I took a deep breath of warm Kansas air and smiled up at Clark as we walked hand in hand through the open market. He looked down at me and squeezed my hand while returning my smile with an impish grin of his own.
Anyone with brains who took a good look at us could see the sexual chemistry electrifying between us. It was almost as if there was a current passing from him to me, back and forth, soothing me. But at the same time, if Clark looked at me a certain way or brushed his fingers against a specific part of my neck, I was lost in a wave of sensation and I was quickly taken back to earlier this morning and this afternoon……
When I lost all control……
When I lost all qualms…
We are so going to get caught by Clark's parents.
I bit back the naughty smile but not before Clark caught it.
Clark raised his eyebrows at me. "What are you grinning about?"
I shrugged my shoulders and gave him an innocent look. "Nothing. Just thinking."
Clark stopped walking in front of a booth selling flowers. "Riiiiggght. And that Cheshire cat grin is because your thinking about how nice a day it is."
I gave Clark a mock appalled look as I looked through some of the flowers for sale. "And what is that supposed to mean Clark? Are you saying that my mind is in the gutter?"
Clark came up behind me and gave me a quick squeeze. He nuzzled my neck before whispering in my ear, "I'm saying that I know when you're lying. And I know when you're thinking all those nice, dirty thoughts."
I shivered as Clarks warm breath touched my ear and shivered some more at his words. "When did you attain charisma Clark?" I whispered back, still facing away from him. I reached for a white rose and pulled it to my nose and took a deep breath of it's scent. "I seem to have missed that part of our melding process."
Clark laughed slightly. "I think it was around the same time you attained the sarcasm."
I giggled into the flower before turning in his embrace and facing him, the flower still in my hand. "Does my sarcasm bother you?"
Clark rested his hands on my waist and caressed the slightly exposed flesh where my light blue t-shirt didn't exactly meet my low-slung jeans. "Not at all. In fact, I think it's sexy."
"Good." I said and tapped the flower against his nose. "Because I like your charisma."
Clark brought his nose to mine and moved it back and forth softly. "Good. I'm glad
we agree."
I could feel Clark's breath fanning over my face and inhaled slightly. "So am I." I closed my eyes and nipped on Clark's bottom lip. Clark brought my body even closer to his own as his lips descended on mine. His kiss literally took my breath away. As our tongues touched the air around us grew hot. I could feel my face burning as a flush began to form over it. Clark's hands grew hot as his caresses on my waist grew more intense. Sizzling…….
"Ahem. Excuse me miss, are you going to buy that?"
Abruptly Clark broke the kiss and I saw the red in his face grow in intensity as his embarrassment overshadowed his passion. Before I could answer, Clark reached into his pocket and withdrew the money for the rose. "Here you go Ma'am." His voice took on a high pitch and it was all I could do not to laugh out loud. Clark gave me a scathing glance and cleared his throat.
The woman grinned at the both of us as she handed Clark back his change. "Have a good day you two."
With an embarrassed thanks Clark led me to the other side of the market only to be face to face with the two people I was hoping to avoid for as long as possible.
"Pete! Chloe! Hi." Clark exclaimed.
Pete and Chloe exchanged nervous looks before forcing smiles at us. "Hey guys. What's up? Who are you doin-. I mean what are you guys doing here?" Pete stuttered.
I groaned inwardly and reminded myself that Pete and Chloe didn't know that we knew that they had seen us. Still. I felt like my eyes were going to pop out of my head with all the moving they were doing to look anywhere but at Pete or Chloe.
Chloe laughed nervously and pinched Pete on the arm. "What do you think they're doing here Einstein? They're shopping like all of the rest of the residents of Smallville."
Pete nodded his head a little too quickly. "Right. Right. Ummmm, so you guys want to…shop….together?"
Chloe rolled her eyes at Pete and looked at us. "I think what Pete means is, do you two want to hang out being that we're all here together?"
"Well, um, you see, um-." Clark stuttered.
Funny. He seemed to think Pete and Chloe catching us in "the act" hilarious earlier and now he can't even form coherent sentences. Looks like I'll have to be the brave one here.
My eyes finally stopped doing their topsy turvy spinning and rested on Chloe and Pete in front of us. "Sure guys. No problem. Where are you headed?"
Chloe took Petes hand in hers. "Wherever the wind takes us."
Clark finally stopped blushing enough to notice Chloes more than friendly gesture. He grinned at Pete when Pete met his eyes and a look only the two of them could understand passed between them. Pete smiled back at Clark and squeezed Chloes hand.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Clark said. "Hey did you guys notice the booth that weird bookstore set up with all those books about the occult and stuff? That guy had a sign claiming: "The end is nigh. All signs point to the priestess Isobel returning to wreak havoc on our town. Prepare."
Chloes eyes immediately lit up as we began walking. "Yes! That old guy who runs it is sooo weird. I mean hello! Like Smallville needs any more strange things happening here. I don't know. I think it's a load of crap." Chloe winked at us before continuing. "But it certainly does bear investigating. It definitely falls under Torch material."
Clark and I laughed and I felt the earlier tension begin to lift. We continued to talk as we strolled through the market and I realized that while my life had changed drastically, it was a life I now wouldn't change for anything in the world.
Alexa rolled the unconscious locksmith down the basement stairs of his shop, grunting with the effort it took to try and compensate for his weight.
Finally, at the bottom of the steps, Alexa rolled him further into the basement slightly and used the rope she had found in the shop to tie his hands and feet as best she could. When she finished, Alexa wiped her hands on her pants, and she realized how odd she would look running around Smallville in hospital scrubs.
Shaking her head in frustration Alexa recognized the stupidity of her actions when she knocked Rex's head against the cash register.
Over, and over and over.
She shivered as the thrill of hurting Rex coursed through her. She could hurt anyone, make them do anything, with a simple thought. But to physically hurt a man…..now that was a challenge. Alexa had missed her powers, but to be able to use physical force in conjunction with them was a thrill beyond belief.
Only that thrill had probably cost her any and all information regarding the likely whereabouts of Clark Kent or the possibility of getting a change of clothes without searching the apartment above the shop and wasting valuable time.
Cursing her stupidity once more, Alexa jogged up the steps. Going through the keys she had taken from Rex's belt-loop one by one, Alexa finally found the key to lock the door to the basement.
Alexa ran a hand through her curly hair and exhaled. She was tired but finding Clark and Lana and enacting her revenge took precedence over sleep. It had been less than 24 hours since she had been caught and escaped but to Alexa too much time had passed between then and making the annoying couple pay for trying to get her put into a psychiatric facility.
And in the end, Clark was hers. He should love her. But he would. She would see to that.
Sighing, this time in expectation of the events that would soon come, Alexa ran towards the steps leading to the apartment above the locksmith shop. On her way there, she passed a glance out the window and noticed the sign hanging above a storefront across the street advertising the open market.
Thoughtfully, Alexa tilted her head to the side and pondered the possibility of Clark and Lana being there. There REALLY wasn't anything else to do in this hicktown. It was a start.
Alexa parked the utility van boring the name, "Rex The Locksmith", on the side road next to the open market entrance. She breathed in the sweet smell of Kansas air and sighed. Alexa looked around the immediate area surrounding her and saw practically all of Smallville milling either around the open market or inside.
Alexa adjusted the black t-shirt she had found in a closet full of what had to be Gina's old things and wiggled uncomfortably in the too-tight jeans she had been forced to wear. Gina was at least one size smaller than her and it showed, but it would have to do.
Stepping out of the van, Alexa slapped on the baseball cap and sunglasses she had also managed to acquire. Pulling the baseball cap lower against her face, Alexa strode purposefully to the entrance of the market.
End of Chapter Twenty-Nine
