Free Tigers & Devils by Sean Kennedy Page A

the anticipated bellow that always came at this point of the song.
    “ YELLOW AND BLACK !”
    “That’s it!”
    “ Yes we’re from Tigerlaaaaa— ”
    My final word become a strangled yelp as he swerved to the side and deftly swooped into a parallel parking space.
    “This’ll shut you up,” he said menacingly. In one fluid motion so quick I could barely even make it out, his seatbelt was unbuckled and flung over his shoulder, where the metal lock almost smashed the driver’s window. He was half on top of me, pinning me uncomfortably against the door, the armrest digging into my back. I laughed, and he did shut me up by plastering his mouth hungrily against mine. I managed to pull my right arm out from where it was wedged between the seats and ran it up his back, bringing him in closer to me. My other arm was stuck between the dashboard and his neck, and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. He was pretty bloody strong. But you should never underestimate someone who has the adrenaline of passion inside them. I surprised him by pushing against him, and this time he was pressed against his door, with me squirming around on top of him. His arm was now in the position mine had been in before, but the other one was free enough to travel down and cup one of the cheeks of my arse.
    Roger was right. I was a first date slut. And I proved it by pulling away from him and grinning lasciviously. While he was trapped under me, I ran a finger along his side and then across to the front of his jeans, scraping beneath the fold and connecting with the zipper. Declan stared up at me, looking slightly dumbfounded, but he sprung into action when I started pulling his zipper down.
    “Wait a minute!”
    Dishevelled, he pulled away from me, retreating as far into his corner as he could go.
    I slumped back into my own. “What?”
    “We’re just… going a bit too fast!”
    Wow. I had never heard that from another guy before.
    “Uh, okay,” I said. I sat up and tugged at my clothes to straighten them out.
    “You’re pissed.”
    “No,” I said, and I wasn’t really. Just confused.
    He sat up and straightened himself. “I’ll take you home.”
    What, home already? Something was wrong now, but I heard myself saying robotically, “Sure.”
    Declan threw the car back into gear, and we pulled out of the space just as easily as we had swung into it.

    46 | SEAN KENNEDY

    WHEN we got back to my house, I didn’t invite him in. I don’t think he was expecting me to, and I really don’t think he wanted me to either. I was already trying to figure out in my head what had gone wrong, but I couldn’t come up with an answer that seemed logical.
    “Thanks for the coffee,” I said, my hand on the door release.
    “Listen,” Declan said urgently, and he leaned across to me, putting his hand over mine. “Don’t go away mad. I meant what I said, I do want to see you again.”
    I couldn’t think of what to say. “Cool.”
    “Cool as in cool, or cool as in whatever?”
    “Cool as in cool,” I replied. Coolly, no doubt.
    Declan sighed and gave me a brief kiss.
    “Good night,” I said. I jumped out of the cab.
    He watched me from the driveway as I unlocked my front door and entered my dark house. I didn’t turn the lights on, but closed the door behind me and crossed to the window to look out into the yard.
    Declan sat there for a few moments, the engine running. I was hoping that I would hear the engine switch off, and he would come and knock on my door. But he stared stonily ahead at the house. Maybe he was waiting to see if I would come out again. Then he drove off, and I made my way to my bedroom in the dark.
    TIGERS AND DEVILS | 47

    TO think that I had been stupid enough to entertain the thought that I might have woken up in the morning with Declan Tyler beside me! Instead, what I got was the cat staring at me, waiting for me to open my eyes so she could begin her wailing for her breakfast.
    “Morning, Maggie,” I