Sinister

Chapter Nineteen

Sinister

Chapter Nineteen

It was easier for Leighton to be with Tate under their new conditions. Tate did his job to keep his brother safe and Leighton stayed clear of the entire process. He didn't mention it to her and she never asked about it to him.

Tate was in Killian's kitchen, an apron slung low around his hips and a frying pan warming on the stove. Leighton was seated at the counter, legs kicking circles in the air and elbows planted on the tabletop.

"What's for dinner?" Leighton asked.

Tate smiled and lifted a carton of eggs and a bag of blueberry bagels. "I did some research and figured this was a basic enough meal. Simple. Elegant. And it comes highly recommended. Apparently, many people like fried eggs."

"With blueberry bagels?" Leighton inquired. She was trying to keep a straight face but failing. He was close this time though.

Tate frowned, twisting the bag of bagels so the label face him. "I'm going to assume that I've clashed the major taste buds again."

Leighton pressed her hand to her mouth to avoid smiling. "Plain bread would have done just fine."

Tate blushed. "I wanted it to be special," he admitted to her, "I thought this would be a little different."

"Different is the right word," Leighton said, caving into a round of laughter. Tate rolled his eyes and turned his back to her, placing a hand over the frying pan as he waited for it to warm. Leighton moved around the island and came to his side, one hand resting on the small of his back. He turned and leaned into her, pressing his lips firmly to hers before snaking his hand into her hair.

She sighed and touched her chest to his, accepting the cool touch of his skin and the hard muscles of his chest. He smiled against her lips, laughed for a moment, and then kissed her again. Leighton's heart lifted at the sound of his laughter. It was almost too easy to get lost in everything he did.

"Butter usually helps," she offered, pulling away and pressing her lips into a line to hide her eager smile. "Eggs can get stuck to the pan and break."
Tate picked up an egg and scowled in confusion. "I don't understand," he said, "how would this get stuck? Does it melt?"

Leighton looked up at him, dumbfounded. "You've been on this planet for how long?"

"It's been a long time since I was with―" Tate broke off suddenly and removed his gaze. Leighton took a step to the side and let her hand drop, picking up an egg and cracking it onto the hot surface of the frying pan. It sizzled.

"Since you were with the last girl," Leighton finished.

Tate bit his lower lip. "I don't really even remember it," he amended, "Killian was telling me."

Leighton was almost afraid to ask her next question. "What happened to the last... to the last woman you were with?"

Tate shrugged. "I don't remember. I assume she died after some time, I mean it must have been at least a century ago." He frowned then for a moment and then shrugged. "Yeah, she must have died."

Leighton felt a cold, dejected feeling echo in her chest. She must have died. Is that what Tate would say about her in another hundred years? To the next girl he couldn't help himself from being with when she asked.

"You'll have to toast a bagel," Leighton murmured, her heart suddenly out of the entire experience. Tate sighed and began to become frustrated as the bagel wouldn't fit into the toaster. Watching him attempt to jam an entire bagel into a single slot toaster was enough to draw Leighton from her troubled thoughts. She grabbed a knife and cut the bagel in half, putting each half into a slot.