Kalindra (GateKeepers) by Sondrae Bennett Page A

another portion of the day.” He pulled her out of the chair and against him, but she pushed out of his arms.
    “Oh no, Casanova. Cool down. Dinner will be ready in half an hour.”
    “Half an hour! What am I supposed to do until then?”
    She smiled at the whine in his voice. Such a baby! “You just told me you weren’t bored.”
    “I’m not. But I’m hungry.”
    Oh, honestly. Kalindra grabbed a box of crackers and stuck it in front of him. “But don’t fill up. I am making a fabulous dinner tonight, and you better appreciate it.”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    Kali spun around, knife in hand. “Do I look like a ma’am to you? Ma’am implies old maid. I am not a ma’am.”
    A wicked gleam lightened his eyes. And that smile? Trouble with a capital T. “Aren’t you like three hundred years old?”
    She pointed the knife at him. “Your point?”
    He smiled, and popped another cracker into his mouth. His intent shone clear on his face. “No point. Just clarifying.”
    “Clarifying what, exactly?” He opened his mouth, but Kali cut him off. “And let me clarify that any possibility of a sex portion of the day happening later on, might very well depend on your answer.”
    His mouth closed, but the humor remained in the lines of his face and the light in his eyes.
    “Clarifying how young and exuberant you look, of course. You don’t look a day over two hundred and ninety-nine.”
    Kali struggled against a smile. With a small nod of acknowledgement, she turned back to the counter and let her smile bloom. Such a way with words.
    “Can I ask you something that’s been bothering me?” she asked, pulling out ingredients for a salad.
    “Ask away.”
    “Why did you bring the shard into Outremer in the first place? When you first came here, you thought all creatures from Outremer monsters.” That was the part that didn’t make sense. Why use the shard at all?
    “My grandfather took me the first time. Each Keeper of the shard is brought into Outremer once and taught about your world. They have to know what they’re guarding,” he said after a moment. “After that...” She turned in time to see his shrug. “I brought others into Outremer. To show them around. Your very own nightmare tour guide. I always told myself I was exploiting the shard to make money, but I think there was more to it. Outremer fascinated me. I always wanted to see the world, but then this whole other world opened up to me. All I wanted to do was explore it.”
    His words hit her in the chest. He wanted to explore the world. Of course he would. It fit his personality perfectly. But that was the one thing Kali could never do. The gate had her chained to this one place. Sure, she could travel a bit. But as soon as someone crossed through the portal, she’d be right back where she started. Trapped with no end save death.
    She’d just have to savor every second she had with him. Her memories of their time together would have to last her a lifetime. Because sooner or later, he would leave.
    “So, how’re we looking for a little sexy time later?” The hopefulness in his voice made her smile. It looked pretty good, but she wouldn’t make things too easy for him.
    “We’ll just have to see,” she teased.
    His arms slipped around her, grabbing the counter on either side until she was hemmed in. His front pressed against her back, and it took all of Kali’s strength not to lean into his warmth.
    His breath caressed her ear as he whispered. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you make a decision.”
    Using every ounce of willpower she had left, she elbowed him out of the way and crossed to the oven to check on her duck. There’d be plenty of time to play later. Besides, waiting only made their encounters that much more intense. Not that there was anything wrong with their encounters when they didn’t spend time apart. The man was a beast in bed.
    “I thought you were hungry?”
    “I’m always hungry,” he replied.
    The