him. Or her. He reached into his pocket, took out the phone and turned it on. It signaled an email. From yesterday evening.
Kal. Worried about Finn. Wondering if his food supply was holding out. Warning him that things could happen if he ran out of Asazi food.
He’d been out for quite a while now, backpack at the restaurant, and had consumed more than a few human meals. And now he was going to have another one. And there were no adverse effects. Except that thing in the hotel room, with the woman on the television, and short time ago, with Marissa. Except he didn’t consider that to be adverse. Not adverse at all. It was pleasurable.
But he wasn’t going to tell Kal that or about the food he’d been eating, and not eating.
He did wonder if human food was why his body reacted the way it did to the television. And to Marissa. Mostly to Marissa now. It felt like the whole time he’d been around her he’d had this buzzing in his veins, this throbbing in his loins. And he hadn’t been able to get rid of it.
A thought struck him. “What direction is this Woodland place from here?”
She laughed, as if he’d said something funny. “ The Woodlands. There are some people who get irate if you skimp on the THE. It’s north from here. And east.”
That wasn’t quite good. The Asazi were set up north, but west. He’d think they’d be better off going the opposite direction. “So what’s south of here?”
“Galveston?” Her tone was perplexed.
“And past Galveston?”
Another laugh. He liked the way she laughed, though he remembered that not far beneath there was this angry, passionate, little hellion.
“Water. The Gulf Coast. Nothing, pretty much. Unless you can walk on water.”
“No one can walk on water.” He was confused by her statement.
“Never mind. But yes, just Galveston.”
“Can we go there instead?”
“I’ll make a U-turn. Hey, by the way, you left your backpack in my restaurant you know. Is there anything important in it?”
Kal would think so. “No. Nothing I can’t live without.” This seemed to be truer than he’d been told. If his team went there, they’d know he had been in her restaurant. They would know he wasn’t eating Asazi food. They’d know he was eating human food. And whatever consequences they thought happened, they’d presume had.
They may start to put some things together, though he doubted they could put it all together. Like why he was with her and where they were going and why it was so damned important to him to save her.
Hell’s curses, he couldn’t figure that out himself. One thing he knew. He couldn’t take her back to her home or restaurant. And he didn’t know the why of that either.
Chapter 25
Marissa
She should get her head checked. What kind of foolishness was this? Going anywhere with a stranger, in a car, a guy that size would have no problem taking care of her. No problem at all. Sometimes I’m so stupid.
But there was something about him. Something about his eyes, the set of his jaw. And it wasn’t about the hot-factor, though heavens above, the man was some kind of hot. She took a sideways glance at his bicep, that chest. He’d have no problem containing her, if he meant her harm. But she trusted him. He had this . . . this thing about him, like he’d been hurt. He reminded her of a wounded wolf.
Two West Two was closed, and she really didn’t have much to do. No social life. No business to worry about, since it wasn’t going to be around much longer, was it. And he was hot.
Hot men get you in trouble.
Yeah, yeah, she didn’t care about that right now. Plus, he’s a headhunter. He could get her a job, or an interview at the very least. And if he really meant her any harm, he’d have probably done that to her last night.
She felt heat rising to her cheeks at the thought of him being here, about last night, how she came to be in different clothes. And most of all, at the stuff they’d done this morning.
Kal. Worried about Finn. Wondering if his food supply was holding out. Warning him that things could happen if he ran out of Asazi food.
He’d been out for quite a while now, backpack at the restaurant, and had consumed more than a few human meals. And now he was going to have another one. And there were no adverse effects. Except that thing in the hotel room, with the woman on the television, and short time ago, with Marissa. Except he didn’t consider that to be adverse. Not adverse at all. It was pleasurable.
But he wasn’t going to tell Kal that or about the food he’d been eating, and not eating.
He did wonder if human food was why his body reacted the way it did to the television. And to Marissa. Mostly to Marissa now. It felt like the whole time he’d been around her he’d had this buzzing in his veins, this throbbing in his loins. And he hadn’t been able to get rid of it.
A thought struck him. “What direction is this Woodland place from here?”
She laughed, as if he’d said something funny. “ The Woodlands. There are some people who get irate if you skimp on the THE. It’s north from here. And east.”
That wasn’t quite good. The Asazi were set up north, but west. He’d think they’d be better off going the opposite direction. “So what’s south of here?”
“Galveston?” Her tone was perplexed.
“And past Galveston?”
Another laugh. He liked the way she laughed, though he remembered that not far beneath there was this angry, passionate, little hellion.
“Water. The Gulf Coast. Nothing, pretty much. Unless you can walk on water.”
“No one can walk on water.” He was confused by her statement.
“Never mind. But yes, just Galveston.”
“Can we go there instead?”
“I’ll make a U-turn. Hey, by the way, you left your backpack in my restaurant you know. Is there anything important in it?”
Kal would think so. “No. Nothing I can’t live without.” This seemed to be truer than he’d been told. If his team went there, they’d know he had been in her restaurant. They would know he wasn’t eating Asazi food. They’d know he was eating human food. And whatever consequences they thought happened, they’d presume had.
They may start to put some things together, though he doubted they could put it all together. Like why he was with her and where they were going and why it was so damned important to him to save her.
Hell’s curses, he couldn’t figure that out himself. One thing he knew. He couldn’t take her back to her home or restaurant. And he didn’t know the why of that either.
Chapter 25
Marissa
She should get her head checked. What kind of foolishness was this? Going anywhere with a stranger, in a car, a guy that size would have no problem taking care of her. No problem at all. Sometimes I’m so stupid.
But there was something about him. Something about his eyes, the set of his jaw. And it wasn’t about the hot-factor, though heavens above, the man was some kind of hot. She took a sideways glance at his bicep, that chest. He’d have no problem containing her, if he meant her harm. But she trusted him. He had this . . . this thing about him, like he’d been hurt. He reminded her of a wounded wolf.
Two West Two was closed, and she really didn’t have much to do. No social life. No business to worry about, since it wasn’t going to be around much longer, was it. And he was hot.
Hot men get you in trouble.
Yeah, yeah, she didn’t care about that right now. Plus, he’s a headhunter. He could get her a job, or an interview at the very least. And if he really meant her any harm, he’d have probably done that to her last night.
She felt heat rising to her cheeks at the thought of him being here, about last night, how she came to be in different clothes. And most of all, at the stuff they’d done this morning.
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