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The last vaasped, trying to figure out as going on

"Now, Bis!" Trent shouted, and the world exploded

The roar of fire washed over us, eating away at the bubble Trent had thrown up

And then it was gone, the pulse of heat vanishing into the hu into the shush of water on a beach Bis had jumped us, and I had no idea where ere

My heart thudded as we slowly stood from our crouch It was dark, hours before dawn My feet sank into cool sand We were on the West Coast? Behind us was the great blackness of the Pacific, before us the extravagant lines of athe beach The wind lifted through my hair and pulled the heat fro the lump down Everyone I loved was safe

"Ah, where are we, Bis?" Trent said, and I let go of his hand

Bis shifted his claws, and I winced, not wanting him to know he’d broken skin "Uh, I hope you don’tup behind"I had to pick somewhere the sun hadn’t come up yet"

"It’s not Lee’s," Trent said, and a knot of worry eased as I heard a piano playing the saht

"Alice, what do you think about this?" a familiar voice called out, faint over the surf as the phrase was haain, and I ser and trying not to cry Bis had taken me home He’d taken me to my mom

Chapter 12

I woke for the second time in the same day with a smile on my face Eyes closed, I stretched a foot down to find Trent’s, feeling his ared hi us two rooms hadn’t even occurred to her as she fussed and burbled over getting us settled, finding us toothbrushes and own The shower had been heaven, and the cool sheets better than death, as Ivy would have said

My eyes opened A deliciouslyons, the sun was nearing noon by the slivers of light leaking in past the half-open blinds Trent, too, was just waking up, having spent so in behind me for a couple of hours Our usual sleep schedules weren’t compatible at all, but that didn’t see tihter

All I cared about was that I woke up with Trent beside me for the second tiht

Warhtgoas a soft hush, and when Trent pulled s like this

"Hi," I said softly, and his eyes opened They were brilliant green from behind his tousled hair, clear and rested even if his stubble was thick It les downthe soft skin under his throat with entle pull

Suddenly he was a lot more awake The bed shifted as he found hpulse His hand pressed htened at the back of his neck I was suddenly a lot more awake, too

"Donald?" echoed in the hallway "Do we have any ot to come out of there eventually It’s after noon!"

Breathless, I pulled back Our lips parted with a sharp s had slipped betweenme--not that I minded His s voice answer led into hiet up, but even as ether, she also wouldn’t have any hesitation about knocking on our door

My pulse slowed I listened to Trent’s heartbeat, breathing hi up like this, but was it realistic to even hope it could last? As in a permanent situation? I knew better than to look for a happily ever after My track record spoke for itself

"Still can’t see it?" Trent said

My lips quirked "How do you do that?" I asked softly, and his hand traced tingles on my shoulder as he slipped the thin strap down

"It’s inevitable," he said, as sensation raced froether For example, what do you want to do today?"

My schedule was already full of handling the unknown, but I sat up, willing to play the ganized anywhere the moment he set foot in public "Have strawberries for breakfast, lay out on the beach, ht dinner on a boat Go to bed before the sun coain"

Propped up on an elbow, he smiled and tucked ht, and I wanted to feel its roughness "See what Ito show a new and very nice angle of hi, I scooted down and tucked myself next to him My real list was a lot different: check the news to see if our fake death gae uncomfortable questions fro, everbehindit for years "There’s absolutely nothing I can do," he said around a sigh, gazing past s I should"

He orried about his girls, but I couldn’t resist letting ers drift doard over his chest His body tensed, and I smiled "We should play deadtiht shifted as he leaned over les as it slipped up under the herip onhim down into another kiss

My eyes closed as I breathed him in The hint of my mom’s soap ress down his side and thigh before I drifted inward to find hiered as his lips leftdown my neck and to my breast