The Resistance(38)

“Mine and Hank Aaron’s. About the only thing we ended up having in common.”

“How’d your team do in the playoffs?”

“We were slaughtered in the first round.”

“Fine, you win. You can have half my Twix.” I hold one of the long cookie bars out for him.

Biting off the end, he smiles as he chews. “I knew I could get you to give up the candy with a sob story. Girls are so gullible.”

I punch him in the arm. “You made that up to get my candy?”

He’s laughing, and ducking from my swings as we move around the furniture on the balcony. Hiding behind a lounger, he has his hands in the air, holding up his half-eaten candy bar in surrender. “Stop. C’mon. I give up. I didn’t make it up. It’s the honest truth. That’s what happened.” He pauses for a second, then says, “But did I use the story to get your candy? Sure did.” He takes another bite flaunting it in front of me.

He smiles. His face is as bright as the stars in the dark desert sky at night. It makes me giggle. He doesn’t even realize he was played. Since his dark mood is gone, I won’t rub it in that he’s really the gullible one. I’ll just enjoy the time we have together instead.

I sit down in a chair, but Dalton remains standing. He looks at his watch, the silver face reflecting from the light inside the room. “It’s late.”

Leaning my head back, I look his way, feeling tired when the time is mentioned. “How much time do we have left?”

“About four hours.”

“Then you’re off, jetting into the great blue yonder to who knows where.” I close my eyes, feeling my body relaxing against the plush cushions.

“I’m going to Germany.” Opening my eyes, he’s in front of me. He squats down so he’s eye-level. “I’ll be there for a week and then I have no idea after that. I think I come back to L.A. in three or four weeks, but I’m not sure.”

My suspicions are growing and I wonder if he’s feeling the same as me. “Why are you telling me this?”

With his hands on my bare thighs, his thumbs rubbing my skin gently, he says, “I want you to know where I am. I have your number and now you have mine. I don’t want us to end tonight.”

Tears form in the corners of my eyes as I watch him laying his heart on the line.

Reaching up, he soothes my cheek with the warmth of his palm. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

“No worries. It’s the happy kind.” I lean forward and hug him, the coarse hairs of his beard scratching my neck, but it feels good. I stop the tears from falling, my heart soaring from the sentiment. “You want to call me after tonight?”

“I do, and since I memorized you address already, I might also want to stop by one day too.” He stands, pulling me up with him, and wraps his arms around my waist.

“You can, anytime. I’d say I’ll be waiting, but yeah, that’s probably too much too soon.”

“Since you already put it out there, I’d like to take you on a real date when I return.”

“We sound like we’re in high school. Next you’ll be asking me to wear your letterman’s jacket.”

“Maybe my class ring?” He smiles and I swoon because yeah, he wants to date me and for me to wear his class ring and stuff.

“How about we start with sleeping together?”

A look of hope crosses his face. “And here I thought five times was a pretty solid start. Damn, Angel, you’re insatiable.”

I push him playfully. “I’m too tired to banter. You’ve worn me out. You win, rock star.”

He winks. “Well, you did request the special—a royal rock star fucking.”

“That I did,” I say, turning from him and walking inside, “and I have absolutely no regrets.”

“What about complaints? Any complaints?” He asks, following me into the bedroom.

Climbing to the middle of the bed, I’m so sleepy, I flop face first. When I roll over he’s next to me. “Only one,” I say.

His expression changes, his voice lower. “What’s that?”

“That you’re leaving me in four hours. I could spend days in bed with you and it wouldn’t be enough. I could spend night after night listening to you hum, the way you do when you’re deep in thought. So four hours is not enough time to memorize the two million, three-hundred and fifty-six thousand other things that I wanted to learn about you.”

Silence.

The silence makes me uncomfortable, so I turn onto my side and snuggle into his. “Are you okay?” I ask nervously. “Are we okay?”

His arm tightens around me, and he whispers, “I’ve never had anyone say anything like that to me before.” When I look up at him, sliding my cheek against his chest, he smiles at me. “We’re more than okay.”