Parahuman (Parahuman Series) (14 page)

     Both
brows rose. “And what is that supposed to mean?”

     Devan
was good at clarifying. “I’m larger, stronger, and have a longer arm reach, so
of course I would throw it the farthest.”

     Laney
laughed. “Any other male would have said it was because they were a guy, but
no, you just list everything that constitutes being male.”

     “Not
all my examples necessarily constitute a male. I could have been a female that
was larger, stronger, and had a longer arm reach, and she would have succeeded
in throwing it farther than you also.”

     “This
girl, or boy, could be larger, stronger, and have a longer arm reach, but know
butka about throwing. In fact, maybe they throw like a sissy girl.” Laney
argued.      

    
Butka? Sissy girl? “Do you mean they might not be proficient in the mechanical
means of arm propulsion?” Devan asked for clarification.

     Laney
laughed and the sound tickled his chest. “Exactly.” She said in between
chuckles.

     Devan
frowned. “The action of drawing back one’s arm and then extending forward is a
rather simple operation. How could anyone have difficulty in accomplishing
that?”

     “Let
me tell you, there are some people who just cannot throw. It’s like watching
somebody fling a limp noodle around.” Laney rotated her arm in an arc and
letting it flop forward in a feeble gesture.

     Devan
grinned at her demonstration. “A muscle deficiency would explain that
problem.” 

     “I
know this guy who is two hundred pounds of muscle…okay, and some fat. He
definitely doesn’t have a muscle deficiency, but he throws like a sissy girl.”
Laney related.

     “So
he’s been unable to master the mechanical aspect of throwing.” It was
inexplicable at times to comprehend how some people could have difficulty
doing, what seemed to him, simple motorized, anatomical actions.    

    
“Correct.” The twinkle in Laney’s eye contradicted her staid tone. “So, back to
my original question; would you like to see which one of us can throw the
farthest?” Laney held out the stones again.

     “I’ve
already demonstrated one type of throwing proficiency, and prevailed, but if
you would like further demonstration I will comply.” Devan was somewhat certain
that Laney was holding back laughter behind her stoic expression. He wasn’t
always intuitive to what was going on inside a person’s head, and he could have
mistaken her amusement as mockery, but he knew she wasn’t like that. She just
seemed to be enjoying the moment.  

     Devan
took one of the stones. “You are going to take the chance that I have not
mastered the mechanical aspect of an over hand throw.” Devan copied one of her
eyebrow lifts, a grin tugging at his lip. There was no way she could win.

     “You
can’t be good at everything, and I’m competitive enough that I have to find out
what it is I can beat you at.” Laney took a step back, drew her arm back, and
then wiped her arm forward.

     Devan
watched her feeling lighter and more carefree then he had…ever. It was amazing,
the myriad emotions he felt around her.

     Unfortunately,
the discussion and his emotions distracted Devan from the hazards of the
unstable bridge—which was entirely unlike him. Laney flung her arm and let
loose the stone in her hand grabbing the railing with her other hand to halt
her frontward momentum. The railing, however, was unable to halt her momentum.

     It
gave away. 

     Everything
happened in slow motion as Laney broke through that railing hovering in mid-air
over that fifty foot drop. A loud agonizing ‘NO’ reverberating through Devan’s
head and his breath froze in his throat.

     Laney’s
expression exhibited the early stages of alarm as she comprehended her
predicament and Devan reacted instinctively. His hand shot out gripping Laney’s
shirt, giving it a hard yank he reversed her direction sending her tumbling
back into his body rather than plunging to the watery, rocky depths below. A
small squeak erupted from her lips as she thudded against him.

     Unwilling
to take the chance that the remaining structure wasn’t going to fall apart
around them Devan curled his arm around Laney’s waist to secure her tightly to
his frame; lifting her up slightly so her feet wouldn’t interfere he swiftly
conveyed her off the bridge. Once on solid ground Devan lowered Laney’s feet
back down setting her away from him. Something within him cried out at the
separation but he ignored it. Grasping her shoulders he spun her around.

     “Are
you alright?” Devan asked, attempting to calm his sporadic heart rate; a heart
rate that he’d trained for years to remain steady.

     Laney
stared up him with a dazed expression, her hands gripping his forearms. “I
didn’t even have to use the cat symbol.”

     Devan
frowned in concern. Was she in shock? He then remembered her comment earlier
about cat signs in the sky and rescuing felines. “You were not a cat in a
tree,” he informed her. His voice was gruff and he realized he was quite shaken
by the incident; he who’d remained calm and in control under more arduous circumstances
than this.  

     She
snorted softly. She gave a soft squeeze to his arms before releasing them to
turn and look back at the bridge. A deep yearning washed over him as her hands
fell away. Ignoring it he did the same. 

     “I
can’t believe it just gave away like that.” Turning back to him she took a deep
breath. “I guess you were right about the bridge. It might need just a
teeny
tiny
bit of an overhaul.”

     Teeny
and tiny weren’t the adjectives Devan would have utilized. “Maybe a little,” he
agreed nevertheless. It was hard to argue with those green eyes of hers staring
up at him only a foot and a half away.

     She
turned back toward the bridge again, a large sigh bursting from her lips. “My
dad is going to freak out, and then he’s going to forbid me to step on this
bridge again. I should probably tell him I found it this way rather than
informing him I almost took a swan dive while throwing a stone; at least that
way I would still be able to come here.” Laney appeared to ponder this for a
moment before nodding her head. “Yeah, that would probably be best.”

     Devan
wasn’t concerned with the idea of her lying to her father—he lied all the
time—but he
was
alarmed at the thought of her stepping on that bridge
again; at least not before an inspection had been conducted on it from top to
bottom.

     “Your
father will conduct a complete inspection…” realizing he was stating a command
when it should probably be an inquiry, Devan added…“Won’t he?”

     “He’s
done a really good job of keeping this bridge well maintained. I’m sure the
railing only broke because it’s been a while since he’s been out here to check
on it. It was probably just a bad spot. ” Laney reasoned.

     Devan
noticed Laney’s tone was getting insistent again in defense of her father. From
an anthropological standpoint Devan was able to understand why she felt so
defensive on behalf of Nick. He was her father, and studies revealed families were
supposed to be protective of one another. However, Devan couldn’t, wouldn’t let
her delude herself about this particular point.

     “The
bridge needs a complete overhaul.” Devan stated bluntly.

     Laney
lips pressed together tightly, her green eyes narrowed in indignation. “I’m
sure it’s not that bad.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

     Devan
took a deep breath to tell her just how bad it really was, from the supports down
to the last screw loose, when suddenly he became aware of a particular scent in
the air. Every individual has a particular, individualized scent; their own
fingerprint smell, and Devan had smelled this one before.

    
Jarrod
!

     The
heavy cologne smell was also a dead giveaway. Devan’s muscles tensed
instinctively and he looked around quickly scanning the area. Had Jarrod
followed them from the social gathering? Devan couldn’t see any sign of him
anywhere, but he had been here recently.

    
Devan’s perimeter check drifted past his jeep and he noticed a slight tilt to
the vehicle. Looking down Devan noted that his passenger back tire was flat.

     It
appeared Jarrod had been busy. 

     “What
is it? What do you see?”

     Devan
swiveled his gaze back to Laney. She was staring intently into the forest in
the same direction his gaze had been focused. She wouldn’t be able to see the
jeep from this distance in the dark with the brush, but she appeared to be
trying her hardest.

     “I
thought I saw something, but it was nothing.” Devan explained attempting to
appear unconcerned.

     Laney
turned to look at him, her eyes shadowed with skepticism. “Are you sure,
because your expression was quite fierce?”

    
Devan’s eyes moved over Laney’s face. A deep desire to linger on each aspect of
her features was almost a compulsion, one he forcibly controlled.

    
"I’m sure,” he assured her, doing his best to keep his tone level when the
emotions rolling through him were anything but. “We should probably get going.”

     Devan
headed for the jeep without waiting for a response. This incident with the tire
put things in a new perspective. Jarrod’s behavior had just been an annoyance
before, but now that it had escalated to property damage it was much more
serious. If Jarrod continued it would bring too much attention upon Devan,
especially if his actions did something that involved the authorities…that was
something that needed to be avoided at all cost.

     A
re-evaluation of the situation was required…and the thought of it bit deeply.

CHAPTER TEN

     Laney
raised her eyebrows at Devan’s back and followed after him, trying to keep up
with his long strides. He was the moodiest person she’d ever come across; worse
than a girl on her period without access to chocolate. That didn’t alter her
feelings about him though. He was a walking conundrum, and what teenage girl
could turn away from that.

    
However, it wasn’t just the mystery surrounding him like a mantle that was
holding her attention. That wasn’t what was causing her heart to race whenever
she saw him, or the warmth that suffused her body whenever he was close. And
when they had touched...WOW! That was just Devan all by himself.

     Laney
was having a hard time reading him though. He was so expressionless at times,
and with those glasses it was doubly difficult. Sometimes it would seem like he
was feeling something for her, but then he would throw up this wall. Laney kept
reminding herself that it was too soon to be feeling the intense emotions she
was experiencing toward Devan, but you couldn’t really control feelings. They
didn’t work on the same wavelengths as reasoning.

     They
walked up to the jeep and Devan halted in front of the passenger door. She thought
he was going to be the gentlemen and open the door for her, but instead he
stood there looking down at the tire.

     “I
have a flat tire.”

     Laney
stepped up beside him. “You sure do.” And not just a little flat; this was
sitting on the rim.    

    
Looking up at Devan she saw that he was expressionless again. His tone when
stating he had a flat had been as flat as the tire they were standing in front
of. He didn’t seem surprised, frustrated, or even angry. Laney thoughts flashed
briefly to his concentration on this area just minutes ago, but nooo…they had
been too far away for him to see a flat tire.

     Her
thoughts then flashed back to Johnny’s disappearance, the mountain lion, his
certainty on the bridges unstableness, and his oh-so-fast reflexes. Was she
reading too much into these incidents?

     Devan
moved around to the hatch of the jeep. 

     “I am
so sorry, Devan.” Laney apologized walking around with him.  

    
Devan’s head whipped her way. Was that surprise on his face?

     “What
are you sorry for?” He asked.

    
“Well, I’m the one that dragged you out here. You most likely ran over
something on the way here that caused it.”   

     “If
my tire couldn’t handle a ride down a dirt road than it probably wouldn’t have lasted
very long on my road.” Devan stated matter-of-factly. Opening the back he took
out the jack and tire iron, and then had the spare tire detached from the back
door in seconds.

     “Do
you need help with anything?” Laney offered, sidling up next to him as he knelt
down by the passenger tire. He had the jack under the jeep and had jacked it up
several inches already. He then went to work on the lug nuts, spinning the tire
iron like it was greased and on speed. It made an almost invisible blur through
the air.

     Devan
switched his attention to her, a frown pleating his forehead. “Uhh...”

     “How
about I hold the lug nuts for you?” Laney offered, holding out her hand for the
first one, since he had it off already. He could get a job on a NASCAR pit crew
with how fast he’d jacked up the jeep and started on that tire. 

     He
looked at the lug nut then at her hand. “Uh…sure. Thanks,” he said, dropping
the lug nut in her palm. Four more followed in record time. Laney reevaluated
her view; those NASCAR pit crews had nothing on Devan.

     Devan
lifted the tire off the hub like it weighed nothing, set it aside, and moved
the spare in its place.

     “Just
how many tires have you changed in your life?” Laney asked, holding out one of
the nuts. She couldn’t help admiring the muscle definition standing out on his
bicep and forearm as he worked. Her fingers itched to touch.

     Devan
gave a small shrug. “A few.” The nut she had given him was already on. Laney
held out two more. He used both hands to affix them. Ambidextrous much. She
plopped the last two nuts in his palms.

     “A few…hundred?...thousand?”
Laney quipped.

     The
tire iron spun again through the air making a small breeze that ruffled his
hair. “No, just a few.”

     Laney
smirked at his mater-of-fact response; it was just so adorable.

     Devan
abruptly shot to his feet holding the damaged tire in one hand and the jack and
tire iron in the other. Laney involuntarily took a step back because he was
just so dang large and imposing.

     He
set everything in the back of the jeep, and Laney took note that not too many people
could lug around a jeep tire one handed that high, especially a teenager, with
so little effort. Not a grunt or a grimace.

     Devan
glance up at the sky. “Do you want me to take you back to the party, or take
you home?”

     Laney
frowned at Devan’s stilted tone. “If you could take me home that would be
great. I’m on the way to your house so it’s not out of the way.”

    
“Okay.” He walked around to the driver’s side.

    
Laney’s frowned deepened at Devan’s attitude. She was becoming used to his
short responses and serious manner, but the tone he was using now seemed
distant and cold. Climbing into the passenger side Laney fastened her seat belt
and gave him an apologetic smile.

     “I’d
like to give you some money to pay for a new tire, since it was my idea to come
out here.”

     Devan
started the jeep, a frown lining his forehead. “It was no fault of yours that
my tire obtained a flat.” He did a tight u-turn having no problem maneuvering in
the small space.

     Laney
was picking up some grim undercurrents in the air and she didn’t understand how
it could be just from a flat tire. “Well, I’m feeling a little responsible and
awful that you’re going to have to pay for a new tire.”

    
“Money is not a problem.”

     Laney
rolled her eyes at Devan’s comment. “You could be a millionaire, and I would
still want to give you something.”

     Devan
was carefully navigating the dirt road. “What I meant was the tire is not
damaged. There was something wrong with the valve stem.”

     Laney
was stumped. “Oh…well that’s good.” Why was he in such a grim mood then?

     Devan
turned right at the main road. It was weird seeing someone drive in the dark
with sunglasses on. He stared straight ahead in silence.

     “A
dollar for your thoughts?” Laney asked just to break the silence. It was
starting to feel uncomfortable.

     “I
thought it was ‘a penny for your thoughts’?”

    
“Inflation…and I don’t want your thoughts to seem cheap or anything.” Laney
teased, trying to lighten the dour atmosphere.

     Laney
detected a slight indecision to Devan’s manner. His head turned her way
slightly like he was looking at her out of the corner of his eye but then it
slanted forward.

     “I
was thinking it’s too bad I couldn’t stay here in Silverton, and that I’m going
to be sorry to leave.”

    
Laney’s heart skipped a beat…or stopped. “Leaving!” Okay, that might have been a
little too screechy. Trying to moderate her tone Laney continued. “You just
moved here. Why would you be leaving already?” Each sentence came out in a
halting breath.

    
“We’ll probably stay until the end of the school year; another month or so. I
was just thinking that it wouldn’t be fair to your father to take that tour
position for such a short time, so I’m going to rescind my application of
employment. I hope I didn’t waste too much of his time.”

    
Laney’s throat felt like it was closing up. Blinking hard and breathing jerkily
through her nose Laney reminded herself that she had only known Devan for two
days, scant hours, there was no reason to be feeling this way. But, again,
feelings had their own zip codes sometimes.

     “Why
would you move here for only a few months?”   

    
Devan’s hand lifted to his sunglasses, fiddled with them for a second, and then
removed them, setting them in the empty cup holder. Laney couldn’t stop herself
from staring intently at his the side of his face, waiting for him to turn
toward her. He didn’t however.

    
Laney’s gaze fell to Devan’s lips when he started talking again. The skin
around them was tight and the muscles in his jaw were moving like he was
grinding his teeth. “My uncle has decided to come out of retirement and might
be accepting a job in Atlanta.”

     Laney’s
heart pinched painfully at the thought of him moving so far away. “I’m sure my
dad would appreciate the help until he can find another candidate.” She said
desperately. This was probably…most likely…not true, because it would just
cause her dad more work in training one person and then having to train another
when Devan left. Laney blatantly disregarded that fact though.

    
“Actually, it is more cost effect for your father not to hire me.” Devan
refuted neutrally.

     Jeez,
it was like he was reading her mind, but then Laney should have realized that
Devan would know all about job effectiveness. He’d already displayed that he
wasn’t just another pretty face.

     Could
he have sounded like he could care less about the entire situation though?
Laney thought they had had a real moment at the river back there, but it
appeared not…at least for Devan.  

     A car
was coming from the other direction, its headlights shining in through the
front glass. Devan brought his hand up as if the light was too bright; his eyes
were narrowed as though in discomfort. 

     “The
next driveway on the left is mine.” Laney pointed up ahead. She could hear the
hurt and bewilderment in her voice and hoped Devan couldn’t hear it. The last
thing she wanted was to sound like a pathetic fool.

     Laney’s
house was set off the road about fifty yards. It was a two story log cabin with
a wrap around porch that had been built sixty some years ago by her grandpa Jennings.
Over time they had cleared away many of the trees to expand the yard.

     A
single porch light was on and the flickering glow of the television could be
seen through the front window. Laney knew her dad would have heard the engine
of the jeep and would assume it was her coming home from the party. He would
take for granted that it was Hali dropping her off, but if he came to the
window he would receive quite a surprise, because not only wasn’t it Hali, but
it was a boy.

     No
boy had ever brought Laney home after one of the parties, not even Jarrod,
because Laney had never been given the green light to date. Not that she ever
had the inclination to date anyone from her school. Laney had grown up with all
of them and not one of them had sent her heart into palpitations.

    Not
until an overly tall…

    Extremely
puzzling…

    Particularly
aggravating, and somewhat endearing, male came to town…

    Got
her heart palpitating...

     And
then planned to leave, screwing everything up.

     Laney
felt like she was going to cry, but she wasn’t going to allow herself to be
turned inside out on account of a guy she’d just met.

    
“Should I come in and tell your father?”Devan inquired.

     Laney
wanted to hit him for how polite and remote he sounded, instead her grip
tightened on the door handle ready to make a jump for it as he pulled up to her
porch. “No, I can tell him. He will be disappointed because I could tell he
really liked you and appreciated your skills.” Laney tried to scoot forward and
realized her seatbelt was still buckled. That would have been mortifying,
trying to jump from the jeep with it was still attached. Unlatching it quickly she
went for the door again.

    
“Thank you.”

     The
words and the gravelly tenor of Devan’s voice had Laney’s hand freezing on the
lever. Looking back over her shoulder Laney found herself pinned to the spot by
Devan’s gaze. He was looking right at her—finally—with those amazing eyes of
his. Amazing eyes that she was still unable to see because of the dim lighting,
but to at last have eye to eye contact with him was incredible. She might not
be able to read what was going on in those eyes, but she could feel something
being conveyed by his body language.

     What
did he mean with that ‘thank you’? It seemed to express a lot.

    
Because touch was inherent to Laney she reached out before even realizing it
and laid a hand on Devan’s arm. The arm tensed but didn’t flinch away, and
Laney felt a shot of joy that he allowed her contact when she had just begun to
sense that he hadn’t been flinching away from her touch specifically, he just
wasn’t comfortable with the whole concept of touching.

     And
that thought brought a whole new sense of sadness for him.