Page 11 of Intersect
He runs his hands through his hair, tugging at it. “I don’t give a shit if Jeff creates problems. But I don’t want you dealing with him byyourself.”
I sort of love that Nick wants to protect me, but I’m not letting him get fired over this. “He’s not violent,” I reply. “He’s justupset.”
Nick’s expression sours. “The last two times I saw him it nearly turned into a fist fight. So don’t pretend he’s notviolent.”
I smile and squeeze his hand. “And you were just as eager to fight him. Doesn’t that makeyouviolent by definitiontoo?”
He laughs reluctantly. “No comment. But I want the truth about this stuff from now on, okay? And maybe you ought to share some of it with your mom, since she’s still so convinced Jeff is perfect foryou.”
My mother’s adoration of Jeff brings out the sullen teenager in Nick, which has me fighting a smile. “She just hasn’t metyouyet. Maybe she won’t think my judgment is so impaired when she does.” I wish I’d never asked her about time travel. Even when I left yesterday morning she was on the cusp of tears. “But that reminds me—I asked my mom if there were pictures of my aunt, the one who ran away when she was a teenager, and my mom said she doubted there were many because apparently Sarah was weird about having photostaken.”
His brow furrows. “I’m not sure I’m following you. Lots of people don’t want their photos taken. My mom will only get in front of a camera if she’s got a full face of makeup and her hair isdone.”
“But remember Rose? I mean, didn’t it strike you as weird…this 15-year old girl is hanging out with her favorite band but refuses to bephotographed?”
“She was a total delinquent, Quinn,” he argues. “She probably just didn’t want her dad coming acrossit.”
I lean forward. In the process of trying to convince him, I’m beginning to convince myself. “Think about it, though: why would a time traveler make a point of refusing to be in any photos? Because she doesn’t want anyone finding her picture on two dates that are a hundred years apart. The safest thing to do would be to make sure you never leave atrail.”
He takes a sip of his scotch, but I can tell he’s pondering what I’ve said. “You might be right,” he finally says, setting his drink down. “And if your aunt can actually time travel, then we need to find her. She might be able to tell us what to do. At least how to make the tumor stopgrowing.”
I sigh heavily. “My mom’s got no address for her, and I’m not sure looking upSarah StewartandFranceis going to yield a lot of useful results. I don’t even know what city she’sin.”
“Your dad must have an address for her somewhere. Do you guys still have his oldfiles?”
My father had tons of files. Are we really going to be able to find her address in all of that mess? It seems unlikely, but we can’t just not try. “Most of them are in storage. Everything’s in storage,actually.”
“Then we should go up there this weekend and take a look. I have to play in this fucking basketball game on Friday, but we could go up on Saturday morning and spend the night at the lake on the way home.” He hesitates. “You’d have your own room,” headds.
I frown. Any other guy would be capitalizing on the situation, and he’s doing the opposite. He sure didn’t seem this reluctant Sunday night in the back of his car. “We don’t need separate rooms,” I say quietly. I’m blushing, unable to meet his eye, as I utter thewords.
“Yeah,” he says, his voice hard. “I think wedo.”
I’m humiliated and annoyed at the same time. We’re adults. I shouldn’t feel like a slut for suggesting we stay in the same room. I slap a palm to my face in frustration. “What the hell is going on, Nick?” I ask. “You apologize for kissing me last night like it was a mistake and now you’re acting like we’re just…buddies.”
He laughs unhappily, which just frustrates me even more. “You think I don’t want more? I wantmoreso badly I’d cut off a limb to getit.”
Then take it!I want to scream. Even if we don’t have sex there are plenty of other options. “So what exactly is the problem?” Iask.
He sighs and clasps his hands in front of him. “Look, the truth is I’m worried I’m going to take it toofar.”
My brow furrows. “Takewhattoofar?”
“Youcannotget pregnant right now, Quinn. We can’t risk anything exacerbating thetumor.”
I’m blushing all the way to my ears but desperation drives me to persist. “There are lots of things besidesintercourse.”
I hear a groan stifled low in his chest. “I’m aware. But when I kiss you, I want so much more I stop thinking rationally. And if we’re doing all the other things you’re referencing, my guess is I’ll stop thinking at all. At some point, it’s going to lead to sex. It just is. We…need aplan.”
“A plan?” I ask with a small smile. “I could put a note on my forehead that says ‘don’t fuckQuinn’?”
His teeth slide over his lower lip and he blows out a breath. “Even hearing you say the wordfucksends my mind down a bad path. Where I start rationalizing things. It feelspredatory.”
“Nick,” I say, my eyes slowly raising to his. “I’m okay withpredatory.”
He inhales sharply, leaning his head against the back of the loveseat and squeezing his eyesshut.
“What—”