Page 10 of Kiss Across the Universe
“Are people not returning your calls because you’re tainted? Or are you not persisting enough to catch them?” Kit asked. His tone was neutral, lacking any judgement.
Alannah lifted her chin, surprised into looking at him because his questions were…direct. They spoke of insight and awareness, which was not something she’d expected a Canadian park warden to have about one of the most exclusive industries in the United States.
And his questions hit a raw nerve. She gripped her hands harder. “I think…” she said slowly, “…that I probably haven’t been trying as hard as I could to get hold of people.” It was the first time she had admitted it even to herself.
“Is Hollywood losing its charm for you?” Kit asked softly.
She realized she was looking into his eyes again. He had rested his hand on the end of the banister and his boots were a mere inch from the bottom step. He’d drawn closer.
“I didn’t think you knew that was where I lived,” Alannah replied.
“Your parents talk about you a lot,” Kit said.
“And you listened.”
“One does, when others are talking.” He shook his head. It was a tiny movement. “You’re trying to redirect me. That tells me I got close.”
She squeezed her hands together once more and felt her bones and tendons flex painfully. “Perhaps,” she prevaricated. “I’ll have to think about it.”
Kit straightened and moved away from the step. “Not something to decide quickly,” he said, his tone one of agreement. “It’s a pivot point.”
She grimaced. “As in, my whole life could change, depending on what I decide? No pressure. Thanks.”
And he smiled.
It was a startling expression, for she wasn’t sure she had ever seen him smile before. There was wry self-awareness in the expression, but that wasn’t the startling thing. It was the way his features shifted and changed. Light seemed to fill him. Good cheer, too. Even his eyes seemed to lighten. His smile revealed very white, even teeth, and drew attention to the sharp line of his jaw, which was shadowed by dark stubble.
Hollywood wouldlovethose high cheekbones. The errant thought flickered through her mind and was gone, while she recovered from the dazzling flash of a smile.
Something metallic and heavy crashed in the kitchen, and cries of dismay rose, making both of them jump.
It’s not just me who forgot where we were, Alannah thought. There was a dollop of satisfaction in that idea.
“Well,” Kit said, taking another step back. “I’d better go and help out. Earn my supper.”
“We don’t expect guests to earn their way,” Alannah said as she got to her feet.
“I wasn’t invited. I’m not a guest.”
“Then what are you?”
He frowned a little. “I was pulled inside.”
“Far,” Alannah guessed. She added, “Veris wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
Kit glanced at her, his eyes narrowing. “Lucky guess?”
She shook her head. “My family likes having people they like at the table.”
“That’s what Veris said.” Kit’s frown cleared. “Then it’s not just me.”
Alannah gave a little laugh. “Hell no. They do it all the time. One of their friends dropped in, once, and ended up staying for nearly a year.” She carefully didn’t add that Neven’s “drop in” was into Alexander’s, Rafe’s and Sydney’s pool in Spain, and that he’d stayed for so long because this timeline wasn’t his own. He couldn’t go back to his own timeline because it had been destroyed.
Discretion, Discretion. Not spilling the wrong details was so automatic that she barely thought about it.
But her quick denial seemed to reassure Kit, for his suspicious air evaporated. He looked toward the kitchen door once more, from where a babble of both male and female voices issued, talking over the top of each other, all of them giving directions on how to clean up the mess. “I will feel better if I help out.”
“Then you’d better go and help out,” Alannah said.
