CHAPTER ELEVEN
“Let us drop you off.” Rune placed his hands on my hips and pulled my body against his, staring down into my eyes. I could get lost in his golden gaze if I wasn’t careful. He dipped his head down to my level, pressing his forehead against mine, a teasing smile gracing his features. “You know you want to.”
I chuckled quietly and ran my fingers over his shoulders. “If you’re headed back to Poppy’s place, I’m in the opposite direction.”
He shrugged, his muscles bunching under my fingertips. “The train is fast.”
My lips pinched in hesitation. Lunch hadn’t been bad. I halfway liked these weirdos.
“Come on.” Rune feathered his lips over mine in a ghost’s kiss.
I sighed, pressing my mouth against his harder. I kissed him once. “Fine.”
His lips lingered, as he whispered, “The seats recline too. I know you like that.”
I chuckled, grinning up at him. One good point for him: he made me laugh a lot.
“Are you coming, asshole?” Alaric jeered from the top of the King Corporation train’s stairs, half hanging out the door. He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, a goofy smile twisting his lips. “Quit making out in public. It’s unruly.”
“He’s just jealous,” Rune whispered. “He gets all grumpy if he’s not getting any.”
“Fuck you. I got laid this morning.”
Rune glanced up at him in confusion. “When the hell did you have time for that?”
He pounded on his chest with his fist, lowering his voice an octave. “I make time.”
I rolled my eyes. “You guys are a bunch of sex addicts.”
Golden eyes snapped back to mine, a dark seriousness entering their deep color. “Is that what you think of me? I’ve been laying it on kind of heavy, but I can back—”
I snapped my hand over his mouth, cutting him short. My eyes crinkled in humor. “I was teasing. I don’t think that. In fact, I can appreciate a healthy sex drive.”
His eyes heated, and he bit my hand playfully.
Alaric waved his hand. “Okay, really. We’re done waiting. You guys can take another train if you can’t separate from each other long enough to climb the damn stairs.”
The sexy man pressed against me, grabbed my hand from over his mouth, and pulled me along behind him up the stairs. “We’re coming. We’re coming.”
“Hopefully, not in the wet term. That would be a little embarrassing. That’s not even a minute, man. That’s like premature and shit,” Alaric jibed. He backed into the train when Rune tried to kick him in retaliation, barely missing the blow. Alaric laughed as he sat down in a seat, the door closing behind us. He pointed over his shoulder. “We left the back two seats free. So you can smooch and stuff without making us want to hurl.”
“That’s very considerate of you.” I smiled sweetly.
Then I kicked him in the shin with my black boot.
At his shocked expression, I stated innocently, “I don’t miss, even if he does.”
Rune leaned over and grabbed his knees, laughing so hard his whole body shook.
From the seat across the aisle, Finn muttered, “Megan, do you remember when I told you that you reminded me of someone?”
I nodded. “I do.”
He flicked a finger at Rune’s slumped over form, the man snorting like a pig now since he couldn’t breathe through his amusement. “It was him.”
My grin widened. “He is hot!”
Finn rolled his eyes. “Yes, you’re just like him.”
I rested my hand on Rune’s muscled back and rubbed in soothing motions. “Think you can make it back to our seats?”
He lifted a finger, sucking in oxygen, tears running down his face. Gradually, he straightened to his full height, hiccups now attacking his body while he brushed off his face. He puffed on air, grinning like a fool, and gasping. “I need to put your address in first. Go ahead and sit down.”
I took my seat while he typed in my address to the main panel. The clean blue energy stirred, powering up, and we lifted further into the air. Rune took his seat next to me and took the liberty to press the button on my chair. I smirked as the footrest lifted and the backseat reclined.
I mumbled, “You sure do know how to charm a girl.”
He snorted and held up a quick hand. “Don’t make me laugh again. My stomach is still killing me.”
I winked. “I’ll be gentle.”
Except…his attention shot forward. He inhaled heavily, his nostrils flaring.
Then, as one, all the men inside the train stood up and stared at one another.
“That motherfucker,” Cassander hissed.
“He’s taking over the damn train again,” Wolfe growled. He raced to the main panel, but it was black—void of anything. He tore into the casing around it. “I don’t know if I can stop it in time.”
Poppy stood to her feet, a calmness about her that was frightening. “What’s happening?”
“Gas,” Theron explained. “Mr. Valentine is filtering a sleeping agent into the air.”
She pulled a knife from the sheath on her right leg, glancing at Wolfe. “Need a smaller knife than what you’ve got?”
He held out a hand, and she tossed it to him. He then jammed it into the side of the panel, through the wood, cutting into the actual train. “The access wires are back here.”
I swallowed and grabbed Rune’s hand as I pushed up from the recliner, wobbling on my feet. “How long until we’re out?” How they knew there was gas in the air, I hadn’t a clue. But, oddly, I trusted them.
“A minute. Maximum,” Rune stated softly, kissing my forehead.
“I should have taken a different train,” I mumbled—a bit deliriously. I grabbed at my forehead, my vision starting to blur. Rune’s face was at a bizarre angle, his lips to the right and his eyes to the left. It was a picture of him that belonged in a museum. “I think I’ll sit back down.”
He helped me sit on my seat, his strong hands gripping my biceps. “It’ll be okay, beautiful.”
I shook my head. “That madman chops people up for fun. It won’t be okay.”
Suddenly, all of the men’s silver bracelets chirped in alarm. Bells ringing in the air.
If there were a bird next to my ear, I wouldn’t be surprised.
I closed my eyes and giggled. This gas was trippy.
Theron’s voice exploded into the air. “God’s gone. Fuck!”
“I can’t get it. I can’t get it! My goddamn fingers are too big,” Wolfe snarled.
With my eyes still closed, I tilted my head to the side. This was cozy.
Thumps hit the ground, a symphony of background music as I fell into peaceful slumber.