Chapter 3 : Just a Kiss

The dim light sparkled in Tahir’s eyes as he looked down at me. We were alone, although we could still hear the sounds of the party inside. It created a strange, intimate atmosphere around us. I could easily stare into those oddly fiery eyes for hours.

“Who was that?” he asked curiously.

I frowned. Tahir had whisked me away from the party to save me from speaking with my ex. Manny and I had been together for years before I’d finally broken things off with him, but he still tried to convince me to take him back. It drove me crazy and I tried to avoid him at all costs.

“Manuel Caro,” I said bitterly. “We used to date.”

“I take it you aren’t on good terms,” Tahir answered. An expression that looked like anger flashed across his face, but it was gone so fast that it may have been a trick of the light.

I glanced over my shoulder at the closed door and frowned.

“I just have nothing to say to him. I’d much rather spend the evening with you.”

I didn’t mean to say that out loud, although it was true. I looked at him suspiciously. It was like my proximity to him was somehow lowering my inhibitions. I felt almost drunk.

“Is that right?” he asked with a smirk. “As long as you’re finished with your questioning, I’d be glad to spend the evening with you.”

“Well, I don’t know that we’re going to get very far if we aren’t asking each other any questions,” I remarked. “How are we supposed to get to know one another?”

“I have a few ideas,” he muttered.

I blushed. He was certainly a flirt. I had no doubt that it worked for him most of the time. With his looks and his gravelly, deep voice, I didn’t doubt that he could talk his way into most people’s bedrooms.

“You’re very forward,” I murmured, my mouth starting to feel dry all of a sudden.

“Your eyes are very unique.”

It was an abrupt subject change, but I didn’t point it out.

I shrugged slightly. I had blue eyes, but a thin circle of gold encircled my corneas. It was a simple genetic mutation and didn’t impact my vision at all, but it tended to get people's attention.

“Yeah, it’s–”

“Central heterochromia,” he finished for me. “I’ve never seen it with both eyes before.”

“I’ve never seen eyes like yours either,” I added.

He hummed a little and made a dismissive gesture with his hand. “They’re just a very dark brown. Not unique at all.”

“Sure,” I said with a smile.

It made him uncomfortable to talk about it. He must get comments about his eyes a lot. I could imagine that since the advent of online myths and horror stories, having black eyes would have become a bit of a nuisance.

“If you would like to get back to the party, we can go inside,” he offered. “I’m sure that he would have moved on by now.”

Not likely, I thought bitterly. “I’m enjoying the peace out here, actually.”

“Then I’m happy to stay and keep you company,” he said.

I leaned against the railing and looked out at the garden. It was beautiful, and almost haunting in the pale lighting. “Off the record,” I said softly. “What are you doing here?”

“Why are you so concerned about that?” he asked curiously.

“You could go anywhere in the world,” I pointed out. “Why here? What could there possibly be in a place like this to hold your interest?”

Bell City was the last place I would ever choose to stay. It was a city in name only. Half the houses in town were abandoned and dilapidated, standing as a stark reminder that this was a place with no future.

I had wanted to leave ever since I was a little girl. After my mom died, it stopped feeling like a realistic goal. I couldn’t bring myself to leave my dad or my brother. I was resigned to staying here, but why on earth would anyone move here voluntarily?

“What could hold my interest here?” he repeated slowly. “A woman like you, to start,” he then said seriously.

I laughed. He just couldn’t turn off the charm. “I’m being serious.”

“So am I,” he insisted. He leaned on the railing beside me and looked out at the garden. “Sometimes when you are too close to something, you can no longer see its value. Only the flaws are clear to you,” he said.

I frowned. That sounded like something my grandpa would say, but it had the ring of truth to it. I’d been here my whole life. Maybe there was a charm to the place that was lost on me now. I highly doubted it though.

“You didn’t answer my question,” I insisted.

“You’re sharp.” He sighed. “I came for work. I don’t know how long I’ll stay.”

I frowned at that. What relic could there possibly be for him to examine around here? Mr. Ashworth was the only one around that could afford some rare collectible or art piece and that wasn’t his style.

“I’d rather not talk about work,” he added sternly.

I felt a little bad. I’d been badgering him since the moment we met and he’d been kind enough to answer my questions, despite his obvious discomfort.

“I have a hard time talking about much else,” I admitted apologetically. “I’m a bit of a workaholic.”

“Maybe we shouldn't talk then,” he suggested.

I shuddered when his hand touched mine on the railing. His fingers were cold, but his touch sent heat sparking through me. How could a man I just met make me feel this way?

“What do you have in mind?” I asked as I stood and stepped closer to him.

He pulled me by the hand until I was standing flush against him. I looked up at him and my eyes were drawn to his lips. I wanted him to kiss me. I hadn’t even known this man for an hour. This wasn’t like me. I leaned forward and he took the hint, bending to press his lips to mine.

One of his hands came to rest on the small of my back and the other cupped the side of my head, pulling me into a tight embrace. I shuddered and wrapped my arms around his neck. I could feel his skin warming under my touch. I carded my fingers through the hair at the base of his neck.

I could feel his firm muscles shifting beneath his shirt as he pulled me closer.

He pulled away, just enough to speak. “You asked me earlier where I’m staying...”

“I did,” I murmured.

My face felt hot. I knew what he was getting at and I knew that I was going to say yes. It didn’t matter that I’d never had a one night stand. Something about this man was addictive. I needed more of his touch.

“Would you like me to show you?”

Before I could answer, the door opened and a tall, slim man with dark skin and close cropped hair stepped out.

“Sir,” he said in a soft, but firm voice.

“Yes, Ziv,” Tahir answered in a tone that betrayed his annoyance. He dropped his hand to his side, but kept the other on my back.

“I’m sorry for the interruption,” he said, glancing at me. “But I’m afraid we must go.”

“Miss Donnelly,” Tahir said. “This is Ziv Alfredson, my bodyguard.”

“Pleased to meet you, miss,” the man replied kindly. “I am truly sorry to interrupt.”

“Is something wrong?” I asked. I wasn't surprised that Tahir had a bodyguard, but it was slightly alarming that the man had come to whisk him away like this.

“Nothing,” he said. “Riley called. We have a visitor at the house that cannot be kept waiting.”

Tahir’s shoulders tensed and he nodded once. “Of course. They’re early,” he muttered. He pulled his hand from my back and I frowned in disappointment. “Miss Donnelly,” he added.

“Call me Thea,” I said. Considering the way we’d just been entwined, it seemed odd for him to address me so formally.

“Thea,” he said with a slight smile. “I’m afraid we’ll have to continue this another time.”

“Make that a promise?” I said hopefully.

“That’s quite a request,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ve never broken a promise.”

“All the more reason to insist on it,” I replied.

I was going to be thinking about that kiss all night, at the very least. I needed to see him again. I didn't care if I sounded like I was begging. If it worked, I'd take it.

“I promise,” he replied softly.

Ziv looked slightly alarmed as Tahir bent and kissed me lightly. I could hear him whispering something to Tahir as they walked away from me. I didn’t understand a word of it, but I wasn’t sure if they were speaking a language I didn’t know or if I was just too distracted by the kiss.

I took a moment to gather myself, then went back into the party. Kim was at my side almost instantly.

“Where were you?” she asked. “I walked away to greet a guest and then you were gone!”

I was blushing and I knew it.

“I was in the courtyard with Tahir,” I whispered.

She gasped. “Theadora Linda Donnelly,” she said in a faux scandalized tone.

“Don’t you dare start with me, Kimberly Ann Ashworth,” I responded.

I crossed my arms over my chest. Now that I wasn’t standing beside Tahir, the reality of what I’d just done was setting in. I was so embarrassed.

“I know he’s cute, but really,” she teased. “Right out in the open like that!?”

“It was a kiss,” I corrected. “Don’t be such a prude.”

She lifted her hand over her eyes and squinted as if she were trying to see something in the distance. “I haven’t seen any flying pigs today,” she said. “But I could swear that YOU just called ME a prude.”

“I did,” I said with a huff.

“Thea!” another voice called. Shit.

“Oh god dammit,” I groaned. “I forgot he was here.”

It was too late to slip away this time. I felt a hand land on my shoulder and I turned to find Manny standing behind me.

“I’ve been looking for you,” he said excitedly. The complete opposite of what I was feeling.

I looked up at his big brown eyes and frowned.

“Why?” I asked bitterly.

Manny just didn’t seem to be able to move on. We’d broken up over a year ago, but he still went out of his way to contact me whenever an excuse to do so presented itself. Not that it stopped him from dating other women.

“I wanted to ask you to dance,” he said hopefully.

Manny was tall and broad shouldered with sandy blonde hair and a square jaw. He was cute, but that was about all he had going for him. He was careless and arrogant as a partner and friend. He could be a lot of fun to spend time with, but if you needed him he was rarely there.

I felt stupid for investing so much time into our relationship. I had convinced myself that he would grow up someday and things would change. I knew now that it was never going to happen.

“Manny, how many times do I have to turn you down before it sinks in?” I asked.

“You’ll come around,” he said confidently. “I know you miss me.”

“I can’t stress this enough,” I replied in irritation. “I have moved on.”

Manny snorted in disbelief and rolled his eyes at me. I was sure he would have continued to argue with me, but his brother, Nico, called out to him. “

We’ll see about that.” He looked me up and down one more time, then walked away.

I couldn’t believe that I’d ever been with a guy like that. I must have been out of my mind.

It was likely that nothing would come of my attraction to Tahir, but he was the first guy I’d kissed since the breakup. Maybe I was being too forward. But the way he touched me confirmed one thing: he was unlike anyone I had ever met before, and I was ready to let my emotions take the wheel.