Page 12 of Of Serpents and Ruins
"I know…I know that there's something." A clawing panic driven by his expression chilled me, and I stiffened.No, don't bemad at me. Don't be mad at me, spicy strawberry margarita man.That didn't feel good at all. "I just—I'm fuzzy on the details."
He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck, up the left side of his curly mohawk fade, and then back down his neck. "Hold on…" His brow knit even more, the heavy eyeliner around his eyes making his gaze all the more intense. Then he looked at me. My knees weakened, and my head swam even more. "You actually don't know what happened between us? You don't remember my name, but you look at me and you're not afraid? You don't fear me?" He set his muscular arms akimbo, snake tattoos on full display over his magnificent biceps and coiling down his scarred forearms beneath his bracers. "Really?" The last word was spoken so low it set my insides on fire.
"That’s a future Stella problem, margarita man," I quipped, leaning against him. Being apart from him would destroy me. We had to be together. I might love him.
"You need to take this seriously, woman," he snarled at me, making my head and insides spin even faster. Something else danced in his eyes though. "Do you expect me to be soft with you?"
More giggles tore out of me. "I’d rather you be hard."
He snapped back, his eyes wide as he looked at me as if I had grown horns. Which was fitting. I was horny. I descended into more giggles. No matter how much I pressed my hands to my mouth, the giggles wouldn't stop.
It was ridiculous. Every part of me was melting.Look at him. Just look at him!
Yes, look at the big scary man glowering at me. Or maybe he was trying not to laugh. Maybe both. He glanced down at the orange charm on his necklace. Then he tucked it away and stepped toward me.
"What did you just say?" he asked, leaning closer. His hot breath caressed my skin. His gaze ran up and down my body before settling on me. "You aren’t exactly the same, are you?"
Those words and the heated gaze that met mine seized me fast, sobering me more with the jolt of awareness. The disappointed anger earlier had sliced deep and chilled me. This look—that statement—it coiled out of him and speared me in place as if threads anchored us to each other, threads that made me awake despite the dreaminess.
Ihlkit. I was in trouble. This didn’t feel so playful any more even as the humming continued in my ears.
His eyes shuttered. A ragged breath trembled from his lips. "You look upon me now, and you do not know me, yet some part of you does. I know this. The part of you that remembers what happened and why you must not be near me. Why, no matter what, you have to stay as far from me as you can." His voice changed, severing the memory's connection to me. The déjà vu ceased, though he remained as temptingly familiar as before. "Because Iwillkill you."
My heart sped faster. "No, you won't," I whispered.
Fear stirred in my blood for the first time. He wouldn't—he would. A deep, gnawing sorrow swelled within me, and I wanted to weep. Emotion knotted in my throat as tears burned the backs of my eyes.
"I can't stay away from you. Even though I knew you were gone, I couldn't stop searching for you or hoping," he said roughly, his voice thick with desire. The muscles in his angular jaw jumped. His broad shoulders tightened. His hand went to the leather band with the strange charm on it and pulled it out again. The dull orange color had gotten a little brighter. "But you have to go. The way between the worlds may be shut now, but if you go in the opposite direction of those towers and pastthe forked hill, you'll find Auntie Runa's. Her magic is strong enough to—"
The ground rumbled. It vibrated beneath my feet.
Earthquake!
The triceratops in the river bellowed and fled as the river surged. Deer bolted across the grassland. The trees rocked and trembled. Everything swayed and shook. Lurching forward, I collapsed in his arms.
He hugged me tight against his leather-vested chest, bracing himself and leaning forward, his muscular arms wrapped tight around me.
Then, just as swiftly as it started, it stopped. Everything stilled. Even the lowing and bellowing of the dinosaurs.
Slowly I relaxed, looking up at him, my arms pressed firmly against his chest while he held me snug against his incredible body. Whatever words I wanted to say dried up. All that mattered was here. This moment.
Straightening, he continued to hold me, his shoulders squared as he drew himself up. Something soft and impossibly warm filled his eyes as he set me on one of the boulders.
The smooth stone provided support. I leaned back on it as I stared up at him, daring him to keep going.
There was no question that there was history between us. We had been lovers. Perhaps we still were. Perhaps we could be again?
He hooked his finger through the band of my new necklace and pulled it taut. His fingers curled around the dark-blue charm, his gaze fixed firmly upon mine.
My breath snagged in my throat. The warmth of his body against mine, the tight circle of one arm at my waist, and the tension in the necklace as he held me there—oh, yes, whatever he had in mind,yes! A gentle hint of something sweet and fruity—like cherries—reached me, caressing my senses.
His thumb stroked the stone of the charm as he leaned closer. The charm around his neck started to glow. His strong thighs pressed against mine. "Get away from me, and don't look back. Resist the pull. Be better than me."
My breaths trembled through my parted lips. All I could do was stare up at him. I didn't want to be better than him! I wanted to kiss him. Now!
His dark-red eyes bored into mine, his pupils large and dark. He edged closer. His heat overwhelmed me and pulsed within my core.
Yes. Kiss me.
