"What...is....this?" Luke held a stirring utensil with a massive glob of something above a heat-safe cooking container.
"Oh, did I do it wrong again?" Sean asked, brow furrowed in confusion.
We had entered the apartment and seen smoke leaking from the edges of the cooking unit. Luke had teleported into the kitchen to disconnect the power source. He let the unit cool and grabbed some retardant before opening the unit. When the smoke ceased, he carefully tested for heat, then cautiously released the locking mechanism. More smoke poured out, Luke waving it away. Eventually he pulled out the aforementioned container.
Luke shook his head at the food glob and let it plop down. "Sean, this is....well...I just can't even believe...."
So dinner was not almost ready after all.
Sean gave a long-suffering sigh. "Isten Rose will be so disappointed. She said this was a fool-proof recipe."
Luke couldn't resist saying, "But not Green-proof." Laughter bubbled up from all of us at that.
After the giggles subsided, Luke offered to get something from the dining hall for us, but Sean replied, "Owen is already on his way with something. I'm pretty sure he expected this."
Luke coughed another laugh. "Well, I don't think he needed to use Sight sight to anticipate that."
Sean groaned, "You're right. I am hopeless."
He looked so dejected I reached out and patted his shoulder. To which, he grabbed me up in a tight hug and started towards his bedroom door, lifting me so only my toes dragged on the floor.
"Alright, see you later, Luke. I'm going to snuggle with my Pookie until Owen arrives," Sean tossed back as he crossed the room carrying me. Luke looked on smiling in amusement. I giggled and he finger -waved as the door slid shut behind Sean and me. My legs hit the end of the bed and Sean allowed us to collapse down, him landing on top of me. I giggled more when he loudly mock snored.
I pushed up on his chest saying, "Ugh! Heavy, not breathe."
He grunted then rolled us over, so I lay atop him with my legs falling on either side of his hips. I sucked in a breath and moved to lift myself away, but his hands squeezed on my hips and he said, "You're fine." He smiled, but the laughter in his eyes had faded away.
I gulped.
He let his head fall back and mumbled something like "killing me" then spilled me off to the side and sat up on the edge of the bed. I adjusted to sit up next to him. He reached over to pick up my hand and sandwich it between his.
"Sang," he said, voice even, more like his serious 'doctor' voice. He asked, "How are you feeling?"
"I...um...I feel fine," I replied.
"Really?" His question didn't carry doubt, but surprise. He made sure to catch my gaze before he added, "You've been through a lot of change and under a fair amount of stress." Then his expression shifted slightly to concern. "I've tried to respect your privacy and haven't checked video or audio files, but I've also noticed an unusual frequency of spikes to your heart rate, especially recently."
"Oh?" I asked, flushing.
"You've been with the guys during those times, so I wasn't too worried, but is there something you need to tell me? Are they..." He cleared his throat, voice dropping a bit, "Are they behaving appropriately?"
I averted my eyes and blushed. "The boys...a few of them...I think they were trying to kiss me," I admitted.
"And, did you not want them to?" He prodded.
"No, not that," I assured him. "It was always just bad...." I paused trying to think of the Taren word for 'timing'.
"What? Were they bad at it?" The heat grew in my cheeks when he barked out a single laugh. "Sorry, Sang. I'm not laughing at you. Just can't imagine..."
"No," I cut in. Then looked back up at him. "Always stop before kiss by one or more of others."
"You mean every time one of them was about to kiss you, another interrupted?" He asked grinning wide.
"Yes," I squeaked out.
With barely contained mirth, he said, "And you think that's going to keep happening."
I nodded in earnest.
"Well," he said, a new light sparking in his eyes, "I think we need to test this theory."
Before I could ask how, his lips were pressed softly against mine. I stayed perfectly still, partly from shock and partly from not knowing what to do. His lips moved against mine and I started mimicking his actions. I felt his hand move to the back of my neck and slowly knead the tension away. I tried relaxing into the sensations: his lips on mine, his scent all around, the heat swirling within me. It was almost too much.
He pulled away slightly. Pupils blown wide, his gaze darted all over my face. Both of us breathing harder than normal. He whispered, "I think we need to test that again," then pressed another firmer kiss and pulled me closer, half into his lap.
After what seemed like a glorious eternity and far too short of time, Sean pulled back groaning and then sighed, "We need to stop." He even scooted over to leave a several centimeter-wide gap between us.
I nodded, my heart thundering. I didn't trust my voice or what I might say. Maybe he didn't either, and we sat intently looking at one another for several joden. Then Sean quirked a smile, the usual playfulness returning. "You certainly are a fast learner," he quipped. I blushed again, and he caught my hands before I could bury my face in them. He smacked quick kisses to the back of each of my hands but kept them grasped in his. "Guess we disproved your theory," he said and the door slid open. Our gazes both snapped to the doorway.
"What theory?" Asked a calm-voiced Tsee Blackbourne. Sean and I turned back to each other with wide eyes and released surprised laughter.
*******
A/n: Sorry to disappoint anyone who was hoping one of the other boys would snag the first kiss, and I promise Silas fans that he will get some one-on-one time with Sang soon....I just couldn't put Sang through one more almost-kiss....I definitely have a greater appreciation for C.L. Stone's ability to write special moments for all the guys...and this whole story has kept me from my usual Academy withdrawals as we wait for the next book release. Thank you to all you wonderful readers who've stuck with this fan fiction so far...hold your hats, though...we still have a long way to go!