But he stopped on the threshold. “I’m going to leave you here.”
“Okay.” She stepped inside and turned around. “Would it look desperate if I asked when I can see you again?”
Behind her, he eyed the couch they’d had sex on the night before, and decided they needed to test out those cushions again. Also her bed. The floor. Her shower.
Those kitchen counters.
“It’s not desperate at all,” he murmured as he refocused on her face. “Because I was just going to ask you the same thing.”
“Tomorrow night? After work?”
“Yes. I will come to you here—”
“Oh, shoot. The bus isn’t running this late. We need to take you downtown—”
“It’s okay. I left my car parked around back.”
“All right. Good.” She glanced down for a second, to where his shit-kickers and her much smaller boots were nearly toe to toe. “Are you sure you’re okay, you know, after we—”
By way of answer, he pulled her against him and covered her mouth with his own. Kissing her deeply, he bent her back so that she gripped his shoulders. When they were both breathless, he released her lips.
“Does it feel like anything’s wrong with me?” he drawled.
Jo shook her head. “No . . . not at all.”
“Until tomorrow.” Syn had to force himself to separate their bodies and let go of her. “Shut your door and lock up. I won’t leave until I hear that dead bolt go back where it belongs.”
“You’re so protective.”
“Of you? You better believe it.”
Jo’s smile made him feel like a wealthy male, a curious state given that he had never cared about the material before. Then again, money and assets were not the true way of judging whether someone was rich.
Before she disappeared into her apartment, Jo rose up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. And then she closed her door.
A split second later, he heard the shift and clunk of that bolt hitting home.
Turning away, Syn whistled under his breath as he set about his departure. In spite of his colossal set of blue balls, he skipped his way by the mailboxes and all but twinkle-toed his way out into the night.
Amazing what the right female will do for a guy.
Sister mine.
The entities had agreed to meet upon neutral ground, in their usual place at which to congress, the grand and gracious Caldwell Public Library. Second floor. Marble colonnade that led into the rare books section where one needed proof of identity and a master’s to gain entrance.
If one were human, that was. If one were not? If one were substance made of air, sound captured within silence, light that cast no shadow and darkness that did?
Well, then you went wherever the hell you wanted to.
Brother mine.
As the Scribe Virgin communicated her greeting, she regarded her sibling with reserve. There were conclusions she came unto, but she kept them free of her thoughts. The pair of them were, as many twins were, connected on a deep level, and there were things he mustn’t know.
The Omega floated around before her, hovering above the white and black marble floor, the shadow which was his essence spilling out from under robes that had previously always sparkled with cleanliness, but were now stained and torn.
She was surprised at the sadness she felt over his disintegration. How fare thee, Brother?
You know the answer to that. The Omega stopped, the draping that covered his features moving around to face her. Why must we always meet here?
When you were allowed to choose the site, you picked a morgue.
A chuckle came out from beneath the dirty white hooding. I did.
And then a murder scene.
To be fair, I was working that night.
And finally, a car accident.
That one was perfectly appropriate. The Omega shrugged. Indeed, Father always says we should do more things together.
I do not believe that includes being in a car as it careens off a cliff.
We would have had the whole trip down to the ocean to talk. The driver was drunk, he would not have heard us, anyway. And there was plenty of room in the back seat of that SUV.
It was not appropriate a’tall.
You are such a stiff, Sister mine.
Tell me how you are, Brother.
The Omega drifted over to the marble balustrade that ran around the grand, theatrical staircase. The main lights had been dimmed as the facility was closed for the night, but sconces glowed sweetly upon many a wall and the wrought iron chandelier that hung from a heavy chain