Page 27 of Jack Frost
His mouth tightens as if he's trying to hide a smile, and his eyes sparkle. "Special woo-woo powers?"
"Yes." Blushing, I collect the discarded paper and resume my careful folding. At least when I'm doing that, I don't have to look at his stupid beautiful face.
"Would you like to have 'special woo-woo powers' of your own?"
A shudder runs through me, shock and alarm. "What do you mean?"
He takes in my apprehension, his eyes narrowing. "Never mind. It's nothing you'd ever want. Forget it."
"Forget it? How am I supposed to forget that? Why did you even mention—"
A shadow falls across my office doorway and I shut my mouth immediately, remembering that I'm the only one who can hear and see Jack right now. Being caught talking to myself wouldn't be great for my reputation among my new colleagues.
A slim man with brown hair and a placid, pleasant face raps on the doorframe. "Hello in there!" He smiles widely, showing teeth that I'd guess were recently bleached—they're painfully resplendent. "I'm one of the directors here. Minnick. Newt Minnick."
He says it like "Bond, James Bond," and Jack guffaws. Obviously he has found at least a little time for pop culture during his two centuries as an immortal ice warrior.
I rise, holding out my hand to Newt Minnick. "I'm Emery Caulfield."
"A pleasure. A real pleasure." Newt captures my hand in both of his. The moist heat of his palms makes me uncomfortable; I want to snatch my hand away, but he might take offense. "I saw you making the rounds yesterday with Alice, but I was just swamped with work—you know how it is. So I thought I would come by and introduce myself. I hear you just came back from a fantastic trip!"
"Yes, I did—"
"Let's you and I have dinner. You can tell me all about it."
"Oh, well, I—I'm—"
"Just for fun, okay? No pressure, nothing like that." The smile and the humid hand-holding and his mellow voice are like a dense cloud, fogging my senses. "You're new in town so you need someone to show you the best spots, right? You like Southern home cooking? Well, you're in for a treat. I'll take you to Sallie Mae's and we'll have ourselves a good old time, maybe invite a few others, make it a party, okay? We can leave from here around six and take my car, it's no trouble at all, and I'll bring you back here after dinner to pick up your car, okay? Okay! You be good now. Get lots of work done." With a final press of his palms, he releases me and walks out of my office, still smiling.
Jack stalks around me and peers into my face. "Amazing. I thought humans didn't possess any magical powers, but this one seems to have the ability to render you speechless. Incredible."
"Wish he'd try it onyousometime," I snarl, returning to my chair.
"So you have a date." Jack bites out the last word. "That's nice. Excited? Want me to help you choose an outfit?"
"It's not a date, and I have Karyl to help me choose outfits."
"Karyl, yes. I like her. Do you see her much?"
"Not as much since college. She works a lot. Has a wife. They just adopted a baby, so we can't hang out like we used to." Why am I telling him this?
"And she's the only person you know in Asheville."
"Until I met the other people here at the conservancy."
"And Minnick. Newt Minnick. Don't forget about him. I think he's got the makings of a very close friend." There's ice in Jack's tone, and not the pretty frosty kind; this ice has razor edges. He glares down at me, the collar of his blue dress shirt shifting with his quick breath. His wide mouth hitches up in a sneer, revealing one of those sharp eyeteeth.
"Oh my god. You're jealous."
"The hell I am."
"You are. Even though you have no right to be, because you and I are barely acquaintances."
His voice turns low and husky. "You kiss all your acquaintances like that?"
One step forward, and I'd be touching him. Every inch of my skin buzzes with awareness, with the memory of how he felt against me.
"That," I whisper, "was an unfortunate error in judgment on my part. I was exhausted. Not thinking straight. You—you're not good for me. You mess things up and make them even more complicated. The world is complicated enough, Jack. I don't need this magical angle skewing my perspective and my goals. I don't want it. I need something solid and human, something that makes sense."
