Enemy Mine

Chapter 6

Ten minutes. That's how long it took us to fly to the parking lot where the gollums left their vehicles, and I thanked modern intervention for making the journey short for me. Of course, I would have stayed tucked inside Vincent's arms forever, regardless of how high he flew or how long it took us to get there. Everyone parted ways without much fanfare, which may have had something to do with Vincent carrying me purposefully to the Valentino's black Escalade and locking me inside it. Once he slid into the driver's seat, he dragged me across the console onto his lap.

"I thought you were dead," he said, taking possession of my mouth like a starving man.

I ignored the steering wheel jabbing me in the back and the sting of my busted lip. No amount of pain could overshadow the feelings Vincent induced when his mouth was on me, and I let those feelings drag me under as I inhaled the heady cocktail that permeated his skin.

"I must have died a thousand times since yesterday," he said against my lips. "Don't ever leave me again."

The agony in his voice had my throat tightening, but I managed to share my own angst. "You never left my thoughts, Vincent. I knew we would be together again. I just knew..."

I submitted to his invading tongue for the next few minutes. We had lost a lot of time, and our hands didn't stop as we touched every spot we could reach. When kissing turned into gasping for breath, our mouths finally parted, and I reluctantly crawled off his lap to buckle in. 

Vincent reached behind him and snatched a black V-neck off the seat, speaking to the dashboard as he tugged it over his head. "Call Charleton."

A moment later, Charleton came on the line. "What news do have for us, Vincent?"

"I have Reese here with me. She is unharmed and we are not being pursued. I will call again when we arrive at the cabin."

"Sounds fair. I will relay your message to everyone."

The call ended abruptly and my stomach took a dive. Charleton made no effort to communicate with me.

"Um, are we going to your fishing cabin?" I asked as Vincent pulled into traffic.

"Yes. Colin and Jonathan will take care of immediate domus business in my absence."

I allowed myself a grin, remembering Vincent's promise to take me to paradise in the form of unrestricted sex at his fishing cabin. "So, you and me alone in the woods. Sounds like the perfect reunion."

He scowled but directed it at the windshield. "It's not as romantic as it sounds. The domus is currently in negotiations regarding your status. We will communicate with them via satellite."

Shit. That didn't sound good.

"So, how long will it be? Your absence, that is?" I stared at him through the blue light of the dashboard, and he hazarded a glance at me. The stony look he offered had my stomach diving deeper.

"I don't know yet. It depends on negotiations."

"You told them, didn't you? You told them who my grandfather is?"

Vincent pursed his lips, a response I knew too well, and I waited while he crafted his reply. Surely, he knew the subject would come up. "Yes, Reese. It was my duty as magister."

"Right. I remember."

Silence.

"Are you hungry? There's food in the backpack behind your seat."

Although I hadn't eaten more than a honeybun and two strawberries over the past twenty-four hours, I didn't think putting food in my stomach would do the trick. "I'll pass, thanks."