Starcrossed (Starcrossed 1)

trying to walk on six feet of air. Of course, Lucas knew what to expect,

and caught her easily on her way to the ground. Snatching

her out of the air, he eased her down until her feet lightly touched

the grass.

Finally standing on her legs after so long without using them,

Helen felt a bit unsteady. Her vision was reeling, and she rested

against Lucas for a moment, her arms wrapped around his neck.

When the dizzy feeling passed, she kept her arms there still, hoping

to feel some kind of invitation from him. He pulled away and

forced a laugh.

?See? Piece of cake. Next time, just swing your legs under you

right before you change states, and you?ll be good to go,? he said

breezily as he started walking back toward the house. ?You?re

learning much faster than I did, you know.?

?Yeah, right. I would have hit the ground like a brick if you hadn?t

caught me,? she said, shoving Lucas away from her as she walked,

laughing with him even though her heart felt a bit twisted up in her

chest.

She wasn?t exactly expecting a kiss, but she certainly had been

hoping for one. She suddenly felt really foolish, like she was being

an idiot for even trying to kiss someone so much smarter, so much

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more confident, so much more worldly than she was. She crossed

her arms and sped up, but Lucas wouldn?t let her pass him. Instead,

he unwound her arms and took her hand. She had just

enough pride to be offended that he would insist on holding her

hand after refusing to kiss her.

?They can see us,? he said so quietly Helen could barely hear him.

She saw him jerk his chin over toward the house.

Following his gesture she saw that Pallas and Castor were sitting