Feast of Fools Page 0,24

hers and brushed stray locks of hair back from her eyes. He traced her slightly parted lips.

"You're beautiful," he said. "When I first saw you, I thought - I thought you were too young to be on your own here, in this town."

"Not now?"

"You've made it through better than most of us. But if I could get you to leave this place, I would." Shane's smile was dim and crooked and a little broken, in the shadows. "I want you to live, Claire. I need you to live."

Her fingers touched the warm fringe of his hair. "I'm not worried about me," she said.

"You never are. That's my point. I worry about you. Not just because of the vampires - because of Jason. He's still out there somewhere. And - " Shane paused for a second, as if he couldn't quite get the rest of it out. "And there's me, too. Your parents might be right. I might not be the best - "

She moved her fingers to put them over his mouth, over those soft, strong lips. "I won't ever stop trusting you, Shane. You can't make me."

A shaky laugh out of the dark. "My point exactly."

"That's why I'm staying here," Claire said. "With you. Tonight."

Shane took in a deep breath. "Clothes stay on."

"Mostly," she agreed.

"You know, your parents really are right about me."

Claire sighed. "No, they're not. Nobody knows you at all, I think. Not your dad, not even Michael. You're a deep, dark mystery, Shane."

He kissed her for the first time since she'd entered the room, a warm press of lips to her forehead. "I'm an open book."

She smiled. "I like books."

"Hey, we've got something in common."

"I'm taking off my shoes."

"Fine. Shoes off."

"And my pants."

"Don't push it, Claire."

Claire woke up drowsy and utterly peaceful, and it took a slow second for her to realize that the heavenly warmth at her back was radiating from someone else, in the bed, with her.

From Shane.

She stopped breathing. Was he awake? No, she didn't think so; she could feel his slow, steady breaths. There was a delicious, forbidden delight to this, a moment that she knew she'd carry with her even when it was gone. Claire closed her eyes and tried to remember everything - like the way Shane's bare chest touched her back, warm and smooth where their skin connected. She'd negotiated for the removal of shirts, since she'd been wearing a sleeveless camisole underneath, and Shane had wavered enough to let it go. He'd insisted on keeping the pants, though.

She hadn't mentioned that she'd gotten rid of the bra, though she knew he'd noticed that right off.

Dangerous, some part of her said. You're going to take this too far. You're not ready - Why not? Why wasn't she? Because she wasn't seventeen? What was so magic about a number, anyway? Who decided when she was ready except her?

Shane made a sound in his sleep - a deep, contented sigh that vibrated through her whole body. I'll bet if I turn around and kiss him, I could convince him. . . .

Shane's hand was resting on the inward curve just above her hip, a warm loose weight, and that was how she knew when he woke up - his hand. It went from utterly limp to careful, tensing and relaxing but not moving from its spot.

She could feel each individual finger on her skin.

She stayed very still, keeping her breathing slow and steady. Shane's hand slowly, gently moved up her side, barely skimming, and then he moved away from her and sat up, facing away toward the window. Claire rolled toward him, holding the blanket at neck level.

"Good morning," she said. Her voice sounded drowsy and slow, and she saw a slice of his face as he turned slightly toward her. Sunlight glimmered warm on his bare skin, like he'd been dusted in gold.

"Good morning," he said, and shook his head. "Man. That was stupid."

Not at all what she was thinking. Shane got up, and she gulped at the way his blue jeans rode low on his hips, the way his bones and muscles curved together and begged to be touched -

"Bathroom," he blurted, and moved almost as fast as a vampire getting out of there. Claire sat up, waiting, but when he didn't come back, she slowly began to assemble her clothes again. Bra, clicked back into place. Camisole neat and demure, if wrinkled. She'd kept her jeans on. Her hair looked like she'd combed it with a blender