Chapter Seventy One
Tiffany felt her cheeks grow warm as she caught Adam studying her. She felt so out of her depth right now, with this man. The age difference didn’t bother her but he was so…worldly. So knowledgeable. And spoke fluent French. When she had ordered her dinner in perfect French, he started speaking it to her. Laughing, it went on for several minutes before she couldn’t quite put the sentences together properly due to complexity.
“You speak French beautifully,” he told her, taking a sip of his wine.
“Thank you. Four years of high school French and a few trips over there. I’ve always loved it there, and the language.”
“French suits you,” he said. “It is, after all, the language of love.”
Tiffany gave him a shy, slightly embarrassed smile as she sipped her iced tea. His answers to her questions had been evasive in French.
“So where are you from, originally?” she asked.
He chuckled. “Here, there. Spent a fair amount of time in London, that’s probably the accent you’re hearing.” Truly, he didn’t even remember where he was born or where he grew up.
“And how did you meet Duncan?”
Duncan had been searching for the mythological Immortal called Methos..only to find him masquerading as a human Watcher assigned to the Methos Chronicles. Best way to hide was in plain sight, in charge of his file.
“We had a mutual interest in antiques,” he said. “I was selling some and he was interested in a few pieces I had. We’ve been friends since. He doesn’t travel quite as much as I do, but I’ve always got my eyes open for pieces that I think he’d be interested in.”
“I find it hilarious that Aralyn was working in his antique shop. She doesn’t know Elizabethan from French if it bit her.”
“I think he just told her the prices,” Adam chuckled. “She just sold the pieces. He has excellent record keeping and provenances, so all she had to do was look something up.”
“That makes more sense,” Tiffany admitted. “Fine details like that are just not Ari’s strong suit. She can however, probably talk anyone into buying something. It’s a trait she gets from her father.”
“Her father and your father are brothers?” Adam asked.
Tiffany shook her head. “First cousins, but they grew up as brothers. Along with Daisy, another cousin. Their parents were all killed in the same car accident. Rather than have the kids sent to the orphanage or risk them being split up and separated, their Uncle Jesse raised them.”
“And your mothers?”
“Have been best friends since they were thirteen. Mom was raised primarily in boarding schools until they moved to Sleepyside, New York, where she met Trixie—Aralyn’s mother—and they became best friends. They all grew up together with Trixie’s brothers, Mom’s adopted brother, and two more friends, Diana and Dan. Trixie married Bo Duke, my mom married Luke Duke, and Dan married Daisy Duke. My mom’s brother, my uncle, married Trixie’s cousin. Since every couple had a Belden or Duke in it, we became known as the Belden-Duke Clan in school. I think there are sixteen of us, including Nat. And we didn’t even know she existed until last year.”
Adam was mentally cataloguing all of them. Some of this he knew from Aralyn, but he wanted to hear Tiffany’s view point.
“What was it like, growing up with so many cousins? And you have a brother, yes?”
“Fun, and yes, I have a younger brother, Jace, but he tends to keep to himself. He’s hoping to play football at the University of Virginia next fall.” Tiffany laughed. “Ari, Tim and I were the oldest, and Tim and Ari are both rather impulsive. So I had to get us out of a fair amount of trouble that those two got us into. We also have two sets of twins, but since Ari is older than me by two weeks, and I’m older than Time by two weeks, we were the ‘almost triplets’.”
“Tim is the one in the Navy?”
Tiffany nodded, then thanked the server as he brought their salads. “Yes. He’s the hot head who showed up here, looking for Aralyn.”
Adam chuckled. “Richie griped about that for days. But I think he actually admired him, he said the guy never backed down or appeared like he was going to. Richie was quite certain Tim would carry out his threat to put Richie’s head through the wall.”
Tiffany laughed. “He would have. Tim doesn’t mess around when it comes to me or Aralyn. Aralyn was the leader, but he was the protector. I won’t be surprised if he makes the Navy his career. The discipline and rules seem to have done him a world of good.”
“I have trouble seeing you following Aralyn into trouble, or dirt piles,” Adam said, taking a bite of salad. “You don’t strike me as a tomboy.”
“I’m not,” she admitted. “But Ari is my best friend. And I couldn’t let her go wandering off into trouble with just Tim. Someone had to have a cooler head. Besides, we always stuck together. Aralyn is very much the child of her parents—reckless, impulsive, hotheaded. Tim isn’t much better, but as he’s gotten older, I see him exerting more caution. Me, I’m like my mother. We’re the quiet ones.”
“But she didn’t send you off to boarding school.”
“No, thank goodness. She hated that life and was determined that Jace and I would have a normal upbringing. And since she and Daisy and Trixie were all pregnant together, it was perfect to raise us together. Once we moved to New York – we were born in Atlanta – we had more cousins to play with, and the grandparents always around. It was always noisy, and chaotic. Plus we had the Preserve to play and get lost in. But we definitely were never lonely.”
Tiffany realized she had been talking for several moments, but Adam’s clear green eyes were fixed on her.
“What about you?” she asked. “Any siblings?”
He had no idea. He couldn’t remember. “Only child,” he answered.
He had dozens of stories at the ready, all made up and lies. He rarely needed them but sometimes, when he met someone so special he needed a backstory…suddenly Adam didn’t want to tell her. He didn’t want to lie any more to the young lady sitting with him, smiling shyly at him.
But telling her the truth was out of question. He traveled a lot, around the world. He enjoyed the company of intelligent, attractive women. And this girl…she was so young.
“What made you decide to get into antiquities?” she was asking.
I am an antique, he thought. He had stashed various items in hordes around the world…waited, and was able to sell them at a nice profit for many, many years. He had also been a doctor several times over, a lawyer, and just about every profession one could think of.
“I like old things,” he said. “I like finding old treasures and using them to look at the past.”
And he had a feeling there was a new treasure sitting across the table from him.
***
Tiffany felt the spark inside of her catch as Adam’s lips pressed to hers, and he drew her close. She leaned against him, as her lips parted, and his hand slid behind her neck.
Her body grew warm and she uttered a tiny moan, when he slowly pulled away, his green eyes worried.
“What?” she asked softly. “What’s wrong?”
“Dear girl,” he sighed, leaning his forehead against hers. He straightened up and hated himself for the look of confusion and devastation on her beautiful face. Aralyn had warned him not hurt her cousin. Tiffany had terrible luck with men, and Adam didn’t want to be the next jerk to hurt her.
Tiffany pulled away. “You don’t need to call me ‘girl’.”
Adam realized he had added insult to injury. “No, no, I didn’t mean it that way. Come here.” He said gently, taking her in his arms and drawing her close. He liked her. A lot. Despite the 5,000+ year age difference. He had wanted to spend some time alone with her, and taking her to dinner had been wonderful. Women today rarely had the appreciation for art that she did, or the travel experience. To someone as old and jaded as him, she was fresh and young and made everything feel new.
He hadn’t meant to kiss her. But he couldn’t help it. She was intelligent, charming, and beautiful, seductive without meaning to be, and walking through the park on a clear, cold, moonlit night had affected him. Without thinking, he had drawn her to him and kissed her.
“Why don’t you want to kiss me?” she asked sadly.
He tilted her chin up. “I do, Tiffany, I really do. I’ve wanted to kiss you for days.”
“Then what’s stopping you?”
“I’m old enough to be your father,” he said gently. With so many greats in front of it, he couldn’t begin to count them.
She flinched. “I like older men. I’ve never had a problem with age differences.”
He smiled at her. “You are incredible, and so lovely, I really wish you could stay longer. But getting involved for the week you’ll be here would only be painful for us both when it came time for you to leave.”
“Don’t I get a say in this?” her hazel eyes flashed fire.
Adam found that turned him on. He liked feisty women. Not as feisty as Aralyn, but he knew Tiffany had the right amount for him. In another time and place, he thought. Maybe in ten years. But then he’d have to explain why he looked the same and hadn’t aged.
“I won’t forgive myself for hurting you,” he said, touching her cheek lightly. “And I don’t want your cousin to come after me for it either.”
Tiffany rolled her eyes. “Aralyn’s one to talk. I’m a big girl, Adam.”
“You are an enchanting, extraordinary young lady, Tiffany,” he corrected her. “And if we had more time, I would love to pursue this. But I won’t hurt you with a fling for a week. I shouldn’t have kissed you, I should have kept things as they were.”
Tiffany felt her heart shrivel just a bit more, growing harder. Adam was trying to be honorable. At that moment, she hated honorable.
“Thank you for a lovely evening,” she said abruptly, turning on her heel and walking away.
“Tiffany, please don’t walk away. Let me take you back to your room.”
“I’d rather be alone,” she said curtly.
“Tiffany, I insist,” his voice had an edge.
She stared hard at him. “Fine.”
It was only a few minutes of a ride, in hard silence. Adam hadn’t even brought the car to a complete stop before she opened the door.
“Tiffany, please—”
But she fled the car, slamming the door, and hurrying into the hotel room.
Adam sighed, and sadly stared at the door for a long moment before driving away.
*
Aralyn and Natala looked up from their pizza, startled, when Tiffany burst into the room.
“What’s wrong?” Aralyn was on her feet instantly.
Tiffany burst into tears and Aralyn grabbed her by the arms. “Did Adam do something to you? Tiffany!”
Tiffany shook her head. “No, he just rejected me, like every other man I like!”
Aralyn frowned. “What?”
Tiffany sat on the edge of the bed, wiping her eyes. “We had a lovely dinner, and then we were walking in the park, and then he kissed me, and it was wonderful, and I got all warm and happy and then he pulls away and starts saying how I’m too young, and it’s inappropriate, and all this other crap, it just hurt so much,” she finished in a whisper.
Aralyn hugged her as Natala joined them.
“I don’t care about the age difference!” Tiffany said. “I like older men! Why is it such a problem for them? Adam likes me, I know he does! Why does he care if I’m younger?”
Natala had an uncomfortable feeling. It had more to do with age, she was sure, but she couldn’t say it. Adam was extremely old, the images she got from his mind told her.
Aralyn looked at Natala for guidance, who didn’t know what to say. Outside of Dean, most of Nat’s experience with men wasn’t romantic.
Aralyn hugged her again. “Men are stupid, Tiff. Adam and Duncan are a weird sort. They have all these old school honor codes and junk. Adam is a player though, but he really must like you, and I think he’s a too nice of a guy to hurt you. If he really got to know you, he’d fall completely in love with you and then when we left next week, you’d both be heartbroken. And I know he wouldn’t want to hurt you.” Because I told him I’d cut off his balls and feed them to Dixie if he did, she added silently. “It’s just a…preemptive way to not hurt you.”
“Rejecting me hurts enough,” Tiffany said bitterly. “Nat, I know you say there’s someone coming towards me, but I think you’re wrong. I think I’m just going to be alone for the rest of my life!”
“No,” Natala said firmly. “You most definitely will not. There is someone on the way. I just can’t see him clearly. But it’s not Adam, or Duncan or Richie. But you won’t be alone, Tiff, I promise you. It’s just not the right time yet.”
Tiffany felt her heart shrivel some more and wondered if the man would arrive before her heart turned completely to stone.
Meet the cast in full & see the family tree!
Author’s Notes
- A huge yee-haa to the ever-fabulous Ronda, for editing!
- Poor Tiffany. Keep in mind though, that this chapter takes place BEFORE The Girl Who Lived In The Shadows .
- Word Count, 2,287
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