"Yes, it is," he said, resting his chin on my shoulder.
My body tingled. His closeness was doing odd things to the temperature of my body. I felt feverish, knowing that if I twisted my head just the slightest bit to the left, my lips would meet his. It was tempting, but I fought the urge. It might sound strange, but I wanted a clearer read on this guy before I committed that way. Even though his arms were wrapped around me, I couldn't be sure he wasn't somehow playing me, and that it really didn't mean anything.
"What do want to do today?" he asked, brushing his lips against my neck.
Um,this, I thought as I tilted my head slightly, giving him better access. "I should probably head back home," I said instead, trying to keep the reluctance out of my voice.
"Once again, if Hannie is going to have a fit anyway, why hurry back?" he asked, nuzzling his face deeper into the crook of my neck.
"Truth," I squeaked out.
"I'd say we could stay here just like this, but being summertime, once the sun fully rises, it'll be hotter than Hades's ass up here," he said, placing his hands on my waist so he could turn me to face him. "What would you like to do? We can literally go anywhere in the world you want to," he said, moving a hand up to tuck a lock of my hair behind my ear.
"What exactly is your tattoo?" I asked out of the blue as I studied the delicate curved markings that ran along his collarbone, disappearing down the back of his shirt.
"You like that, huh? It's a dragon," he answered, releasing me.
I instantly missed the feel of his hands on my hips, wishing I'd kept my mouth shut. A moment later, my mouth dropped open as he tugged off his t-shirt. Before I could fully appreciate the chiseled abdomen in front of me, he turned around so I could see the full tattoo that moved down around his back, ending at his side. The intricate design of the dragon was amazing. I couldn't help admiring the detail. Multiple patterns made up the body of the dragon as they were woven in and out of each other. Leaning even closer, I could see that what looked like random patterns were actual places disguised as scales of the dragon. I traced the line with my finger to a point that was clearly the same building we were currently perched on.
Emrys's skin quivered slightly beneath my touch. At least the attraction wasn't one-sided. I ran my finger more boldly across his back as I traced other landmarks like the Great Wall of China and Big Ben.
"It's freaking amazing," I finally said, tracing the Golden Gate Bridge. "It must have taken forever to have this much detail done."
"Time's not much of an issue for me," he said, turning back around. "Plus, I have a guy I go to who never asks questions. That comes in handy when your appearance doesn't change much over a twenty-year span."
"Yeah, I guess that would be hard to explain."
"That's why none of us stay in one place too long. Humans can be oblivious to a lot of things, but even they would get suspicious after a while," he said, pulling his shirt back on.
I swallowed back my disappointment of seeing his perfect flesh covered back up.
"So, did you decide what you want to do today?" he asked, taking my hand in his like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"I want to get a tattoo," I answered as the idea took hold. I waited for him to shoot my idea down like everyone else I knew would have. To tell me I was too young, too important to mar up, blah, blah, blah. He surprised me by grinning broadly at my suggestion.
"That's a great idea. Are you sure though? They can be painful."
"Really? Obviously, you don't know me that well."
"Sweet. Let's blow this popsicle stand then," he said as the catwalk beneath our feet disappeared.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Multiple noises greeted me before I could even open my eyes. "Where are we?" I asked, fighting back a little bit of queasiness as I gawked at the noisy bustling streets just beyond the alleyway where we had landed.
"Shanghai," he answered, lacing his fingers through mine as he tugged me out of the alleyway onto the crowded street beyond.
The instant difference in culture was shocking. Multiple buildings, lit up like Christmas trees and shoulder-to-shoulder people all around me speaking what I guessed was the Mandarin dialect. It was sensory overload, but in a good way. I watched the street vendors in astonishment as a small older gentleman pushed a cart filled with teddy bears across the street, while another woman pulled a cart filled with flowers alongside him.
"This is crazy," I said, gawking as we passed an endless array of specialty shops, hair salons and massage parlors. "Is it always like this?"
He laughed at my question and slung an arm across my shoulders to steer me out of the way of a young man hurrying toward us with another cart filled with goods. "Well, you're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy. Yep, day or night, Shanghai is always a happening place."
"What time is it here?" I asked, liking the way his arm felt across my shoulders.
"Almost seven at night. Shanghai is a fantastic city," he said, pulling me in close.
"It's a lot busier here than I'm used to," I commented as I watched cars go zooming by one after the next. "And very confusing," I added, peering at all the signs in a language I couldn't speak.