never be,” he says.
“What do you mean?” I ask in confusion.
He glances at me for a moment like he has said too much. Like he has revealed something embarrassing and I think he is not going to answer me, but then he says, “I can sit for hours now and dream about all of the places I can take you and how you might react to them. Then I think about what we could do if we went there, but I discard one place for the next dream…it’s so satisfying,” he says almost apologetically.
“You’re saying you daydream about me?” I ask, blushing a little when I think of this fierce warrior thinking of me that way.
“Yes,” he says, watching me. “I’ve never done that before. When I make plans, they are wholly based on strategy, such as where I will find the most damned. How I can manipulate a terrain to best entrap my prey. How I can turn my enemies against one another. Or, how to comprise the most lethal alliances,” he says with assurance. “But now, I find myself thinking about how I can make Evie smile, or what your reaction will be to seeing the pyramids of Giza, or how your hair will look while spread out on the pillow tonight in your room…” he trails off, and my blush deepens in ecstasy.
“Reed, that’s just hot,” I say, trying to suppress my smile.
“It is?” he asks me in surprise.
“Yeah…really hot,” I reply.
“Oh… well, good. I was beginning to think something was wrong with me,” he says, smiling at my reaction to his words.
“Nope. I do that too, sometimes. I think about what it’ll be like when I’ll be able to kiss you and not have any reason to stop,” I reply.
“You are right, that is hot,” he murmurs, touching my hair softly.
“Told you,” I reply.
“What else do you dream about?” he asks me in a soft tone. He’s definitely into this topic. I clear my throat and think about it for a second, “Hmm…let’s see, just this morning, when we had decided that we were going to make this trip, I might’ve let my mind wander a bit over how I would plan the sleeping arrangements, if given a choice.”
“You did?” he asks, raising his eyebrow in inquiry.
“Uh huh. And when I was packing for the trip, I kinda threw in a couple of articles of clothing, just in case you lift that ban on seduction.”
“It is unfathomable what you are capable of doing to me with just words,” he says, shaking his head. I smile because I feel powerful all of a sudden. Trying to hide my smile, I look out the window at the scenery going by us. We have gotten past all of the major cities in this area and are now just traveling from one small rural town to another in our journey toward Lake Michigan and the resort we plan to stay in. The fir trees around this two-lane road are dense and covered in a blanket of white that absorbs sound almost completely. It’s beautiful in the dusky twilight, as the colors of the night push down on the waning sun. It will get really dark here with no streetlights or city glow to illuminate the skyline. But, it doesn’t matter because I can now see awesomely in the dark with my angel vision. I probably won’t even need my headlights to drive the car, but I flip them on anyway so others can see me.
The phone in Reed’s pocket begins ringing. When he answers it, it is Zephyr indicating they have reached the point where they had planned to get gas for the cars. We pull into a gas station with an attached mini mart. I park the car next to a pump and see Buns and Zephyr get out of their car and walk over near our car, surveying the scenery around us. Leaning over the center console of the car, Reed kisses me, his lips touching mine like a whisper before he gets out of the car to fill the gas tank. I open my door, stepping out to stretch my legs.
“Sweetie, let’s go in and get some snacks.” Buns says, linking arms with me. “I’m in the mood for licorice, what about you?” she asks as we walk together a few feet.
Through the windows of the