Page 121 of Cerulean Truth
Before I could finish that thought, she shifted slightly closer, just as a shiver ran through her.
“You cold?” I asked softly.
“Nah, it’s fine,” she replied, but the goosebumps on her arms betrayed her.
Shifting the cigar from my right hand to my left, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, drawing her closer against my body for warmth.
“Is this okay?” I asked, trying to discern any warning signs she might be uncomfortable.
Her gaze dropped to my lips for a second and my blood started to rush again.
“Yes.”
A single word. A single, three-letter word. But those three letters made all the difference in the world because I had her in my arms and she let me.
THIRTY-ONE
EMMA
I had no concept of time as we sat like that, indulging in drinks, smoking cigars, and gazing at the stars. At one juncture, I caught a glimpse of James’s Nexus, and I could have sworn it lit up at two in the morning.
As I found myself wrapped in James’s arms, Scotch in hand, a cigar between my fingers, and gazing up at the stars, the absurdity of the moment washed over me, prompting a giggle.
“What’s funny?” he inquired, a smile gracing his lips.
Yes, James had been smiling. And he had laughed! Twice! Which had nearly shocked me to death. Though I felt like he was even more surprised by it than I.
“Not funny, just… absurd.”
“What’s absurd?”
“You. This. Us. Bonding over cigars, steak and Scotch. Next you’ll tell me you like to play poker too.”
A grin crossed his face. “I happen to play a mean hand of Texas Hold ’em.”
I chuckled softly. “Well, mister Walker, it seems we might just become friends after all.”
His demeanor shifted slightly, his expression growing serious. "You don’t consider us friends?"
I bit my lip, attempting to cover my blunder with a hint of hesitation.
“To be honest, I thought we were. But ever since you began training me, I can’t help but feel like you grew very distant.”
James pulled me in closer, almost instinctively. He remained silent for so long that I began to wonder if he would respond at all.
“I did what I had to, to be the most efficient teacher I could be. And keeping you close proved to be… difficult,” he finally admitted, his words strained.
I hesitated, wanting to go deeper than that.
“Jackson told me…” my voice trailed off.
James’s body tensed. “Jackson told you what?”
“He elaborated a little on your past,” I minimalized. “When you told me you struggled with your ‘rage-haze’, Jackson sort of filled me in on what that meant.”
“Did he now?” James’s voice turned ice-cold in an instant and I shivered. I wanted to coward my way out but Iknewthis would be the only time I might get some answers.
“He told me, when you were a kid, you accidentally…killed people?” It wasn’t really a question.
