MARKED (Hunter Awakened) (10 page)

A couple of years back, I'd seen a small,
family-owned store that made hand-crafted ornaments, and it had
been to there that I'd directed Elias. The look on the elderly
woman's face when I'd gone through the checkout with a full cart
had been priceless. I'd always liked supporting smaller businesses,
and the fact that every single one of these were beautiful just
made it all the more worthwhile.

There had been glass bulbs painted with
intricate designs, landscapes and quotes. Stuffed animals of
various kinds. Snowmen made of everything from glass to cotton to
bells. Reindeer, crosses, stars and snowflakes. Hand-cast plaster
that had been painted by members of the family. Wooden ones carved
by hand. No two were alike.

I might've gone a bit overboard on the
ornaments, I admitted as I thought about the tree, now packed
tightly with everything I'd purchased, but I loved it. When my
parents had hired professionals to re-decorate our tree every year,
I'd been disappointed, but they'd assured me that was how 'real
actors' did it. As I'd gotten older, I'd realized that they'd
wanted everything to look their definition of perfect. I liked the
fact that my tree didn't look like something out of a magazine.

“Miss Rhines.”

I rolled my eyes as I called, “come in.” Even
though we'd spent every day of the past two and a half weeks
together, when we were at work, Elias still insisted on addressing
me formally. I understood that he wanted to keep things
professional, but a lot of bodyguards called their employers by
their first names—Paul, for example. Elias, however, was
different.

Elias stepped inside, shaking off his
umbrella and setting it aside. He stayed just inside the door, his
posture making it clear that he was here in a professional
capacity, despite the fact that even if we hadn't talked about it,
we both knew that things between us weren't strictly business.
While I appreciated his discretion, I still thought it'd be nice
for him, every once in a while, show me that it was as hard for him
to stay that way as it was for me. In our time alone, I'd seen
glimpses of him being vulnerable, but when he was in bodyguard
mode, it was like there wasn't anything else between us. How
serious could his feelings for me be if they were that easy to
hide?

“A section of the roof above the set is
leaking,” he announced without any preamble. “Marcus said to be
ready to report to wardrobe and make-up in ninety minutes for the
Kastigan flashback scene.”

“All right.” I nodded. It made sense. I was
the only one in the scene, so we didn't need as big a space as a
lot of the others and it was mostly just smoke and mirrors.
Literally, smoke and mirrors. It was simple, but it created a
really eerie practical effect for all of the Kastigan flashbacks.
Kastigan was the other dimension where my character had lived
before coming to Earth. It still wasn't clear if she'd been
banished, if she'd run or if her being here was an accident, and I
was as eager as my fans to find out. It also meant that I was going
to have to have full Kastigan costume and make-up, including a wig
of waist-length hair the same color as mine.

“Do you wish to run lines?” Elias asked.

I shook my head. “It's a monologue.”

He hesitated, then asked, “then do you wish
me to go?”

“No,” I said. I wanted him to stay, but I
didn't want him to be in bodyguard mode. He needed to loosen up. My
eyes dropped to the umbrella and I got an idea. He wasn't going to
like it. In fact, I could pretty much guarantee he was going to
hate it, but it was going to happen.

I stood up. “Do you trust me?” I asked.

He gave me a wary look.

I held out my hand. “Do you trust me?” I
repeated.

Slowly, he nodded. “Yes.”

“Then come on.” I squeezed past him, trying
not to think about the way my body responded just because he was
close.

“Miss Rhines,” he started to protest when I
opened the door.

“You said you trusted me.” I stepped outside
into the unseasonably warm rain. I pulled him after me, laughing at
the sound of surprise he made as I didn't wait for an umbrella. I
kept going until we were halfway between my trailer and Bryson's. I
knew that my co-star would be on his phone or laptop, talking to
his boyfriend, so Elias and I were as good as alone. Besides,
Bryson wasn't the type of guy who would care even if he saw us.

I turned towards Elias, twisting my hand
around so that my fingers were threaded through his. Our skin was
already slick with rainwater. He was staring at me, but I couldn't
quite figure out what he was thinking.

“Did you ever play in the rain when you were
a kid?” I asked. When he nodded, I continued. “I never did. My
parents wouldn't let me. I used to watch the rain and wonder what
it was like.” I grinned. “Now, I'm a grown-up and I'll play in the
rain if I want to.”

I dropped his hand and stomped in a nearby
puddle. The water splashed up, soaking what little of my clothing
wasn't already drenched. I was going to be cold soon, I knew, and I
was determined to get as much fun out of this as possible. I jumped
into the next puddle with both feet, laughing in delight as the
water sprayed around me. My hair was plastered to my face, and my
clothes clung to my body, but I didn't care. I jumped in another
puddle, imagining the horror on my parents' faces if they could see
me now.

I looked at Elias and his eyes were wide, his
mouth hanging open in shock. I held out my hands to him. “Come
on.”

“Miss—” He appeared to be completely
flabbergasted.

“You need to loosen up a bit, Elias,” I said.
I motioned with my hands. “Come here.”

He walked towards me, his eyes locked with
mine, as if I was drawing him closer whether he wanted to come or
not. I shivered when his fingers touched mine and it had nothing to
do with the rain. Such a small touch, but it went through me like
nothing I'd felt before. I closed my fingers around his hands and
it was as if a bubble went around us, not one that blocked the
rain, but one that shut out the typical noises of a movie set, one
that allowed us to pretend, even for a short while, that we were
alone.

“I am far too old to be jumping in puddles,”
Elias said, his voice more amused than stern.

“You're only three years older than me,” I
countered. “And you're never too old to do something fun.” I jumped
where I stood, sending some water splashing up on him.

“Teal.” Now he just sounded exasperated, but
he was using my first name, so I was going to count it as a step in
the right direction.

I jumped again, this time ending with a
little kick in his direction. “Come on, Elias, you know you want
to.” I knew I was baiting him, but I wanted some reaction out of
him, anything that broke through that stoic exterior. I kicked
water at him again.

His eyes narrow, the corners of his mouth
twitching. “Teal.” There was a warning in his tone.

“Yes?” The question sounded as innocent as I
could muster. I gave a little hop.

He made a sound like a growl and stamped his
foot. I laughed and began to move around, jumping and stomping
until he had to start moving with me or let go of my hands. I could
see it there, the little boy who wanted to come out and play, the
side of him that had wrapped my garland around me like a scarf. It
was trying to get out, but the surface was so hard to crack. I
dropped one of his hands and the jumping became a dance.

I remembered my dream, how in sync we'd been.
At first, though, Elias didn't seem to know what to do. His
movements were graceful, but there was still an awkwardness about
them, as if he wasn't sure how he was supposed to behave, but he
quickly relaxed, kicking water at me as I leaped from puddle to
puddle. When he laughed, my stomach tightened and I decided that
his laughter was my favorite sound in the world. I let go of his
other hand and cupped my hands in front of me.

They filled quickly and I tossed the water
into the air, laughing as I tipped my head back. I closed my eyes
as the rain beat down on my face. My arms went out and I started to
spin, letting myself get dizzier and dizzier until the ground
beneath my feet grew unsteady.

I stopped spinning, feeling the world sway
around me. Maybe that part hadn't been such a good idea. Then,
suddenly, Elias's arms were around me, holding me steady. I opened
my eyes and he was looking down at me. His eyes were darker than
I'd ever seen them and I could suddenly feel the heat radiating
between our bodies, as if we were generating our own energy, just
by our proximity.

“It is probably not wise to do that.” His
voice was low. “It affects your balance.”

“Yeah.” I was surprised at how breathless I
sounded. “I noticed.”

We remained standing like that for a minute,
my hands pressed against his chest, his arms around my waist. It
was still raining, but I could barely feel it. I didn't notice that
my clothes were clammy and cold, that I had goosebumps all over my
body. What I did feel was the steady thumping of his heart under my
palm. The firmness of his muscles. The way his body pressed a
straight line against mine.

“We should go back inside now,” he said
finally.

I might've imagined it, but I could've sworn
that there was a real reluctance in his voice. It could've just
been me projecting my own. “We don't have to.”

He nodded. “Yes we do.” He raised one hand
while keeping the other around me. His fingers brushed against my
mouth. “Your lips are turning blue.”

That wasn't possible, I knew, because they'd
just caught on fire. Heat blazed from where he'd touched me, flames
licking across my nerves at a near-frantic rate. I wanted more. I
didn't just want his finger to touch my mouth. I wanted his lips on
mine, wanted to feel them move with me. I wanted to taste him, let
our tongues dance together. I wanted to know if he would be gentle,
tender, for that first kiss, or would it be raw and passionate,
fueled by the desire I saw in his eyes.

The smile he gave me said that he knew what I
was thinking, but he didn't act on it. Instead, he lifted me up as
easily as he had Thanksgiving night, and walked us back to the
trailer door. I let him lead me inside, only then realizing how
cold I was. He hurried towards the bathroom while I took off my
shoes. Okay, so maybe that hadn't been the smartest idea, but it
had been well worth it to see him not being so stiff. Also,
fun.

When he came back out of the bathroom with
two large, fluffy towels, I changed my mind about the intelligence
of my plan. Elias's white dress shirt was transparent, clinging to
his muscular chest in a way that left nothing to the imagination.
The pants were also soaked, giving me a pretty good idea of what
was underneath, even with the chill factored in. Then I saw his
eyes widen and I realized that my own long-sleeved tee and sweats
were just as clingy. Judging by the heat that flared in his eyes,
he found my current state as alluring as I found his.

He wrapped one of the towels around me,
wordlessly using one corner to dry my face, then moving up to work
on my hair. I stood still as he used the towel to rub away the
rain, every cell in my body acutely aware of just how close we
were. After a moment, he wrapped the towel tightly around my
shoulders, then took a step back.

“You should change out of those clothes,” he
said, his voice rough. He reached for the other towel, using it to
dry himself off. “There is a robe hanging on the back of your
bathroom door. You should have enough time for the clothing to dry
before you must go to wardrobe and make-up.”

“What about you?” I asked, my own chill
forgotten as I watched the towel move across his body. I could only
imagine what it looked like when he did this without any
clothes...

“I will use the hair dryer to attempt to
speed the process,” he said.

“I meant about your clothes,” I said. “You're
just as wet as I am. You can't stay in those all day like
that.”

“Do not concern yourself with me,” he said.
“Once your clothes are dry and you are back on set, I will find a
way to dry my clothes.”

“Nonsense.” I shook my head. “We'll head over
to wardrobe and make-up now. They'll have something in your size,
I'm sure, and Eliza will have no problem tossing our clothes into a
dryer.” I smiled. “As long as you don't mind having to wear
something weird. I'm not sure what they have in your size. It could
end up being something like a toga.” I made the last part a
tease.

Elias glanced out the window and then back at
me. He nodded and took a step towards me. He was less than a foot
away when he put his towel around my shoulders as well. “The rain
has lessened. If we go now, we should be able to avoid another
downpour.” His hands lingered on my shoulders.

I nodded mutely. I didn't want it to end like
this. It had been one of those movie romance moments. Two people in
the rain, fighting their attraction for one another. Wet clothing
that needed to be peeled off, leaving golden skin glistening. It
had all the hallmarks of turning into one of those
head-in-the-clouds, fireworks-in-the-sky,
wet-for-a-whole-other-reason kisses.

He raised one hand and spread his palm across
my cheek. His thumb brushed across my cheekbone and my heart gave a
funny little skip. All he had to do was lean forward, bend his head
just the slightest bit. My lips parted and my chest tightened. I
didn't want to breathe until he did it.

“We must go,” he said with a sigh.

He took a step backwards and I suppressed the
urge to curse. I'd seen on his face how much he'd wanted it.
Something was holding him back. What was it going to take to get
him to finally make a move?

Chapter Twelve

It was dark in my room, but I could see his
shadow in the doorway. How long he'd been standing there, I didn't
know. Though I couldn't see his features, I could feel the weight
of his eyes on me. I didn't ask when he'd come back and he didn't
offer an explanation. In fact, neither one of us said a word, but I
held out my hand to make sure the invitation was obvious. I could
feel my face growing warm, embarrassed by my boldness, but I didn't
back down.