Rewrite Redemption (45 page)

“A.J., if you’re going to give him a boost, do it now,” Lex ordered. She was holding a silky, folded-up, comforter. She tossed over me. “One minute, no more.”

“Okay,” A.J. said. She knelt down beside me. She placed her soft hands on my chest and leaned into me, sending soothing waves throughout my body. When she leaned in, her hair swung down. It swept across my chest. I almost passed out with the scent of her. Her breasts were
right there
. I tried not to stare, but….

I focused hard on her hands and the wound on my chest. But that couldn’t stop the thoughts of her. The bliss at the very
nearness
of her. I suddenly really, really grateful to Lex for tossing that bulky comforter over me.

Lex looked at me and kind of smirked. I was oh, so, glad she couldn’t read my mind.

“You’re lucky I got to know you or this would damn well not be happening,” she said as though she knew what I was thinking. She stood there for a moment more and then she gave A.J. a shove.

A.J. dropped down beside me. Her eyes were closed. She let out a little sigh and curled up on her side.

“Hey, look at that,” Lex said with a little laugh. “I think she was actually asleep, kneeling over you. I’ve never seen her so wiped out.

I made no comment. I wasn’t quite sure how to proceed. I needn’t have worried because, of course, Lex took charge.

“Okay,” she said, “this is going to seem strange, but you need to sleep right next to her. If you can, put her head on your arm and pull her in so her back is touching your wound. The longer you can stay that way, the better you’ll be in the morning. Think you can do that and behave yourself?”

“No problem,” I said, straight faced, feeling oh, so, guilty for what I was seeing in my mind. I wrapped myself around A.J. Could I lie with her in my arms all night? I think I could handle that. The critic in my head snorted. I just pulled her in tight against my chest. She still smelled really good.

“I broke my leg once,” Lex said, “and it was half way healed the first night. By the second, it was almost back to normal. Sometimes it takes a couple days for Ipod to repair fully. But he’s never been shot, so I don’t know exactly how this will come out. I’d guess that you’ll be doing pretty well by morning. Get some sleep. We’ll deal with everything tomorrow.”

At that I closed my eyes. The hum of her energy mixed with mine, and I was back in my pleasure bubble—she smelled so
good
! I nuzzled my face into the nape of her neck, inhaling as much of the scent of her as possible. She gave a little sigh in her sleep.

“Behave,” Lex said sharply. “This is therapeutic, not for fun.”

I looked up guiltily; once again, glad she couldn’t read my mind. Maybe A.J. belonged to Ipod, but tonight, she was sleeping in
my
arms.

Lex doused the lights and settled down on the sofa. “We have a big day tomorrow. Get some sleep.”

The near-death experience had been a nightmare. But it all was worth it to be able to sleep beside A.J. for the entire night. I’d take another bullet for that privilege any day. Okay, cancel that. The gunshot sucked. I didn’t need a repeat. But lying there with her was mint. I couldn’t believe the day was going to end like that.

I planned to spend the entire night just inhaling her scent, nuzzling my face into her silky hair, and kissing the back of her neck. I figured that this would be my one chance to hold her, before I sent her off to rescue her boyfriend.

But I was so wiped out by everything that happened and relaxed by the bath and A.J.’s healing energy, that I fell asleep immediately.

What a stud.

I woke in his arms.

It took me a second to remember why I wasn’t in my bunk. When I did, I couldn’t help smiling. I’d been dreaming…something soft and wonderful. I struggled to grasp on to it, but it faded away. I didn’t care. What’s a dream compared to the real thing? He was holding me in his arms. Things weren’t perfect—I knew that—we still had to get Ipod back. But Lex had convinced me that was a done deal. So in that moment, lying there with his arms around me, I was totally and completely happy.

I lay motionless, unsure how to proceed. His top arm curled around me, warm and heavy. His hand held my hand against my chest. His long and elegant fingers—piano hands Sam would call them—were close enough for me to kiss. But of course I didn’t. I’m the queen of imagining things that I don’t actually do.

I’d never slept in anyone’s arms before. Well maybe Lex and Ipod’s when they were hurt, but it was always my arms around them, and they were family. Waking up in Constantine’s arms—I didn’t even have the words. Lying there with his breath in my hair, his heart thumping against my back, and his strong arms wrapped around me; it felt right somehow. It felt safe.

When we’d gone to bed, I’d been the walking dead and paid no attention to Lex’s logistics. It wasn’t the first time I’d been used as an overnight, healing blanket. But that morning, I didn’t want to move, maybe not ever.

I couldn’t see a clock, but the sun streamed through the stained glass window, coloring the room like a rainbow. It sparkled off the hairs on his arm and threw a gentle glow over the rumpled covers. Another sunny, Colorado day…maybe I’d spend it in bed, well, on a mattress on the floor in Constantine’s arms.

As if!

The sofa was empty, so Lex was up. I figured I’d just lie there, faking sleep until someone else made a move.

Someone did.

“I can see you’re both awake,” she said. “So there’s no reason to prolong this…
healing
session. Tick tock. We have things to do.” She’d just come from the shower and had a towel wrapped around her head. She’d already done her makeup.

Constantine hugged me tight for a moment, and I thought he kissed my hair for a split second—I could be wrong. And then, his big arm lifted off of me. Did Lex see that, the quick hug-possible-hair-nuzzle thing? Did that mean he liked me? Of course, he probably had a girlfriend back home, probably some popular cheerleader, with better clothes, blonde hair, and real cleavage—someone who wasn’t outcast and weird.

“Good morning,” he said to the back of my head.

“Um, good morning,” I echoed, crawling out of the covers and taking the hand Lex held out.

She pulled me up. “You look a hundred percent better this morning,” she said, giving me a hug. “How are you feeling?” She pulled off the towel and let her wet hair fall around her shoulders.

“Great,” I told her.

Constantine was lying back with his arm behind his head, smiling at us.

“How about you?” I asked, thinking that I’d just been lying there beside him, wishing I still was. I wondered what I looked like all rumpled from sleep. I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to straighten it out a little.

“I’m all better,” he said. “Take a look.” He sat up and pulled off his tee shirt, revealing broad shoulders and a well-defined torso.

“Perfect,” I said, kneeling down and tracing the spot where the bullet had entered.

Lex, who was blatantly staring at his bare chest, laughed. “I agree. Impressive six pack.”

 “I mean that it’s healed,” I said, blushing. “Look, there’s hardly any scar. If you saw what it looked like yesterday—”

“Sweetie, chillax. Let’s eat some breakfast and make a plan, okay?”

“Okay,” I said, glad to have the subject changed. “I get the bathroom next. Be right back.”

I left the room before I embarrassed myself with more babbling. This was so new for me. I had no clue how to handle it all. I wanted to tell Lex to ask Constantine if he liked me. How freakin middle school was that?

I was just finishing washing up, when Lex appeared at the door with clothes. “You’re not going back to the hoodie,” she said, firmly. “That era is over.”

She handed me a skirt, a stylish top, and the boots she’d given me for Christmas. I knew better than to argue with that tone of voice. Plus, I was ready to lose the loser look. Now that I could control a few things, I didn’t need to hide anymore. Besides, nothing I could encounter at school could possibly compare with what I’d just gone through.

Bring it on! 

When I was dressed, I checked on Sam. He was still sleeping. I gathered up bottles from the previous few days and tossed them in the bin. I walked out to the mailbox to collect up the clutter of junk mail and unpaid bills. There was another urgent request from the bank.

Sam was down to only one online class at that point. That barely covered the utilities. I set the notice beside his chair, hoping he’d make an effort…do
something
. But I could hope till the end of time. I left him a sandwich in the fridge, a note on the table, and headed back to the tree house.

“Bathroom’s all yours,” I said to Constantine. He’d gotten up and was helping Lex move the mattresses back to the bunkroom. “Be quiet and don’t go wandering. Sam’s sleeping, but he doesn’t need any shocks to his system.”

Con took off with his freshly washed, although blood stained jeans, and one of Ipod’s tee shirts. He looked skeptically at the jeans on his way out the door.

Lex shrugged. “Hey, blood stains are hard.”

I told Lex about the latest foreclosure notice.

“We’ll find a way,” she said confidently. “I probably have enough to make one payment. Then maybe Ipod can figure out how to hack my trust fund. Or I’ll convince my dad to intervene. Or maybe you can call your grandparents.”

Sam hated my mom’s parents. “It would kill him to have to ask them for money.”

“It would kill him to lose the house.”

“Checkmate,” I said, resignedly.

“We’ll deal after we get Ipod back and help Constantine,” she said. “I lie—I die.”

I left it at that. When Lex said that, she always came through.

I trucked across the bridge and snuck into the bathroom—no Sam in sight. Grabbing her towel, I held it to my face. I inhaled deeply, remembering the feel of her in my arms, the smell of her hair, and the soft skin on the back of her neck.

Then, abruptly, I tossed the towel back on the rack and splashed some water on my face. I was seriously conflicted. Not about her. There was no question at this point about how I felt about her, regardless of the stupid melding. I was conflicted about what my options were as far as having her in my future. I knew she was with Ipod, but she didn’t seem to have any problem holding my hand or sleeping next to me.

The critic jumped in at that point and reminded me, that A.J. slept near me to heal my gunshot wound. Lex arranged it, not her. I had to admit that was true. But she did hold my hand in the past. The critic snorted at that one. Okay, I conceded. We were in a life and death situation, and all bets were off for something like handholding. Besides, most of the handholding was when we were running for our lives. It’s not as if she made out with me or anything.

Still, she seemed to like me. We had moments. I knew we did.

Except…maybe
I
was having a moment, and she was just stunned by the newness of what was going on. I didn’t know if the melding worked for her at all since she was a Shadow. Probably she was blown away by all the Editor stuff, and I was just a part of that. Probably, she didn’t think of me that way at all. When it came down to it, what proof did I have that she was even into me?

None. Nada. Zilch.

I knew she was with him. I saw them lying together, practically making out. They
lived
together. And there I was, planning to get him back for her. A part of me wanted to save the kid, and a part of me was glad he was out of the picture. Overall, I was just confused.