Page 22 of Infamous Heart

“Our goodbye got ruined.”

“An eventful first date.”

“Sorry I didn’t stay.”

I gulped. “You’re safe.”

Our voices grew steadily quieter, as if somebody in the hallway might be listening to our conversation.

“Safe?”

“Your secret. It’s safe with me.” I meant it. Not only did I owe him for saving my life, but I owed him for outing himself and putting his identity in jeopardy.

“Ifeelsafe.” An admission. It wasn’t a coy statement, beating around the bush. This confident man had not only revealed his biggest secret, but with it came the knowledge that he feared others knowing.

Out of habit, as he took another step closer, I backed up. With his foot, he slammed the door shut, cringing at the loud bang. While he stood in the doorway, our game of cat and mouse had remained innocent, but here, behind closed doors… There was nothing innocent about the look in his eyes.

I held my breath as he leaned forward, closing the gap between our faces. I closed my eyes, preparing for his lips to meet mine. I imagined the scruff of his beard tickling the soft gap of skin above my lip.

I waited until I finally had to exhale. Cracking my eyes, I could see he had moved onto something more exciting. Over my shoulder, I followed his eyes, trying to imagine what in my apartment was more thrilling than a half-dressed man.

“Oh.”

Sebastian stepped past me, my hand pulled from his chest, leaving tiny specks of white paint. I was already embarrassed that this sexy man had caught me out of my clothes, but now he was seeing an infatuation being played out on a canvas. My head dropped, preparing for the mockery. At best, he tried to downplay it as he dropped off the style guide and vanished. At worst… well, there wasn’t much worse than this.

“It’s not a cabin in the woods,” he said. “Wow. I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything.”

No indecision. No hesitation. No reluctance. He dropped the style guide as his hands moved to my neck, his thumbs pressed into my cheek. His lips tasted like cinnamon, as if he had been chewing gum from the corner store. Eager, he pushed hard enough that I worried he’d chip a tooth, but I’d risk it to make the taste of cinnamon permanent.

He broke the kiss. I leaned forward, chasing his lips, but they were pulled tight, smiling. Infectious, the devilish grin contaminated the air between us until I fell victim to the disease.

“I should go.”

It was now or never.

“No,” I whispered, “you shouldn’t.” Our admissions became a two-way street, and I only prayed we travelled toward the same destination.

In place of words, he held up his left hand, fingers stretched as if he were willing them to grow. For a second, I wondered if he took advantage of them by playing the piano or guitar? His skin radiated a soft white light, barely visible despite squinting. It grew until the lines of his fingers vanished in a pool of white.

My hero was going nowhere.

* * *

As the steam poured off my skin, I inspected for any flecks of white I might have missed. I had forgotten how much of a wreck I had appeared in college. Once I was satisfied the evidence had washed down the drain, I stepped out of the shower and dried off in record time.

After a quick inspection in the mirror, I wrapped the towel around my waist and stepped into an empty living room. I had only been in the bathroom for a few minutes. Had Sebastian reconsidered the decision to stay?

I pushed away the negativity, and the world rewarded me. A trail of clothes started with his jacket. Then his dress shirt and last his slacks. Somewhere in the darkness of the bedroom, a man in nothing but underwear and dress socks awaited me. Imagining him sprawled out on my bed pushed aside the worry.

Stepping around his clothes, I stood in the doorway to the darkened bedroom. I reached for the light switch, wanting to see this gorgeous bear of a man waiting for me to crawl on top of him.

“Leave them off.”

Okay, fine. Some people weren’t comfortable with themselves naked. I could respect that. I could focus my—

“Let there be light,” the words were soft, almost as much as the light emanating from the two dozen orbs hanging near the ceiling. The one closest to my head had an orange glow, just bright enough to make Sebastian visible.

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