Body and Soul (Body and Soul Trilogy) (17 page)

“I didn’t know you liked flowers and angels,” Kate said.

Rico laughed and tousled his hair. “Human religions sometimes depict demons as fallen angels. It’s nice to pretend that it’s true. And the vase has never had flowers in it.”

“Oh,” Kate said nervously.

“Why are you here? Is something the matter?”

“No,” Kate answered. She breathed in deeply, wondering how she would start this. She turned
to face Rico directly and crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping that it wouldn’t jinx or ruin what she was about to say.

Rico watched her, so she began with the first thing that came to her mind.

“I was cleaning my room earlier and found
Pride and Prejudice
. I saw the page where you underlined and wrote the quotes. I got dressed and ran over here.”

“I did that the other night,” he said. “I thought about what you said about body and soul. I remembered the quote when I read the other one. They made me think of you.”

“Is that when you decided that you couldn’t stop your feelings? That you couldn’t pretend?”

“It was,” Rico said. He moved closer to Kate, and she could feel her heartbeat slow down. She wasn’t nervous anymore.

“I came here,” she started.

“I know why you came here,” Rico finished. “I think, though, that we need to go on a date. We need to try to make this as normal as possible for you. I want it to be like that for you. Would you, Kate, please accompany me on a surprise date?”

Kate was slightly shocked. Her tongue tied in her mouth and she could hardly breathe. Rico was asking her on a date.

Rico raised an eyebrow at Kate and smiled knowingly.

Kate swallowed and shook her head to erase the dizziness. “Yes,” Kate said weakly. “I would love to.” She felt her knees start to wobble with the reality that this was really happening. So this was what they were describing in all those books she read.

Kate practically floated upstairs.
All the while she thought about Rico, and how he was such a gentleman. She loved knowing that he cared about making their relationship as normal as possible. Rico was taking this seriously and, like he did with most things, he was going to make sure that he did this right.

Kate
knocked on Adriana’s bedroom door, a goofy smile plastered to her face. When Adriana saw Kate, she pulled her into the room and shut the door.

“What?” she asked curiously. “Did he kiss you?”

“No,” Kate breathed. She couldn’t even imagine how that would make her feel.

“Rico asked me out on a date. I was wondering if you could do my makeup while he showers and gets dressed. But,” she warned, “I want to look like myself.”

“Of course you do, honey. Come and sit down over here,” Adriana said.

Ten minutes later, Kate walked downstairs. Her curls were perfect spirals that bounced when she walked. Her eyes had on a thin layer of navy eyeliner, bringing out the hints of blue that Adriana loved so much. Her long, dark lashes framed her grey eyes.

Rico could feel his heartbeat quicken when he saw Kate. He wondered, briefly, what a human would feel in this situation. He wished he could feel it too, but knew that if he had been born human, he would never have met Kate.

Kate was glad that Adriana and Donovan were kind enough to let them share this moment together –
alone. The couple walked outside, Kate’s hand brushing Rico’s as she walked. She was tempted to take his hand in hers, but knew that he might pull away, so she resisted.

Rico
opened his red door for Kate again, and she slipped inside the cool interior. He pulled out of the driveway, and drove away from their problems. Rico drove for a while and Kate grew more curious as time went by. She wasn’t surprised when they ended up in Ybor City, the cigar district near downtown Tampa.

Rico pulled down a side street and parked his car. He opened the door for Kate again, and tossed some coins into the meter. They walked down Seventh Avenue, and Kate stared at all of the clubs, bars, and restaurants.

Rico stopped in front of a small restaurant. The exterior was made of brick, and there were two tables that sat on either side of the door. Kate looked through a window and saw a friendly looking man making crepes. She looked up at the sign; it said La Creperia Café, the Bistro and Espresso Bar. She and Rico stepped inside and sat down at a table made for two on the left hand side. A beautiful waitress handed them menus.

“What do you want?” Rico asked Kate a few minutes later.

“I’m not sure. They all look delicious.” she exclaimed.

“That’s because they
are
all delicious. Would you like me to order for you?” he asked.

“Yes,” Kate admitted.

The waitress came back with two large glasses of water and set them on the table. She had dark hair that was pulled back in a tight bun, and wore peach lipstick. She was exotic, with arched eyebrows and olive skin.

“I would like the La Crepperie Special, and Kate would like the Bianca Mia. We would also like to share a Romeo y Julieta for dessert. Would you please bring that out after we’re finished, though?”
Rico asked kindly.

“Of course,” the waitress said.

Kate watched as the waitress walked away, and then turned back to face Rico.

“Thank you for ordering for me. I wouldn’t have known where to begin. Also, thank you for taking me here.
This means a lot to me.”

Rico looked up at Kate th
rough his dark lashes. “You’re welcome,” he said.

Chapter 21

The food was delicious. Kate especially liked the Romeo y Julieta, although she thought that sharing it with Rico had been the best part.

The couple
walked down the streets and alleyways after lunch. Rico told Kate the history of Ybor City. They stopped by the sites and Rico pointed out architectural details and original buildings. He showed her the cigar factories and Ybor Square.

“Rico?” Kate asked as they walked back along Seventh Avenue. The sun was setting, the sky shades of orange and purple.

“Yes?” he asked back.

Kate stopped, wanting Rico’s full attention. He turned to face her.

“Will you and I ever be able to touch one another?” she asked, looking down at the ground. “I know that I said it didn’t bother me, that I didn’t care, but I guess no matter what you have, you always want more of it.”

Rico took her hands into his, forcing Kate to look into his eyes.

“I can’t touch you for very long. Would you rather hold hands for short amounts of time? Would that make you happy?”

“I don’t want you to hold my hand because it makes me happy, Rico. I want you to do it because you want to.”

“Kate, I do want to. I’ve never wanted anything more in my life. I’m afraid that I won’t want to let go of you, though. I’m afraid of hurting you.”

“You won’t let yourself hurt me. I know that. You know that.”

Rico smiled, knowing that it was true. The back of his mind, however, was filled with worries that haunted him. What if he couldn’t let go of her?

Rico took
Kate’s hand into his then and pushed the feelings of anxiety deeper into his mind, ignoring them. Kate was right. He had said that he wanted this done right. He should be willing, then, to do it right the first time.

They walked along the street, and Rico let go when he felt Kate’s body temperature lowering. Kate didn’t mind. Just the feeling of his rough hands against hers, his skin touching her skin, was enough, if even for a moment.

Rico drove home, chasing the setting sun. Kate’s heart was content, overflowing with positive emotions.

When they reached Kate’s home, Rico dropped Kate
off, like a boy would do on a real date. The couple walked up to the house together, holding hands the entire walk because it was a short distance from the street. Rico stopped at the bottom of the stairs and watched Kate walk up. He began to turn away when Kate turned around suddenly. She walked toward Rico and stopped on the first stair. From here, she was a little taller than he was, and Rico looked up at her, curiosity burning behind his cobalt eyes. Kate reached her hand out, touching Rico’s face. Her soft fingers traced his jaw, his neck, his collarbone. Her grey eyes were dark and serious.

Kate leaned forward and pressed her mouth against Rico’s. He froze for a moment, then melted under
her warm touch. He leaned in and kissed Kate back.

Rico’s lips were soft and sensuous against Kate’s. The kiss was a spark that ignited a fire deep within her soul. The kiss started out gentle, each of them frightened of what could go wrong. However, Kate’s body heat spiked when they kissed, Rico’s cooler lips balanced it out, and he let himself really kiss her. When they pulled away, both of them were flushed. Kate was breathing hard, and laughed at herself. Rico laughed with her, and she loved hearing his carefree laugh mingle with her own.

After the kiss, Kate walked back up to her house, determined not to look back at Rico’s retreating figure. She stepped inside and shut the door, taking a moment to lean against it. She touched her lips, remembering the most perfect first kiss she had ever had.

“Kate?”

Kate jumped up and screamed. She pressed her hand against her heart and laughed.

“Mom don’t scare me like that!” she exclaimed.

Blaire walked around the corner and laughed at the sight of her daughter. “You’re falling in love with him, aren’t you?” she asked.

Kate decided to go with the truth, and nodded.

“Was that your first kiss?” Blaire asked, a smile crawling across her features.

“Yes,” Kate said simply, then added, “Mom it was amazing and beautiful. He’s a great kisser, and I can see why you and Dad are happy all the time,” she giggled.

“Yes, Kate. Kissing can be fun,” Blaire commented.

The two of them walked further into the house, talking about Kate’s evening. They bonded over chocolate milk and a romance movie that made Kate feel giddy. She was so very happy, and knew that nothing could go wrong. 

Kate was standing on the front porch of Erik’s log cabin, her ivory gown blowing in the cool air. The breeze blew in from the stormy ocean, and Kate looked up to see storm clouds swirling overhead. She saw the telescopes in front of her and knew that she had to choose. The fates were allowing her to look at one of the two things that would happen in her life.

Kate took a step toward the telescope pointed toward her house, feeling the need to look into the one that she hadn’t looked through yet. However, the night spent with Rico triggered her heart, pulling her the other way. Kate stopped.

A bolt of lightning struck the ground in front of Kate. She jumped back, surprised, and looked to her right, toward Rico’s house. Without thinking she walked toward the telescope, and took it in her hands. Kate sucked in a mouthful of air, preparing herself for the worst thing that could happen, and looked into the eyepiece. There was nothing there. For a moment Kate panicked, afraid that Erik planned to destroy her friends.

She lifted her face away from the telescope slowly, realizing what she had done a moment later. She had chosen the wrong telescope. Kate swung her head to face the other one and bolted for it. She ran across the hard floor, her feet smacking against the wood. She held out her hand and reached for the telescope; she was almost there. Kate could make it before the dream ended. Kate stretched, her fingers closing over the cool metal surface.

Kate woke up to the crash of thunder outside her bedroom. She was covered in sweat and tangled in her sheets. She sat up and glanced at the clock on her nightstand; it was four in the morning.

Kate reached for her phone and texted both Rico and Adriana, hoping that one of them would get the message. She rolled out of bed and jumped into the shower, rinsing away the sweat but not her fears. She felt tears slide down her cheeks and
watched them mix with the water as they disappeared down the drain. What did her dream mean?

When Kate emerged from the bathroom, Adriana and Rico were waiting for her. They stood in the middle of her floor
, soaking wet. Kate tossed them towels, and when they were all dried off she told them what happened.

“What do
you
think it means?” Adriana repeated the question back to Kate.

“I don’t know,” Kate said. “I know that I made the wrong choice but I don’t know what could be happening that has to do with my house.”

“Why did you choose our house instead of your own?” Adriana pressed.

“I thought Erik was going to hurt you. I couldn’t stand to see that happen. I didn’t think. I just ran toward your telescope.” Kate buried her face in her hands.

“That’s understandable,” Adriana said.

“Have you ever thought, Kate, that you were able to choose who was hurt? What if you had gone to your telescope? Do you think that it would have been empty too?”

Kate contemplated his statement, knowing the answer already.

“I think that he knew I was going to choose the wrong telescope. He knew I would choose you over myself, and he used that against me.”

“What do you mean when you say
he knew
, Kate?” Adriana asked.

“This dream was different. I’m usually drawn to the things that I’m supposed to see. I never get to make a choice.”

“You think that Erik pulled you into the dream?”

“Yes,” Kate said, certain now that this was true. “Yes,” she repeated. “I think he did. I think he wanted me to see that he wasn’t finished with me, with you, with all of us. He knows that we know about the dark magic, and he intends to do something about it.”

“Do you have any idea what it could be?” Adriana pressed.

“No,” Kate said. “But one thing’s for certain.”

“What’s that?” Rico asked.

“It’s already been done,” Kate said sadly.

“How do you know?” Adriana asked.

“He wouldn’t have shown me unless it worked, unless his plan had been successful,” Kate sobbed. “Why didn’t I look into my telescope? Why was I so stupid?”

Kate broke down now. An immense weight had been pressed on her shoulders, and she could no longer hold it up. Kate could no longer pretend to be strong. She felt weak, weaker than she had ever been in her entire life.