Pure (49 page)

“Oh.” She watched me warily.

I peeled off one glove, surprised that she was even letting me, and then the other, tossing them both away from the water. Give an inch, and I’ll take a mile. I slid my fingers around the tags on her arms before stepping back.

She lowered her lashes. “Better?”

“Much.” I folded my arms, eyeing her. Alex was always a great curiosity to me. She shouldn’t be, but she was. Perhaps that was what made her such a mystery to me. Even though I knew what she was feeling half the time, I never knew what she was going to do next.

“Can you get silk wet?” she asked.

Was she seriously going to jump in with that dress? I choked at the thought. “I’d say probably not.”

She removed her shoes. “That’s a shame.”

My eyes widened. “You really are going—”

Alex dove in, and I laughed as her shock rippled through me, joining with mine. I moved to the edge of the pool, grinning as she resurfaced. “So childish, Alex. You’ve ruined her dress.”

“I know. Bad me.”

“Very bad,” I murmured, watching her sink under the water again. She stayed under the water so long I began to wonder if she had a little bit of Poseidon in her.

A tremble coursed through the marks, and I moved away from the edge. Lifting my arms, I closed my eyes and stretched, trying to ease the tension building inside me, lessen the way the marks tingled and burned.

I pried one eye open, finding Alex floating, watching me. “Stop staring.”

“I’m not staring.”

I chuckled. “How’s the water?”

“Nice.”

The marks were still driving me crazy. Power was building in them, zinging across my skin. Dropping my arms, I took in a deep breath of air. “Do you remember the last thing I told you in training?”

She swam toward the edge. “You tell me a lot of stuff in training. Honestly, I don’t pay attention.”

Nice. I snorted. “You do wonders for my self-esteem.”

Alex pushed off the cement wall and floated on my back. The dress streamed out around her like she was some kind of water nymph. “I feel like a mermaid.”

I felt a lot of things. “Tomorrow, when they ask you about what happened in Gatlinburg, only answer their questions.”

She sighed. “I know. What do you guys think I’m going to say? That I love daimons?”

It wouldn’t surprise me. “Just don’t elaborate on anything. Answer yes or no, and that is it.”

“I’m not stupid, Seth.”

I arched a brow. Stupid? No. Reckless? Yes. “I didn’t say you were. I just know you tend… to talk a lot.”

“Oh. Like you’re one—”

I dove in, going right for her. I grabbed for dress, but she smacked my hand away. Resurfacing, I shook my head, sending water flying everywhere.

She splashed me. “You talk more than I do.”

Going to the side, I swung one arm over the edge and turned to her. Good gods, water did the girl good. “You look like a drowned monkey.”

“What? I do not.” She ran a hand over her hair and then her eyes. “Wait. Do I?”

I nodded, fighting the nearly all-consuming urge to throw myself at her. “Honestly, you look like a mess. This was a bad idea. What was I thinking?”

“Shut up. You don’t look so hot yourself.”

There was a spike of interest that wasn’t mine, betraying her words. I grinned, placing my hand over the water. “Watch this.”

She struggled with the edges of her dress. “Watch what?”

Using the water element, I let the water spin, then shot it up, directing the typhoon toward her. This started an all-out water war, and even though she knew she was no match, Alex didn’t give up. Not even when the play turned more physical, and I had her suspended in air above me, kicking and squealing like a little banshee. And for the first time, in a very long time, I was actually having…fun. Childish, stupid fun, but fun nonetheless.

In the back of my mind, I knew why I’d brought her here, but by the third time I’d tossed her a good twenty feet in the air, watching her come right back to me, I started to forget the whole reason as a new, better idea took hold.

She grinned down at me. “You’re still the best.”

Sighing, I lowered her back into the water. “Now you really do look like drowned monkey.”

“Thanks.” She started to swim away.

I let her get only so far before I circled an around her waist and flipped her back around. “Where do you think you’re going?” I wasn’t sure what I was doing. Yeah, I flirted with her and pushed the limits, but there was always this invisible line between us. It had a name—Aiden. But right now, that line had been drowned.

She placed her hands on my shoulders, and I gritted my teeth. “Don’t throw me again.”

“I’m not going to throw you.”

“Then I win the water war?”

“No,” I said, my gaze dropping down the curve of her neck. The tags were barely noticeable.

“Damn. Well, I guess you have to be better than me at something. Congratulations.”

“I’m always better than you. I’m—”

“Egotistical?” she cut in, her eyes gleaming in the dim light like whiskey. “Narcissistic?”

Tipping my chin down, I backed her up until she hit the edge of the pool. “I have some words for you, too. How about stubborn? Impudent?”

Her breath caught. “Was ‘impudent’ your word choice of the day?”

I put my finger on her lips. “Well, yes it is. I could even use it in a sentence if you like.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Her eyes narrowed.

Planting my hands on either side of her, I watched the water-soaked lashes lift, her eyes met mine, and it was like being sucker-punched in the gut. The rush of confusion, tinged red with attraction, burned at the back of my throat.

There was also a great deal of nervousness radiating from her, and for good reason. She swallowed. “I think… we should head back now. I’m cold and it’s getting late.”

I smiled. “No.”

“No?”

“I’m not done being stupid yet.” I leaned in, so close that the edges of my hair brushed her forehead. “Actually, there’s a lot of stupid left in me.” Because this really
was
stupid.

Alex placed her hands on my chest, and a jolt of electricity shot through me. Uncertainty pinched her features, but she wasn’t pushing me away. I took that as a good sign. My hands found her waist without much thought, the material thin enough that I could feel her hot skin. “You know what?” I said. “There are a lot of stupid things to do, but I really want to do the stupidest thing possible.”

“What’s that?”

I inhaled her, breathed her in. “I want to kiss you.”

She stiffened. “That is crazy. I’m not Elena… or any other number of girls.”

“I know. Maybe that’s why I want to,” I admitted. Alex was different. None of the other girls had my skin prickling. It might not even be her, but what lay resting inside her. Either way, I knew it wanted this, because it was what lingered in me wanted.

Alex turned her head toward mine. Another really good sign. “You don’t want to kiss me.”

“But I do.” My lips brushed against her soft cheek.

Her hands slipped away and gripped the edge of the pool. “No, you don’t.”

I laughed, slipping my fingers up her spine, curving my hand around the base of her neck.

“Are you arguing with me over what I want?”

“You’re arguing with me.”

“You’re ridiculous.” I smiled for a moment before recognizing that my touch had come in contact with the bruise the Master had left behind. Anger rushed through me, heightening the tension. “It’s such an annoying quality, yet strangely endearing.”

“Well… you’re annoying, too.”

I laughed again, because she was funny. Always arguing, always denying what was right in front of her. “Why are we still talking?”

Resting her cheek against my shoulder, I felt her lashes flutter. “This is your one chance to talk without me telling you to shut up, because we aren’t doing... anything else.”

“Do you know how amusing I find you?” I shifted closer, running my hand over the curve of her hip, down her thigh. She went to stop me, not quick enough, and I knew Alex could be damn quick when she really wanted to. I hooked her leg around mine and bit back a groan.

“What are… you doing?” she whispered.

“Do you know why I think you’re so amusing?”

“Why?”

“Because I know how badly you want me to kiss you.” I cupped her chin, tipping her head back with my other hand.

“That’s not true.”

Such a little liar—her need beat at mine, blurring who each of us were. “You lie. Why? I have no idea.” I kissed her cheek and then her throat, her shoulder as my hand on her thigh slipped further down. She jerked, and I grinned. “I can feel what you’re feeling. And I know you want me to kiss you.”

Her little nails dug into my arm. “It’s not…”

“Not what?” I lifted my head, bringing my mouth so very close to hers.

“I…”

“Just let me kiss you.”

And I knew she wanted me to—
needed
me to. It roared through the bond, and I felt the marks bleed through my skin, churning as they slid over me. Alex was fighting it, because that’s what she did. And then there was the other issue, a sense of guilt I was picking up from her.

She opened her eyes. “Is this real?”

“Very real.” I brushed the soaked strands off her cheek, wondering if I was lying or not and if I should care if I was. “Angel, just let me kiss you.”

Her lips parted not even an inch from mine, and my stomach tightened. So close…and then I felt the guilt growing, becoming more powerful than the need. The marks stilled on my skin. She wasn’t thinking of me right now—son of a bitch. I dropped her, wincing when she smacked off the pool edge. “You’re thinking about Aiden.”

She bit her lip, but the truth was in her eyes. “Not in the way you think I am.”

Frustration whipped through me, and I knew I needed to leave before I did or said something I’d regret, but I pushed forward, getting right up in her face. “You know, I don’t know which is worse. That I was stupid enough to want to kiss you, or the fact that you’re still hung up on someone who doesn’t even want you.”

Her eyes gleamed. “Wow. That’s a little harsh.”

Total asshole move, but she needed to understand. “It’s the truth, Alex. Even if he did profess his undying love for you, you can’t have him.”

Alex spun away from me and hauled herself out of the pool. Water streamed off her dress, forming little puddles around her feet. “Just because I can’t be with him doesn’t change the way I feel.”

And that did it. Maybe I at one point would’ve left it alone, but not now. I was out of the water so fast she took an unsteady step back from me. “If you have this epic love for Aiden, why did you want to kiss me as badly as you did?”

Red stained her cheeks with fury, mixing with my own. “I didn’t kiss you, Seth! That should answer your question right there!”

“You wanted to. Trust me, I know you did.” I smiled. “You really wanted to.”

She stared at me a moment, then her hands balled into fists. “I don’t know what I want!

How do you know, Seth? How do you know it’s not the damn connection between us instead of something real?”

And that was the million daimon baby question. I didn’t know, not really, but there was more than just the connection. Like when Caleb was killed, part of the reason why I’d stayed with her was because of the sorrow that was eating away at her, but the other part was because I
wanted
to be there. So much so that I’d even blocked Aiden from seeing her.

Yes, there was the connection feeding us, but that was the way it was supposed to be, how both of us had been created. There wasn’t anything wrong with it. Denying it was unnatural. Explaining that to her wouldn’t get me anywhere, though. She didn’t understand. Not yet.

“You think it’s just the connection? Do you really think that’s all I feel for you?”

Her laugh was harsh. “You say it yourself all the time! Anytime you do something nice for me, you say it’s the connection forcing you to do so.”

“Did you ever consider that I was joking?”

“No! Why would I? You said the connection would grow stronger between us. That’s why you want to kiss me! It’s not real.”

Dammit, sometimes I literally wanted to choke her. “I know why I want to kiss you, Alex, and is has nothing to do with either of us being Apollyons. And apparently it has nothing to do with your common sense, either.”

Now she looked like she wanted to choke me. “Oh, shut up. I’m done talking—”

“I know exactly why.” I stalked forward, backing her up until she hit the cement wall behind me. “I can’t believe I’d even have to spell it out for you.”

Flattening her hands against the wall, she shivered. “You don’t have to.”

“You’re the most frustrating person I know.”

She rolled her eyes. “And that makes you want to kiss me? You’re twisted.”