Fierce by C. C. Hunter

Author:C. C. Hunter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Chapter Nine

She stared at the answer.

Human, mostly human, with were and a smaller percentage of fae.

“You okay?” Brandon asked.

Was her off-focus stare at his pattern confusing him? Did that mean he didn’t know what he was?

Considering he was about 75 percent human, she supposed it was possible. She’d never lived among mixed breeds to know what they knew or didn’t know. But it was true that some kids at the camp hadn’t known when they arrived.

So, she supposed, it was possible that Brandon was completely unaware that he wasn’t all human.

“Are you okay?” he repeated.

“Yes, I … I’m just stunned a little. You … moved really fast.”

“I’ve always been fast on my feet,” he said, still cradling her against him.

She couldn’t remember the last time anyone actually held her. And it appeared he wasn’t even straining to do it.

“Strong, too,” she muttered.

“What?” he asked.

“I said … you can put me down.”

He smiled. “Or not.”

“You’re going to hold me all day?”

“It wouldn’t be a hardship.” His smiled faded. “But I’m not sure it would be wise, huh?” He set her down.

Perhaps, she should have let what he said go, but the words spilled from her lips. “Because I kind of work with you?” she asked.

“Yeah. It might be … awkward.” He ran a hand through his hair. “We should probably think it through, before … jumping into anything.”

She inhaled, unsure what to say. “I guess I should…” she motioned to her car, “get going.”

He nodded. She turned to go.

“Ricka,” he said her name. Or her nickname, and oddly, hearing it didn’t feel so bad this time.

She faced him.

“Are you going to be okay with that teacher?”

She nodded, not really sure, but still so high on his touch that she didn’t want to think about it. “Everything new can feel a little awkward.”

He smiled, but his blue eyes still looked torn. “I know.” He took a step closer and reached up and brushed a few strands of hair off her face. Then he leaned down and his lips touched hers. His scent, like the outdoors, filled her senses. And he tasted like … like pizza, and a little like sweet tea. His tongue slipped so easily into her mouth, and she felt herself lean into him.

Then, way before she was ready, he pulled back. He ran a palm down his face; she ran her tongue over her bottom lip.

He sighed. “Okay, I probably shouldn’t have done that.”

She smiled. “I’m glad you did. I … liked it.”

He exhaled. “Me, too. That’s the problem.”

Grinning, she met his eyes. “Maybe it’s not that big of a problem. Why don’t we talk about it tomorrow? I’ll come over after school. We can paint.”

He nodded. Right then a phone rang inside his house.

“Tomorrow,” he said and reached over and squeezed her hand before running inside for the phone.

* * *

Still smiling, she got into the car and wished it was already tomorrow. Starting the engine, she pulled out of the drive. She looked at the house as she pulled away.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.