We looked at each other for a moment, and warmth flushed my cheeks. Not blood boiling, get naked and jump someone warm, but just cozily warm. Like being wrapped in a blanket.
"That looks terrible, you know."
"What does?"
He pointed at my cone. "That combination."
"Hey, don't knock it until you try it. They actually go pretty well together."
He looked doubtful.
I slid my chair over by him and offered him a bite. "Make sure you get both flavors."
He leaned in for the bite and managed both the blueberry cheesecake and mocha almond swirl. Unfortunately, a piece of the blueberry cheesecake scoop fell off onto his chin in the process. I instinctively reached out to stop it, sliding it back to his mouth. He just as automatically nabbed the wayward piece with his tongue, licking it off my fingers.
A blast of eroticism coursed through me, and looking into his eyes, I knew he'd shared it too. "Here," I said hastily, reaching for a napkin, ignoring the desire to return my fingers to his mouth.
Seth wiped his chin with it, but for once, he didn't let his self-consciousness get the better of him. He stayed where he was, leaning close to me.
"You smell amazing. Like... gardenias."
"Tuberose," I corrected automatically, dazed by how close he was to me.
"Tuberose," he repeated. "And incense, I think. I've never smelled anything like it." He leaned a hair closer.
"It's Michael by Michael Kors. You can get it at any high-end department store." I nearly groaned as the words left my flustered lips. What an idiotic thing to say. My nervousness made me flippant. "Maybe Cady could start wearing it."
Seth was all seriousness. "No. This is you. Only you. It would never smell exactly the same on anyone else."
I shivered. I wore this perfume because it was reminiscent of what other immortals sensed in my unique signature, my aura. This is you. With just a few casual words, I felt as though Seth had uncovered some secret part of me, looked into my soul.
We sat there then, chemistry burning between us like crazy, neither of us acting. I knew he would not try to kiss me as Roman had. Seth was content simply to look at me, to make love to me with his eyes.
Suddenly the wind caught the door to the tiny restaurant, forcing it open as a huge gust swept in. Wisps of hair blew into my face, and I slammed my hands down on the napkins that flew up from our table. Other items in the parlor had less success as more napkins and scraps of paper drifted around, and a cup of plastic spoons fell off the counter, spilling its contents on the floor. The clerk behind the counter ran to the door, fighting against the wind to make the latch catch. When he'd finally done so, he glared at the door resentfully.
With the moment - whatever it was - shattered, Seth and I picked up our things and left shortly thereafter. I asked him to drop me off at the bookstore. I hoped Doug would be there to apologize to, plus I wanted to get ahold of that Harrington book.
"You want to come in and hang out? Say hi to anybody?" I somehow felt reluctant to leave Seth now, in spite of all the things I needed to do.
He shook his head. "Sorry. I've got to go. I'm meeting someone."
"Oh." I felt kind of foolish. He could have a date now for all I knew. And why shouldn't he? It wasn't like I was his only social connection, especially after my no-dating spiel. I was foolish to be reading so much into the ice cream encounter, especially since I was supposedly crazy about Roman. "Well. Thanks again for everything. I'll make it up to you."
He waved his hand dismissively. "It wasn't anything. Besides, you paid me back by going to the party."
Now I shook my head. "I didn't really do anything there."
Seth only smiled. "See you around."
I stepped out of the car and suddenly stuck my head back in. "Hey, I should have asked you this earlier. Do you have my book signed yet? The Glasgow Pact ? "
"Oh... man. No. I can't believe I forgot about that. It's still at my place. I'll sign it and bring it soon. I'm sorry." He looked sincerely contrite.
"Okay. It's no problem." I should have ransacked his condo for it.
We said goodbye again, and I turned into the bookstore. If I remembered my schedule right, Paige should have opened and Doug should be here now as the late manager. Sure enough, he stood at the information desk, looking on while Tammi helped a customer.
"Hey," I said, walking up to him, uneasiness filling me as I recalled my harsh words. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"No."
Whoa. I'd expected him to be upset... but this?
"You need to call your friend first."
"I - what?"
"That one guy," Doug explained. "That plastic surgeon that hangs out with you and Cody."
"Hugh?"
"Yeah, that's the one. He's called, like, a hundred times, leaving messages. He's been worried about you." His expression turned both soft and wry as he took in my dress and flannel ensemble. "So have I."
I frowned, wondering at Hugh's urgency. "Okay. I'll call him now. Come talk to me later?"
Doug nodded, and I started to pull out my cell phone until I remembered I'd broken it last night. Retreating to the back office instead, I sat on the desk's edge and called Hugh.
"Hello?"
"Hugh?"
"Jesus Christ, Georgina. Where the hell have you been?"
"I, er, nowhere..."
"We've been trying to get ahold of you all last night and today."
"I wasn't at home," I explained. "And my cell phone broke. Why? What's going on? Tell me there hasn't been another one."
"Afraid so. Another murder this time, no more friendly beatings. When we couldn't reach you, the vampires and I thought he'd got you too, even though Jerome said he could feel that you were fine."
I swallowed. "Who... who was it?"
"Are you sitting down?"
"Sort of."
I braced myself, ready for anything. Demon. Imp. Vampire. Succubus.
"Lucinda."
I blinked. "What?" All my theories of an avenger of evil shattered. "But that's impossible. She's - she's - "
" - an angel," Hugh finished for me.
CHAPTER 16
"Georgina?"
"I'm still here."
"Pretty f**ked up, huh? I guess this kills your angel theory."
"I'm not so sure."
My initial feeling of dismay was being replaced by a new idea, one that had been percolating in the back of my mind ever since I read the biblical passage at Terry and Andrea's. I wondered now... wondered exactly what we were dealing with, if it was an angel after all. The words in Genesis came back to me: There were giants in the earth in those days... the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown...
"What's Jerome saying about all of this?"
"Nothing. What'd you expect?"
"Everyone else is okay, though?"
"Fine, last I knew. What are you going to do? Nothing stupid, I hope."
"I have to go check on something."
"Georgina..." Hugh warned.
"Yeah?"
"Be careful. Jerome's in a terrible mood over all of this."
I laughed harshly. "I can imagine."
An awkward silence hung on the line.
"What else aren't you telling me?"
He hesitated a moment longer. "This... this is a surprise to you, right? This Lucinda thing?"
"Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?"
Another pause. "It's just... well, you've got to admit it's kind of weird, first Duane..."
"Hugh!"
"And then, I mean, when no one could contact you..."
"I told you, my cell phone broke. You can't be serious about this."
"No, no. It's just... I don't know. I'll talk to you later."
I disconnected.
Lucinda dead? Lucinda, with her plaid skirt and bob? It was impossible. I felt terrible; I'd just seen her the other day. Sure, I'd called her a sanctimonious bitch, but I hadn't wanted this. Any more than I'd wanted Duane dead.
Yet, the connections Hugh had drawn were weird, weirder than I liked to admit. I'd argued with both Duane and Lucinda, and they'd died shortly thereafter. But Hugh... how did he fit in? Some friend. From what I heard, he received a great deal of amusement telling anyone that would listen about your little whip and wings getup. I remembered Luanda's jibe. I had indeed had a small flare-up with the imp just before his attack. A small flare-up and a small attack, considering he had lived.