Tressa's Treasures (The King's Jewel Book 1) (13 page)

"Well, that was better."

With my grandmother's words still ringing in my ears, the thought of lowering the barriers I had been framing between us was enticing. I looked down at the open phone in my hand to give myself an extra second or two to think and laughed again.

Looking up into his dark eyes, I grinned.

"Yes." I held the phone out for him to read the message.

JR's 7pm say YES! Pix

CHAPTER TEN

Alexander leaned against his truck, his arms crossed over his chest as he waited for me. An evening out with Holly meant you had to look good; she was always at her best. But this evening I took special care with my preparations for that one moment, when I met him outside: to see his face light up.

It surely did light up. I may not have been your typical Sidhe, but I was vain enough to enjoy his admiration. He took in every detail as I walked toward him.

"Wow. You look fabulous," he said.

His dark eyes were so penetrating that even his briefest glance went soulfully deep. I allowed myself to be open to his scrutiny. It was freeing to relax my guard after spending so much time hiding.

The wide collar of my blouse slipped over the curve of my shoulder, exposing my collarbone. He reached out and ran his fingers over it. His caress was warm and gentle. I took a deep, faltering breath.

"Why did I wait so long to do this?" he asked.

"To touch me?" I'm not sure if I meant to be flirtatious, but the words came out that way.

He smiled, crinkling the corners of his eyes. "To ask you out."

We held hands as we walked around the front of the truck. Alexander reached to open my door, but then pulled his hand back. He turned his body toward mine and studied my face. His expression went from thoughtful to resolute. He slid an arm around my waist, pulling me close against him.

Then he kissed me. It was a gentle kiss. Then he pulled back just enough to see into my eyes, gauging my reaction. Finding no sign of resistance, he ran his fingers softly up from the nape of my neck until my curls tangled around them. He lowered his lips to mine and kissed me again: a deep, lingering kiss.

"Is this how you start all your dates?" I asked, breathless.

"I didn't want to risk missing the opportunity again." He wore a rakish grin.

Alexander helped me into the truck before getting into the driver's seat. He fumbled the key as he tried to slide it into the ignition. After several attempts, he gave up using his right hand and twisted his left arm awkwardly to insert the key. The engine came to life and he drove down the driveway.

The truck was surprisingly clean, considering that its owner worked outdoors. However, there were telltale signs that a child was a frequent passenger: a booster seat and a variety of stuffed animals and baby dolls littered the backseat.

There was a packet of wet wipes in the storage area between the front seats. Next to it were two therapy balls. I picked up a black one and squeezed my hand around it. The ball was harder than I anticipated. It didn't react to my grasp. I rolled it around my palm with my thumb and fingers.

"Does this help?" I asked tentatively, not sure how sensitive he was about his hand.

He glanced over to see what I had and then took a minute to answer.

"The doctors say dexterity will always be a problem, and I won't recover any more strength in my hand or arm. I figure there's no harm in working on it. If everyone stops their therapy when told to, how do they really know that doing more won't help?" He shrugged as if it wasn't important, but the muscle working in his cheek told me otherwise.

The conversation turned to his work at the university, though my thoughts remained on his injured hand.

Alexander pulled the truck into a parking spot that had just been vacated directly in front of
JR's
. We met at the front of the truck, Alexander taking my hand. Holding hands felt natural, as if we had been doing it for years.

The sign on the sidewalk by the pub's entrance announced that
Steamtown
—a popular band out of Scranton—was the live entertainment for the evening. They played here often and were popular. The pub would be crowded.

Inside,
JR's
was exploding with noise. Alexander tightened his hold on my hand and guided me through the crowd standing around the bar. Several of the patrons called out to me as we passed; I waved and smiled but didn’t stop.

When we entered the dining room, Holly stood and gestured in our direction. She looked great, as I had expected, and ours wasn't the only attention her waving attracted.

She caught the eye of several of the young men in the pub, including the band members on the little stage preparing to begin their set. They saw me walking toward her and acknowledged me with a nod and a smile.

Holly was at our regular spot: a large table along the far side of the room that was actually two tables pulled together.

I introduced Alexander to everyone. Eileen sat in the middle of the group as the guest of honor. Holly and Matt sat on one side of her; Rachel Singer, from the salon down the street, and her husband sat on the other.

Matt introduced a woman I didn't recognize as his sister, Kendra. Kendra shared Matt's big smile and generated a warmth that made me like her instantly.

The two open seats were across from Holly and Eileen. Alexander pulled out my chair for me, but I hesitated to sit. Holly grinned and shook her head.

"Sorry, Tressa. I forgot." She leaned over a candle on the table in front of her and blew it out. A small black line of smoke curled up from it and disappeared. "Kendra, would you get that one?"

Kendra looked puzzled, but did as she requested.

"Thanks, Pix." I winked at her as Alexander and I sat.

"What was that about?" Alexander asked.

"Pyrophobic," I said, pointing to myself.

"Sorry?"

"Fire phobic."

"Okay, good to know. So, no candles?"

"No flames of any kind," Holly told him.

"No gas stoves, no campfires or barbecues." Eileen ticked off with her fingers.

"No kerosene lamps," Holly added.

"No romantic fires in the fireplace?" Kendra asked.

I shook my head.

Alexander held up his hands. "Okay, enough! I get it."

Steamtown's
first song drowned out everyone's laughter. I smiled as I looked around the table. My friends had easily welcomed and accepted Alexander and me as a couple.

The waiter arrived with frosted mugs of beer for everyone except Holly, who got a glass of orange juice.

"Alexander, I hope you don't mind, but we ordered a beer for you. If you don't want it you can order something else. It won't go to waste with this crowd," Holly said.

"This is fine," Alexander assured her.

I lifted my glass and held it out toward Eileen. "A toast for the birthday girl."

Everyone followed my lead and lifted their drinks. They looked at me, faces alight with anticipation. I stood to give a grand effect as I toasted the guest of honor.

"I wish you health, wealth, and happiness, for as long as you shall live. And may all the love be showered on you that the world has to give. Happy birthday to Pix's big sis!"

"Happy birthday!" The group shouted and clinked their glasses.

"So are we going to order? I'm hungry," Holly said as soon as she swallowed a sip of juice.

Matt, Kendra and Alexander picked up menus from the pile that lay on the table. The rest of us knew the selections so well we no longer needed it.

Alexander opened his menu on the table between us. He placed his arm across the back of my chair and brought his mouth close to my ear. I warmed, imagining romantic intentions behind his move.

"What are you thinking of ordering?" he asked. I realized he thought I would have trouble hearing him over the music if he didn't speak into my ear. I liked having him so close, so I didn't tell him any different.

"I'm afraid it's nothing fancy. Bar food really," I said.

"I don't mind that," he said and then hesitated. "I guess I'm not very hungry."

"Too many cookies?" I said with a sideways glance.

He looked surprised and laughed. "How did you know?"

"The chocolate ones were delicious."

Our eyes met in shared amusement.

"Tressa, Alex, you're up." Matt's voice drew us back to our surroundings. The waiter stood next to Alexander, pen and pad at the ready and looking at us expectantly.

"A bowl of soup?" I suggested to Alexander.

He nodded his agreement. "A minestrone soup for both of us," he told the server and handed her his menu.

While we waited for the food, Matt told stories from their high school days. Holly and Eileen laughingly corrected him when they thought he told it wrong.

Alexander took my hand underneath the table, interlacing his fingers with mine. Our paired hands lay comfortably on my thigh. My breath quickened as he caressed the side of my hand with his thumb.

The arrival of our meal interrupted the conversation around the table, but the raucous stories continued once everyone had their food and the servers were gone.

Holly placed her hand on Eileen's arm, as if to add something to what she was saying, but stopped mid-sentence. Eileen stiffened in response to something behind me.

Before I could turn around, Eileen said, "Tressa, sing for us. Please." She glanced up to the stage. "It looks like George is taking his break, anyway."

She gave me a pointed look that warned me not to ask questions.

"Yes! Please, Tressa." The rest of the group latched onto the idea.

Eileen waved to George, the leader of the band, to get his attention, pointing at me in a type of crude sign language. He grinned and nodded, not surprised by the request.

I squeezed Alexander's hand before releasing it. Although I enjoyed singing to this crowd, I was reluctant to lose the intimacy of his touch.

Once on the stage, I greeted George with a kiss on his cheek.

"May I use your guitar?" I asked.

"Sure," he agreed before turning to speak into the microphone.

"Okay folks, we're going to take a break, but we have a real treat for you. Tressa's going to sing."

The crowd murmured with pleasure. I pulled a stool out to the microphone and took the guitar George handed me. He and the rest of the band left me alone on the stage.

I settled onto the stool and checked the tuning of the guitar. Once satisfied with its sound, I scanned the crowd. It didn't take long to understand what had upset Holly. Fred was there with several friends, including Tom Lynch. They sat at a booth along the wall, across the room from our table. I thought I recognized another of the men as Fred's brother. Fred was glaring in the direction of our table. Holly kept her eyes downcast as Eileen glowered back at Fred.

I pushed the unfolding drama to the back of my thoughts and smiled at my audience. "Good evening, everyone. You may have heard that it's my friend Eileen's birthday today..."

ALEXANDER

Tressa had changed. I noticed it earlier in the day. She had lost the wariness she had assumed whenever I was around her. Instead of averting her eyes, she looked directly at me. She appeared relaxed and comfortable.

I didn't want to scare her by being too aggressive, but the impulse to touch her was intense. The sense of connection I felt when holding her hand was deeper than anything I had felt during the entirety of many of my past relationships.

Eileen asked her to sing, which annoyed me because it meant she had to let go of my hand and leave my side. Evidently she often performed for the bar patrons. Their anticipation was palpable as she took the stage.

She took the guitar from one of the band members and sat on the tall stool he offered her. She looked at the instrument, plucking the strings individually and then in various combinations. The room held their collective breath, exhaling when she looked at the crowd and smiled.

"Good evening, everyone. You may have heard that it's my friend Eileen's birthday today. If it's okay with you, I’d like to play one of her favorites for you tonight. What do you say?"

The audience whooped their approval; then became quiet when she strummed the first note.

As she played the song's introduction, she looked down at her fingers again. Her reddish gold curls fell across her shoulder. Then she lifted her face and sang, pleasure shining in her eyes.

Her voice was mesmerizing—an effect, I realized, the entire audience experienced.

"My god, she's fabulous," Matt said.

"Outstanding," Kendra agreed.

When the song ended, the audience let the last note fade before breaking into thunderous applause. Several people in the crowd called out requests. Tressa let them talk her in to a second and then a third song before begging off.