over the captain’s singing voice. “Stop it, Asher. You’re perverting ‘Happy Birthday.’”

“So?”

“Is nothing sacred?” I asked him.

A completely wicked look passed over his face. “Never.”

And suddenly he had my full attention again.

CHAPTER TEN

When we were done there was that awkward moment there sometimes is when you realize that you’re human. Like when the clock strikes twelve, or the hourglass runs out—the magic of the moment is gone and suddenly you’re all flesh and bones and silly parts.

“Here.” Asher, oblivious to my existential plight, fished in the pockets of his cast-off jeans. “While I was out, I got this for you.” He held up a gold necklace with a small amethyst pendant dangling from the end.

I reached out for the stone. “Oh, it’s lovely—but why?”

“Because I didn’t think you’d wear a diamond.” He let the necklace fall into my hand. “Even if we can’t have rings—you should have something for the occasion. To prove that I proposed. The two of us will know what it means.” He nudged my hand. “Go on, put it on.”

I fastened it around my neck, and the stone hit at the V of my throat. I felt slightly more magical, even though I was still minus clothes. Asher smiled at me.

“Too bad we have to go out tonight.”

“What?” I’d completely forgotten about our dinner plans. “Oh, no—let’s just stand them up.”

“That would be rude,” he said.

“So? We wouldn’t be the first rude people on vacation.” I wished that Liz’s kid hadn’t run into me today—or that Claire had had functional legs to chase after him, instead.

“Do you really think I’ll misbehave that badly?”

“Yes.”

He gave me a look.

“Not entirely,” I adjusted. “But I know you.”

“I’ll be good. And you need to eat something,” he said, standing up and then offering me a hand. I took it and tried to pull him back down, but he wouldn’t let me. I sighed and let him help me up.

“I can’t imagine what we’ll have to talk about. You’ll ask him about his vasectomy, and I’ll ask her where she gets her teeth bleached, and then where will we be?”

“We can pretend we’re private investigators,” he said, walking over to the closet to flip through hangers.

“Ugh. Please say you’re not suggesting we do role-playing outside the bedroom. Seriously.”

“Okay, I’m not. You just keep her and Thomas busy, and leave him to me.” He pulled out a blue shirt and set it on the bed.

“When you say that, what do you mean precisely?”

“There’s no harm in asking him a few questions, Edie.”

“Uh, yeah, there is. What if he figures things out and remembers you?”

Asher gave me a look. “I’m a shapeshifter. Deceiving people is my forte.”

“But it’s not mine. What if I let something on? What if I act weird and—”

“Then it’ll be different from any other time we go out to dinner how, precisely?” he said, cutting me off.

I stared at him with dagger-eyes. “You are soooooooo funny.”

He chuckled, and then sobered. “Seriously, Edie. It’s important to me. Can’t that just be enough? It would be nice if I could go into my new life with you with a clean conscience.”

“And what if you can’t?” I asked his back as he started picking out a tie.

“Then nothing’s changed, has it?” he said with a too-easy shrug. “Indulge me and my personal curiosity, Edie. Please.”

Which was as close as he might get to admitting to me how much this mattered to him. It was hard to be mad at him while he was naked, too. “All right. But after tonight—promise you’re going to cut it out. If I’m not allowed to worry about the future, you can’t keep chasing down your past. I want the whole rest of this trip to be about us. You, me, and the baby.”

He gave me a beatific smile. “Deal.”

*   *   *

There was no way to hide the bruise on my elbow from the incident that afternoon. But the dress I was wearing was black, so hopefully it matched. The rest of me was cute at least—being on vacation meant having time to do crazy things like blow-dry and curl my hair. It was nice to blow-dry my hair for fun, not so it wouldn’t freeze when I stepped outside.

And Asher was pulled together, as always. We made a dashing pair. If my recently purchased makeup primer packaging was to be believed, we might even stay looking this way all night.

Asher didn’t change until we were alone in the elevator. Not into another person, like I knew he could, reverting to someone he’d touched before he’d been saved, but overall. His shoulders slumped a little, and the way he held his head seemed like it became less sharp and more likely to nod and agree. He pulled at the crisp collar of his suit so that it looked more wrinkled than it was, like it hadn’t been tailored specifically for him.

“Remember, I’m Kevin tonight,” Asher reminded me.

“Got it. Kevin … Private Eye, Kevin,” I agreed, trying to lighten the mood. He smiled and his hand squeezed mine.

Liz was watching for us at the door of the restaurant and flagged us down as soon as we arrived. The décor in here seemed tasteful, at least as far as I could tell from watching HGTV shows. Subdued lighting, muted colors, staff in crisp suits. Lovely exposed beams across the ceiling that any Realtor would have commented on. I was glad I’d tried so hard to dress up nicely; otherwise it would have been more than just my bruised elbow making me feel out of place.