Heads or Tails (6 page)

Pintang frowned. ‘What about Ardhi? I mean, he’s bound to know we’ve headed this way. Won’t he be on the look-out? If he follows me home, we’re screwed.’

‘We’ll have Ardhi by the time you get to that point.’ Tristan said matter-of-factly. ‘Life has to go on in the meantime, and I don’t think Ardhi is going to be skulking around down there in the middle of the day.’ He sat up, clearly eager to have a project, to put a bit of Pintang back together again. ‘Let me help you. I’m good at finding real-estate. I mean, I found
this
place.’

Ivyanne turned to him. ‘You did?’

Tristan shrugged. ‘I started looking straight away. You needed somewhere back here, of course, so the mers wouldn’t be terrified by too much change, and I figured that moving three or four plots away would be ideal. It was good timing too, I found out about this place before it went on the market, so there’s no ‘Sold’ sign getting around, drawing attention.’

Ivyanne studied him carefully. ‘So you’ve chosen my last
two
houses?’

‘Two?’ Lincoln asked.

Tristan looked at him. ‘Huh?’

‘You picked the last one? The one in Seaview?’

Tristan saw Ivyanne’s face reddening under the lantern light.

‘Not for her, specifically,’ Tristan said quickly. He was quickly learning that Lincoln was easier to handle as a rival if he wasn’t feeling overly threatened. ‘I found it for Vana years ago as a rental and decorated it-but I never thought
Ivyanne
would end up there.’

‘So that was
your
taste, huh?’ Lincoln nodded, as if understanding something, then looked at Ivyanne thoughtfully. ‘I always wondered why you liked it so much…. it seemed so, not you.’

Ivyanne got to her feet, stacking Lincoln’s plate on top of hers. ‘I’m twenty-eight,’ she said quickly. ‘I don’t know who ‘me’ is yet. But yes, I liked it.’

Tristan handed her his plate, trying to attract her gaze, but she kept her head down. Lincoln was right to say that the Seaview pad was very un-Ivyanne. Had she wanted to live there, because she wanted to be closer to him after his ‘passing’ ? The thought made him warm all over.

‘I’ll stack these in the dishwasher,’ Ivyanne said, making her way to Saraya. ‘But then I need some sleep.’

‘But it’s so early,’ Lincoln protested.

‘Ivyanne’s been sleeping a lot,’ Saraya said. ‘It’s a depression thing.’

Everybody turned to look at her. She winced. ‘I did it again, didn’t I?’

‘It’s okay, guilty as charged.’ Ivyanne chuckled. ‘But I’ve spent seventy five percent of that time staring at the roof, not actually sleeping. So I’m depressed yes, but not lazy.’

Lincoln looked concerned. ‘Is there anything I can do?’

‘Yeah. Be patient with me. I am mer, and apparently I have strong DNA-’ she winked at Saraya. ‘I’ll bounce back.’

‘I’m with you on that,’ Tristan said. ‘I’m wiped after that massive meal. Besides, I want to be in bed by
eleven
, anyway, and I still need to shower.’

Ivyanne’s lips pursed, like she was trying not to smile. But even the tips of her ears were pink this time. Tristan loved the fact that he could still make her blush, even when Lincoln was right there in the room.

‘I’ll show you where your room is Tristan,’ Pintang offered quietly.

‘Thanks.’ Tristan said, though he was sorry Ivyanne hadn’t offered.

‘I’ll help you Ivyanne,’ Lincoln said, standing up and expertly collecting all five glasses in one hand. ‘It’d be good if you could show me to where I’m sleeping too. I’ll get lost in this place.’

‘Sure,’ Ivyanne led Lincoln inside, who turned to wave with his free hand, winking at Tristan then grinning smugly.

Tristan kept his expression set to ‘poker face’ so Lincoln wouldn’t get too much enjoyment out of the moment. He had felt hope when he’d overheard Ivyanne cooling things off with Lincoln after her parents had died, but he’d barely seen her since, and had been beginning to lose heart. However, her revelations that afternoon had fanned the flames of his confidence to the point of rocket ignition-it was clear that she had missed him.

But what part of him did she miss? His words? His conversation? Or the multiple Orgasms? Tristan was determined to find out. Starting with the orgasms.

*

‘This is your room,’ Ivyanne reached around and the door and suddenly, the room was filled with light. Lincoln squinted, still disorientated from the quick tour she’d just taken him on.

‘Whoa,’ he whistled under his breath. ‘This is swish.’ He stepped onto the polished timber floors in his socked-feet, taking in the space. The room was enormous and spartan in it’s fixings. One massive corner window wrapped around the two outer walls, and a large security shutter had been drawn over it. Topaz-colored drapes dangled from the curtains tracks, and other touches of that color were picked up in various throw pillows. The surfaces were polished and free of clutter, the carpets new and plush, the ceiling high and edged with elaborate cornice.

‘You should see
mine
,’ Ivyanne said, slinging his rucksack onto the bed as the door clicked shut behind her.

‘Is that an invitation?’ Lincoln asked, unable to resist.

She looked heavenward, tightening her ponytail. ‘Tristan is rubbing off on you, isn’t he?’

Lincoln rolled his eyes, annoyed by her inference. ‘Ivyanne I was
always
a flirt. You just rendered me speechless most of the time.’

‘Then I’m flattered.’ She pinched his cheek. ‘But
no
, we will not be touring my bedroom tonight.’ She handed him a small remote. ‘Those shutters are battery operated. Just set the alarm clock and they’ll open on the first snooze.’

‘Cool. So…’ Lincoln glanced around and smiled at her, feeling the tension of the moment as he clutched the remote and wondered if he should reach for her.

‘I better go to bed,’ Ivyanne was twiddling her thumbs in front of her bare mid section. ‘Good night Link. It was... nice to see you again...’ she moved to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm.

‘That’s it?’ he said softly. ‘No kiss good night?”

The politeness left Ivyanne’s eyes, revealing the longing beneath. ‘You know we shouldn’t.’

‘No one can see us,’ he said, cupping her chin and stroking her jaw with his thumb. ‘One kiss won’t get me killed.’

Her eyes were wide. ‘But-’

If Lincoln had needed further proof to confirm his suspicions about her feelings for Tristan, the hesitation in her eyes was evidence enough. She wasn’t just feeling concerned-she was struggling with guilt!

Lincoln’s hopes were sinking fast. All afternoon he’d watched Ivyanne and Tristan interact carefully, noting how things had changed. The constant bickering that had been present before had gone, and had been replaced with an awkward kind of distance that seemed to have physical, but not mental boundaries. They didn’t touch. They barely addressed one another-but when they did, a charge passed between them so obviously that Lincoln felt as though a forcefield had dropped between him and them.

Tristan was in love with her. Really and actually in love with her. Lincoln had doubted before but he didn’t now. The guy was on the level, and as vulnerable as Lincoln himself.
Ivyanne on the other hand, was harder to read, as always. Lincoln could see that she was still suspect of Tristan’s motivations, and yet the way she looked at him was so laden with desire that it was almost painful for Lincoln to observe.

Ivyanne wanted to sleep with Tristan again. She didn’t really believe he was there, and wouldn’t come to terms with the reality of the choice she had to make until she’d cleared her mind of his bedazzlement. She needed to know that Tristan was just a man, not a ghost. Only then would his presence stop haunting her.

Part of Lincoln broke at the realization, but that crack allowed something to sneak out and work his less giving and patient will, bypassing the do-gooder veil guarding his natural urges to protect her fragile mental state.

He brought his mouth down on Ivyanne’s savagely, winding his hands around her long and fluffy ponytail, crushing her mouth into his. The taste of her brought him instant relief, numbing the pain, and he explored her mouth like she was the antidote to a crippling physical condition.

Ivyanne responded more eagerly than her body language had prepared him for, practically knocking him over with her enthusiastic response and leaving no doubt that she still
very
much desired him, if not him alone. He’d seen that too but now he grew stiff and hard in his slacks as he felt her body heat envelop him. He pressed it into her thigh and a small sound escaped her-a cross between a moan and a sob and she stretched up onto her tiptoes, kissing him with renewed passion that only made his need for her worse.

Lincoln caught her waist and crushed her to him, bending her back so that he could explore her mouth more deeply. He wanted to roam her with his hands, to strip her and make love to her up against the wall, but he didn’t dare let one single finger stray-to cross the line between embrace and debasement. Holding onto the new queen was like trying to hold onto a firefly in your hand-you couldn’t help but crave the light, to trap it for yourself,  but once it was in your hand, it began to fade, scared and lost, and broke your heart with it’s fading beauty.

All he could do was wait, with his palm open-anticipating the day she would land there willingly.

As though she’d read his mind, Ivyanne pushed him back slightly against the bed and crawled over him, the speed of her kisses slowing, the depth increasing. His heart rate followed suit becoming a steady thump that made him dizzy and he was grateful that he no longer had to support their combined weight. He wanted to be excited that she was laying him out-wanted to milk the moment, but his muscles suddenly felt heavy and unmanned-like a puppet with severed strings.

Drowning. He was literally drowning in his love for her.

Ivyanne broke the kiss off with a soft gasp, taking his oxygen with him. His eyes fluttered open, and then he grinned to discover that her perfect figure had grown blurry around the edges.

‘You were draining me!’ He said slowly, feeling giddy and heavy simultaneously. The last time he’d felt this way was when Grace had begun to give him her energy at the engagement party-after he’d restored Ivyanne’s life force with his own. He’d almost blacked out then, and apparently, his life had been in peril because of it-not that he’d been aware of much other than the feel of Ivyanne against him at the time.

Grace,
he thought, feeling guilt thread it’s way through his mind now that he didn’t have an active mental blockade.
Does she want me like this? Do I hurt her as badly as Ivyanne hurts me? Poor kid! So young!

‘I’m sorry!’ Her hand went to her mouth-her entire face was hard to focus on now-shining green eyes against bronzed skin and little else. ‘That wasn’t intentional! Again!’

‘S’okay,’ he slurred, and it was.
Everything
was okay-she’d literally kissed him senseless. He didn’t even have the energy to be disappointed that it was over. ‘Feels good, you know, when it’s slow like that….. Like sucking on gas.’

‘How romantic.’ Ivyanne giggled, brushing a lock of hair off his forehead. ‘Sorry Lincoln, clearly I have needs, and my body is trying to find a way around my chastity to get what it wants.’

‘That makes two of us then,’ he joked, letting his eyes flutter shut. ‘But anytime you need a fix, feel free to suck on me.’

‘Duly noted,’ Ivyanne slid her hand over his eyelids, and they closed willingly. ‘Goodnight my love. Sweet dreams.’

‘Just started one…’ he whispered as she faded away to blackening pixels. When reality vanished, her lips returned to his.

*

‘Ivyanne said you’d like the room with the art,’ Pintang said, leading Tristan into his room, gesturing to a massive abstract mural on the wall-it had an ocean theme-greens and blues intermingled with purples and blacks-like the ocean in every mood.

‘It’s a great room,’ Tristan said, placing his carry-all onto the floor under the desk, admiring the bulk head in the ceiling and the beautiful treatment on the walls. He chuckled when he saw the gigantic plasma on the wall. ‘That’s a
serious
T. V.’

‘You can plug your laptop in,’ Pintang pointed out, crossing the room and perching on the edge of his bed. ‘Save your eyes.’

‘Great idea,’ Tristan was pleased to see two desks-it was nice to know that Ivyanne had anticipated him being there often enough to do some work. ‘Can I ask where your room is?’

‘On the ground floor, to the right of the front door. First the security room, then Saraya, then our bathroom, then me.’ Pintang said. ‘The guest house is right near us-no one’s in there yet though.’

Tristan was trying to see the layout in his head. ‘So not where I snuck in?’

‘No Garridan found you on the left side of the house, outside the laundry. A little courtyard separates it from the rest of the house-though it’s got a roof to keep rain out, so would have looked joined from above.’

‘Ahh….’ Tristan made a note to explore later on. ‘And Garridan?’