hand under my blouse.
I skimmed my hands along his back, feeling his muscles work. Then I released a small current rippling over his body. He shuddered and deepened the kiss. Lost in the moment, my hands found their way to the fastening of his pants. I tugged at the snap, and it gave between my fingers.
Reese’s head shot up. “Dez, you don’t have to prove anything…”
“I know,” I said. “I want to.” I began to unclasp my breeches, but he grabbed my hand, stopping me.
He released a heavy breath. “And believe me, I want to.” He dipped his head and quickly kissed me. “But not like this. Not when you’re still upset, and definitely not here.” He brushed his fingers through my hair, his eyes trailing over my face. “I care about you.”
I stared into his eyes as they changed from red to violet. We hadn’t known each other very long. But time wasn’t a factor for us. We were the same. We shared something deep and secret that other Kythan didn’t. And I didn’t want to be separated from him ever again.
I finally spoke after a long moment. “I care about you,” I said, taking in his anxious expression.
The crease between his eyebrows relaxed. “For a minute there, I was worried.” His lips spread into a relieved smile. “I thought I’d scared you off.”
I shook my head against the ground. “Never.” I kissed him, feeling his lips—the lips I wanted to kiss every day. I slowed the kiss, and he pulled back.
“But you’re right,” I said. “This can wait. There’re other things going on right now. We need to stay focused.” He nodded. “But thanks. You know, for wanting to make it special.”
Reese sat up, bringing me with him. “You’re special, Dez.” He smiled, his face brightening. “Are you hungry?”
I laughed at his sudden change of topic. “If it’s not sex with you guys…it’s food,” I joked.
He arched an eyebrow. “Have to have something to satisfy me after a match like that.” He winked. “Come on. I know a place.”
Reese hovered up to the front of the Steam Pipe, an eat-in diner not far from Cogs. After parking his levibike on the bike ramp across from the autowalk, he lowered the kickstand and shut off the engine.
I slid off the back of his bike and looked around then down the roadway. Something seemed off. Sundays were normally slow in Haven with the usual bustle of the town halted for a day of rest, but today was unusually quiet.
We hopped across the autowalk and headed into the diner. I’d been inside the Steam Pipe a few times. The walls were lined with copper, as if you were inside an actual steam pipe. The tables were, in fact, giant gears made of brass and iron with deep cogs. It was cliché, but the food was great, and I liked the atmosphere.
Reese and I sat down at a table near the back, and I glanced around. “It’s really slow today.” Two other couples and a group of three Narcos were scattered throughout the mostly empty diner.
“Yeah it is.” He furrowed his eyebrows. “Even for a Sunday.”
“I was just thinking that.”
I opened my menu as the waitress approached our table. She held a small tablet. “What are we having today?”
I quickly scanned the menu. “I’ll take a burger and shake.”
Reese ordered the same, and she punched our order into her tablet. She turned to go, but I called out, “Um, wait.” She sidled back up to our table. “Are you the only one working the floor today? Normally there’re a few girls…” My face flamed as I trailed off. I wasn’t trying to embarrass her. I was only curious.
“Yeah, I am.” She rolled her eyes. “No one else showed up for work today except a few of the kitchen staff.” She blew her blond bangs off her forehead. “Not happy about that, but it’s dead anyway.” She shrugged and bounced off.
“Weird,” I muttered. I checked out Reese’s reaction, and I knew he felt the strangeness, too. There was something not right. I didn’t know how I knew, but I could sense it.
He looked around the Steam Pipe. “Something’s going on.”
I nodded. “Think it’s an epidemic? Like the flu or something?”
“I don’t know.” He scooped up our menus and placed them back in their copper holders. “But I think we should get our food to go.”
After packing up our lunch, Reese and I sped along Haven’s roadways, studying the empty storefronts and alleys. By