Her expression said plenty. Lilian blushed and looked away.
Matthias met her at the back door to the diner, and she tried to ignore the way her breath caught in a soft gasp at seeing him there, but wasn’t very successful.
“Ready?” he asked.
Lilian nodded and looked around the little lot. After the previous evening, she was a bit leery of the agents returning.
“Your place?”
She looked at him in surprise. Her place? No way. She wouldn’t be able to handle her emotions with him being in her home.
“I don’t think that’d be very…”
“Safe?” He gave her a knowing grin.
In so many more ways than you think.
“Someplace more neutral,” she said.
He pondered a moment and then nodded. “All right.” He took her by the arm, walked with her out of the lot and around the corner where a rather large motorcycle was parked.
Lilian dug her heels in and balked. “No way.”
Matthias looked at her. “What?”
“There’s no way I’m getting on that death trap with you.”
He shook his head. “It’s not a death trap.”
“Yes, it is. I’ve seen the news. There’s not enough metal around me and there’s only two wheels.”
“Scared?” he asked.
Lilian narrowed her eyes. “Of your motorcycle? You betcha.”
He laughed and before she could even think about darting away, he had her over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, strolling toward his bike.
Lilian shrieked and started to struggle. “You jerk! Put me down!”
Matthias swatted her on the butt, and leaned down to deposit her on the seat with a threat. “If you move, I’ll kiss you again.”
She froze to ponder his words, and wondered what the downside was. He chuckled, rearranged her legs so he could swing onto his motorcycle, and straightened the bike up. Her heart dropped out of her chest. She wrapped her arms around him, and held on for dear life.
“Lilian, you need to relax a little.”
She heard the amusement in his voice.
“We could just walk to the park, you know,” she suggested in a hopeful tone.
“I have a place in mind.” He put the key into the ignition and pressed the starter button.
The motorcycle roared to life and he revved the engine. Lilian buried her face against his back.
She had no idea where he was taking her and knew she ought to be wary, but all thoughts went out of her brain as she inhaled his scent. A heady aroma, it reminded her of the forest on a summer evening, warm and earthy, alive. She closed her eyes as she breathed in and out, taking in his scent. It calmed her, made her almost forget she sat on a moving death trap with a man she barely knew but had made out with, going who knew where. When Lilian did remember, she jerked upright, causing the motorcycle to wobble a little. She shrieked in alarm and threw herself back against Matthias. He chuckled, patting her hands as if to reassure her.
Like that was going to happen.
After what seemed like an eternity, he slowed and turned off the main road. The uneven feel and crunching sound made her think it was a gravel drive of some sort. She wasn’t entirely sure, since she refused to look up. When they finally came to a stop, Matthias killed the engine.
“You can let go, sweetheart,” he said.
There was definitely some amusement in his tone as she released him.
“Stop laughing at me!”
Lilian sat upright, looked around, and gaped as she realized he’d brought her home.
She scrambled off the motorcycle and spun around to face him, furious. “I told you no. How do you know where I live, anyway?”
“I asked around, found your mailbox when I drove by, and figured this was your place. Anyway, we’re not in your home and I see no reason why we can’t talk out here.” He shrugged and smiled.
“Oh! You insufferable jerk!”
He swung himself off the bike and stood. She refused to take a step back, even if he was just a bit intimidating.
“Tell me about the men, Lilian.”
“No.”
He lifted a brow. “No?”
Lilian looked around as she mentally went over her options. Could she run to her house and get inside before he caught up to her? No. Feasibly, she could fight him, but did she want to hurt him? No. Would it hurt to tell him, considering he was now involved? No.
Lilian realized she didn’t have much of a choice now and her shoulders drooped in resignation. “Fine. They’re from an organization called Custodes Secreti. They’re…a secret group that gathers information and beings more enhanced than the normal human.”
He removed his sunglasses and stared at her. “And they’re after you, why?”
Lilian backed away a couple of steps. “Look, Matthias, I really don’t want to get into this with you. I don’t know you, and I’m not sure I trust you.”
Not entirely true. Intuition told her to trust him. She could just read his mind to find out more, but with the agents so close, she didn’t want to give herself away by using her abilities.
“You’re just going to have to,” he said.
Okay, so maybe she trusted him, but she sure as hell didn’t like him. She’d just ignore the fact his mere presence made her tremble and his eyes made her feel like melting.
Lilian glanced away from him, and looked around until her gaze fell on her house. It wasn’t very large, just two bedrooms and one bath. It could be considered more a cottage. It needed new paint, she noticed in a distant manner. The white paint was peeling off the siding and the trim faded. Still, it was her home and she didn’t want to have to sell it in order to move again.
“Lilian,” he said.
She looked back at him. “We better go inside. It’s going to take a while to talk about.”
Lilian turned and walked away. Fishing her keys out of her pocket, she stepped onto the little porch. Her hand trembled as she put the key in the lock.
Lilian hated telling anyone about herself. She had been so careful about keeping her secrets, but she should have known her past would catch up with her, and someday it would all come out.
She turned the key, expecting to hear
