Page 33 of Stronger Than Blood
His apartment really was the smallest I’d ever seen. But it was clean as a pin—another of my grandparent’s old sayings—and cute. I’m sure I never would’ve been able to make that tiny space so livable.
Madam asked us to stand outside as she did whatever she did to protect the space. When we came back in, there was a red X on the window, and I assumed she’d used her lipstick to make it. “Leave that there,” she demanded. “It’ll keep things calm, at least temporarily, until we can get your Granny Ida back home to begin the process of taking back power from the entity.”
“Are you sure it’s safe for her to be home?” Mick asked.
Madam Bellamy had a sad expression before putting her hand on his arm. “Your uncle isn’t haunting his building. He told me he’s here to bring his sister with him. I felt another sibling too. Although I didn’t see her, I’m guessing they are both here to help her cross over. I’m sorry, Mick, but it’s not going to be long now,and I know your granny would prefer to be at home instead of that sterile nursing home.”
Mick sucked in a quick breath, and I could tell he was struggling with that. “I… she’s all I have left.”
“And she will still be here for you, just in here,” Madam said as she touched his heart. She turned to me and asked me to come over. “We need to do this too,” she said and took my hand, placing it over Mick’s.
Mick’s eyes grew large, and he went to pull his hand back. “Shh, no need for that. What you experienced was a one-time thing and a rare occurrence at that. It’s unlikely there’ll be a transference again, and if there is, it could happen with anyone you touch, Mick. Not just Rory.
“Let him comfort you. I can tell he wants to, and I’m assuming you want that from him as well.”
Mick swallowed hard but didn’t pull his hand away again. “Now, I saw a nice little coffee shop that was open when we came in. I’m going to go get myself a tea. Rory, you come down and get me when you’re ready.”
Chapter twenty-two
Mick
Istared at Rory after his mentor left. Neither of us moved. There were so many emotions swirling around inside me—fear, sadness, grief, and now longing for this man whom I’ve come to know and respect… and desire. Rory leaned down, and when I didn’t pull back, he gently kissed me on the lips.
“I do like you,” he said.
I nodded. “I’ve wanted that… but was just too afraid.”
“Shh, I’m here,” he said, and just as gently as his kiss, he enfolded me in his arms. I’m not sure why that felt okay since I’d only known him a few days. But everything about this week had been strange. Now, all I wanted was to be held by him.
I hadn’t even realized how badly I needed touch until now. When we finally pulled apart, I lifted onto my toes and kissed him back. The kiss was mostly chaste, no major heat, and that was for the best. I just had too much on my mind at the moment.
When he stepped back, he asked, “Do you need me to do anything for you before I go?”
I shook my head. “No, I just need sleep, and I think now Madam Bellamy has done her thing, I can do that without fear,” I said, and he nodded.
“Well, you have my number. Call if you need me.”
Rory had given his number to me when he first arrived, but I’d never called or texted him.
“I’ll see you tomorrow at the old store building?” Rory asked, and I nodded.
“Okay,” he said and leaned down to kiss me again. I could tell he wanted more, and he’d quickly take me up on any indication that I was willing, but I had too much going on, and falling into bed with Rory, even though he was everything I found attractive in a man, would’ve been a disaster. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, and I watched as he left.
There was a feeling of emptiness in the apartment, like someone, supposedly Madam Bellamy, had sucked all the emotions out of the room. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, and as tired as I was, I appreciated the chance to sleep without fear.
After brushing my teeth and climbing into bed, I thought of the sexy Rory. Honestly, I didn’t understand what a man like him would see in a man like me. I mean, I knew I wasn’t ugly or anything, but I wasn’t anything special either.
My mom said I looked like my father, a man I’d never met and who supposedly had died of an overdose some time ago. I thought I looked like my grandfather’s pictures, another man I’d never met. I had wondered about all that before, how all the men in my family were gone long before the women. I didn’t have many male role models. Not that I needed them.
By the time I moved in with Granny Ida, I’d been taught one thing above all else: men could be demons. Not only the one who was currently haunting me but also the other men who came in and out of my mom’s life.
I’d never been hurt sexually, although I think a few would’ve if they’d had a chance, but I had been backhanded across a room by a drunken man once and almost knocked out by another. And that wasn’t even mentioning the one that killed my grandmother and wanted to kill me.
Yet I found myself attracted to men.
I’d dated a few men off and on through the years. None of them had stuck, and only one or two had held my interest longer than a couple of days. Unlike my mother, who’d move a fling in with her and then spend weeks getting high with them, I tended to send them on their way before they had time to pull their pants up.
I knew Rory was going to be different, and to be honest, I wasn’t totally comfortable with that. I liked and trusted him, and although his mentor was, well… she was a lot, but something about her eased me. If she was going to be helping take care of Granny, I needed to be able to trust her.
