Soul Weaver (12 page)

She kept the beam of light trained on him as she approached. “What kind of accident?”

His voice broke. “It’s Bran.”

The flashlight lowered, illuminating Bran’s crumpled form. The woman yelled over her shoulder, “Get Hannah out here now.”

A second voice answered, “I’m on it.”

The husky-voiced woman skidded to her knees at Bran’s side and her flashlight hit the pavement. “Oh, Bran, what did they do to you?” Her gaze snapped to Saul’s. “Who did this?” She reached for a knife at her belt and held it between them.

“Delphi’s seraphs.” Saul stood and forced his legs steady. “Nathaniel asked me to bring Bran here.” At his words, the woman’s shoulders slumped a fraction. Of course hearing that eased her.

“Thank you.” Her hand shook where she touched Bran’s cheek. “I just… thank you.”

Saul inclined his head, sliced his rift, and left before he did something stupid.

Like stay and see if his son survived the night.

Chapter Eleven

The next morning brought a somber Nathaniel to Chloe’s door. His cheeks were sunken, his eyes shadowed. Stubble covered his face and his enticing lips were turned down.

“You look like you had a rough night.” Talk about an understatement. “What happened?”

A smile ghosted his mouth. “My nephew was involved in an accident.” His brilliant eyes were empty of the teasing light from the previous day. “He isn’t doing well.”

She touched his forearm. “I’m sorry he was hurt.” Coarse hairs tickled her palm, and the temptation to stroke him made her thumb glide over corded muscle. She dropped her hand before he noticed and stared at her feet, a much safer spot than anywhere on his body.

“I could have prevented it.” His voice softened. “I shouldn’t have let him go.”

Busy staring at his large hands, she almost missed what he said. His fingers were long and tapered. His broad palms would engulf her hand if he held it. Forcing her attention to his face, she said, “You can’t blame yourself. Once you get behind the wheel, anything can happen.” She was living proof of that. “So don’t beat yourself up over it. You did the same as anyone else would have in your shoes.”

“You would think so.”

His cryptic reply coupled with his tormented expression made her heart hurt. He must care deeply for his nephew to be so distraught. His pain softened her toward him, which couldn’t be a good thing. Not when she had trouble keeping her hands to herself around him already.

Scrubbing a rough hand down his face, he left red marks behind. “I don’t think I’m up to negotiating contract details with you today. Can we do this tomorrow?”

Happiness blossomed at the promise of seeing him again, but she hesitated to let him leave. “Would you like something to drink?” She licked her lips and he tracked the progress of her tongue. “Neve brought in some cookies. Homemade chocolate chip, if you’re interested.”

“Thank you.” He stepped back. “But I should get going.”

The pang in her chest took her by surprise, reminded her of every time she’d gotten her hopes up only to have them dashed. She almost laughed at how pathetic she must sound to him. This infatuation was one-sided like all the others. She really should know better by now.

“No problem.” She resisted the urge to touch him again by balling her hands at her sides. “Get some rest. We can work out the details tomorrow, whenever you’re feeling up to it.”

He must have caught the glimmer of hurt in her expression as she turned.

“Chloe.” He caught her by the wrist. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” Her skin warmed beneath his and her pulse kicked up as he pulled her close.

His frown was endearing, and he appeared as confused by his reaction as she was. “I said something to hurt you.”

“No, don’t be silly.” She put up a token resistance with every step he dragged her forward. “I know you were turning the cookies down, not me.” Her struggle got her nowhere. “I mean, I know you’re not interested in me, as a person, and I’m not interested in you either…”

She lost her train of thought when his hand slid down and linked their fingers. “You should go rest up.” Heat spun low through her belly and made it quiver.
And I should go upstairs and take a cold shower.

“Don’t leave on my account,” he said. “I’m already on my way out.”

Chloe went limp in his hold. “How do you do that?”

“I’m not doing anything.” His voice took a persuasive turn.

She swallowed hard and kept her thoughts together by sheer force of will. “Yesterday you asked me about Neve having aspirin, and now I was thinking I wanted to go upstairs and you tell me you’ll leave so I can stay.”

“There is a very simple explanation for both of those things.” With less than six inches between them, they inhaled each other’s breath and the closeness made her light-headed.

“Yesterday you were in an obvious amount of pain. I suggested your coworker might keep something on hand you could take.” His thumb swiped across her cheek. “Just now, you tried to pull away from me, so I knew you wanted space. I didn’t want you to leave because I made you uncomfortable.”

“I guess.” She was so warped. He was concerned about his nephew while she worried he could read minds, which was impossible. “You have an answer for everything, don’t you?”

“No.” He smiled fully for the first time since arriving. “But I’m flattered you think so.”

His breath fanned her face, cinnamon sweet. She imagined a handful of Red Hots on his tongue and wondered if he kept a box in his pocket. He leaned in. When had he gotten so close?

“Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.” She thumped his chest. “You’re already too smug for your own good.”

“I’m not smug. I’m… confident.” He grinned. “There’s a difference.”

He moved faster than she anticipated. Dropping her arm, he traded his hold for her hips, dragging her across the few inches left between them. His head lowered, lips parted, and she squeezed her eyes closed.

His lips moved feather soft over hers in a slow claiming she felt from the crown of her head to the tips of her curling toes.

When he deepened the kiss, she jerked free and covered her mouth with her hand. “I don’t do that.”

“What, kiss?” He sounded skeptical. “Everyone has been kissed.”

“Of course I’ve been kissed.” She added a silent
once.
His eyes darkened in a way that should have unnerved her. “I meant I’ve never kissed someone I just met.”

“Good.” His relaxed grin returned. “You shouldn’t offer your cookies to just anyone.”

Chloe stepped back into the heat of his body and got right in his face. If she had an ounce more nerve, she would have kissed him again to prove her point, but she wasn’t that brave. Not yet. “You are going to stop making fun of me if you want that job.”

“Maybe I want you more than I want the job.”

They both froze stock-still. Her eyes widened and she saw his do the same. Their flirtations, or whatever they were, had taken a neat step into dangerous territory.

The sound of running water filled the silence left by his shocking admission. Down the hall, a door clicked shut. “Did you guys come to an understanding?” Neve asked, walking into the room.

Chloe and Nathaniel jumped apart as an ice bath of reality splashed over them.

“Yes.” She cleared her throat. “I mean, no, Nathaniel doesn’t feel up to negotiating today.”

“That’s too bad. I hoped you guys would get the details nailed down so the repairs could be finished before fall gets here.” Neve squinted as she walked past a sunny window. “Maybe by then we’ll have cool enough weather to enjoy it.”

“If you have time, I think we can work out the details.” Nathaniel’s gaze slid over her shoulder, toward her office door.

Chloe’s palms dampened. “I thought you wanted to wait.”

“I changed my mind.”

Of course he had.

A moment alone in Chloe’s office gave Nathaniel time to collect his scattered wits, or at least try. Rational thought eluded him while the taste of her lingered on his tongue.

A mark.
His lips burned from kissing a woman marked for death, one who remained here only because of his bond with her. How could he frown upon Saul for his mortal liaisons and then indulge himself with someone who wouldn’t live past the month’s end.

He might have curbed his impulses before her soft hand rested on his arm, soothed him with hesitant strokes of her thumb. Her kind words had acted as a balm to his chafed soul.

Chloe was a perceptive woman. She would realize there was more to their connection than he admitted. But as far as he knew, there was no etiquette for telling someone their life had been saved, an irrevocable bond forged, and that he was charged with collecting their joint soul and ending that spared life.

His muscles tensed to rise, ready to seek her out if she took much longer.

The desire to touch her again was now a physical ache. Adjusting in his chair, he gave up on getting comfortable and braced his elbows on the edge of her desk, staring where she would sit.

This crazed obsession for her searing through his bones couldn’t be a natural response. Their mingled essence must be to blame for this desperate attraction. Yesterday, she appeared wary and reserved. Today, she had moaned beneath him like a woman starved for what only he could provide.

He growled low in his throat, a hungry sound. Common sense told him he should know better than to pursue a relationship of any kind with her.

He had obligations. Her death was one of them. It was his job, his life, if he failed.

“You look like you’re thinking hard about something.” Chloe walked in and took her seat.

The band of discomfort cinched around his chest loosened, and he took a steady breath. She was here, safe. When had those things begun to matter? Sometime during his week in Dis when he could be certain of neither.

He fought the urge to bite his tongue against what he had to say. “I shouldn’t have kissed you. It was unprofessional of me.” In more ways than one. “I apologize. I had a rough night and I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

She shrugged as if she expected as much from him. “It was as much my fault as yours.” Her polite smile was a pale echo of the one he’d seen, tasted, minutes earlier. “I guess hearing about your nephew made me emotional.” She cleared her throat. “Obviously, I wouldn’t have kissed you otherwise.”

“Ah.” Gone was the flush to her skin and the hesitance in her voice. She had moved on, given him the out he needed to excuse his behavior, yet his fists flexed in his lap.

She glanced up, dark eyes somber.

He’d hurt her, again, and it didn’t sit well with him. Every time he tried to spare her pain, he made their situation worse. Their connection couldn’t be undone, so he would be more careful. He ignored the tiny fissure of want for her that threatened to break his resolve.

He’d been alone too long, which explained why he craved her company. His loneliness couldn’t get in the way of her salvation. He’d risked too much for his plan to fall apart now.

He would step back, let Neve bond with Chloe while he watched from a safe distance; then he could do his job and wash his hands of this debacle.

He should let Chloe take her chances with salvation. Instead, he might damn them both.

“So,” she began, “I did some digging on the Internet, and the estimate you left with me seems fair.” She scooted bits of torn paper around with her finger. The remains, he assumed, of the estimate he left with her the day before.

When their eyes met, she blushed, then dusted the bits into her trash can.

Despite his earlier resolve, he couldn’t bank the amusement in his tone. “So you’re interested in my proposition.”

Her face reddened further. “I’m interested in having you work on my porch, yes.”

“What else would I mean?”

Her dark eyes glared a hole through him. “You know.” Her brows puckered. “Or I know what you meant. I’m not that naïve.”

Her need to proclaim her experience made him think that wasn’t the case. Part of him wanted to explore the sore spot he’d uncovered, but the larger part wanted to guard himself against her gentle invasion into his every waking thought. There were things he had to do, things that couldn’t be done if this deadly fascination continued.

He leaned forward, all business. “How about we cut to the chase? You’ve seen my estimate and agreed to the cost and suggested time frame.” He linked his hands in his lap so they didn’t get away from him and do something foolish, like reach for her and cover her much smaller hands with his. “I can purchase enough supplies to begin work tomorrow.” He paused. “Sound good?”

Blinking through her surprise at his abrupt change in subject, she nodded. “That sounds great.” Rising as he did, she stuck out her hand. “I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

As badly as he wanted to touch her, connect with her again, he couldn’t risk it. He needed to check on Bran, and Chloe was a distraction he couldn’t afford at the moment.

Instead, he tipped his head and sidled out the door. He didn’t exit fast enough to miss rejection flash across her face, but he couldn’t stay and make amends.

He left before he did something they both regretted, like kissing her until she understood how deep their connection was. How powerful his attraction was to her and how hopeless their situation would always be.

Chloe’s hand lowered after Nathaniel left her hanging. He must have wanted out of her office in a bad way to move so fast. Dropping back into her chair, she traced her mouth and her lips tingled under her touch.

He had kissed her. Not a friendly buss on the cheek or peck on the lips, but with his
tongue
. She covered her stomach, but she swore butterflies were flitting around in there, bumping hard against her palm.

She licked her lips and tasted cinnamon. Caging her tongue behind clenched teeth, she prevented it from seeking the reminder of his flavor a second time.

Now if she only had a clue why he made his move, she could decide if she was excited by what happened or put out with him for slamming on the brakes when he initiated the kiss in the first place.