No Time to Cry (Nine While Nine Legacy Book 1) (29 page)

~ Chapter Twenty-Eight ~

Brom Tom wouldn’t stay in the courtyard. I took him
back there three times before giving up and letting him follow me to the pub,
Na Sciath Snug. Okay, he more like walked with me, right next to me all the
way.

Strange cat. I
was worried he might get hit, but he stayed sheltered to my left, in the
shadows of the evening, and to the lawns and gardens of the homes along the
way.

“You can’t go
in. You have to wait over in the garden. Over there.” I pointed away to the
picturesque little area just off from the sidewalk that featured a pretty
little wishing well. Oh my gods, I was talking to the cat like he could
understand me. “Oh, just stay here. I have to go.”

I went straight
back to the snug in which I’d enjoyed a tucked-away dinner with Gideon two
weeks before. I had made myself late by trying to get Brom Tom to stay home, so
the only space left to sit was to Gideon’s left, the other side of the booth
was taken. Erin was running behind also, so the meeting had yet to begin…lucked
out there! I ordered a Guinness to match the others.

Gideon was deep
in a discussion with Michael, who sat on the other side of him. I never tired
of his voice. I pretended to be reading on my tablet and just listened to him
speaking with Michael. I loved the cadence of his voice, the deep, yet soft
timbre, the soft rumbly edge. It could be tender and gentle; it could be fierce
and dangerous. I could lose myself in his words—I often did, especially when
they were speaking that language, entire conversations in that language— just
soaking in the melody of his voice.

I tried not to
look at Gideon, flashes of that amazing dream refused to quit swimming through
my mind.

The way he’d
pulled me from Eyvindur and onto him, the way his hands had plunged into my
hair and dragged my face to his, my mouth to his.

Thank gods my
beer was cold.

Erin arrived and
wiggled in next to me, pushing me closer to Gideon.

She didn’t
notice. She burst into immediate jovial conversation with Liam, Halah and
Nicklaus right after giving me a big hug.

Now I was left,
shoulder pressed to shoulder with Gideon. Thigh pressed to thigh…leaving me too
much in the breathless-heart-racing zone.

This was not
helping make the sultry memories fade any.

He stayed that
way while he finished his discussion with Michael, not budging an inch.

Was he
completely oblivious? Because I sure wish I could be. I almost felt like
laughing… it reminded me so much of the time with that boy, the ‘first kiss’
boy I’d told him about. At lunch after his ballgame we had sat this close at
the picnic table. Our legs pressed together under the table, accidentally
brushing our hands and arms against the other person every chance we got,
playing it outwardly cool, when both of us—hormones firing like crazy, heat
radiating off of our bodies like a sunburn—couldn’t wait to collide together
unhindered by the on looking eyes of our friends..

He looked at me
with an expression I wasn’t sure how to interpret. His eyes were fiery in that
passion infused way, but his face was rigid, firm, conveying something
different, it was almost… irritated?

I attempted to
move over, away from him…my ego more than just a bit bruised. He managed to
shift over to his right enough to separate us. Well, if I was so annoying, he
should have just done that to begin with.

I turned my face
from him. He was too confusing. And the dreams I’d been having about him didn’t
help matters one iota.

“I called a
meeting early to pass out your schedules for the next two days.” He turned the
pages in his small planner, removing six pages and dealing them out to us.
“I’ll be away again for two days at the most. I’ll take it that I don’t need to
remind anyone to do their jobs in a timely manner. And behave yourselves after
hours.” He looked at Liam.

Well, what do
you know, for a change it wasn’t pointed at me. Nice change.

“And you…”

Spoke too soon?

As he moved to
look at me his thigh touched mine again. Such torture. “Try to stay out of
trouble.”

I rolled my
eyes.

Erin excused
herself, freeing up more space and I took advantage of that. I didn’t need him
noticing that my breathing was faster than normal. I downed the last of my ale,
as Nicklaus rushed off to catch up with Erin. They were working together
tomorrow. I hadn’t had to do that yet, pair up with the
B
reithiúnas
. I had thought
from the beginning that would be a tough one.

“Well, I’m out
too.” I slid out of the booth and said my goodbyes.

I had only
gotten as far as the end of the walk when Liam caught up to me.

“Hey…are you
alright. You seem agitated. Is it because of Serena?”

Agitated? I
would have gone with frazzled before agitated. “What? No.” I shook my head. “I
told you, I’m fine. Whatever.” I waved his thought away. My head was swimming
with Gideon…not Liam now.

“Is it because
he’s leaving again?”

“What are you
talking about?”

“Gideon leaving.
He just got back and now he’s taking off again already.”

“Why would I
care? Are you worried I might miss him being mad at me or I might miss him
telling me what I can’t do?

He shrugged.
”He’s meeting with Deimari, our
Roghnú
.”

My smile faded, my
laughter drained away from me. The Roghnú. The one that delivered the death
notices, my death notice.

“Why?”

“Don’t know for
certain. They’ve had such an odd relationship for so long now though.” He
shrugged. “He’s always been so private about it. And now to be away two days
with her...”

He watched me,
as if waiting for a reaction. Well…I didn’t have one for him.

I swallowed a
down the lump that was forming in my throat, I had a bad feeling.

Did Gideon have
something going on with the Roghnú? Did he
want
something going on with
her? That would just be great. The one who had delivered my death notice might
be involved with Gideon. I felt like laughing. Not one of humor, but irony
instead. You know, that ‘doesn’t it just figure, that’s so
effed
up’ kind of laugh.

I sighed
instead. “I just have other things to do tonight.”

He eyed me
warily. “The other night it just seemed like you…” He shook his head. “Like
he…the way you were looking at him. It’s bad enough I’ve had to hurt you. I
don’t want to see it from him too. Deimari…she strings him along. You shouldn’t
have to go through it with him as well. I thought you should know. Just in
case.”

“There’s nothing
to worry about. There are no feelings there. Really, I’m going straight home to
write.” I poked at him. I’m pretty sure he was on his way to see Serena, so why
shouldn’t I do something that might irk him?

“Is there a
problem?” Gideon cut in just as Liam was giving me that disapproving, warning
look of his.

“Liam, why don’t
you go on ahead, be on your way. I assume you have a girl waiting?”

Ouch.

Gideon looked at
me when he’d said those words. So not cool. He didn’t look at Liam as he left
us, but kept his sight locked on me instead.

Was he waiting
for me to break down in tears or something else equally dramatic?

“So, is there a
problem?”

“Not that I’m
aware of.”

‘We never got to
finish our conversation about your writing.”

“What’s to say?
I’m a writer. I write.”

“The topic,
Draghail. The topic is the problem.” He moved closer to me, keeping his voice
low as he spoke.

“Fiction Gideon.
It’s all fiction and fantasy.” Why-oh-why did I have to react to him the way I
do? Why did my body and brain insist on defying me? I could feel his hands
tangled in my hair, his arm around my waist. It was so distracting when I was
trying to be distant. “They’re just dreams Gideon, dreams from a long time ago,
and dreams I’m having now. No big deal.”

I told him
everything, more or less, that I’d already told Liam, the contents of the notes
on my flash drive and what I was writing about. I told him to feel free to go
to the website and read it. “Not my fault if my dreams from five years ago
turned out to be reality.”

“I have to
advise you this is most likely not a wise choice.”

“Maybe it’s not.
Maybe it’s therapeutic.” I shrugged. “I need something to balance out all of
this…”.” I threw my hands up. “…death.”

The wind caught
my hair and played in it. It drew my attention away from Gideon. I heard it in
the trees all around us. I closed my eyes and listened…heard it in a language I
didn’t comprehend with my brain, but with my mhésen. It whispered to me, it
wanted me to play.

I opened my eyes
to find Gideon closer to me, watching me carefully.

“Draghail,” he
purred deeply in his throat, stirring awake that
something
in me
.
I
felt my skin ripple with it. And I knew it was time to run, before it surfaced.
Before my legs could go weak and I couldn’t move.

All I could
think of is the way he dragged me off Eyvindur, and claimed that kiss. Claimed
something in me.

I backed away
from him, looking up at the sky, the light sprinkle of a beginning rain, the
nearly full moon peeking from behind parting clouds in the dark sky.

“
Gonna
go now Gideon.” I said, still looking up.

“Let me drive
you,” He offered, stepping closer still. I kept backing away. The wind, the
rain, the moon were, beckoning me. My spirit soared and I felt the
glimmering
rising towards the surface. After the night at Allegory I didn’t think it
was the wisest thing to let him see it. In addition, my back itched, tingled,
felt kind of razed …all very similar to the tattoo.

“Thanks, nah,
I’m just around the corner.” I smiled, tilted my head, gazing at him. ‘It’s a
good night for dancing in the rain.”

I spun, my face
turned up to the increasing drizzle. I could feel that radiant power within me
wanting released, but I restrained it. It would only pull me closer to Gideon
and that was treading waters that were too dangerous for my heart to traverse
right then. I didn’t want to feel anything for someone that had a ‘thing’ for
someone else. I didn’t need any more complications. I’d gotten over Liam…I
would get over Gideon.

I stopped
spinning and met his eyes. There was something there. It had replaced that
awful, much dreaded, reproachful look he’d had. Is it wonder? Mixed with puzzlement?
A smile, a very tiny hidden smile threatened to escape his lips. Those lips.
Why was he looking at me like that if he had interests in another woman?

My power taunted
me, telling me to go to him, claim him right back. But I wouldn’t. I grinned,
my cat-that-ate-the-canary smile. “Behind those clouds is a moon nearly full. I
wouldn’t miss being out in this for anything. It’s wild and free.”

An image of me
firmly in his arms, out in the woods, under this moon, captive to his kisses
and desire, surged through my mind, making me pause momentarily.

I pushed it
away, pretending it was not there, smiled, and laughed. I took two spins with
my arms raised in the air, then ran my hands through my rebellious and loose
long curls, and danced away down the sidewalk, waving to him.

“See you soon
Gideon.” I turned away, kicking fallen leaves on the sidewalk playfully.

 Feeling
the moon, the wind, and the night all through me.

Feeling his eyes
on my retreating figure.

Which made me
smile even more.