Denial (Goblin's Kiss Series Book One) (25 page)

Ames Cahn almost kissed me. In a
motel. Where we spent the night. Alone. In separate
beds.

I was in way over my
head.

The current that sparked giving us
both a shared “zap” of heat blazing on our fingertips had nothing
to do with my powers. It was something else altogether. I could
tell by the way he himself was just as affected. I shook in the
bucket seat cramping up at the reenactment in my head. I wanted it
to happen again.

We drove for hours. Ames said he
was purposefully driving in a few circles to check for followers
and even insinuated that he had some way of detecting their
presence.

I ventured to ask if the other two
had the same abilities and Trigger chuckled at my question and
replied with, “Not the peons of our world, sweetness.”

That left a string of questions
for me, but Ames cut me off telling Trigger not to call me
Sweetness. Funny how he easily avoided all my important questions.
I wasn’t dumb. I can put facts together.

“Trigger, why
are you a peon? That
’
s not a fair
assessment.”

Ames growled, gripped the wheel
tighter, and aimed a stare at him in the rearview mirror that made
even me a little scared. Ames was definitely
authoritative.

“Sorry, sweetness. The angry bear
beside you wishes for me to remain silent. If I give up that
silence, anything and everything will be used against me
to—

“Trigger. Shut the h—”

“Ames. Stop being rude all the
time. Your grumpiness is exhausting.”

Yeah? My
“grumpiness” was caused solely by the constant need to want to
smother myself with all things Emma, the sassiest creature this
earth has ever deemed in my care. I
’
d stop the Jeep right now and
drag her over to my seat if it wouldn
’
t startle her and the watchful
crude eyes in the backseat.

Thankfully, she left it alone.
Again. Trigger was right about one thing. She would have to have
her questions answered soon or she would resent me for the rest of
her life.

I needed out of this car. When we
arrive at the cabin, I intended to tell the other two to survey the
area, set up traps every three yards, and alert the few friends I
had living on the perimeter that we were there.

I got my wish. And now...I was
alone with Emma for at least the next hour.

We entered the
cabin that I
’
d spent weeks in at a time alone
and depressed. I had a small hope inside that maybe I would never
be alone again, but that was wishful thinking and just a pipe
dream.

I let her settle
her things in the back, farthest room in the place where the
bathroom was closest. There were two other rooms. One was an actual
bedroom; the other was an office/workout room/hobby room and more.
I left her alone and made the room ready for me to sleep in. I took
the cot folded up in the closet and folded it out coughing when the
dust filled the air. I grabbed the twin bed sized sheets that would
be too big for the smaller sized cot and spread them out
accordingly. Next, I needed to get in her room and get my things. I
couldn
’
t very well traipse into her room naked to get my clothes.
Yeah! That would go over well.

The bed done, I
didn
’
t know what else to do but inventory the kitchen for food
until she came out. I looked at my watch noting that a quarter hour
had passed. I blew out a huge breath feeling the pressure of
everything on my shoulders when she cleared her throat at the
entrance of the new bedroom I would be staying
in.

She eyed my
newly made bed, “Is that what you
’
re sleeping
on?
”

“Yes,” I gritted
my teeth. Didn
’
t she appreciate me giving her my
room?

“I
can
’
t let you stay on that. You will just have to stay in my
room. I can take that since I fit better on it.”

“NO! You will not stay in
here.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “Why?
Hiding something in here from me?”

That again.

“You
’
re acting weird Ames and I intend
to find out why.” Her arms folded telling me she meant business.
When did I start to see her mannerisms so well?

“I
’
m not hiding anything in this room. I just
don
’
t want you uncomfortable.”

“So I take it
I
’
m
in your room?” She deadpanned the words as if they might actually
take another form and make her think differently than I knew she
was. I admit that I kind of wanted to see the reaction I got from
her staying in my room.

I nodded.

Her cheeks blushed and I wanted to
know why. “Is that okay?” My voice came out cracked and sounding
like a dang girl.

“Just don’
t want to be in your
love pad where you might have taken your females before. I would
rather sleep in here.” She pointed to the cot while tapping that
foot reminding me of the sure fire way of knowing when she was
pissed. I found it humorous.

In total shock
by her audacious attitude, though I shouldn
’
t be, I told her the stupid
truth. “No one has ever been here with me until now. You are the
first to ever see it.”

Wouldn
’
t have guessed her to start
beaming like a beautiful siren reeling me in with her bright smile.
“In that case, I
’
d be honored. But I
won
’
t bite. We slept in the same room last night and
didn
’
t kill each other. I think you can stay in a more comfortable
bed where your feet do not hang off and survive the
night.”

Aye! But would
my body survive another night near her? Two nights. Many nights.
“
I don’
t know.”

Then the siren
before me stepped up her game. “Please,” she batted her eyelashes
and curled her lips up holding them open forcing my eyes to look at
her mouth. “Genie wish,
please
.”

Yawp! I needed
air. “Genies aren
’
t real.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Emma, we
’
ll talk about it later. For now,
we need to assess the food and make a list.”

She let it go
with a cynical glance. Funny how her magic didn
’
t spark the same way
to destroy with me when I was in her line of sight, but just the
opposite.

Why
couldn
’
t he see it my way? I didn
’
t bite and it would make us both
sleep better. He was so grumpy the last twenty-four hours that I
just knew another bad night of sleep would make him worse. He
thinks I don
’
t know he stays up all night
watching the door.

The night came
and we were safe in the house, full on spaghetti cooked by Ames,
and heading off to our separate rooms. I asked him where he learned
to cook (it really was good and not completely out of a can) and he
said he taught himself watching cooking shows. It really
didn
’
t fit the linebacker type he was, but who am I to judge. I
probably don
’
t look like the destructive chick
who can level a two story building.

Of course, he
didn
’
t admit this in front of Trigger and Wicker. He waited till
we were alone while cleaning up the kitchen.

Ames stopped at
the first room, the cot room. I couldn
’
t let him go in there and I
somehow knew he wouldn
’
t go into the back room with the
other two knowing. I waited until the dynamic duo were locked
inside and then I stopped beside his door.

Not trying to
sound like a slutty girl, I laid my hand gently on the top half of
his arm making him look at me. His eyes watched my hand where it
sat. I wasn
’
t sure what to think about him
always looking at my hand when I touched him. Was he repulsed by me
so much that he didn
’
t want me touching him? And I
couldn
’
t exactly say why I was so intrigued with the idea of
touching him, but I couldn
’
t get it out of my mind. He was
just so concerned for my welfare and it made me want to take care
of him too.

“Why
can
’
t I give something to you when you have given up so much? I
don
’
t pretend to not notice you give, give, give. Let me do this
for you. I promise to stay far on my side of the bed and not bother
you.”

Okay, so that was snippy. But he
was the one acting weird. Well, weirder than a magical knight in
shining armor from a far away land would be. I think.

He snorted and looked at the cot.
“If you are uncomfortable in any way, I will remove myself
immediately.”

He sounded so
clinical.
He
was
the uncomfortable one.

He agreed to get
dressed in his new room and then would head in when he was ready. I
went first in the bathroom and headed in the bedroom while he used
it. I dressed quickly in yoga pants and the just cleaned shirt from
my bag. He
’
d bought clothes, but he had to
have had clothes already here for when he entered the dark moonlit
room, I could tell he was wearing pajama pants and a tee
I
’
d
never seen.

He smelled wonderful. The warm,
earthy scent sent my body into a spasm as he climbed on the bed and
stayed above the covers. Sandalwood. From my run near the woods. It
was a new scent added to his already heady pine. It was a weird
word to describe it, but there was nothing else that
fit.

I know for a fact that when he
finally did sleep some the last two nights, he slept under the
sheets.

Geez!
“
I don’
t bite,
Ames. Why do you hate me so much?
” It just
spilled out, bitterness seeping into my words. Honesty is what I
wanted to know most. I
’
d thought he liked me, but the
last day or two he seemed just the opposite.

His arm was over
his eyes. “
I
don’
t hate you, Emma.
I...”

“You what? Wish
I wasn
’
t your problem anymore. Just say it, Ames. I know you are
frustrated.”

“I am not
frustrated with
that
.
You
are
not a problem. I just didn
’
t know it would end up like
this.” His hand motioned around him.

“So I am a disappointment?” I
could hear it in his voice.

This girl was
impossible. She didn
’
t understand anything I said.
What was I supposed to do? Say? “My frustration has nothing to do
with anything you have done wrong and nothing to do with helping
you.”

“Then what does
it have to do with?” She was on the far end of the bed, under the
covers, and I could still feel the warmth her body streaming out.
Kissing a girl was one thing, but lying in the same bed with her
without being able to touch her was another. And I
didn
’
t trust myself with this girl. With a simple phrase, she
could wrap herself around me so tight I couldn
’
t
breathe.

“You, Emma. You.
I can
’
t seem to get you out of my head.”

She was too quiet and I sounded
like a desperate man searching for a drop of water to quench my
painful thirst. Hating my confession now, I dared a look over in
the dark. Her glowing eyes flitted to me.

“You hate me now, right. I am not
sure I can keep you safe for you constantly make my brain
stupefied.” I was a lame idiot.

Worse, she
rolled over and faced me. “H-H-Hate you? I
’
ve spent the last two days
trying to get you to not be so uptight. I get the whole protecting
me thing, but you just make me angry with your
stubbornness.”