Dance of the Moons

Chapter 18

Chapter 18

            “You did not blow up your kitchen table.”

            “It was an accident,” I protested. “And I was young.  I couldn’t control my energy with all my emotions.”

            David looked incredulously at me.  We were at a park surrounded by human parents and children and sitting on a wooden table off to the side.  He was across from me, leaving forward with both elbows on the table.  My hands were clasped in my lap.

            “You were so emotional over not being able to go over a friend’s house that you blew up your kitchen table.  Remind me never to stop you from going anywhere when furniture is nearby,” he replied with a grin.  David had found my story all too entertaining.

            I scowled at him. “It was my friend’s birthday party!  And I was never let out of the house so this was just another reason to be angry with my mother. Besides,” I added smugly, “you wouldn’t be able to stop me going anywhere.”

            David sent me a crooked smile. “I’m sure I could persuade you to stay somehow,” he said in a low voice that sent shivers up my spine.

            I swallowed. “I don’t think I believe you.”

            He raised an eyebrow, still smiling. “Is that a challenge?  You know I can’t resist a challenge.”

            I rolled my eyes. “Shifters,” I muttered.

            David laughed. “You can act all full of scorn but I know the truth.”

            I sent him a disbelieving look. “I am full of scorn for Shifters.  I don’t like them.”

            He leaned forward and I held my hands tighter in my lap to resist leaning into him too. “I’m a Shifter,” he whispered, “and you like me.”

            “Only sometimes,” I tried to reply lightly as if what he was doing had no effect on me.  But he did affect me, and my breath shook slightly.

            “I think you like me a lot more than ‘sometimes.’  I think you like me quite often, even when you are trying not to like me.”

            I could feel my face boiling with blush and I licked my lips and took a breath.  He was right, of course, but I was trying to play it cool.  Trying to act more composed than I felt.  Like I wasn’t worried someone was going to pop out next to us any moment and demand to know why we were here.  Like I wasn’t nervous, even though I was nervous for different reasons than most witches are around Shifters.

            Instead of panicking I smiled. “I think you’re more confident than you have right to be.”

            David leaned back and laughed. “I’m always confident when I’m near a beautiful woman because I know how charming she’ll find me.”

            I rolled my eyes, horrified to feel myself blushing even more.

            “Especially,” David continued in a low voice that made me feel jittery all over, “when she’s wearing a shirt I picked out for her to wear on our next date.”

            I looked down at the purple silk top.  Luckily it was a sunny afternoon and unusually warm for this time of year.  I had discarded my tan cardigan to the bench beside me.  My naturally tan shoulders and arms were complimented by the deep color of the tank top.  It was lower cut than my usual style, but David had once told me he liked this top when he found me in that store so many weeks ago.

            I blushed anew. “I happen to like this top and chose it only for that reason,” I lied.

            He smiled and his eyes slowly descended to my chest before traveling back up hungrily. “I like it too,” he agreed, “more than I remembered.”

            “Well you hardly looked at it when we were in the store.”

            “I had better things to look at,” he said, staring at me.  “But I do recall telling you to wear it on our next date.”

            “And I told you that wasn’t a date,” I said matter-of-factly.

            “And I told you that you’d fall for my charm.”

            My breath caught for a moment before I was able to say, “Who says I have?”

            David smiled a triumphant and mischievous smile. “I say.”

            “Well,” I lied, “you’re wrong.”

            David stared at me a moment before quickly reaching over and grasping my arms.  He pulled my hands out of my lap and held my hands in his as he leaned across the table.  Holding my eyes with his he kissed the top of my hand.  I shivered and felt a small spark jump from my pinky finger to his hand.  He smiled and flipped over one hand to graze my wrist with his lips.  I gulped as my stomach fluttered.

            “The sparks jumping from your skin tell me you’re as affected by me as I am by you,” he whispered in a husky voice. “And the way you asked me to stay with you when I thought you were done with me forever.  And the way you tickle me with electrocution when we kiss.”  He pressed his lips to my wrist again and continued whispering against my skin.  “I know you want me from our kisses last night outside you house.  I know you like me because you’re wearing a shirt you know I like, despite the fact that you can wear anything and I’ll still think you beautiful.   I know that if I were to kiss you now you would kiss me back, even though you’re afraid someone will see us.” He pulled back from my wrist and looked at me. “And I know you’re going to come on another date with me because you want to be with me despite everything you were taught.”

            I closed my eyes and tried to calm the wild drumming of my heart.  David’s thumbs brushed against the underside of my hands, at the edge between my palms and my wrist.

            “David…” I whispered.

            “I already know the lecture.  But you’re going to, because you want to.”

            I opened my eyes.  He looked so sincere, with his deep brown eyes searching me.  His dark hair was slightly ruffled by the wind. I opened my eyes to say something by no words came out.  David sent me a small smile before kissing my hands which were still held my his.

            “C’mon,” he said lightly, standing up and pulling on my arms, “let’s walk around for a bit.”

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I know, it's short.  But I had to post something. I'm already working on the next part but I felt so bad about going a month without posting anything after this whole past semester when I posted nothing...so this is it.  Hope you liked it.  Thanks for reading.  I promise the next chapter will be longer.