AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“But I was right, earlier,” I said. “You’re afraid of me.”
“I’ve been afraid of you since I laid eyes on you. Maybe since I heard about you,” he said. “That goes way back, Hal. I’m taking on more than a girl.”
His hand was still on my face. I reached up and pressed mine on top of it.
“Tell me something, and I need the truth. Do you see me? Or are you interested because I’m there?”
I heard the vulnerability in his voice, and I knew the answer because I’d asked myself the same question.
“I see you, Dune. And I … I know. I just … I love how … honest and … thoughtful you are.” I couldn’t make the words come out the way I wanted. I tangled our fingers together. “You always seem to consider all the angles. You never rush into anything.”
So much control.
He managed to frown and look happy at the same time. “If we take this where it seems naturally inclined to go, it’s going to make every step that much harder.”
odded and let out a shaky breath. “Sounds about right.”
“You pushed them back. The images from the room flowed into the hole in time, and the rips went in, too. And you were back.”
She was shaking so hard her teeth chattered.
“Hallie, look at me. You’re either cold or in shock. Let’s get you into something more comfortable.”
When she didn’t take advantage of the tease I’d set up, my stomach dropped. I grabbed her bag, unzipped it, and handed it over. She fished out a change of clothes, along with her brush and a makeup bag.
“Do you need help with anything?”
“No. Just … don’t move.” She disappeared into the bathroom. I heard running water and an electric toothbrush. A few moments later, she opened the door, wearing yoga pants and a tank top. Her face was clean, and she’d tied her hair in a knot on top of her head.
She picked up her sweater and slid her arms in. She sounded like she’d been screaming for hours. “You’re a good baby-sitter.”
“I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“I was the Infinityglass, Dune.” She curled up on the couch, pulled the sleeves of her sweater down over her hands. “I made the rips go away. I sent them back. That has to be good, right?”
“I don’t know.” She’d floated and I’d watched the power pulsing through her. Nothing about it felt good. “It was a manifestation of the Infinityglass power. It overtook you, Hallie.”
“Then I’ll just figure out how to control it. Next time, I’ll know what to expect.” She dropped her head into her hands. “You’re looking at me like I scared you.”
“I’m scared for you. I know that letting me take care of you right now would be harder than taking care of yourself.” I touched her knee. “But …”
She looked up.
“Let me?” I asked.
I got my answer when she crawled into my arms.
Once she was asleep, I carried her to the bed and stepped out onto the gallery.
It was dark, and a mist hung just above the street. It was the quietest I’d ever heard New Orleans, but even the loudest couldn’t compete with the noise in my head. I used my phone to send an e-mail detailing what had happened in the ballroom. Then I sat down to wait, searching for the setting sun on the horizon.
Michael didn’t e-mail back. He called.
“When did you fall for her?” It was the first thing he said after I answered.
I couldn’t deny the relief. Out of everyone, I knew he’d understand.
“I don’t know. Immediately?” I exhaled. “All those years obsessing over the Infinityglass, all the things I’d read, so much of it has transferred to her. But, Mike, tonight … for a few minutes, I didn’t know which Hallie I was seeing. I didn’t know if she was there at all.”
