Kiss Across Chaos (Kiss Across Time #10) - Tracy Cooper-Posey Page 0,12
laughed and bit into his.
Jesse realized she was grinning, too. “A long way to go for a good croissant.”
“But worth it.”
“Oh yes.” She ate more, while Aran poured the coffee.
Bertrand returned with a tray bearing two bowls of steaming soup. The rich smell of onions and garlic drifted over them as he put the bowls in front of them, and spoons wrapped in fabric napkins.
“It smells wonderful,” she breathed, sniffing deeply.
Bertrand beamed and went away.
The soup lived up to the promise made by the aroma. It was delicious. She ate quickly but paused when she realized that Aran was watching her. “What?” she said, the spoon in mid air.
He shook his head. “I’d forgotten that about you.”
She lowered the spoon. “That I eat?”
“That you often forget to eat.” He ate a mouthful himself. “As good as usual,” he murmured, and took another.
Jesse made herself finish the bowl of soup, even though she was no longer hungry. Her stomach was tight, her heart thudding. “Why are we here?” she asked him.
“For the croissants.”
She looked at him steadily.
Aran smiled. It made his eyes dance. “Your pauper state offends me. I’m fattening you up.”
“That’s better.” She reached for another croissant, sat back and tore the end off it. “I’m not a pauper.”
“You’re not being smart with your money,” Aran shot back. He didn’t look around, but she could almost feel him sizing up the little bakery, checking for eavesdroppers. “Given the natural advantages at your disposal, you should be rolling in money, Jesse. Why aren’t you?”
“What does that mean?” She was genuinely puzzled.
“You can access the timescape. Why haven’t you?” His voice was even lower.
Jesse could feel her jaw dropping open. She leaned forward, too. “You mean, use time, somehow?” She was appalled, astonished and intrigued all at the same time.
“Use the unique opportunity it provides,” Aran replied. “It kicks us in the ass all the time. Why not use it for payback? Literally.”
Her mouth opened even further. If Veris could hear this conversation, he would be throwing off thunder and lightning right now.
“I’m not a jumper,” she pointed out.
“A technicality that means less than zero. You know three of us who are, who would drop everything to take you anywhere you want to go.”
Marit, Alannah…and Aran. Were all three of them…god, what? Milking time for revenue? She found herself staring at Aran. All Veris’ and Brody’s, even Alex’s lectures about the dangers of screwing with time circling in her head. “The dangers,” she whispered.
His eyes narrowed. “And you could get run over by a bus tomorrow.”
She put the croissant down, unable to finish it. “I look both ways before I cross,” she said tartly. “You should, too.”
“You’re the last person to lecture me about being cautious,” Aran said. “You took on four Jihadists single-handed.”
“I didn’t have a choice. It was them or me.”
“You and everyone in England who would have died if you didn’t tackle them.” He grimaced. “Bad example,” he admitted. “But hell, Jesse, you’ve paid your dues. Time fucked up your life and dictated how it would go whether you liked it or not. Why not squeeze what benefit you can out of it?”
“Is that what you think it did to me? Fucked up my life?”
Aran’s gaze met hers. “You and me, both,” he said softly. “I didn’t have any choice, either.”
The question just popped out. “Is that why you stay away from everyone?”
He sat back, as if she had slapped him. He opened his mouth, as if he was about to protest, or refute her. Then he shut it and looked at his watch once more. “I’ve got a meeting on the Hill in forty minutes.”
As Jesse wasn’t sure why she had baited him like that, she let him change the subject. “We should get back then. You can’t…you adjusted the time when we came back here. You can’t do that going back?”
He shook his head. “It would cause an unnecessary loop. Loops are frequently deadly. I go back to the moment after I left whenever I can.”
She got to her feet, while Aran went and paid for the meal. While she waited, she ate the last half of the croissant. They were so good…
They stepped out of the store, into the more forgiving Parisian winter air and moved up the street toward the alley.
“I’m sorry,” Jesse said inadequately. “How you deal with your family is none of my business.”
“Damn it, Jesse!” he shot back, halting right there on the path. “You have as much right to question me