a crazed look in her eye...
The same crazed look Justina put on whenever she suggested something wild and reckless for them to do, like cutting school to climb nearby Mount Hillaway or renting scuba equipment for a lake.
"Fielding Labs, what happened there, Nicholas?" She leaned forward, still holding the gun in both hands, although it now pointed toward his feet.
"Don't you have to read me my rights first?"
She hesitated and dropped the gun onto the coffee table.
He jumped up, his head touching the ceiling. "Watch it! Do you want to shoot me?"
Julianna tilted her head to the side, a slight smirk on her face. "Gotta have bullets in it first."
Nicholas chuckled. The gun had been for show, to intimidate him. Truth be told, he had been, but only just slightly, not that he would ever admit it.
She turned a photo on the side table away from him before he could see who was in the picture. Then she refocused on him. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice soft.
"Do I look okay?" He held out his arms, his coat falling open, exposing his bare chest.
Julianna's cheeks flushed slightly as she placed her chin in her hand.
"Studying my six pack?" he joked.
"You aren't wounded."
He gulped, not liking the sudden change in conversation topic. He almost wished she still pointed the gun at him. "Why did you think I would be?"
Julianna stood, crossed over to him, and cocked her hand back as if preparing to slap him. "Do you take me for a fool?" she snapped. "Your bloody shirt. Unless that's someone else's blood."
Nicholas stood, too, their bodies barely separated since Julianna had moved in so close. "You think I'm capable of hurting someone?"
"Yes! You abandoned this town when everyone was grieving over Justina's--"
"You think I'm capable of killing someone?" He swallowed hard as the mental image of the goo coating the man, burning him, incinerating him, or whatever it had done, clouded his vision.
Julianna didn't back down or move away. "I think you're dangerous, yes."
"A killer?" he growled. So much for being one of the good guys.
She hesitated. "If push came to shove, yes, I do think you could kill someone."
His anger made it hard to see. As much as he wanted to deny the charge, he couldn't. "You don't know me at all." He moved to brush past her until she touched his arm. Her skin was just as soft and smooth as Justina's had been.
"You mean to tell me that if Justina had been murdered, you wouldn't have gone all vigilante on the perp?"
Her touch burned him, and he yanked his arm free. "That's not what happened."
He could see the unasked question shining in her eyes. For a long second, they stood there, staring at each other, neither moving, the distance between them too close for comfort. Cocking his head to the right, he could just see the picture she had turned.
It was a photo of Justina and Julianna.
He had captured that moment -- of the two girls swimming in the lake -- a month before Justina had died.
Nicholas stared at the woman before him. She was beautiful. Talented. Smart. Driven. He was good looking, and he knew it, but he sure wasn't talented. Definitely not smart. He never did get his GED, never went back to school after Justina's death. As for drive, the only drive he had was to drive from one place to another to work odd jobs and hope to scrape together enough money to buy some food and rent out a place.
Her blue eyes filled with tears. She was so sad. His girl was in pain. He would do anything to take away her sadness.
Before he knew what he was doing, he wrapped his arms around her, pulled her to him, and crushed his mouth against hers. The moment their lips touched, he knew it wasn't her, that he was kissing the wrong girl.
Instead of pulling away, he kept on kissing.
Even stranger, she kissed back. Her slender body melted into his.
He yanked back as if burned. "I'm sorry I don't know--"
"No, I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have--"
"I should get going--"
"Yes..."
Nicholas stomped toward
The same crazed look Justina put on whenever she suggested something wild and reckless for them to do, like cutting school to climb nearby Mount Hillaway or renting scuba equipment for a lake.
"Fielding Labs, what happened there, Nicholas?" She leaned forward, still holding the gun in both hands, although it now pointed toward his feet.
"Don't you have to read me my rights first?"
She hesitated and dropped the gun onto the coffee table.
He jumped up, his head touching the ceiling. "Watch it! Do you want to shoot me?"
Julianna tilted her head to the side, a slight smirk on her face. "Gotta have bullets in it first."
Nicholas chuckled. The gun had been for show, to intimidate him. Truth be told, he had been, but only just slightly, not that he would ever admit it.
She turned a photo on the side table away from him before he could see who was in the picture. Then she refocused on him. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice soft.
"Do I look okay?" He held out his arms, his coat falling open, exposing his bare chest.
Julianna's cheeks flushed slightly as she placed her chin in her hand.
"Studying my six pack?" he joked.
"You aren't wounded."
He gulped, not liking the sudden change in conversation topic. He almost wished she still pointed the gun at him. "Why did you think I would be?"
Julianna stood, crossed over to him, and cocked her hand back as if preparing to slap him. "Do you take me for a fool?" she snapped. "Your bloody shirt. Unless that's someone else's blood."
Nicholas stood, too, their bodies barely separated since Julianna had moved in so close. "You think I'm capable of hurting someone?"
"Yes! You abandoned this town when everyone was grieving over Justina's--"
"You think I'm capable of killing someone?" He swallowed hard as the mental image of the goo coating the man, burning him, incinerating him, or whatever it had done, clouded his vision.
Julianna didn't back down or move away. "I think you're dangerous, yes."
"A killer?" he growled. So much for being one of the good guys.
She hesitated. "If push came to shove, yes, I do think you could kill someone."
His anger made it hard to see. As much as he wanted to deny the charge, he couldn't. "You don't know me at all." He moved to brush past her until she touched his arm. Her skin was just as soft and smooth as Justina's had been.
"You mean to tell me that if Justina had been murdered, you wouldn't have gone all vigilante on the perp?"
Her touch burned him, and he yanked his arm free. "That's not what happened."
He could see the unasked question shining in her eyes. For a long second, they stood there, staring at each other, neither moving, the distance between them too close for comfort. Cocking his head to the right, he could just see the picture she had turned.
It was a photo of Justina and Julianna.
He had captured that moment -- of the two girls swimming in the lake -- a month before Justina had died.
Nicholas stared at the woman before him. She was beautiful. Talented. Smart. Driven. He was good looking, and he knew it, but he sure wasn't talented. Definitely not smart. He never did get his GED, never went back to school after Justina's death. As for drive, the only drive he had was to drive from one place to another to work odd jobs and hope to scrape together enough money to buy some food and rent out a place.
Her blue eyes filled with tears. She was so sad. His girl was in pain. He would do anything to take away her sadness.
Before he knew what he was doing, he wrapped his arms around her, pulled her to him, and crushed his mouth against hers. The moment their lips touched, he knew it wasn't her, that he was kissing the wrong girl.
Instead of pulling away, he kept on kissing.
Even stranger, she kissed back. Her slender body melted into his.
He yanked back as if burned. "I'm sorry I don't know--"
"No, I'm the one who's sorry. I shouldn't have--"
"I should get going--"
"Yes..."
Nicholas stomped toward
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