Keepers of the Cave (17 page)

Knowing eyes watched them, Paige felt embarrassed. It was a kiss between lovers, as they were pretending to be, but it was a kiss that promised that there was so much more to come. For them, that would not be the case. Not for the first time—or even the tenth—she wished they had separate bedrooms. She feared she would get no sleep tonight.

The rest of the evening passed quickly, both of them dancing with the others in their group. And even though they danced together again several times, CJ chose faster songs and made no other attempt to kiss her. For that, Paige was thankful.

The drive home was filled with chatter, CJ participating much more than she did. Apparently they had agreed to return to the bar next weekend as a live band was performing, one which Suzette claimed was
awesome
. When Becca stopped the car in front of their house, Paige thanked them politely for driving, already dreading being alone with CJ.

Her worries were for naught, though, as CJ promptly claimed the bathroom for a shower, and Paige busied herself with preparing the coffee for morning. By the time she finished her own shower, CJ was in bed, the lights out.

Paige’s heart was literally pounding as she crawled in beside her. CJ had her back to her and appeared to be well within the imaginary line Paige had created for them. She wasn’t certain if she should feel thankful...or disappointed. She sighed and rolled over, mimicking CJ’s position. There were only a few moments of silence before CJ spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

Those weren’t the words she was expecting, and she didn’t know how to respond to them. For that matter, she wasn’t sure what it was CJ was apologizing for. For kissing her? For not speaking? For the desire Paige saw in her eyes? Paige knew she was guilty of all three herself.

Without knowing what to say, she said nothing. She was surprised to find sleep claiming her and she relaxed into it. Perhaps tomorrow they would talk about it.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CJ’s morning run was longer than normal, and she knew that was because she was avoiding going back home, avoiding seeing Paige. She’d crossed the line, to say the least. She’d meant for the kiss to be like the others, her teasing Paige just enough to annoy her. When she found herself deepening the kiss, she expected Paige to pull away. She never expected her mouth to open to her, never expected to feel Paige’s tongue sliding against her own. She never expected Paige to respond to her like she did. She nearly stumbled from the jolt of arousal that hit her even now. She slowed to a fast walk, her body still remembering the kiss, the feeling of their bodies as they touched, the gentle touch of Paige’s hand in her hair, holding their mouths together for seconds longer. Memories of their one night together came back in vivid detail.

The ride home had been filled with mindless babble, anything to distract her from the warm body sitting next to her. She hadn’t known what to say to Paige so she said nothing. She took Paige’s silence to indicate her anger. That’s why she apologized. She didn’t know what she expected Paige to say, but the continued silence wasn’t it. So she’d escaped the house before Paige got up, delaying the inevitable talk they would have. Just how angry Paige was, she could only guess.

She wasn’t going to be able to take much more of this, she knew. It had taken all of her willpower to not repeat the kiss each and every time they danced together. Of course she knew she was attracted to Paige. She’d always been attracted to her. But Paige was so above her, she never thought anything would happen between them. Only in her dreams did she imagine Paige would come to her, would find her at the bar, would go home with her to her bed. Only in her dreams did she think they’d ever be together. Yet they were. And it had been hell afterward and took weeks for them to get back to normal. Now here they were again, playing with fire. She knew Paige was attracted to her too. She wasn’t blind to that. She also knew Paige didn’t want to be attracted to her. The dance, the kiss—all CJ’s doing. But it was Paige who turned the kiss into something more.

She stopped, catching her breath. Yes, Paige was the one who turned the kiss into more, not her. She shook her head. No, Paige wasn’t angry. Paige was embarrassed. The silence wasn’t because she was angry, it was because she didn’t want to talk about it.

This caused a smile to form, and CJ took off running again, wondering if they were going to be adult about it all and talk or if they were going to continue in silence until one of them broke. Judging by their track record, she would assume the latter.

When she got back, breakfast was underway, and she tried to keep things as normal as possible.

“Smells great,” she said. Paige just nodded, going back to her cooking. “Gonna grab a quick shower, if there’s time.”

Paige glanced at her then, and CJ wasn’t sure if it was her imagination or if Paige was really doing a slow perusal of her body, but she felt her skin burning as Paige’s eyes traveled slowly over her. Her habit of jogging in short shorts and a sports bra did have its advantages. Or disadvantages, in this case, as she felt very underdressed...and exposed.

“Shower, yes,” Paige said, her voice sounding an octave lower than normal.

CJ turned the water to cold, trying to chase away the image of Paige’s lingering inspection. She was going to end up doing something stupid, she just knew it. Something that she and Paige wouldn’t be able to get past. Something that might compromise the mission, although that could be a blessing. So far they’d done very little FBI work.

Breakfast was the silent affair she suspected it would be, with Paige avoiding eye contact as well. CJ finally put her fork down. She never thought she would be the one to take the adult track.

“You want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“So we’re just not going to speak then? If you’re angry with me, say so.”

Paige looked at her then. “I’m not angry with you, CJ. I just don’t want to talk about it. When we’re out in public, I understand we have a certain image to portray. And...and kissing is...a part of it, I suppose.”

CJ picked up her coffee cup, studying her. Paige’s face was slightly flushed, and she knew her guess that Paige was more embarrassed than angry was right on. “Okay. Then why aren’t you speaking to me? I said I was sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” Paige met her eyes this time. “If that’s the case, I should apologize as well.”

CJ grinned. “And what exactly are we apologizing for?”

Paige’s blush deepened, but a smile played on her lips. CJ found herself staring at those lips and had to drag her eyes away. Paige didn’t answer. Instead, she stood, pointing at the table.

“You get to do the dishes. I think I’ll take a turn with the TV.”

***

Fiona was nervous as she walked up to the door. While she got along well with everyone, she didn’t normally go out of her way to interact with them. But Mother Hogan had insisted because she thought it odd that the two new ones would so boldly enter the café the way they did. Mother Hogan felt they were a threat and had asked Fiona to monitor them. Fiona knew how paranoid she could be. She once accused Ryan Hogan of disobedience, suspecting him of spying and taking his tales to the authorities. Despite pleading his innocence—which Fiona believed to be the truth—he had nonetheless been culled in a most brutal fashion. There was no magic potion from Mother Hogan to dull his senses. He’d been taken past the chamber, deeper into the cave. His screaming was...oh, it was so loud, so piercing. It stopped abruptly, with finality. She shuddered as she remembered the sounds of bones snapping. Like the others, she could only imagine what lived in the caves. As far as she knew, no one was privy to that other than Mother Hogan. No one dared set foot beyond the chamber and into the dark earth. Only Mother Hogan ever ventured deeper into the caves. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. Others were forced to go, those being culled. And the girls, of course. The ones being sacrificed and offered to
him
.

She shook those thoughts away, going back to the task at hand. She knocked lightly, hearing the sound of a TV, then silence. Soon, the door opened, and the woman she hadn’t met yet, the one they called CJ stood at the door. Fiona smiled in greeting.

“Hi. I’m Fiona Hogan, your neighbor.”

“CJ Johnston, pleased to meet you.”

Fiona looked past her, hoping Paige was around. She’d met her the other day at school and had found her to be both charming and friendly.

“I actually came over to invite you two over for lunch,” she said. “Assuming Paige is home, of course.”

CJ stood back. “Sure. Come on in,” she invited.

Fiona found the inside to be much the same as her own house, although there was very little in the way of decoration. No pictures or prints adorned the walls. In fact, very few personal items were on display.

“Hi, Fiona,” Paige greeted her. “Would you like some iced tea?” she asked, holding up a glass.

“Oh, no. Thanks. I just wanted to invite you over for lunch. That is, if you don’t already have plans.” She smiled. “I’ve learned that on Sundays following the dancing trip, no one gets together for cookouts.”

“True,” she said. “Sure, we’d love to join you for lunch.” Paige looked at CJ, as if for confirmation. CJ nodded.

“Great. It’s nothing fancy, but I thought it would give us a chance to get to know one another.” She made a show of looking at her watch. “About an hour?”

“Sounds good. What can we bring?”

She was about to say
nothing,
but she knew in her haste to plan this she’d forgotten about beverages. “Whatever you’d like to drink. I’m afraid I don’t have anything.”

“Okay. We’ll be over in about an hour then,” Paige said. “Thanks.”

Fiona left feeling a little uneasy. Mother Hogan expected her to grill them for information, but she found she was looking forward to their company. She smiled to herself, wondering if pregnancy was affecting her good senses. She knew if Mother Hogan deemed them to be a threat, Belden and the others would capture them and take them to the chambers.

True to their word, an hour later the women were knocking on her door. Lunch was simple but she couldn’t take credit for it. Mother Hogan had had Selma prepare the chicken salad that morning. It was a special recipe that was quite delicious. She had sent a loaf of freshly baked bread as well. The only thing Fiona could claim was the lettuce and tomatoes she’d picked from the community garden earlier.

Paige was holding two bottles of wine. “I wasn’t sure what you were having,” she explained.

Fiona knew nothing of wine so could offer no suggestion. Mother Hogan did not allow alcohol in any of the homes. “Nothing fancy. Just chicken salad sandwiches.” Paige’s grin was infectious, and Fiona felt herself smiling too.

“The Riesling will go beautifully then. And if we’re daring, we can have the Beaujolais for dessert.”

“Careful honey, or you’ll give her the impression that you’re a mad drinker,” CJ said.

“Oh. I thought you were going to say I was a wine snob.”

CJ laughed. “Well, that too.”

Fiona was jealous of their playful interaction, never having been a couple with anyone herself. They were both looking at her expectantly, and her lack of social skills became glaringly obvious. While she often joined the other teachers for lunch in the small lounge they shared at the school, this was the first time she’d invited anyone over to her house. She was out of her element, and her anxiety must have shown because Paige squeezed her arm reassuringly.

“Can I help you with anything, Fiona? I see you have the table all set. Shall we have a glass of wine before we eat?”

Fiona let out a nervous breath, thankful Paige had offered a suggestion to move the lunch along. Otherwise, she would have simply taken the food out and started eating. But as she saw the wine bottles Paige had set on the table, she panicked.

“I’m afraid I’m not prepared,” she blurted out.

CJ raised her eyebrows questioningly, but Paige apparently knew what she meant.

“You don’t have a corkscrew, you mean? No problem.” Paige turned to CJ. “Do you mind running over and getting ours?”

“Of course not.”

“I don’t have glasses either,” Fiona said. “I’ve got regular drinking glasses. Will that do?”

Paige laughed. “Okay, so maybe I am a bit of a wine snob. We
must
have wineglasses.”

“I’ll get those too. Be right back.”

Fiona apologized as soon as CJ left. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to having company,” she admitted.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” Paige said. “It was nice of you to invite us over.”

She relaxed, feeling a little more comfortable as Paige didn’t seem fazed in the least. For a moment there, she almost felt as inadequate as she had when she left for college. Arriving in Nacogdoches from Hoganville, she’d been as lost and confused as if she’d been dropped off in a foreign country. Which, in a sense, it was. But then, she hadn’t minded the scrutiny she received. She knew she would be leaving there and never see those people again. It was different here, as this was her job. Mother Hogan expected her to fit in, to be involved at the school. And, of course, to keep her informed.

The school was something she was familiar with so she decided that was a safe topic of conversation.

“Do you like it here so far?” she asked.

“Well, it’s definitely different,” Paige said. “CJ and I are both from Houston so the pace is a little slow. But everyone has been super nice. Suzette and Becca, especially.”

“Yes, they are. For the most part, everyone gets along very well.” Never having been curious about the other teachers’ personal lives, she was surprised by her next question. “How long have you and CJ been a couple?”

“Not long,” Paige said, smiling. “Six months.” She raised her eyebrows. “What about you? You have a nice, handsome guy waiting on you in Hoganville?” Then she grinned. “Or a woman?”

Fiona felt herself turning red. “No.” Thankfully CJ returned, saving her from elaborating on her answer.

“Okay, so since I was digging around in the cabinets in
your
kitchen, I just now realized how many wineglasses we have,” CJ said with a laugh. “I counted twelve of them.”