"You wish. Now get your feet off my bed," I demanded, trying to regain control of the excitement that raced through me at the sight of him. My resolve from earlier disappeared like smoke in the wind. I couldn't remember the reasons I had come up with as to why I shouldn't like him. "That may be, but the Guides are going to sense you in here," I said, looking at my bedroom door apprehensively as if I expected the door to burst open any minute.
"Chill, babe. Your crew's outside. Besides, I can tell if they sense my presence. We have the house to ourselves. More importantly, we have this great big bed to ourselves," he said, winking at me. "Why don't you come join me?" he added, patting the bed next to him.
"Right, I'm not that easy," I snorted. "I know you think you're all that, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to come jump on you." Of course, that's exactly what I was thinking. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"I missed you. It seems like ages since we hung out. You've been in no-man's land all day," he complained, swinging his legs off the side of my bed.
"We hung out last night," I reminded him, although I agreed with his sentiments. "Not to mention, everyone here would have a coronary if I went off with you again. Besides, I'm bushed," I said, feigning an over-the-top yawn.
"You sure?" he asked, slowly getting up from my bed.
I nodded my head, trying to ignore my throbbing body that wanted me to drop the towel and dive on him.
"Really?" he whispered huskily, a breath away from me.
"Uh, yeah, super tired…" I gulped, trying not focus on how close he was.
"Positive?" he asked again, leaning in and brushing his lips along my jaw line.
I shivered at his touch. His lips sent a ripple of awareness through me. My words were saying one thing, but my body was trying hard to divulge my secret.
"Well shit," he muttered, pulling back abruptly. Without another word, he disappeared in front of me.
Shocked by his sudden departure, I was ready to call his name when my bedroom door was abruptly thrown open. The suspect look on Mark's and Krista's faces was priceless.
"Gah, how 'bout a knock?" I said sarcastically as they stood in my doorway panting breathlessly. I made a point of clutching my towel tighter. "What's the deal?" I added as innocently as I could muster.
"Uh, nothing," Mark answered, looking suspiciously around my room. He looked at a mystified Krista who shook her head slightly.
"You were taking so long I thought maybe you were sick or something…" Krista answered lamely, still scanning my room as if she expected Emrys to pop out at any moment.
"The shower felt so good I had to force myself to get out," I answered truthfully. "But I would kind of like to get dressed now," I added, looking pointedly at my door.
"Right," Krista said, grabbing onto Mark's hand and dragging him out of my room. "We'll be in thekitchenif you need anything," she chirped, emphasizing their location.
"Thanks for the heads-up," I said as they reluctantly closed my bedroom door behind them.
"Frick," I mumbled, shaking my head as I hastily threw on some clothes in a rush. I kept the towel around me as I pulled on my yoga pants, not entirely convinced that Emrys wouldn't suddenly pop back into my room. Once I was dressed and could finally breathe easier, I walked to my patio doors and peered out into the darkness. As much as I didn't want to deal with "the no fun crew," I was disappointed that Emrys really was gone.
"Get a grip, Jordyn," I said to my empty room. One minute, I wanted nothing to do with the Soul Trader, and the next I'm ready to tear my towel off and jump his bones.
That was it. I was definitely disgusted with myself. I headed out of my room, closing the door firmly behind me.
Krista and Mark were talking in hushed tones when I entered the kitchen. Both of them looked at me critically when I walked in.
"Did you two take your weirdo pills tonight?" I asked, pretending that I didn't know I was the topic of their discussion. "Where did everyone go?" I added, opening one of the half-empty pizza boxes on the counter.
"They headed home after they ate. Everyone was pretty tired. Plus, Sam and Shawn wanted to straighten up their house before their caseworker shows up," Krista said, reminding me of the young charge that could be joining our ragtag group soon.
"Did they give them any indication when they could get him?" I asked, grabbing a can of Coke out of the refrigerator.
"No, these things can drag out," Krista answered.
"Well, hopefully they'll be experiencing the joys of parenthood like you two," I joked, sitting at the counter with my dinner.
"Oh, you are sooo right, princess," Mark said, patting my head before grabbing a slice of pizza from the box.
"Right. They could only wish the kid is half as sweet as me," I said, fluttering my eyelashes at him.