eat. I fell asleep shortly after I got back to network headquarters and didn’t wake up until a couple of hours ago.”
“Kate said you were tranqed.”
His eyebrows rose. “Kate from Mr. Reordon’s office?”
“Yes.” Crossing to the kitchen, she breathed a sigh of relief when he stayed with her. She felt clingy as hell and didn’t want to let him out of her sight. “She thought I’d want to know you made it back safely.”
“That was kind of her.”
“I thought so, too.” She studied him. “Were you tranqed?”
He shrugged. “That’s what they tell me.”
Worry nibbled at her. “You don’t remember?”
“No. I don’t remember any of it.”
Did that mean he didn’t remember basically telling her goodbye or the determination she’d read in his eyes to end his existence?
Did that mean he intended to keep fighting?
Taking a vase down from a kitchen cabinet, she filled it with water and arranged the flowers in it. “Todd said everyone has been singing your praises. He said you impressed the hell out of them by safely guiding the immortals through all the booby traps and fail-safes.”
He nodded. And she loved seeing happiness light up his deep brown eyes again. “That’s what they’re saying. I worried at first that Bastien and Melanie might be bullshitting me to make me feel better, but…” He shrugged. “Mattheus—one of the immortals who went with us that night—said it was true. He said I got them all through injury-free.”
Not without great cost to himself, but Emma could see how much it meant to him that he’d done something truly heroic. “That’s wonderful, honey.” She couldn’t resist giving him another hug.
His hands settled on her hips as he dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers in a slow, sensual kiss.
Emma moved closer, leaning her body into his as she parted her lips. His tongue gave hers a teasing stroke, inciting a hum of approval.
His hands tightened, urging her even closer.
His stomach growled.
Both laughed.
Emma patted his chest. “Let’s get some food in you.”
The hours that followed reminded her of the early days of their relationship. Side by side, they worked together to whip up a quick meal of salad, pasta, and the baguettes Cynthia had brought when she’d visited earlier. While they did, they laughed and talked, exchanging quick kisses and affectionate caresses. By some unspoken mutual agreement, neither mentioned the battle, his condition, or his future. They simply enjoyed each other’s presence.
Emma set the coffee table with a white runner and candles. Then they sat cross-legged on the floor across from each other, knees brushing.
Emma told him Cynthia’s plan to spark the vampires’ curiosity about Todd’s prowess in bed. He laughed and shared some of the things the vampires teased Todd about.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d smiled so much. And Cliff seemed wonderfully happy and carefree. Charming and funny. Every time a tiny voice inside wished he could always be thus, she pushed it back into the deepest recesses of her mind. Tonight she would forget everything else and enjoy this eye of the hurricane, this calm between storms. Tonight they were just an ordinary couple, completely enraptured with each other.
Once they finished dinner and cleared the dishes, they headed outside. Cliff arranged her speaker on the front porch and cycled through her phone’s playlists. Then Nat King Cole began to sing “Unforgettable.”
“Perfect,” she said. This whole night was unforgettable.
Smiling, Cliff took her hand. “Most Immortal Guardians like older music. And I’ve spent a lot of time around Bastien and Aidan, so I’ve really grown to appreciate it.”
She smiled. Her grandparents had sparked her own love of oldies.
Cliff led her down the steps and onto the grassy dance floor. There he issued her a gallant bow, then drew her into his arms.
Emma hadn’t danced with many men in the past. The boys in high school had just linked their hands at the base of her spine and swayed a little. College guys had done the same.
Not Cliff though. Cliff entranced her. He made her feel special. Loved. It reminded her of the way her parents danced. Her mom and dad had been married for going on forty years. And no matter how busy or chaotic life got, they always danced together on their anniversary.
Cliff took Emma’s right hand in his left and pulled her close. His right arm slid around to her back, his warm hand delivering a soft caress. Emma slid her left hand up his arm to his shoulder, happy to discover his muscles still loose