Page 34 of Bound By Water
He slowly sets the burger down. “Phoenix? You know Lance tried to find them but never had any luck. They’re a myth, man.” His eyes dart to me. “Did you put him up to this?”
I blow out the breath I’ve been holding. “They’re not a myth. Lionel was in the Army with two of their leaders. That’s who we were going to meet when Raven ambushed us at the gas station.”
His expression hardens. “Well, where the hell have they been hiding? Every day, Raven hunts us down and nobody comes to our rescue. We simply disappear as if we never existed.” There is a slight hoarseness to his reply that tells me how much this bothers him.
My lips curve down. “I don’t have all the answers, but when I find out, I’m going to post them to the board. Maybe it’s time more of us helped each other.”
His derisive snort is not the least bit reassuring, but I don’t care. If I hadn’t had Lionel and River, I’m not sure I’d be sitting here eating a hamburger right now.
River leans across the table. “Thanks for helping us. I won’t forget it. You have my number for the next couple of days. Once it stops working, you’ll know we’ve left. Watch your back.”
Jordan dips his chin and inhales the rest of his food, then stands. “Thanks for lunch.” He clasps River’s hand with his and gives him a slap on the back and a hug. “Put the key under the mat when you leave.”
River watches him leave. “Told you. Phoenix isn’t the hero.” He points to the back. “I’m going to the restroom, then we can leave.” He takes our tray of trash with him to dump on the way.
Good thing I finished my burger, or I’d find it hard to eat. Biting the inside of my cheek, I can’t help but wonder if I’m making a huge mistake, but what else can I do? Go on the run with River? It’s an option, but eventually, the money will run out. Then what?
River sits down beside me. “I’m sorry. Hope is a scarce commodity, and I don’t want to destroy yours.” He stares down at me with those bright green eyes of his, reminding me of his unnatural ability to command plants. “Let’s go see a movie.”
The words are so unexpected I don’t reply at first.
“I mean it,” he insists with a laugh. “The small theater on campus gives a discount for students, and you don’t even have to show an ID. We’ll grab a big bucket of popcorn and escape the real world for a couple of hours. What do you say?”
I’m tempted. The thought of returning to Jordan’s small apartment and sitting there is not appealing at all. “Extra butter on the popcorn?”
“In the middle and on top,” he confirms with a chuckle. “Let’s go.”
I slide out of the booth and follow him, relieved to have something normal to do for a while instead of worrying. It’s not as if the world is going to fall apart in the next couple of hours.
When we get to the theater, there’s only one movie scheduled in the next twenty minutes—an action-packed Jason Statham thriller—so we grab tickets and popcorn, then sit in the darkened room, snacking and swapping favorite movies until it starts. It almost feels like a real date… something I haven’t done in forever.
The minute the lights go down, River laces his fingers through mine and leans in close. I turn my head to find him watching the screen, but when I continue to stare at him, he turns his head toward me. His eyes roam my face, lingering for a second on my lips before raising to meet my stare. Whatever he sees makes his green eyes darken with intent.
Butterflies dance in my stomach at the thought of kissing him, and I inch closer.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you since the first moment I saw you,” he murmurs in a wistful tone. His lips hover above mine. “But I don’t want you to think I’m trying to influence you.”
“No,” I tell him in complete agreement.
River gives a wry smile and starts to pull away.
Realizing how that sounded, I slide my hand around to the back of his neck to stop him. “I don’t think you’re trying to influence me.” Staring into his eyes, I want him to see the desire swirling in me. “And I’m not kissing you because you saved me.” It’s important he knows that, too.
His chest rises as he takes a deep breath. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes,” I tell him breathlessly.
His lips descend on mine, and the kiss is firm and delicious, and so freaking good, I’m astonished. The last time I kissed someone, I was an undergrad, and we were drunk at a party, so it kind of sucked. But even my best kiss couldn’t compare to this one. It’s the right blend of… everything. Unhurried but with depth, more than lust, less than love, the perfect blend ofI like you and you turn me on.
His hand cups the back of my head, and he shifts until his other arm is around my back, pulling me into his body. Wanting to hold him tighter, I wrap my arms around him too.
The kiss intensifies, our hunger rising together, but a cough behind us quickly douses the flames, and we both jerk away, breathing rapidly. The heat on my cheeks tells me how flushed I am, but the darkness is a great cover.
He takes my hand in his. “That was one hell of a kiss.” His voice is quiet but with a slight roughness to it that tells me he was definitely as affected by it as me.
I smile at the thought and turn my head toward the screen. “Yes, it was.”
Best kiss of my life. I mean, I don’t have a lot to compare to it to, but it’s in a league of its own. He’s been running for a long time, so I’m sure he’s kissed a lot of girls. A tinge of jealousy hits me, but I shove it aside. Honestly, if that’s the result, who cares?
