He nodded. “I have a picnic in my car. My plan was to invite you to a picnic on the beach. I know a great place, but we’ll need to drive there.”
“Alright,” I agreed. I guess I agreed too quickly, because he looked at me slightly suspiciously.
“And you’ll tell me what I need to know?”
“I’ll tell you what you need to know.”
He looked satisfied with that as he stood, shoving a long hand into his pocket. He was really, really big. I craned my neck as I stared up at him.
“How tall are you?”
He smirked as he looked down at me. “6’5”. How tall are you, shortcake?”
I glared up at him. “I only seem short next to you, because you’re a giant. I’m 5’7”, which is perfectly tall for a female.”
I reached past him to pick up my favorite gray cashmere shawl from the arm of the couch, but as I curled my arm around him, he grabbed my fingers. Electricity shot up my arm, branching into my shoulder and down my spine. I stiffened for a moment and then hardened myself against the overwhelming sensations. I was going to have to learn to deal with it without feeling weak- a challenging task.
Brennan closed his eyes for a scant moment, sliding his fingers up to my elbow and back down to my wrist, a whisper soft touch that left a tingling trail behind it. He opened his eyes back up and stared into mine.
“Why does it feel almost orgasmic to touch you?”
I stayed quiet. But he was right. It was almost orgasmic. Picking up my shawl, he wrapped it around my shoulders and then lifted my chin with one finger. He kissed my lips, gently and briefly.
“That’s how I really wanted to say good morning,” he admitted, pulling me to him. The length of his body was long and hard against mine and I found that I wanted to stand here forever, just like this. Leaning forward, I rested my forehead against his chest, feeling the beat of his heart.
What was wrong with me? This was not like me at all. I didn’t need anything or anybody. But I literally felt as though moving away from him would possibly cause me pain. Physical pain and definitely some mental anguish.
Lifting my face, I whispered, “I’ll tell you everything.”
“Wasn’t that already the plan?” he asked softly, tucking a tendril of loose hair behind my ear. I found that I wanted to lean into his hand, but restrained myself. I really, really hated appearing weak.
I nodded. I didn’t bother to tell him that I hadn’t really planned on telling him everything. But now I found that I wanted to, regardless of the consequences. The only way we would get to the bottom of whatever was between us was surely to have complete honesty- a concept that was fairly foreign to me in my current on-the-lam situation.
Gathering every ounce of strength within me, I pulled away from Brennan and stepped out of his radius of warmth. The separation instantly made me feel chilled.
“Okay. Where are we going?” I asked shakily as I grabbed my purse.
“It’s a surprise,” he answered. He sounded stronger than I felt.
Striding past me, he held the door for me – a perfect gentleman. Although he wasn’t touching me, his eyes were locked with mine in a gaze as intimate as a caress.
“Thank you,” I murmured, trying not to inhale as I passed him. I wasn’t exactly sure how far I could trust myself just yet. I wanted to make sure that his soul stayed right where it belonged- inside of his body.
We stepped out into the morning light and quickly walked down the wooden steps that led to my house. The beach was serene this morning, without another soul in sight. The water lapped quietly at the shore, the sea gulls flying in circles overhead. Their cries were the only thing interrupting the silence of the scene surrounding us.
“So, we have to drive to your picnic spot?” I asked curiously as we walked. He nodded.
“Mm-hmm. Do you want to know why?”
I didn’t answer, but stared at him expectantly.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said wryly. “We have to drive there because it’s the best picnic spot in Michigan, maybe even in the world.”
“So, you like to exaggerate,” I observed. “Good to know.”
He laughed. “I’m serious. I’m sure you’ve heard of the Harbor Pointe Hotel. It burned to the ground in the 1920’s, but the ruins are still there on the edge of the lake. People say it’s haunted. I don’t know about that, but it definitely has an intriguing quality about it.”
Oh, perfect. A haunted ruins. Just perfect for a girl who could see ghosts. I quickly suppressed my thoughts and my hesitation, offering him a smile instead.
“Sounds great,” I assured him.
Brennan turned to me and held out his hand, his eyes meeting mine as if it was almost a challenge. I met his gaze and placed my hand in his tanned fingers, soaking in the instant jolting sensations. The more we touched, the more I grew accustomed to it.
And liked it. It was something special and specific to us. It was something that only we shared.
I gulped hard as we continued toward his car- a large black Land Rover type thing. It had big lights on top, large tires and tinted windows. I paused.
“That’s yours?”
He grinned. “Yep. Are you afraid?”
I nodded. “Very.”
“I thought you were never afraid- at least of me?”
I shook my head. “No, I said that I wouldn’t hide from you. There’s a difference.”
He laughed, a husky rich sound that instantly turned my blood warm and made me ache to reach out for him and draw him to me. I pulled away from him, wrapping my arms around my waist instead. He looked at me, puzzled.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I answered. “It’s not you.”
“It’s not you, it’s me?” he asked. “I’m getting a break-up line already?” His handsome face was puzzled. I shook my head.
“No, of course not. Not yet anyway. There has to be a relationship of some sort to constitute a break-up. And there’s nothing between us.”
He sought out my gaze. “Nothing?” His tone was assured because he knew otherwise.
I looked away. There was no need to carry on this conversation. He and I both knew that something was there. There was no need to try and classify it.
He opened the door to his monstrous vehicle and I climbed inside, buckling up. Within minutes, we were cruising along the highway next to the water and I stared outside. The rugged shoreline passed in a blur through my window. And Brennan was right. It didn’t take long to get there.
Before I knew it, we were climbing back out again in a sandy parking lot. I planted my feet and looked around.
“I don’t see any ruins,” I observed. All I could see was an empty beach and the lake. A beautiful view, but no ruins.
He chuckled. “We have to walk a little ways.”
He had a picnic basket in his hand and I gulped. I was sure that he hadn’t packed what I needed to eat. Mortals tended to frown on blood-drinking. Just thinking about that part of my secret made my heart pound erratically in my chest and Brennan turned to me, his expression puzzled.
“What’s wrong?” he asked curiously, concern evident in his voice.
“Nothing,” I quickly assured him. “Why do you ask?”
“Because I can feel that something is wrong. I can’t explain it, so don’t ask me to. But I can feel that you are upset… or nervous… or scared. Or something.”
He searched my face. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” I replied limply. “There’s just a lot about me that you don’t know.”
“But I’d like to,” he answered softly. “Anything that you want to tell me, I want to hear.”
“I doubt that,” I muttered. He turned back to me, his face set determinedly.
“Don’t,” he said. “Don’t doubt it. There’s nothing you can say to me that will scare me away.”
“Again, I doubt that,” I replied. “If you knew everything there was to know about me, you would run away and hide.” I chewed my lip for a second as I thought. “You know,” I mused, “That might not be a bad idea. Over lunch, I’ll tell you everything.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You want me to run away and never see you again?”
I sighed. “No. But I don’t want you to get hurt. Being near me—it could get you hurt.”
He looked at me doubtfully as we walked. “Oh, really? By whom?”
“By any number of people,” I snapped. “But you can begin with me.”
“You’re going to hurt me?” he asked dubiously. “I have to tell you- my heart is a little tougher than that. Do your best.”
Before I could think, before I could even breathe, I blurred into movement, plowing Brennan over and straddling him as I held him to the ground with goddess strength. He squirmed but couldn’t move me and I made a mental note. He hadn’t learned how to tap into his demi-god strength yet. I ignored his astonishment.
“Your heart isn’t what I’m worried about,” I answered softly as I dipped my head and ran my tongue along his bottom lip. As the connection between us practically snapped with electricity, I nipped at his lip lightly, then released my hold on his hands… opting to run my own against his sides lightly. I ached to inhale his soul and I clenched my jaw tightly to prevent it.
Brennan’s breath caught in his throat and he hesitated, perfectly calm with his hands on my back. He didn’t try to get away, he simply lay perfectly still. He remained calm as he gazed trustingly into my eyes.
“I’m not afraid,” he replied. “So, again- give it your best.”
“You don’t want that, trust me,” I whispered as I backed away from him, allowing him to sit up. I scrambled to my feet and offered him a hand. He took it and I pulled him to his feet.
“Maybe I do,” he replied, his voice sexy in its huskiness. “Maybe I’m willing and able to take whatever you’ve got to give.”
I stared at him in confusion. “Are we still talking about me scaring you?”
He laughed and the moment lightened.
Holding out his hand, he asked, “Shall we?”
I realized that we were standing at the foot of a sandy trail that seemed to lead into the trees that lined the bluffs, all of which hugged the shore. There was no one around us- not a single soul. If I walked back there with him, I could very well be putting his life at risk. Would I be able to control myself? It had been the very reason I had wanted to leave my house and go outdoors- to put a buffer between us.
“Well?” he raised an eyebrow. “I won’t bite.”
“But maybe I will,” I muttered, as I put my hand within his.
“Promises, promises,” he grinned. And I had to smile. His sense of humor was as contagious as his bright smile. He had most definitely inherited his father’s legendary charm.
I focused on controlling myself as we followed the winding trail toward the edge of the bluffs. As I concentrated on my internal battle, the scenery around me blended together and my feet moved forward on autopilot. But I knew when we arrived. Besides the stillness and sense of hallowed ground that surrounded us, there were spirits everywhere.