Testimony of Children (Alice Gray Book 2)

37

"You're not going to get fired for this, are you?"

Lucas laughed in response and poured us a shot each.

"I mean, isn't this stealing?"

Lucas downed his shot and winced. Holding mine up for me, he raised an eyebrow in challenge.

I couldn't deny that I needed a drink. Dutch courage and all that.

I flopped down and couldn't stop the sigh that escaped at the comfort of the warm leather. The sofa was large enough that we sat at either end with room enough between us to avoid unnecessary intimacy.

Didn't want any misunderstandings. I'd learnt my lesson about how easily guys got the wrong impression about me these days.

Taking the glass, I threw it down and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Not very ladylike, I'll admit, but I was past all that. I was tired, and this was supposed to be a break.

I returned my glass to the table and Lucas refilled it without comment. After the second shot had warmed my body and wrapped its way around my mind, I decided that my questions couldn't wait any longer.

"Ok, you're definitely not a vampire, and I don't think that you're a witch. Care to enlighten me?"

Lucas nearly choked on his third shot, before getting a hold of himself and meeting my enquiring look with one of his own.

"Tell you what, Princess. For each shot we both get to ask one question. There's a few things that I need to straighten out too."

Considering for a moment, I weighed up what I knew already. Lucas was a large man, surely able to hold quite a quantity of liquor, but I was no delicate flower. I enjoyed a drink, and I knew how to handle myself. That wince on his first shot told me that Lucas wasn't used to downing straight vodka. This was an expensive bottle, as smooth as it got. I had swallowed mine without a problem.

"Fine, but you'll have to go easy on me, big guy," I said, attempting a bluff to gain the advantage.

"Whatever, you go first." Lucas motioned to the full glass before me.

I threw it back, and faked a cough, peeking at Lucas to see if he was buying it. I guess the two that I'd consumed without so much as a hiccup had given me away. Lucas looked unimpressed with the show.

"What are you?"

"Private security expert," Lucas answered with a smug grin.

"No, I mean..."

"Ah ah ah, one question for one shot," Lucas reminded me, nudging the vodka bottle towards me with his foot.

The bastard was beyond relaxed. In fact, I wondered if he was going to drop off. He lazily opened one eye and smirked at me. God, if he wasn't one of the most gorgeous and infuriating men that I had ever had the pleasure of meeting.

"Guess you don't want your go," I said, nonchalantly reaching for the bottle.

He sprung up, and grabbed the bottle before I could reach it. He poured himself a shot and swallowed, before remembering that he was one ahead of me at the beginning of the game. Now we both knew that he could have had a question for free.

Too late now. I grinned at him, cocky in my victory. Then I remembered that he had tricked me out of my first answer. I met his scowl with one of my own.

"What favour did Roger Bingham grant you in return for the date this evening?" Lucas wasn't going to be evaded, his precise question saw to that.

"A friend of mine, a witch, is ill. Roger sent somebody to help her."

Lucas mulled this over for a minute, before nudging the bottle over to me. I poured and drank. This time I couldn't help the little hiccup that escaped. I quickly covered my mouth with my hand, and tried to dampen the blush that spread over my face.

"What species are you?"

"I'm a man."

"Not good enough. What else?"

"That's another question, Alice."

My growl of frustration brought his eyes to my face quicker than I thought possible in our current hazy state. Interesting.

Wait, what was interesting?

My head was full of cotton wool. Maybe I was more of a lightweight than I thought.

Lucas grabbed for the bottle, and poured another shot. He almost missed the target. At least I wasn't the only one feeling it.

"Why do they all want you?" Lucas asked, the last word slurring slightly.

"Bloody silver power," I answered, while I wondered why the hell my eyes wouldn't focus on his face.

Without warning Lucas burst into song:

"By the light of the silvery moon,

I want to spoon, to my honey I'll croon love's tune."

His voice was rich and deep, eyes closed, head tilted back, he sang full pelt to the empty room, inhibitions melted away by the vodka.

Opening one eye, just a crack, he motioned for me to join in.

Giggling, I took the echo part of the verse:

"By the light,"

"By the light, By the light,"

"Of the silvery moon,"

"The silvery moon."

"I want to spoon,"

"Want to spoon, Want to spoon."

By the time we reached the end of the song, we were both in fits of laughter. I reached for the bottle, to find it empty.

"You drank it all, you bastard," I accused, slapping Lucas on the shoulder.

"Wasn't me. You had it last."

"Did not," I said, sulky teenage whine falling out of me before I could stop it.

"I'll get some more," Lucas said, hauling his huge body off the couch.

On his way past me, he somehow managed to get his legs tangled with mine. As his large body fell face first to the floor, the momentum carried me with him.

We landed in a heap, legs wound together.

"What the hell?" I exclaimed, attempting to extricate myself.

A loud rumbling snore was the only response.

"Great," I said out loud to nobody.

Carefully standing I tried to lift Lucas's heavy body onto the sofa. It was no good, I could hardly stand on my own, never mind support his enormous frame.

I'll just sit and rest for a minute, I told myself, slowly lowering my body to the floor next to him.

His large chest, rising and falling rhythmically, looked inviting. The sense of warmth and contentment was still there, flowing into me from his unconscious body. The urge to get closer was suddenly overwhelming.

I snuggled down onto his chest, promising myself that I would only close my eyes for a few minutes.

Hmm, what's going on here? Only one way to find out...