Out of This World

“You mean, if we were hit again, then everything would go back to normal?”

“Something like that. Normal being relative, of course.”

“Turns out I’m awfully fond of normal.” She laughed a little, then startled me by setting her head on my shoulder. “I’m so glad you’re here with me, Kel.”

I looked down into her soft eyes and sweet smile, and promptly forgot about the office. She dropped her gaze to my mouth, and I nearly forgot my own name.

Not good.

“The answers are down that trail,” she said, still looking at my mouth, “in that clearing where we were hit. I say we go there now and just look around, then tonight, when everyone is asleep, we get the cookies and then search for the office.”

“The cookies being necessary for the search, of course.”

“Of course.”

We took the trail, in silence at first, if one could call it silent when wind whistled through trees, insects buzzed, and birds chirped. Several times we had to push branches out of our way or brush off our clothes after a pinecone- and accompanying dirt-fell on us from the trees above.

“What if we get lost again?” Rach asked after a few minutes, pushing yet another branch out of her face.

She had a streak of dirt over her jaw, and I traced it with a finger, tucking a wayward strand of her hair behind her ear, just for an excuse to touch her. Yeah, way to keep your distance there, champ.

“This was your idea,” I reminded her.

“I really need to stop that.”

“Tell you what. You take your shirt off this time,” I said, my brain apparently disconnected from my mouth again. “We’ll tear off strips and tie them around the tree like yesterday.”

Without hesitation, she reached for the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head.

Ah hell. Don’t look, I ordered myself, but I might as well have just tried to stop breathing. No luck. My gaze lowered and took in her bright pink bra, the way it pushed her perfect breasts up, barely covering her nipples, which were hardening into two tight pebbles as I watched.

I made a low, rough noise and squeezed my eyes shut. “Jesus, Rach-”

“Just in case,” she said, and tried to tear her shirt but couldn’t. She let out a sigh of frustration and tried again, the motion making her arms tighten and her breasts plump up even more, so that her nipples-God. Another fraction of an inch, and they were going to pop right out. “Rach-”

“Almost got it.”

She jerked hard, and it happened.

Nipplegate.

Oblivious, she kept yanking at her shirt, one rose-colored nipple bouncing and swaying with the motion, just this small, delectable treat in an otherwise shitty day, and I couldn’t take my eyes off it. “Rach-”

“Yeah?”

She kept tugging, and I put a hand over hers, noting that mine was shaking. “You, uh…” I waggled a finger at her chest.

Her gaze followed the motion, and she let out a little laugh before tugging her bra back into place. “Oops.”

I stood there wishing I hadn’t said a thing. But I had, and my poor overtaxed brain, not to mention other parts, parts way south of my brain, couldn’t seem to recover, especially with her standing there in that pink bra, breathing a little harder than her exertion dictated, each little pant threatening another exposure, which my body wanted with every fiber of its being. I grabbed her shirt, turned it right side out again and handed it back to her. “Here.”

“But-”

“Rach, I’m begging you.”

She slipped the shirt on over her head, then straightened it out.

Her nipples were like two gumdrops waiting-no, begging-to be tasted.

And I was a man suddenly starving. I think I even let out a sort of growl, which sounded more like a whimper than anything else. I stepped back a few feet because I suddenly remembered: distance, control.

I started walking, and she had to practically run to keep up. In no time, we stood in the clearing, me as far away from her as possible. Both of us looked skyward.

Still no clouds.

“Whew,” she said, and smiled at me. “Hey, you can come closer if you want. I won’t take my shirt off again. Even though you’ve already seen everything.”

Yeah, that didn’t seem to matter.

“I don’t bite, Kel.”

No, but I might.

“Kel?”

“I’m fine right here, thanks.”

She nodded, then looked around, trying to be cool but not quite managing to hide her apprehension. “So. This is it.” She pointed to the spot where she’d been hit. “Doesn’t even have a mark.”

There were no answers here, no hint of what had happened. Nothing.

“Looks almost…pretty out here, huh?” she asked softly.

She was scared, damn it. I gritted my teeth and reminded myself: distance. That was key here. If I wanted her in my life, which I did, I wanted her to want me, the Kellan who was usually a little too thin, the Kellan who was a lot more laid back than I’d been here. The Kellan who was definitely not a badass. The real me.

Only I wasn’t even sure who that was.

My eyes locked on the tree to which I’d pinned Rach when I’d kissed her for the first time. I got hard just looking at it.

Her gaze followed mine. “Hey, isn’t that where we first kissed?”

“It was the swap,” I said. “The abilities. Not us.” I shook my head. “Jesus. I sound like I almost believe this, don’t I?” I rubbed my suddenly aching temples. “Look, my point is, whatever’s happened to us here, it’s all temporary. Soon as this is over, we’ll be back to normal. Back to friends only.” I paused at this, giving her a chance to jump in and say that she’d realized she was madly in love with me and couldn’t live without me or my body, and that I had to promise to do her every day for the rest of her life.

But she didn’t say anything.

Okay. Nice one for the ego. Still, it’s what I’d expected.

“I don’t see any answers here. Let’s go back.” Turning away, I began walking.

“Kel?”

My heart leaped. “Yeah?”

“Best friends. You forgot that part. Right?”

“Rach-”

“Say it.”

“Best friends,” I repeated softly, and meant it.

She reached out a hand for mine.

I sighed, and took her fingers in mine, leading the way back to the inn.

We decided to split up. I was to try to get Marilee by herself and flirt my way to some serious answers. Rach was going to keep Axel occupied.

Which is how I ended up in the kitchen, up to my elbows in flour and chocolate, making cookies with Marilee.

Or, I made cookies while Marilee did her nails.

“Look,” she said, delicately blowing on a newly painted purple nail while I pounded butter into mush with my new and improved muscles. “Pretty, huh?”

High from the scent of the lacquer, I agreed. “Very nice.” I pounded more butter. “I think I have some of this figured out, by the way.”

“What’s that?”