Secret Worlds (379 page)

“Excuse me for interrupting your touching reunion. I would like to make an actual purchase of the merchandise here.”

Oh, shit!
He could literally feel Naomi’s eyes boring into his back. He tried to pull back from Megan, but her arm slid from his neck and down to his side. He gave a mental groan.

“Sorry, my friend and I were just talkin’.” Megan giggled as she stepped aside, her arm still around him.

Naomi was livid. Her eyes thinned into slits as they glared at Megan’s arm and then up at him. “Uh, huh.”

“Naomi, I want you to meet an old friend of mine.” Lash bent down to pick up his basket of groceries, giving him the opportunity to remove Megan’s hand from his hip. “This is Megan.”

Megan smiled and stretched out her hand. “Hi, Naomi.”

Naomi looked down at her hand and then back at Megan. “My hands are wet. There weren’t any towels in the Ladies room.” She jerked open the cooler, grabbed a sandwich, and slammed it shut. “I’ll wait in the car,” she said coldly and walked toward the cashier.

“I got sodas,” Lash called out. He felt like kicking himself. She was obviously upset, and the only thing he could think of saying to diffuse the tension of the moment was to announce his procurement of beverages.

“She’s a breath of fresh air,” Megan said.

“Sorry, I have to go,” Lash blurted as he walked quickly down the aisle. “I’m really am happy that you’re doing so well. I’ll make sure to tell Raphael the next time I see him. Naomi, wait up!”

Lash glanced nervously at Naomi as she leaned against the car door waiting for him. Bear was at her feet looking up at Naomi attentively as she peeled off the plastic from the sandwich container.

“Soda?” Lash held out a bottle of red liquid. “It’s your favorite. Big Red.”

She threw him a glare and tore off a small piece of the sandwich. “Here you go, Bear,” she said as she held out the morsel.

Bear sniffed it, huffed, and trotted over to Lash.

“Traitor,” Naomi mumbled as she tossed it into her mouth.

Lash ripped off a piece of beef jerky and threw it to Bear. “Let me explain. Megan is—”

“There’s nothing to explain. You have a friend. Her name is Megan. She happens to look like she stepped off the cover of Teen Vogue, and she happens to be all touchy-feely with you.” Naomi bit angrily into her sandwich.

“You don’t understand. I met her a few months ago and I helped her—”

“I’m sure you did help her,” Naomi snapped. “Like I said, you don’t have to explain anything to me. It’s not like we’re together or anything like that.”

“Then why are you mad?”

“I’m not mad.”

“Yes, you are.”

“No, I’m not.”

Lash let out an exasperated breath. He was not going to win this. He looked down at Bear who was looking at them, her head bouncing between them as if she were looking at a tennis match.

She was right. They weren’t together in the sense that they hadn’t made any commitments to each other. That didn’t matter to him. He cared for her greatly, and it hurt him to see her so upset. He was stuck between wanting to tell her that he cared and knowing that it would hurt her more when his job was done.

“Fine, you’re not mad,” he said. “Let’s just get going, then.”

“Fine.” She yanked open the car door.

It wasn’t until Lash settled into the driver’s seat that he noticed a fishy odor. “What is that smell?” He leaned over toward Naomi and sniffed her sandwich. “What are you eating?”

“It’s called a tuna fish sandwich. Haven’t you ever seen one before?”

“I know what a tuna sandwich is.” He started the car. It was going to be a long drive. “It smells. I don’t know—fishy.”

“That’s because it’s tuna
fish
.” She rolled her eyes and took another bite.

“I’m not sure you should trust the quality of the food that’s sold in a gas station.”

Naomi stuffed the last piece into her mouth. “Weakling,” she mumbled, took a swig of water, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “You don’t know questionable cuisine until you’ve tried Chuy’s chili. Now, I’m sure someone like your friend Megan back there couldn’t handle anything that isn’t gourmet.”

“You’re not going to let go of this, are you?” Lash threw her a glance. “I told you, she’s just a friend.”

“There’s nothing to let go of.” Naomi leaned back against the car seat, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes.

Yep, a long drive,
he thought as he turned his attention to the highway.

Lash pulled over to the side of the road as the car rolled to a stop. He scratched his head as he looked at the dashboard gadgets, wondering what was wrong with the car. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary to explain why it suddenly gave out.

Bear snapped her head up and looked around. Curious eyes met his.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he said. “I swear I didn’t kill the car.”

Bear barked.

“Shh. You’ll wake up Grouchy.” He opened the car door, picked up Bear, and stepped out of the car.

As he’d expected, the last few hours since leaving Abilene had been pure torture. He’d tried to ease the tension by turning on the radio. She’d complained that news radio was boring, so he’d changed the channel to a music station. She’d complained that hip-hop was giving her a headache, so he’d turned it to a Latin music station. Then she’d accused him of playing up to stereotype in order to get on her good side, so he’d changed it to a country music station. Then she’d complained he was playing to a stereotype that because she was Texan she would like country. He’d glared at her and snapped off the radio, finally released from her constant complaining when she fell asleep again. It was only then that he would look over at her, entranced by lips that were slightly parted as she slept. Messy dark hair fell against pink cheeks tinted by the sun. It was in that moment that he felt drawn to her again. She was beautiful—as beautiful as any of the angels he’d once worked with.

Stretching, he looked down the long, empty highway. It’d been a long while since he’d seen a car pass by and even longer since they’d driven past the last gas station. The wind blew, stirring up dust in the vast flat lands of the Texas-New Mexico border. He could fly back to the nearest town for help, though he’d have to wait until it was dark. It’d probably be faster to see if Naomi could get reception on her cell phone. He dreaded the thought of waking her.

“Lash. Why did we stop?”

Crap, she’s awake.

He got back into the car, leaving the door open for a quick escape if he needed it. “The car won’t start.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” She sounded surprised.

“Of course not. I don’t need to use a car that much. Wings, remember?”

“Did the car make any funny noises or did smoke come out of—” Naomi clutched her stomach for a moment, swallowed, then continued. “Did smoke come out of the engine?”

“Are you okay?”

“Just answer the question.”

Lash’s chest rumbled a low growl.
What is it with this woman?
“No.”

“Then why is the hood up?”

“Because I wanted to check to see what was wrong.”

“I thought you didn’t know anything about cars.”

“I don’t.”

“So you popped up the hood to just stare at it?”

Lash gritted his teeth.

“Uh, huh,” Naomi said, noting his reaction. Her stomach made a strange rumbling sound.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Stop trying to change the subject,” she said. “Did you at least check to see if we have enough gas?”

“We have plenty of gas.” Lash pointed to the gauge. “See, it’s at half a tank.”

Naomi leaned over and eyed the needle suspiciously. She then tapped the dashboard and the needle fell down to empty.

“No way!” Lash cried. He tapped the gauge, looking at it with disbelief. “I filled the tank in Abilene.” He banged on the dashboard. “Stupid car!”

“Maybe if you’d paid more attention to pumping gas than to pawing Megan, we wouldn’t be stuck in the middle of nowhere.”

“Damn it! I wasn’t pawing Megan. How many times do I have to tell you that we’re just friends?”

“Did you have sex with her?”

“Well, technically, this was before I knew you … And there was lots of alcohol involved …”

Naomi scowled. “That’s it. I’m out of here.” She jumped out of the car and called out to Bear. “Come on girl, let’s go.”

“You can’t leave!” He scrambled out of the car.

“Oh, yes I can. I’ll walk all the way back to Houston if I have to.” She pulled the phone out of her pocket and poked at the screen. “Stupid phone. Stupid cell phone reception.” She jammed it back into her pocket.

“It’s too dangerous to go back.”

“I’ll have Chuy help me find a place to hide out until this blows over.” She threw open the rear door and took out her backpack and dog carrier from the backseat. “Bear, get over here!”

Bear trotted over to Naomi, tail wagging. She took one look at Naomi’s face and scurried away, hiding behind a small bush.

“Come on, Naomi. When it gets dark, I’ll fly to the nearest town and get some more gas,” Lash pleaded.

“No.” She marched over to where Bear was hiding, scooped her up, and placed her in the carrier.

“Be reasonable. This was before I even knew you.” He took a hold of her arm and turned her to him. “And like you said, it’s not like we’re a couple or anything.”

Naomi inhaled sharply and flinched as if his words shattered something inside of her. For a brief moment, her face crumpled and her eyes were filled with an immense pain that he’d seen only once before—on the day when Raphael had had to escort him out of Heaven.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Lash said softly.

Naomi swallowed. “Please let go of me.” Her voice trembled. He dropped his hand, fearing that if he didn’t, she would break. She looked so fragile.

Once he let go, she schooled her face into a mask of indifference. “I don’t need your protection. I take full responsibility for myself. I’m sure whatever deity or boss or whoever gives you instructions will take into account the free will of humans. I’m letting you off the hook.”

He watched in shock as she walked back in the direction they’d come from. Her shoulders were strong and upright for a moment, and then they slumped over.

It was then that he realized that he couldn’t do this anymore. He couldn’t be without her. He loved her, and she didn’t know it. He couldn’t let her go. Not this way.

Not thinking or caring about the consequences of his actions, he ran to her. He took the carrier from her hand and placed it on the ground. She turned her head away from him as he slipped the backpack off her shoulders. He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head to his. Tear-filled eyes met his briefly, then closed, as if looking at him was too painful. Without a word, he wiped away the tears as they slid down her cheeks.

“Lash,” she croaked.

“Don’t,” he said softly. And before she could say another word, he kissed her.

A bolt of lightning rushed through his body and down into the core of his being. Her lips were so soft, so sweet. He tangled his fingers into her hair, drawing her closer to him, desperate to have more of her. He slid a hand down her back and nestled it to the small of her back. Drawing her close to him, she arched her body to meld into his.

She moaned softly as his tongue swirled in her mouth tasting her. Her hands slid up his back.

Her scent engulfed him, and he was lost in a sea of emotions. In all the years he had been on Earth, he’d never felt like this with any other woman. He wanted her and only her.

Then he heard a loud rumbling sound coming from her stomach. She quickly pulled back and covered her hand over her mouth. She looked green.

“What’s wrong?” Lash asked frantically.

She pushed at his chest, and he immediately let go of her. She ran toward the empty field and retched.

She dropped to the ground and moaned, and he rushed to her side. “What is it? Tell me.”

She shook her head and tried to push him away.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“I think,” she swallowed. “I think it was the tuna.”

He sighed with relief as he held her hair back for her and rubbed her back, soothing her. After a few minutes passed, and he was sure that the worst was over, he helped her back to the car. Moving aside the mess in the backseat, he had her sit down and gave her a bottle of water. “Sip this slowly.”

She took a sip, swished it in her mouth, and spat it to the ground. She leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes.

He sat next to her and wiped damp hair that was plastered to her sweaty forehead away from her face. He pulled a paper towel from the glove compartment, wet it, and placed it against her forehead, attempting to cool her off. “Better?”

“I’ll never eat tuna again.”

Lash chuckled. “I told you so.”

She opened her eyes. “Alright, I’ll give you that one,” she said, and she started to laugh with him.

After a moment, her eyes trailed to his lips and lingered for a moment. He could feel that she wanted to tell him something, and he leaned in closer, felling that pull again, the urge to hold her and kiss again. Her eyes drifted downward to look at the floor of the car. “I meant what I said. You don’t have to stay with me. I can take care of myself.”

He let out a puff of air and sat back. The moment between them was gone. It was better that way. What was he thinking? It didn’t matter how much he cared about her. There wasn’t anything he could do about it. Staying with her meant turning away from his family. The only way it would work would be to join Lucifer, and she deserved more than that. She deserved to be loved by someone other than one of the fallen.

“I know you can,” he said. “But I’m getting you to that safe house if I have to carry you all the way there.”

“So you can go back home,” Naomi pointed out.

He gazed into her eyes. “It’s more than that.”

Bear started to bark and scratch the inside of her carrier frantically. A flash of light splashed in the corner of Lash’s vision. “Somebody’s coming.” He listened for a moment and heard the loud roar of a motor. A sense of trepidation filled him. He looked around the car, wishing he’d had the foresight to bring some type of weapon with him. If it was a human, there was no need for him to worry. If it was Sal—well, at least a weapon would slow him down for a moment. “Wait here.”