Erasing Faith(6)
As soon as I pulled against his grip, the stranger’s arms dropped to his sides, immediately releasing me. I didn’t even know if he spoke English, but when he opened his mouth to say something, I cut him off and launched into a tirade of mortifying, nerve-fueled babble that made me want to hurl myself off the top of the nearest building rather than risk ever bumping into this man again.
“I’m—”
“No, don’t!” I interjected with enough force to convince him I was certifiably nuts if by some slim chance he hadn’t already figured that out. “Don’t tell me your name.”
His eyebrows rose and his smile faded a bit as I continued to speak.
“I’m sorry, I can’t do this. You probably think I’m a lunatic but, for all I know, you’re a lunatic too, so I’m not going to worry about it right now.” I watched his dark eyes widen just the slightest bit around the corners, that tiny show of emotion the only indication that he understood any of what I was saying. I swallowed around the growing lump in my throat and prattled on. “Anyway, thanks for saving me from falling on my face, those cobblestones look pretty unforgiving. I appreciate it, really. But I can’t do that afterwards-thing where we talk and trade life stories because, well, even though you’re probably harmless, I’m sure Ted Bundy’s victims thought the same thing about him, and look where they ended up.”
I took a deep breath and shuffled a few steps backward, a smile twitching at my mouth when I saw the utterly dumbfounded look on his face.
“See, I made a promise to my family that if they let me go halfway around the world to study in a place they knew nothing about, I wouldn’t get murdered or abducted while I was there.”
His mouth gaped a little. I couldn’t quite contain my giggle, but I kept talking anyway.
“So, thank you, dashing stranger, for saving me and my favorite pair of sandals from undue harm. Sorry about your head.” My eyes flickered up to the red bump on his temple where I’d so graciously smacked into him with my own. “Unless you’re actually a serial killer. In that case, I’m not sorry at all.”
Grinning fully now, I watched as his crooked smile slowly returned.
“Don’t worry, I only kill people on Thursdays,” he said, the sound of his voice sending a chill up my spine. It was throaty, deep. Extremely masculine. The kind of voice made for phone-sex lines and erotic audio books.
His English was perfect, unaccented. For a split second, I wondered if he was American, before reminding myself that it didn’t matter because I wasn’t interested in getting to know this guy, even if he happened to be the hottest human being I’d ever seen up close.
Nope, totally not interested. Not a friggen bit.
My assurances were pathetically unconvincing.
“It is Thursday, you know,” I pointed out, laughing. “And you really shouldn’t give your victims advanced warning. Jeeze, that’s like Murder 101. Don’t you know anything?”
“Oh, and I suppose you’re a murder expert?” His eyebrows quirked in amusement as his gaze scanned me from head to toe. “You sure look like a hardened criminal.”
That voice, coupled that grin and that face… it was a killer combination. Pun intended. I practically melted on the spot.
“Hey, don’t doubt my criminal tendencies.” My insides may’ve been liquid, but I forced my features into a haughty mask, broadcasting a confidence I didn’t feel. I dropped my voice into a low, conspiratorial whisper. “Once, I stole a lollypop from a convenience store.”
He grinned, his eyes locked on my face. “And how old were you when this outrageous crime was committed?”
“Five,” I admitted, blushing a little.
“Ah, yes, a bad seed right from the start.” He shook his head, trying to conceal his laughter with a stern look. “It’s no wonder you’ve graduated to killing by this point.”
I laughed. “From Hershey’s to homicide — a natural progression, obviously.”
“Did you do hard time?” he asked. “I’ve heard the penalties for lollypop thievery can be pretty harsh.”
My cheeks reddened further. “I felt so bad afterwards, I made my parents bring me back to the store so I could return it.”
His eyes went soft around the edges, making him look — if possible — even more attractive. I made a concerted effort not to squirm, but it was difficult given the fact that roughly ten thousand butterflies were fluttering in my stomach.
“Of course you did,” he murmured, staring at me as though I was a fascinating puzzle he wanted very much to solve.
We fell into silence, two strangers grinning at each other in the middle of a crowded square, prolonging the strange, unexpected moment we’d just shared. We both knew it was coming — that inevitable point when we’d go our separate directions and never see one another again — so we just stood there, staring and smiling. Enjoying the inexplicable familiarity, the confusing chemistry, that bubbled in the air between us.
That kind of banter, that feeling that your personalities were entirely complementary… it didn’t come around every day. Hell, it barely came around once a decade. To find someone who just got you, on a fundamental level… someone who you just clicked with, like two puzzle pieces snapping into place… Well, it was rarer than it should be.