Chapter Five

Realizing that she was still in a skimpy swimsuit and feeling rather exposed after her jolting encounter with Alfred, Alison seized the opportunity given her to slip away and put on something more suitable. She took greater care in tending to her appearance than she had in some time. She told herself that it was because they had another shadow walker visiting and, as their future leader, she wanted to make a good impression, but, deep in the recesses of her mind, she questioned her real motives.

She’d only been in his company for a moment, but that was long enough to assess that he was as handsome as Nick, built in a similar fashion, and very confident with the ladies.  Perhaps her eyes were playing tricks on her, but Alfred looked more like a brother than a cousin to Nick. Since they were both named Jackson, she guessed it was the Jackson gene that reigned supreme. That wasn’t the case with Martin; who looked like he was related, but certainly not a borderline clone.

 She struggled to keep from dwelling on the arousing sensation Alfred’s handshake created.  Her body still reacted to his touch long after they’d parted company.  It was enough to drive her crazy.  After massaging her body parts in hopes of depleting the need to be physically satisfied that his touch had caused and getting minimal relief, she decided a cold shower was in order.  When she was finally back to her normal self, she quickly toweled dry and put on a clean shirt and shorts.  She took great pains to apply her makeup, adjusted her hair, and smoothed her clothes one last time before heading downstairs. 

Her legs threatened to fail her to the point she had to hold the stair railing as she cautiously descended.  It was all so confusing.  Nick told her that the council lifted the spell they’d put on her and Nick, so why was she reacting in such a way to Alfred?  She would have thought that, perhaps, they lifted it from her and Nick but not his genetic pool if it hadn’t been for the fact that she’d lost all attraction to Martin.

Nick’s reaction to Alfred’s arrival troubled her.  It was her intention to go to the guest house and see what was amiss between the two men, but when she found Vanessa and Martin seated in the kitchen with a large pizza before them, she decided against it.  She couldn’t explain why, but she was in no hurry to let Martin know that Alfred was on the premises.

Martin’s eyes lit up with appreciation when he saw Alison while he let out a slow, low whistle. “Damn, girl, you look fine.”

Vanessa raised a brow at how put together Alison was, but made no comment of her own about it. Instead, she jabbed Martin in the ribs and said, “She always looks fine.”  Then, changing the subject, she added, “We saved the delivery guy a trip and picked the pizza up ourselves.  It’s still hot, if you want some,” before sinking her teeth into the slice she held.

“There’s another pie on the counter,” Martin said as he helped himself to a steaming slice.  “I wasn’t sure about toppings so that one has everything on it.”

“Sounds delicious,” Alison said with enthusiasm as she grabbed a plate from the cupboard and went to the pizza box on the counter.  She was suddenly aware of the hunger pangs the exertion of swimming caused. She reached for a slice and then quickly pulled her hand back from the steam that jutted forth as she lifted the pizza box lid.  “How did you manage to get it here in such a ‘hot from the oven’ condition?  Did you fly?”

“We were lucky there were no cops around,” Vanessa said around the mouthful of dough, sauce, and cheese. “He thinks his car has wings.”

“You loved it,” Martin teased as he bit into his slice.

“Hmm,” Vanessa managed as she forced the masticated food down her throat while pointing at her friend.  “You really do look great. Where are you going?”

“I just cleaned up after a swim,” Alison said, self-consciously. “This pizza tastes different.  Good, but different.”

“That’s some clean-up,” Martin smirked. “It makes me feel like I should take you out somewhere.  I don’t believe I’ve seen those short on you before. They rest in a pretty sexy spot.  Are they new?”

“Don’t get any ideas,” Vanessa grumbled. “I noticed a change in the sauce, myself.  Probably a new cook in the kitchen.”

“Just saying,” Martin said with an innocent shrug and raised brows.

“Who would have thought that a clean shirt, combed hair, and a touch of makeup would cause such as stir,” Alison said.

“Let’s not forget those sexy little shorts,” Martin teased.

“It’s just that, well, lately you’ve been a little lax in that department,” Vanessa said after scowling at Martin.  Then, after filling her lungs with air and planting a smile on her face, she added, “It’s good to see the old Alison back.  Is there any beer?”

Alison grabbed two beers from the refrigerator.  She handed one to her friend and offered the other to Martin while she mulled over Vanessa’s words.  Had she really stopped taking care of herself to such an extent that when she did it was so noticeable?  Had she been so focused on getting into the right vibration to be able to visit shadow land over the last few months that she thought of nothing else?  She suddenly felt self-conscious and a little embarrassed.

“I didn’t realize I’d let myself go like that,” she mumbled.  “I guess I was just too focused on getting to shadow land.”

“With the way you and Nick have been running back and forth to the bedroom, I can only imagine what it would have been like to try to keep your makeup and hair straight all of the time,” Vanessa teased.

“Hush!” Alison hissed, but it was too late. Martin was already grinning like a Cheshire cat.

“There are other ways to get your body aligned for shadow land,” Martin offered. “Although, they aren’t nearly as much fun, and they take a bit longer.”

“Can we talk about something else, please?” Alison begged.

“Okay,” Vanessa said distractedly as she peered out of the kitchen window.  “How about we talk about that hottie standing on the guest house porch who looks like he was cloned from Nick?”

 Martin dropped the remnants of his pizza slice into the pizza box and rubbed his hands together as if to free them of any residue.  “Alfred is here?” he said as he stood and walked to the window for a better look. “My, my.  First Heloise and now Alfred.  Nick’s balls must be playing jingle bells about now.”

“What an awful saying,” Alison gasped.

“It is a little odd,” Vanessa giggled as she moved to stand next to Martin. “Who’s Alfred?  Clearly, they’re related.  Brothers, maybe?”

Martin smiled wickedly as he pulled Vanessa close to him. “Technically, they’re cousins.”

“Technically?” Vanessa repeated.

“The verdict’s still out about them being brothers,” he said with humor.

“Naughty, naughty,” Vanessa clucked.

“I can be,” he said with a toothy grin.

“Did you know about him?” Vanessa asked as she turned to Alison.

 “Nick didn’t seem pleased when he showed up this morning,” Alison admitted as she shook her head to indicate she had no knowledge of him beforehand.

“I imagine he didn’t,” Martin snickered.

“What should we know that you aren’t telling us?” Vanessa demanded.

Martin focused on Alison, as if trying to decide what to say.

 Alison heaved a sigh. “Just tell us.”

“I wasn’t there, mind you, but rumor has it that Nick walked in on Alfred and Heloise doing the horizontal rhumba,” he said with a gleam in his eye.

“Where do you come up with these sayings?” Vanessa asked with mock dismay.

“So, he’s the one,” Alison mused; more to herself than them. “By the way he reacted to seeing him, he’s clearly not over it.”

“It was quite the to-do back then,” Martin offered. “Scandalous, in fact.”

 “It hit him pretty hard, I guess,” Alison said hesitantly.  Even though Nick said he was over Heloise, hearing Martin’s version of what happened, and combining it with his rude greeting to Alfred, gave her cause to wonder.

“This probably is not a conversation we should be having,” Vanessa said briskly as she eyed her friend.  The last thing she wanted to do was to upset her.  She regretted asking about the handsome hunk.

“We all had lives before we met each other,” Alison said firmly; flinching as she watched Nick and Alfred head across the neatly manicured lawn toward her house.

She was suddenly unsure how to behave around Alfred.  Just a few hours earlier, Nick confessed his insecurities to her. If she was a gracious hostess to his cousin, would those insecurities misinterpret her meaning? Why did she put on so much makeup and wear such sexy shorts?  Would Nick think she was flirting with Alfred?  Or, worse yet, would Alfred think it?  What kind of a cousin was he to cuckold Nick with Heloise in that way?  She looked at Martin and remembered the competitiveness between him and Nick.  Was it the same with Nick and Alfred?

Martin lept to his feet to embrace Alfred almost as soon as he stepped into the kitchen.  Backs were slapped, hands were shaken, and hearty greetings were shared as the three men stepped back onto the porch and positioned themselves in various chairs to catch each other up on the happenings of their lives as well as reminisce of days gone bay.

Alison pondered on the difference in Nick’s attitude toward Alfred since he’d had his private meeting.  It was like night and day.  She wished it was the same for her. Unfortunately, even looking at the man set her loins on fire.  She had no idea why and even less of an idea what to do about it.  All she did know was that, if she couldn’t stop her body from responding in such a way she’d have to take another cold shower.