Ever (20 page)

“I feel like I’m falling into you. Like I can’t get close enough. Like…I’m going to lose control. I meant it when I said I didn’t want to hurt you, sweetheart.”

There he goes with the sweetheart again.
Would I ever be used to Jaren Wilder using a term of endearment to address me?

“I wasn’t hurting,” I admitted, deciding that since I couldn’t possibly be any more embarrassed than I already was, I might as well be honest.

His gaze became heated again. “I was enjoying it, too. A little too much.” He glanced down at himself ruefully, and a giggle bubbled up and out of my mouth.

“I’m…sorry?” I wasn’t sure what to say but suddenly, I couldn’t keep the huge grin off my face. If what he was saying was anything close to the truth, then Jaren Wilder was wildly attracted to me. Or at least, his body was.
Oh, please don’t let me wake up to find that this has all been a crazy dream…

“Don’t be sorry, sweetheart. Someday, the time will be right. Just…not right now. Not here. Definitely not in public.” He gave me a wicked wink that caused a volcanic eruption go off somewhere below my belly button.

Holy crap! Was he saying what I thought he was saying? Was I ready to even consider the thought of doing, well,
it
—and not just doing
it
, but doing
it
with him?

He sidled closer to me. “So….I got your first kiss, huh?”

Despite the roaring in my ears, I nodded. Jaren tugged me into his arms. I could practically feel his chest swelling and I wondered if he wanted to thump himself like Tarzan. His behavior made me feel wanted. The feeling made me brave.

Boldly, I went up on tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “And my second. You’re just a kiss-stealer, aren’t you?” Wow, who was talking now? I sounded like a confident seductress instead of a dorky virgin who had never even held hands with a guy until a few nights ago.

He chuckled. “I think that last one counted as at least two kisses.”

“Nope.”

“No?” Now, he laughed out loud and the sound rumbled through his chest to caress me.

“No,” I stated, filled with a confidence I hadn’t known I possessed. “Watch your back, Jaren Wilder. You’re not the only kiss-stealer in town. I’ll be stealing the next one when you’re least expecting it.”

He looked into my eyes and I was tempted to press my mouth to his right then and there.

“I’m looking forward to that. Can we at least try to make some progress with
The Archive
…if you can control yourself?”

We both laughed, but I’m sure he had no idea how hard it was for me to control myself after that.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Dream a Little Dream

“I
wanna ride the carousel!” a little girl with long, blond hair begged.

“Come on, Robert, just ride it with her once.”

“Barb, you know we need to talk. About us.”

“I know,” the child’s mother said tightly. “But this night was supposed to be about us. About family.”

“Don’t you talk to me about family, Barb. You ruined all that.”

“Please don’t, Bobby. Not in front of her.”

The little girl had started to cry. “I wanna ride the pink horsey.”

“Fine. It’s not your fault anyway that your mother’s a whore.” The man grabbed the little girl by the arm and she let out a shriek.

“Bobby!” the mother cried out, as heads started to turn.

“No, Daddy!” The child had changed her mind.

“You wanted to ride it, so we’re riding it. Then I’m done.”

I watched as the little girl was dragged onto the pink horse, crying. Her father rode behind her, his arm holding her still, his face a mask of barely contained rage. The mother stood silent, wringing her hands, as the carousel rotated. The music was almost deafening. Round and round it went, for what seemed like an eternity. The little girl’s tearstained face was seared into my mind as the smell of popcorn and cotton candy became overwhelming.

I was going to be sick. Nausea bubbled up in my throat. I looked down at the ground, expecting to see my feet, but nothing was there. In fact, as I held my hands in front of my face, I discovered that I couldn’t see my body. I wasn’t really there at all. The carousel music got louder and louder
,
and I was whizzing around with it, faster and faster. Everything was a blur of lights.

Then I woke up.

* * *

I was curled in the fetal position in my bed, sweating like I had just run a marathon. My heart was pounding. It took me a few minutes to realize that I was in my room and not on some dysfunctional family trip to a carnival. It was still dark outside, but the sky was starting to lighten. I didn’t need to look at my clock. I knew what it time it was.

Yep, 4:47 on the dot.

Shakily, I made my way to the shower, still hearing that annoying carousel music in my head. The people in the dream—I had no idea who they were. It had all seemed so real. That poor little girl. My tears mingled with the water that dripped down my body as I rinsed my hair clean. What did it all mean?

I managed to shove the haunting memory of the dream from my mind. I had placed the raven’s seed in a satin pouch I had purchased at a street fair a few years back. I folded it carefully into the pocket of my jeans and headed to school. The seed, the noises, the number, and now the dream, and all that energy smoke swirling around… I had the pieces of a very complicated puzzle and no idea what picture I was supposed to make from them. I knew time was of the essence though—April seventh was getting closer.

I checked my schedule and remembered that I had an bio quiz this week. It was a good excuse to schedule some time with Hopkins. He might be able to narrow down one piece of the puzzle if he could tell me about the seed.

Me: Meet with Hopkins at lunch about seed?

Jaren: Good idea. Will c u there.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

More Extra Credit

“Y
ou say you found this on the field trip?” Hopkins looked puzzled.

I nodded. “Um, it was just there on the trail. I picked it up because I wasn’t sure what it was.” The lie flowed easily off my tongue.

“Well,” Hopkins said, turning the smooth, brown seed over in his hand, “I’ve never seen anything quite like this. Why don’t you leave it here for a few days so I can examine it.”

Examine it? No, I was definitely not okay with that. What if he wanted to dissect it or something? I started to panic. That seed had to remain in my possession, and it had to stay in one piece. Jaren chose that moment to breeze into the classroom. I was struck dumb at the sight of him. God, his looks rivaled those of any movie star. He flashed me his signature smile and I blushed, then cursed myself for my reaction.

“Am I late?” he asked, slinging his backpack onto the chair next to mine.

“Hello, Mr. Wilder,” Hopkins greeted Jaren.

“Oh, I see that Everleigh has already showed you our project.”

“Project?”

“My father was interested in having us do some research on the seed we found on the trip. We thought if we could turn it into a project, you might give us some more extra credit.”

Huh?

Jaren winked at me. Well, at least one of us had a plan.

“Ah, your father. Brilliant man. Does he still own those nurseries?”

Nurseries? Wow. I caught the plural. Jaren’s father owned at least two nurseries? That meant that in addition to being the hottest guy in school, Jaren was Rich. He wasn’t a snob, though. Jaren was super nice and it was obvious that he was smart, too. I glanced sidelong at him. Jaren gave off no indication that he came from money. He wore simple, surfer brand clothing and his backpack was made of hemp. That was pretty cool, actually. Oops, he was speaking again. I yanked myself from my perusal of Jaren Wilder’s style.

“Yes, sir. We were hoping you could take a photo and see what you can find out, Mr. Hopkins. My father wants us to sprout it and see what it turns into.”

Hey, now that was a great idea. Seeds were meant to be planted. I nodded at Jaren, wondering if he had come up with that notion on the spot. Had he really told his father about the seed?

“Who am I to deny young minds their own exploration of nature?”

Hopkins talked like that all the time in class—like he was hosting his own television show. He retrieved a camera from a rusty metal cabinet and placed the seed on a tray. He took several pictures from different angles, and used a measuring tape to document the seed’s length and width. Finally, he weighed it on a scale before slipping it into what a clear plastic bag and handing it back to me.

“Well, kids, I am excited to be part of your research. I’ll let you know if I discover anything about this seed’s origin.”

“Thanks,” I said, returning the seed to its usual place—the pocket of my jeans.

As Jaren and I gathered our bags, I whispered, “Your father owns a nursery?”

He shrugged. “A couple.”

“A couple? Well, we should show him this then, right?”

“I can’t.” Suddenly, his energy became muddled.

“But—”

“I don’t want to talk about my dad right now, Everleigh.”

Wow, that was a can of worms. What was up with Jaren’s dad? We walked out of the science lab just before fifth period and nearly smacked right into Val. Her eyes widened when she saw us together. It was impossible to pretend otherwise—Jaren was holding the door for me.

“Um, hey,” I offered.

Why did I feel so guilty? Val didn’t own Jaren just because she was the first in our little group to publicly announce her attraction to the guy. Every heterosexual female in school was into him. And probably a good measure of the guys, too. Logically, I knew that I had every right to be friends with anyone I wanted, even Jaren Wilder.

More than friends,
a little voice whispered inside my head, making me flush.

“Ever!” Val said, a little too brightly. Then she moved in for a hug. I was so startled by her uncharacteristic gesture that I froze as she gave me a peck on the cheek.

Whoa, this was not Val’s typical behavior at all. What was she trying to pull? I let my eyes slide out of focus. Val’s energy was mottled, like she herself was unsure of her own emotions.

“Hi!” she continued, her voice a sickening cross between bubbly and maniacal. She reached out to shake Jaren’s hand.

“Hey.” He gave her hand a quick squeeze and she blushed. I had never, ever seen Val blush. But she blushed now, and fluttered her lashes at Jaren in a way that made my blood start to boil.

“I’m Val.”

“Jaren.”

“I know! I mean, um, Ever’s mentioned you.”

I most certainly had not mentioned him to Val. I didn’t need Jaren thinking I was sitting around discussing him with my lunch clique. My cheeks now felt like they were on fire.
Thanks, Val.

“Hope it wasn’t all bad,” he said with an easy grin.

Val let out a snort and then recovered, transforming her outburst into a soft titter. “You’re too much!” She giggled. “So, what are you kids up to?”

I caught the slight narrowing of her eyes as she waited for my answer, like a serpent toying with its unfortunate victim.

“Extra credit,” Jaren cut in smoothly, saving me from having to reply.

I nodded as her eyes almost devoured him on the spot. The bell rang. Thank God. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could stomach this interaction. Val reached for me again and gave me another contrived hug.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Jaren. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

Val took two bouncy steps before she turned around and delivered a perfectly timed, flirtatious wink at him. She actually winked! My heart constricted. Val was blond and curvy. She wore trendy clothes and she had recently developed some assets on top that I could only pray to rival someday. If she decided to go after Jaren, she was a better match for him than I was.

“Penny for your thoughts,” he murmured.

“Um, just spacing out.”

“No, you’re not. You’re pale. She didn’t get any, did she?”