A Season in Gemini, Intro (4 page)

She knew that she needed to do some damage control if she wanted to have dinner with the sexiest man who’d ever crossed her path. So she cut him off before he could
finish that sentence.

“
I’m looking forward to the best Mexican food in Texas. And I’m holding you to the claim. How far is it?”

Brant looked like he was thrown off his game for a minute. “Uh… it’s only five minutes away. Just down the hill and to the right.”

She gave him her most dazzling smile. “Good. I’m starved.”

It only took Brant a second to decide
whether he wanted to be indignant or happy.

“
After you.” He motioned to the door and that time the smile did reach his eyes.

“
Oh my God,” she gushed. “
What do you call this again?”

He chuckled. “Chimichanga.”

She’d eaten an entire basket of chips and salsa before the real food ever arrived. And downed a large frozen Margarita. When Brant had learned that she’d never had Mexican food before, he’d ordered two different combination plates so that she could try some of everything. And
everything
got rave reviews.

“
This place is a
find
,” she said with her mouth still full.

“
Well, Chuy’s is not exactly a secret around here. Lots of people have already found it.”

“
Smart, smart people,” she said
seriously as she took a bite of a chile con queso stuffed hatch pepper. “Oh my God. This is the best thing yet.”

He laughed. “You’ve said that about everything you’ve tasted.”

“
Here!” She held the rest of the pepper out to him
. He obediently opened his mouth and let her feed him from her hand. He chewed with amusement, enjoying witnessing her rapture. “Well?!” He shrugged. “Oh come on. You know this is the
best
food anybody ever ate.”

“
Glad you approve.”

“
I’m having another Margarita.”

He made a face.
“How can you stand it? Tequila tastes like shit.”

“
There’s something wrong with you, Brant. It’s the best thing ever.”

“
That’s what you said about the flauta.” He laughed at her. “Y
ou’re gonna have to make a choice. The Shaman closes at nine. So it’s either the Margarita or tea leaves and shit.”

She pouted. “I want both.”

He laughed. “I know you do. You strike me as the kind of girl who likes it her way. You want it all.”

“
Well. Who doesn’t? S
o how about you? What do you want?”

“
I haven’t given much thought to it.” She started laughing. “What’s so funny?
”

“
You read Kant and Heidegger, but you’ve never thought about what you want? You’re an unusual guy, Brant.”

“
Unusual peculiar? Unusual creepy? Or unusual extraordinary?”

As Garland watched the playful expressions flit over his handsome face, her grin resolved into a smile. “Extraordinary. Definitely.”

For the second time in a couple of hours, he felt the squeeze in his chest. He wondered if Garland St. Germaine was merciful with the hearts she took captive.

“
What are you thinking?” she asked.

“
That I’ll bet you’ve left a trail of broken hearts.”

“
Brant Fornight. You’re flirting with me.”

“
Does it show?”

“
Not enough,” she replied.

H
e laughed, a deep throaty rumbly laugh that reminded her of the Camaro’s purr.

“
Next time I see you, let’s go for a ride on my bike.”

Her expression went instantly serious. “I can’t.”

“
Why?”

“
I promised my father I would never get on one.”

“
Why?”

“
Too dangerous.”

He squinted
, mulling that over. “How old are you?”

“
Twenty-
two.”

He gave a little nod and looked at his beer. “Garland, everything in life that’s fun or worth doing comes with risk.”

“
That’s
not Margarita talk. Too deep.” She looked over the railing, where they sat outside at a patio table. “I’ll think about it.”

“
Whatever you decide. The choice should be yours. You’re grown up. Right?”

“
S
ometimes it’s not as simple as that.”

“
Sure it is.” He grinned.

She giggled as if to prove, on cue, that she wasn’t grown up at all.

Garland chose a second frozen Margarita over a visit with High School Foss.

They laughed and talked about how different their lives were, but the more they talked
the more they found that, improbable as it seemed, they agreed on important things.

One
of the things they had in common was an attraction to each other that pulled like a magnastar.

At ten o’clock, Chuy’s shut down
. One of the bus boys motioned to the patio gate.

“
They’re kicking us out,” she reported to Brant.

“
Looks like,” he replied.

When Brant pulled up in front of Garland’s summer
residence, he handed her a note with information on where the BMW had been towed for repair and said, “I guess it would be presumptuous to ask if you want to see me again?”

At that
, she surprised the hell out of him by leaning across the console and giving him what might as well have been his first kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair and gave a soft little moan of approval. He didn’t know if that moan meant that she liked the kiss, or his hair, or him, but he hoped it was all three.

When she pulled back and smiled, he tried not to look as breathless and discombobulated as a thirteen-year-old.

“
I could manage to be free Saturday. How about you?” He nodded and tried to pull her back for another kiss, but she laughed and opened the passenger door. “Save it up for me. What time?”

He tried to get his brain to work through a fog of lust and enchantment. “Uh, twelve. Wear jeans and a long-sleeved shirt over a bathing suit.”

“
Jeans and a long-sleeved shirt? In this heat?”

“
Trust me.”

“
Hmmm.” She didn’t look too sure about that. “Okay. I’ll meet you at your house.”

“
Can you find it?” He narrowed his eyes. “You ashamed to be seen with me?”

“
No!” She shook her head vigorously, which turned out to be a bad thing after two potent Margaritas. “My dad likes to decide who I spend time with and our ideas about that rarely intersect.”

“
Okay.” He pulled the piece of paper back from her hand, opened the glove box to retrieve a ballpoint pen, and wrote his address on the back. “Here’s the address. And here’s my phone if you get lost.”

“
I’m not a complete ditz. I can read a map. I think.” She giggled. “Just kidding. Saturday noon.”

When Brant drove away, it struck him that he’d just had the best date of his life. The fact that it took place fully clothed with no more contact than a goodnight kiss made him laugh out loud. It didn’t seem like those two things, best date and fully clothed, should exist in the same sentence.

He had to admit. She was something special. Really special.

He didn’t care for the idea of sneaking around, but if he had to steal the princess from the monster who tried to keep her locked in a tower, he wouldn’t be above it.

CHAPTER 4

At a quarter past twelve, Brant restlessly paced in his living room listening for the crunch of gravel under tires. Maybe she couldn’t find it. Maybe the old man had caught her trying to sneak away to live her own life. Maybe she’d changed her mind. Maybe she got a better offer. Those and a dozen other possibilities went through his mind.

He was just about ready to open a bottle of Jack wh
en he heard the telltale crunch of gravel. He froze, wanting to run for the window, but having too much manly pride to do it.

Garland had only knocked once when t
he door flew open. She found herself locked in a kiss with strong arms holding her tight against an incredibly hard body. When he pulled back, he smiled like the cat who thought he stole a saucer of milk.

When he let her go, Garland laughed a little breathlessly. “So you’re glad to see me.”

“
I could play hard to get and say no, but I’m not good at subterfuge.”

“
Me either. But I don’t want you to think I’m easy.”

“
Why not?”

She giggled. “Because.”

“
Is that an answer?”

“
What’s the plan
?” she asked, smoothly changing the subject.

“
Step back and I’ll show you.”

He started rolling the motorcycle out the door, into the sunshine reflecting off the white stones.

“
Wait a minute,” she protested. “I didn’t say I agreed to get on that thing.”

“
You didn’t. But you dressed for it. You look beautiful, by the way. The braid is perfect for what we’re doing.”

“
And what is that?”

“
D
on’t want to be surprised?”

She thought about it for a minute and decided that spontaneity could be a sweet change. “Okay. Surprise me.”

After showing her where to put her feet and giving her instructions about hanging on, leaning when he leaned, etc., he started the engine. Garland didn’t know whether to be more excited about the sound or the lovely vibration traveling through the seat and making contact with her most intimate places.

Brant took her hands and wrapped her arms around his middle.

“
You smell heavenly,” she yelled
, to be heard over the engine noise. “What is that I’m smelling?”

“
Just plain old Old Spice.”

“
I’m investing in that company on Monday. Where do you get it?”

He chuckled, charmed that she liked the way he smelled and charmed that she was open enough to say so. “Any five and dime. Hold on tight,” he said over his shoulder. “And don’t let go.”

She nodded, but looked anxious. He hoped that would fix itself in a few minutes. When he started away slowly, her arms tightened around his ribs so that he could barely breathe.

By the time they were down the hill and on a stretch of flat road, s
he was beginning to get the feel of riding. She shifted her weight as he did, so that they were perfectly in sync. When her death hold gave way a little, Brant grinned.

He turned east on 2244 so that he could catch Barton Springs Road all the way to South Congress. He thought he’d show her his town the way it was meant to be seen. W
hen he turned north on Congress, the view of the Capitol across the Colorado River was magnificent. When they stopped at the intersection of 6
^th
Street, he pointed to the right.