Author's note: So I've been preparing and working on National Novel Writing Month since the last update. I put the prologue and first chapter up on fictionpress if you'd like to read it. It's called Curious Clockwork and is posted under the pen name Danielle Cheri.

I think it will be a while until I get to do another update and I also think that this probably only has one or two more chapters. So thank you for taking the time to read and review and put this on your favorites and alerts.

Happy reading!

Chapter Nine

Adrian was waiting for me at the airport. I smiled and walked up to him, standing with just a foot between us. He took my bag from me, our fingers brushed. He leaned close, looking as though he wanted to kiss me. He straightened up suddenly.

"Come on. I'll let you drive." He said, turning and heading out the door.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"We're in public, Sage." He put my things in the trunk of his Mustang and tossed the keys to me.

"Where to? Your place?" I teased.

"I wish. Rose and Dimitri escorted us home. They're staying an extra day."

I grimaced. "So how did all of that go?" I started the car and headed out of the lot.

Adrian passed over the ticket and money to pay for the parking. "I've been in more awkward positions. Not much more, but it was bearable. More so since I had you waiting for me."

I smiled at the road ahead and shifted gears as I got on the highway and was able to speed up. "I love your car."

"I could buy you one."

"I thought your money was tied up in other things. Didn't you spend all of it to get me home?"

"Not all of it. And this month's check came in, so I'm all good."

"Good enough to buy me a car?"

He smiled. "Not entirely. But I could put a decent down payment on one."

I shook my head. "You're trying to buy my affection, aren't you?"

"No, if course not." He leaned over and rested his hand on top of mine. "Is it working?"

I laughed and shifted again. I pressed my foot down on the gas.

His hand moved up my arm and then back down to my hand. "We could go to a hotel or something. Maybe a movie or a museum or somewhere that's dark so I can kiss you for a little while."

I felt my cheeks heating up. I wanted that too. I'd missed his lips moving over mine over these last few days. I pulled off the highway and into an empty parking lot. I put the car into first and turned off the engine. I leaned over a little and put my hand at the back of his head.

"What are you doing?" He asked, looking at my lips.

"Giving you a chance to kiss me." I crooned.

He met me over the center console. His mouth pressed against mine. I could feel that he wanted to pull me closer as his hands moved hungrily up my arms and then down my back.

I sighed, opening my mouth enough to invite his tongue to play with mine for a few lovely seconds before I pulled away.

He groaned and pulled me back for another kiss. "Come over tomorrow?"

"And what?"

"Kiss me. Lay with me. Let me hold you and tell you all the things I want to do with you."

"Sexy things?"

He nodded. "And boring, mundane things." He cupped my cheek.

"Are you daydreaming about a future again? You know we can't have it." I moved back into the driver's seat and started the car up again.

"We could. We'll find a way."

"And what would we do, Adrian, if we could find a way? If we married and had children, what would they do? I won't have them become Alchemists and I don't know if I could send them off to become fighters. I commend Rose and Dimitri and Eddie for all they have to do for you and Jill and the other Moroi, but I can't let my children do that."

"We don't have to have children. We could be one of those couples that have fur babies."

"I'm allergic." I said, sighing. "We just can't. And we're both too young to be thinking like this anyway."

"But I want to, Sydney. I want to think about it. Because I love you. There, I said it." He turned toward the window and stared out it.

"You can't." I said softly.

"I shouldn't, but I do." He placed his hand on top of mine again after I shifted. "And I keep seeing the signs in your aura that you love me too."

"Stop. Please, just stop." My heart was racing and I was having trouble breathing. I pulled over to the shoulder and rested my head on the steering wheel. "This isn't happening."

"What?"

I looked over at him. "I can't jeopardize everything I've worked so hard for, Adrian. I just can't." I wiped angrily at the tears streaming down my face.

He remained silent and when I looked over to him, I could see he was just as distressed as I was. "This is hard for me, too, Sage." He rubbed his hands on his thighs. "I don't want to ruin all this either. If we slip up, Jill could die. I can't go through that. I never had anyone I cared about the way I care about her. And I've never loved anyone the way I love you."

"Rose—"

"Was nothing compared with you. Yeah, I loved her. But only because somewhere in the back of my mind I knew she was something I couldn't have, no matter how hard I tried. She was always Dimitri's. You may work for the Alchemists, but they can't control who you love. Maybe you can't admit it or you don't want to, but your heart doesn't belong to them."

"No, it doesn't." I slipped my hand into his and squeezed. "But I can't leave them. Not now or ever. This isn't something I can just quit."

"So don't. Change the way your people feel about mine. Not all of them are cold and heartless. We've proved that together." He kissed my hand.

"That's not as easy as you make it sound."

"I know. But I'll help you, bab—Sydney."

"Were you about to call me 'baby'?"

"Maybe." He watched me for a while. "Would you like it if I called you that?"

I drove toward Amberwood. "I like it when you call me Sydney."

"And I like to call you Sydney." He rubbed his hand up and down my arm.

I didn't realize how much I had missed spending time alone with Adrian until I was once again. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me again and again. I trailed my fingers up and down his sides. I tentatively curled my fingers under the hem of his shirt.

His breath caught in his throat and then he breathed out, "Sydney."

I pulled my hands away quickly and apologized.

"No, don't." He grabbed my hands and put them back on his waist. "Please don't stop touching me." He kissed me again and smoothed his hands over my hair and down my back.

My fingers again ventured under his shirt. I touched his bare skin and felt his breathing quicken. I kissed him and whispered, "Is this okay?"

"Fine." He clamped his mouth on mine and pulled me against him.

I slid my hands up a little farther and placed my palms on his back.

Adrian's phone rang, breaking the silence. "That's Jill." He pulled it out of his pocket and hit the talk button. "I'm sorry, Jill." He said in greeting. "Well, are you focusing?" He brushed a hand down my back as he continued the conversation. "Keep trying. I know you have a ton of things going right now. If it doesn't work, then we'll practice again tomorrow." He leaned his head against mine. "I know. I'm sorry, Jill, I really am. We'll talk later." He hung up. "The block isn't working." He kissed my forehead and stepped away.

"She told me she had a lot of catching up to do." I sat down beside him on the couch.

He pulled my legs over his knees. "But no need to stop just yet. I told her to keep trying." He kissed me again, holding me close.

I once again slipped my hand under his shirt and rested it against his stomach. He moaned softly and put his hand under my shirt, stroking my back with his fingertips. I pulled back and looked at him a moment before leaning down and kissing along his jaw and down his neck.

He chuckled and leaned his head back on the couch. I kissed back up his neck and then pressed my lips to his once more. "Was that okay?" I asked.

He kissed me again. "Of course."

"I've just never done it to you before."

"Don't be nervous. I like it." He repositioned me on his lap so that I was straddling him.

I put my hands on his chest and sat back. "What are you doing?"

He didn't say anything. Instead, pulled his shirt off over his head and then pulled me to him once more. He closed his eyes for a while.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Trying to calm down my mind and emotions so I don't pull Jill in."

I moved my hands over his chest and stomach. I'd never touched another person's bare flesh, much less a guy's. I sat back and looked at him.

He looked back. "You don't have to take your shirt off, but I'd enjoy it if you did."

I laughed and leaned down to kiss his shoulder. "Not happening."

"Not going to stop me from doing this though?" He asked, putting his hands back up my shirt.

"No, you can do that. Just don't move any further." I kissed his shoulder again. "What's the rest of it like?"

"My body or sex?"

"Both." I wrapped my arms around him and breathed him in. "Tell me what to expect."

"Expect that when the time is right, it will be as good as I can make it for you." He kissed me. "The first time is awkward and it may hurt quite a bit, but I'll do what I can for it to be comfortable."

"Can you really promise that?"

"I can promise to try. I've done this a few times."

"You don't sound very proud of that fact."

"Not when it comes to you." He slid his hand farther up my back. "I like you a lot, Sydney. I liked what I did with those other girls, but not the way I think I'll like it with you."

"And why do you think that?"

"Because making love to you will be something different then just having sex with a girl for the hell of it." He kissed me. "Connection and pleasure. I look forward to it."

"You'll have a long wait." I kissed him. "I need to go."

"So go." He wrapped his arms around me and lowered me onto the couch.

I laughed. "Nice try, but I really do have to go. I left all my homework in my room."

"So what? You already passed all those classes."

"Yeah, I did. But we've had this conversation before." I lifted myself up and kissed him. "Let me up please."

He kissed me once more and then he sat back and put his shirt back on as I gathered my things. He pulled me to him at the door and gave me a lingering kiss. "I love you, Sydney."

I smiled up at him. "Good to know."

We shared another kiss and then I left. Maybe I should have said it back.