Charade (Heven and Hell #2)(17)
Author: Cambria Hebert

“Not long. I can smell him and I heard you talking.”

“He kissed me,” she admitted, looking down and I smiled because I had been right. But my smile was short-lived because the words were a lot harder to hear than I thought they would be, even after witnessing it. The thought of his hands—his lips—on her made me crazy.

Did you kiss him back? I said the words into her mind because I couldn’t say it out loud.

No. It was all wrong. It wasn’t anything like you. Nothing could be like you. More of that smug satisfaction purred through me and I grinned. But she didn’t see it because she was too busy avoiding my gaze.

I walked across the room, stepping right up in front of her. I heard you tell him you love me.

“I do. More than anything.” She finally looked up and I saw the truth in her eyes.

“I believe you, Hev.”

I don’t know why, but I feel close to him, she said. I tried not to, but I can’t help it.

I know. It’s okay.

I looked up at him. You know?

He nodded. We have a Mindbond, Heven. I’ve felt how torn you’ve been.

Why haven’t you said anything?

I knew you would tell me about it when you were ready. But I also didn’t like knowing that some other guy had an effect on her.

She smiled, then tilted her head to the side. Why aren’t you yelling at me?

I’d rather kiss you. To wipe out any trace of someone else’s kiss. I grabbed her shirt at the waist, bunching the extra material in my hands and towed her slowly forward. I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her, urgently at first, like I had something to prove, but then the kiss changed and softened, erasing all thought from my mind.

After a while I pulled away and took in her unfocused and soft eyes. Let Cole compete with that, I thought to myself.

There is no competition, Heven replied.

Damn Mindbond.

I guided Heven toward the bed, but she pulled away to go over to the window to pull the curtains closed over the blinds. I lifted an eyebrow.

Did you see anything out there when you came in? she asked.

No. Why? Everything in me went on alert.

She shook her head. Never mind. I guess I’m just a little freaked out with everything that’s been going on.

I’ll go look around. I started for the window, mentally berating myself for being so caught up in my own thoughts and then the scene with Heven and Cole on the porch that I hadn’t paid any attention to my surroundings outside. So much for that damn protective instinct.

Heven reached out and grabbed my hand. No. Stay. I’m sure it’s nothing.

I hesitated as she moved away and climbed into bed. My instincts would have told me if a demon had been close and I was exhausted… I kicked out of my shoes and jeans (I was already wearing basketballs shorts under my jeans) and climbed in next to her. She settled against me with a sigh.

We lay there in silence for a few moments, and as exhausted as I was, I couldn’t sleep. What’s he doing here, Heven?

I think he came to ask me about earlier, but we never talked about it.

No?

We talked about Kimber and his mom. He’s just confused… I feel bad for him.

I made a rude noise. He took advantage of it and kissed you.

He’s drunk. He probably won’t even remember in the morning, she said, but I wasn’t convinced. Kissing Heven isn’t something someone would forget. I couldn’t stop from snorting softly. He’ll remember when I punch his lights out.

She jerked up to stare down at me through the dark. You can’t. Please don’t.

The anger I tried to push away earlier came back. The guy made a play for you. You think I’m just going to let it go?

I was hoping you would.

I laughed.

Sam, please. You can’t just march in here tomorrow and punch him. Think of Gran. You’ll upset her. As soon as she said the words, something in her shifted.

What is it? I asked.

Gran met him tonight. It was weird.

Weird how?

She just kept staring at him.

She was probably wondering what some drunk guy was doing in her kitchen with you.

She shook her head like it didn’t make sense. Her aura was all over the place.

I sighed. She was probably just tired. Enough about Cole. I don’t want to spend any more time talking about him.

Me either.

Come here, I said to cover her lips with mine. All this talk about Cole made me want to mark my territory.

Heven seemed to sense my thoughts and pulled away. You’re never going to be able to accept him as part of my life—even if we are just friends, are you?

I stared at her for long moments. I don’t know.

I thought she would argue with me, try to make me see reason. But she didn’t. Instead, she laid her head on my chest and went to sleep.

*   *   *

I didn’t sleep well that night. After everything that happened with Logan and knowing that Cole was downstairs, I just couldn’t seem to find any peace, even with Heven curled up next to me. When the very first rays of dawn began peeking through the clouds, I very carefully slid from the bed, slid off my shorts and shrugged into my jeans. Moving quietly, I slipped through Heven’s bedroom door and down the stairs to the living room where Cole was passed out on the couch. I stood over him, staring down, wondering why Heven was so insistent on keeping him in her life. I had the urge to reach down and—his eyes flew open and he jerked up, turning to stare at me.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he said, his voice low from sleep.

He had faster reflexes than I gave him credit for. I lifted an eyebrow. “I’m here every morning at this time to do the barn work,” I answered coolly.

“It’s morning?”

“You should go.”

His eyes narrowed. “I was invited to breakfast.”

“Something must have come up,” I said, flat.

“Actually, my day is free.”

“You’re lucky I’m letting you walk out of here after what you pulled last night with Heven,” I began and I could see that some of my words took the steam out of his challenge.

“She told you?”

“Did you think she wouldn’t?” I smirked. I sat down on the coffee table in front of the couch, making a show of getting comfortable. “Did you really think that one pathetic kiss was going to make her walk away from me?”

“There’s something between us.” The way he said it didn’t exactly disagree with what I said, but there was an absolute truth behind his words.

It bothered me in ways I didn’t want to admit.