Waiting (5 page)

"No.
" I spoke firmly, seeming to confuse him. "Ten years ago I let you go without asking any questions then watched you make out with Ashley..." I couldn't stop myself from adding that fact. "Now your crazy brother shows up and flings Brian across the roof as if he were a blanket, then you two fight or something, after coming out of nowhere..." He knew the rest,
I didn't need to repeat for him
. "I'm not the same naive teenager as I was back then and I won't let you leave without..."

He silenced me with a kiss. This kiss was pure magic and even better than I remembered our first to be.
 
My body softened almost immediately, forming to the hard planes of his, my arms wrapping around his neck the same time his softly landed on my hips, pulling me closer against him. It was a slow seduction, his rock hard lips smoothly parting mine until our tongues teased
each other’s
before escaping back into our own mouths. He tasted like magic. Pure mint and man, as though he'd just brushed his teeth.

What was I doing? He was just trying to get out of answering my questions and he’s not about to get away with it.
 
Again.
 
I broke off the kiss and removed my arms from his neck, taking a step back.

"I've missed your taste."
He shuddered.
His voice was deeper and he held firm on my hips, not letting me get far. "I will answer your questions if you let me take you home now. It'll take two minutes tops, then you'll have thirty minutes to interrogate me before I have to meet my brother. If he hadn't saved your life then being late wouldn’t feel wrong.
 
Or not showing up at all."

Do
they really know where I live?
They’ve both let slip some pretty incriminating evidence that  they’ve been spying on me. But why on Earth would they? Me. Piper. Pla
i
n Piper.

It’s my new found mission to find out.

"It'll take at least thirty minutes to get back to my apartment from here at this hour but if you'll ride with me in the cab then I'll agree."

His lips twitched again and I couldn't h
elp but soften even more toward
his mysteriousness.

"It'll take two minutes with me, and if I don't have to spend the next thirty calming you down or wiping your memory, then you can ask as many questions as you want."

I eyed him warily, wondering what his game was before nodding in agreement, having no idea how he planned to get across town in two minutes in this traffic. Or wiping my memory.

He stepped closer wrapping his arms tighter around me then leaned down and kissed me again. This time I had zero
control and threw myself at
him. The wind picked up, flapping our clothes, but I wasn't cold. I couldn't be. Not with him near me, though his skin was as cold as the night. I angled my head to the side and he picked me up, crushing me against his chest. It would've been embarrassing, the effect he had on me, if I had any strength to care about anything but the way his tongue stroked mine, his fingers digging into the small of my back and his thick erection poking me in the belly. Had anything ever felt this wonderful? Nope, not even close.

His chuckle stopped
my mission of devouring him before he
pulled back and looked deep into my
eye
s
.

"I didn't want you to miss this since I know how much you love views."

Confusion swept over my features before I glanced around and realized we were no longer on the roof, but floating in midair at least a hundred feet above my tall apartment building. I screamed and gripped him tighter,
then shut my eyes
, knowing this was all a dream.

"Wake up, wake up, wake up,
"
I chanted.

When I reopened them, we were still floating and he was grinning at me happily.

"Let's just go to your apartment.
 
Maybe another time you'd like to come up here where no one else is and look at the stars."

He seemed to be enjoying himself while I clung to him for dear life.
 
He had to be some sort of super hero or something. His strength, apparent ability to fly, and had he healed Brian's cut? It all sank in at the same time and my vision began to blur.

The last thing I remember seeing was Parkers worried face before my world went blank.

FOUR

"...wasn’t going to just leave her there and I couldn't get into her apartment. I'm only here to tell you that I'll have to meet you later. I want her to wake up where she fainted so she's not as scared."

Parker's v
oice was the first thing to register
after coming to.

"Too late, brother. But as long as you're here and she's awake..."

"No! I will not have her listen to this." His tone was one you wouldn't question before he changed and spoke to me, my eyes fluttering open to see his face. "Are you alright? I'm sorry, we should've taken a cab. It was stupid of me to spring all this on you. Not
my
fault..." he glared at his brother. "But I'm still sorry."

"I fainted."

It was the only thing I could think of to say that wouldn't be incoherent rambling.

"Yes."

My body still hung loosely in Parker’s arms while I took in my surroundings.
  C
radled in his arms on top of a clock tower. More like inside of the tower where all the gadgets moved and looked too dangerous to be near. Francis stood a few feet from us, grinning when I glanced at him.

My heart started to race when my mind began putting the pieces together of how we'd gotten here. To this moment.

They had phenomenal strength, nothing human. They could fly...but weren't birds. I couldn't see any wings. Maybe they were angels. And Parker had healed the cut on Brian's scalp but he also looked dazed, like he was under some sort of mind control when he left the roof.

"Are you going to put me under a spell?" I asked, hoping that's not what they had in mind for me.

Francis' bark of laughter rang out and echoed louder than a church bell in my ear.

"A spell?" he laughed again while doubling over as if I'd intentionally made a funny. "Do you think we're witches? Dainty little women with wands?" He turned away at the look Parker must've been giving him.

"No one's going to put you under a spell. I might have to alter your memory if you can't handle this. You will have no recollection of us at all, just you going to the reunion, having fun and going home."

"No!
Don't do that." I was on the verge of freaking out again. "Please." My eyes filled with tears before he calmed me back down.

"I won't,” he promised.
“
But only if you don't freak out." His hand stroked my arm and he smiled faintly when we made eye contact. I gasped at the color of his eyes, more purple than I'd ever seen them.

"Alright love birds, listen up. I'm off the bad guy side and back to your side
,
Parker." Their gazes locked, Parker looking irritated already. "I won't go into the details but I'm out. They might be looking for me for a bit but I was hoping you'd be able to help me out.
 
I've got valuable information that I think you maybe do..." His gaze flicked to me then back to Parker. "...or don't want to hear." I could feel a growl working its way up Parker's throat. "Now I don't want to hold that over your head and I won't, if you help me this once. I'll swear it on the Bible, to God, our mother's grave, or the best way..." he withdrew a knife from behind his back and slashed it over his hand, making me yelp in surprise. "A blood oath. I swear to forever be on your side, to not blackmail you and to respect your privacy if you do me this solid."

I watched
, in horrific fascination,
the blood run in a frantic stream to the ground before the drops got smaller and less frequent.

"A few more seconds then, til the oath won't work."

"Deal," Parker agreed at once, his aggressive voice startling me.

Fran
cis' tension visibly wore off.  H
e smiled, wiping the blood
from
his blade off on the back of his pants. The cut on his hand was gone, like I'd just imagined the whole thing.

"You know what you'll have to do then." He held Parker's gaze. "It won't be forever, just until the dangers gone." He looked worried again, as if Parker would change his mind. I didn't say a word, too afraid I'd make things worse.

"I know.
" Parker looked down at me and his eyes were sad again, the purple slowly fading, replaced by the
deep
black. "I'll see you in a few hours." He spoke to Francis though he never looked away from me.

Parker walked to the edge
, me still cradled against his chest,
and it felt like he kept walking though I knew we were flying since the wind picked up and we were moving much faster. We continued to stare into each other’s eyes until I felt the gentle tousle when we landed on the roof of my building.

Don't freak out. Don't panic
.

I didn't want him to wipe my mind. I wanted to know and learn everything about him. Though it scared me, it also intrigued. They must be some sort of FBI experiment gone wrong, or right, depending on how you looked at it.

He didn't set me down but walked behind an air vent, grabbed my purse, then carried me down the stairs to my floor before
gently placing
me down outside my door. I didn't want to take my gaze off him, afraid he'd disappear, but I had to in order to find my keys. I opened the door and silently prayed it wasn't as messy as I thought it would be while placing my purse on the entry table and kicking off my heels. He was still standing in my doorway.

"What's wrong?" His forehead was creased as though sad about something. "Are you coming in?"

"Are you going to invite me in?" his lips twitched, trying to hide his frown.

"I didn't know you were such a gentleman. Please come in," I smiled while shutting the door be
hind him when he finally entered
.

I didn't live in the nicest building but it had a great view.
 
My apartment was one bedroom with a spacious living room, huge
floor to ceiling
windows overlooking the city, and a view to die for. The front door opened into a hallway that led to the living room, with the kitchen and laundry room off to the right and my bedroom and bathroom to the left.

Once Par
ker was inside he didn't
hesitate and walked straight to the couch and took a seat. He was sitting in my favorite spot. You could look up at the stars and out since there were no buildings interfering. He patted the seat next to him inviting me to join him.

Parker Smith is in my apartment. He was also some sort of Super Man or something. I'd find out soon enough since he promised to answer my questions.

A few steps in his direction and I halted.

There, in the center of my coffee table, was Princess.
 
Swimming around gleefully as if she hadn't been floating dead this morning. Maybe she was related to Parker, all supernatural that she seemed to be.

Instead of joining him right away I went to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of wine, poured us each a glass then made my way to take the seat next to him on the couch while trying to remain calm. He took the glass and thanked me bef
ore sitting it down on the clear
coffee table and turned to face me.

"Ask me anything and I'll answer honestly, but I'll have to leave soon.
 
Within the hour."

Then I didn't want to waste any time.

"What are you? Why are you so fast and can fly and strong and...
What
are you?"

His lips twitched as the words flew out of my mouth, trying to take advantage of every second we had together.

"Before I answer that I want you to know that I will never hurt you, nor will I allow anyone to hurt you as long as I'm around. I'm very thankful that Francis was watching you this last week since I had to be away, and he protected you." What was I going to do, slit my wrists? I've accepted the fact that he can fly, he had to be something special. I wasn't stupid. Just tell me. "The one week I'm away and danger finds you. You've been fairly easy to keep
safe,
nothing ever trying to harm you since you mostly go to work then home, or to work then dinner with
Jules
. Francis must've been watching you longer than I thought since he knew your routine also."

I took a big gulp of wine
before setting the
glass down
on the table next to his,
turning to face him with one leg crossed under the other so I couldn't flash him.