Creatus

Not that she’d dated much, but even the few boyfriends she had hadn’t made her skin heat, her heart pulse, and her soul long to be possessed. Sexual activity had always been about power with her. About what she could obtain. For the first time in her life, she wanted to give. And she didn’t even know him. Yes she did, she refuted herself. He was her Dark Angel, and in some ways, she had a feeling he understood her better than anyone ever had.

Derrick released his hold and Kris wilted against the arm of the couch. “Okay. I believe you. You’re obviously real.”

He laughed. “As are you. Funny. Beautiful. Real. I want to add more, but I don’t want you to think I’m a sap.”

She sighed as she met his warm gaze. She didn’t need a week; heck, she didn’t need a day to decide. She’d been waiting her entire life for him, but she’d play his game she decided. “I don’t think you’re a sap.”

“Good! So… what do you want to do today?” He’d sat up and changed the subject as if flipping a switch.

Had he not felt the same passion she had? she wondered. Evidently he’d been accustomed to the same kisses that had left her breathless. For some reason, this tidbit annoyed her, wondering what woman he’d been practicing with.

“Hmm… I don’t know.” She leaned against the arm of the sofa, attempting to convey the same relaxed, carefree attitude. “Whatever.”

He tilted his head a fraction as though dumbfounded by her attitude that mimicked his. “How about we go to Quincy’s Market, stroll through downtown Boston, maybe the Aquarium?”

“Sounds like fun,” she offered in the most casual manner she could muster. Despite her irritation, it really did. She liked those types of days. Most guys suggested dinner and a movie. Boring. When a man proposed the movies on their first date—especially a chick-flick—it was usually their last.

Still irritated their kiss hadn’t meant anything to him, she stood to leave.

Derrick didn’t move an inch. Instead, he clutched her hand, directing her back down to the sofa. “After one more kiss, though. I don’t know how long it’ll be before I can kiss you again, so we’d better make this one last all day.” He pressed his lips against hers again, opening her and exploring as if he hadn’t just been there minutes ago. He slipped his hand around her neck and through her hair, a low groan emanating from his throat as he drew his lips away a few inches. “We’d better go,” he murmured, but his lips found hers again. “So long,” he said under light kisses. He lifted her from the couch, his mouth still working its magic.

He finally pulled away and Kris was happy to see that even with his olive skin, Derrick looked a little flushed. That’s more like it, she thought. She couldn’t be the only one swept off her feet. That wouldn’t make for a good start of a relationship. A thrill soared through her body at the thought. Yes, she was decided; she wanted a relationship with Derrick. And she was positive nothing would change her mind.

Chapter Five

Derrick headed east, away from Somerville, to catch the highway into Boston. “You know…” He looked at Kristina as he waited at the light. “We could head over to Broadway.”

She tilted her head. “Why? I like Downtown better than South Boston.”

“Do you know what today is?”

Kristina scrunched up her nose. “Yes...I’m not that out of it.”

“I mean the date. It’s the seventeenth… St. Patrick’s Day. There’s a parade.”

She laughed. “Oh… that’s okay. I did that last year. It was a strange collection. Other than the fact that there was a lot of green, I didn’t see how it had anything to do with St. Patrick’s Day. The funniest thing I saw was the Sith Lord—I think that’s what they’re called—and Darth Vader from Star Wars. What they had to do with St. Patty’s day is beyond me. Listening to him talk about ‘the force’ with a Boston accent cracked me up, though.”

He pressed on the gas pedal as the light changed to green. “I guess that would.”

“Hey… how come you don’t have an accent?” she inquired abruptly.

“I didn’t grow up here,” he answered simply.

“Where did you grow up?”

He glanced at her, determining whether to answer. He could answer, he decided. He just couldn’t give her details. “England.”

“Really?” She didn’t elaborate, so he hoped that would be the end of her query, but her ‘really’ hung out there as though she were thinking what to ask next. “So, why don’t you have an English accent, then?”

Bingo. He’d presumed she wouldn’t leave it at that. Kristina was extremely inquisitive. “Umm… it’s a private school,” he offered as an explanation. “The professors… they’re all handpicked. They don’t have accents, so the students don’t have accents.”

“In other words, it’s another secret you can’t share,” she retorted.

“Yes.” He peeked at her and she was tilting her head, staring at him. Everything she did was endearing. “I’m sorry,” he offered, a pathetic apology, but it was for her safety. Everything he’d ever done was to keep her safe.

“Let me ask you a question you can answer, Derrick. How am I supposed to get to know you if you won’t answer any questions about yourself?”

He spurted out a half-laugh. “Fair question. How about we just enjoy this day? I’ll answer anything you want to ask tonight,” he rambled without thinking.

“Okay,” she agreed, though hesitantly as if she didn’t believe him. Actually, he didn’t know why he’d just said that. He couldn’t tell her everything tonight.

Their first stop was The Freedom Trail. Kristina listened in earnest as he spouted off his knowledge while they walked the 2.5-mile brick-lined route. Kristina, like him, was most interested in the Old North Church.

With its 191-foot steeple, it’d played a major role during the American Revolution. “Have you ever heard the saying, One if by land, two if by sea?”

Kristina nodded. “Vaguely. Something about a warning. Was that here?”

He rested his hand on the small of her back as he ushered her inside. “Haven’t you been here before?”

“Unbelievably, no. You would think growing up in Boston I would have. But it seems foster parents aren’t interested in that sort of stuff. And I haven’t been thinking about America’s history in the last few years, as I’ve been too caught up in mine.” She ran her hand over the intricate white wood of the pew, her eyes darting around, absorbing everything. “I like the white and black. Some churches have such gaudy colors. I like simple.”

Derrick also loved the ancient architecture, the chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling. He especially appreciated that all the glass was clear, giving the church a light and airy feeling, instead of a dark and gloomy one, which never made sense to him. Why would a church want to convey a depressing image instead of life? After all, wasn’t that what churches communicated, life everlasting? “I noticed you like simple. Your apartment. It’s nice, comfortable.”

“Yes. I always wanted to move someplace warm...” she trailed off, shaking her head as if changing her thoughts. “Remind me what ‘One if by land, two if by sea’ meant.”

“It was a signal. The Sons of Liberty had devised a plan to warn the countryside. You’ve heard of Paul Revere’s famous ride across the countryside.” She nodded. “Of course what most people don’t know was that there were three men riding, and Revere never finished. The Regulars, as they would have referred to them, detained Revere and William Dawes. Dr. Samuel Prescott was the only one to reach Concord and deliver the warning, and when the Regulars arrived, the Americans were ready.”

Kristina shook her head, chuckling quietly. “Well, thank you, professor.”

He shrugged. “You asked.”

“I didn’t expect a history lesson. I just think it’s pretty in here. Why do people care about what happened over two hundred years ago?”

“Two hundred years isn’t that long,” he demurred, strolling around the five-foot-high boxed pews. How strange to think that they segregated parishioners inside the church. Wealthier families’ boxes were closer to the front, of course. He sensed Kristina move up behind him. “Pretty, you say?” he asked, turning to her and resting his