Summer's Desire (33 page)

His massive frame shudders on a surge of
powerful emotion and curls impossibly snugger around me.

In the quiet, I only feel his heartbeat
beneath my cheek, strong and steady. In the quiet, the question starts banging
inside my head again—the question that's been stuck in my throat all evening.
The question I'm too much of a coward to ask him.

Seth, when you asked Greg to go along
with our decision to live together... why did you say "until August"?
Because that's when you'll be leaving for college? Because you already know
that's when you'll be living me behind?

So that's all the time you asked from
Greg, to be with me?

When we found out the truth about the
past and we reconciled... I knew from the start that my new happiness was
living on borrowed time.

And now I've just had its expiration
date confirmed.

Chapter 24

We've reached Rockford High and Seth's
just finished parking his BMW. In an unwelcome replay of Friday morning, the
school's parking lot and front lawn are filled with students, and we're already
attracting a lot of attention.

At least this time I don't look like a
frump.

Earlier this morning, I put on some
mascara, which makes my light-colored eyelashes seem longer and my eyes more
interesting, the green flecks in my hazel iris more pronounced. I also tried to
put on a bit of eye-shadow and use the eyeliner, but that turned into a
complete disaster, making me look like a raccoon, so I ended up washing off the
entire mess in the bathroom. I'll need to ask Dana to teach me how to do my
makeup since I obviously can't crack its subtleties by myself. Until then, I'll
be sticking to mascara and clear lip gloss only, thank you very much.

As for my clothes: I have my gray ripped
jeans on, which look almost as good on me as my skinny ones. I'm wearing a
white gauzy undershirt beneath a rose blouse with boat neckline, tight waist,
and bell-like sleeves. I also have my gray coat on, unbelted.

Still, feeling so many eyes on me when I
haven't even alighted from the car yet, makes me want to disappear into my
seat. My proclivity for making myself invisible has become almost instinct
after the past five years, and being the center of everyone's attention instead
makes me break out into a cold sweat.

Seth slips his key out of the ignition
and turns to me. Clasping my left hand, he starts to stroke the inner surface
of my wrist with his thumb.

"Why are you so nervous?"

"I'm not," I squeak, trying to
ignore his sensual touch which is already setting excitement to simmering low
in my belly. Sweet goodness, this boy has utterly ruined me! He's only touching
my wrist, for crying out loud, and I already want to jump him!

"Sunny, in case you haven't figured
it out yet after our many years together, let me tell you now: you can't lie to
me worth a damn. So I'm asking again: why are you so nervous?"

His question distracts me from my
lustful thoughts, at least.

"Well, of course I'm anxious!
Everyone will be throwing me nasty looks and whispering about me like on last
Friday. You have no idea how awful it was after you absconded from the parking
lot!"

His blue eyes glitter apologetically.
"I'm sorry about Friday. Leaving you like that was really crass. But I had
to leave so I could cool off."

I scowl at him. "Yeah, I remember
that you couldn't get away from me fast enough."

"Sunny," he tells me with a
light squeeze of my wrist, "it'll be different today. I won't leave your
side. Trust me?"

I sigh, resigned. "Let's just go
and get this over with."

He leans down for a searing kiss, and I
savor the brief but oh-so-delicious contact. He's stealing my lip gloss but I
don't care, and anyway, my lips will still be wet and glistening after we
finish. Our mouths separate at last, then he gets out of the car and goes round
toward my door.

Okay, calm yourself, Summer!
Surely there's
no reason for panicking. I don't think Seth's fangirls will tear all your hair from
the roots for taking Seth off the market... They'll probably leave you with a
few single strands.

I quickly make sure that my ponytail is
secure. It is, but maybe the couple of curly tendrils I left free at the side
of my face to look pretty weren't the best idea. Oh well, at least I'm starting
out with a nice hairdo before I eventually lose my hair and, most likely, have
my eyes scratched out.

Seth has already opened my door and is
waiting patiently for me. After another deep breath I alight from the car at
last. I fasten and belt my coat, then I clasp his outstretched hand, and
together we walk toward the school entrance.

All the students in the area turn to
look at us like a single body, eyes narrowing on our holding hands. The
whispers, like a swarm of crazed bees, start immediately.

Seth doesn't react to this at all. I'm
certain he hasn't missed even the smallest detail of everything that's
happening—even when we were children, he was always vigilant and aware of his
surroundings, and I've noticed this hasn't changed in the slightest now that
he's grown up; if anything, his constant alertness seems to have intensified—yet
at the same time he seems completely focused on me.

"What do you have for your first
class?" he asks me.

"Honors English with Mrs. Roberts.
What about you?

"I've got Homeroom this morning."

"Seth, I have to make a stop by my
locker to get some books. Gosh, am I glad that I've kept all my school stuff
here, or Jessica would have destroyed it too."

His hand tightens on me for a moment,
then relaxes. "Yes, that was a stroke of luck. I'll walk you to your
locker."

The students around us seem like an
endless, churning sea parting to let us through, all of them watching us with
expressions ranging from bewilderment to outright shock and, in the case of many
girls, envy and resentment—aimed at me, of course.
Well, resent me all you
want, gals, but he's mine now and I don't plan on letting him go.

Unbelievably, as Seth and I are walking
together
,
a few shameless vixens actually dare to sashay up to him with flirty smiles. My
boy cuts them off with a single deadly glare. Oh, and there are even a couple
of guys who seem to be eyeing
me
lustfully. Am I seeing this right? Yes,
I am. Oh, lordy!

Undiscriminating bunnies, indeed! Last
Friday I didn't even register on their (attractive) girl radar. Then today,
they're checking me out like there's no tomorrow. I suppose this is typical
teenage male behavior? Show them boys a pair of legs and a butt displayed to
advantage in tight jeans, and let them figure out that you actually have a
waist and breasts underneath your clothes—and they turn to idiots? Hopefully,
they'll grow out of it in time.

I mean, Seth is a hundred times more
subtle (and sensually lethal) than all these green high school kids put
together. He's the same physical age as they are, but in experience and self-control
he's light-years ahead.

What sets him aside from the regular
crowd is, I think, to a great extent just his basic personality—so forceful and
self-assured. Of course, his life experiences have also shaped him greatly.
Seth was acting like a wise little old man even at seven years of age. He
hasn't had an easy life, and it shows in his exceptional maturity.

And speaking of Seth's forceful
character... He's definitely disgruntled at the male attention that's newly
focused on me. As we're walking through the crowded hallways, he lets go of my
hand in favor of wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me possessively
into his side. When I look up at him, I see him aiming some truly chilling
stares at the most overtly lustful boys. Confronted with Seth's (even if I do say
so myself) awesomely forbidding  glower, the poor fools all pale dramatically,
swallow nervously, and quickly look away.

I stifle a very satisfied smile before
it shows on my face, but on the inside I'm doing a victory jig. Heavens, I know
it's terrible of me to feel this way, but I'm
delighted
that he's
jealous. God knows,
I
am definitely jealous with him, and the fact that
Seth apparently feels the same way about me seems like a balancing of scales.

Having at last reached my locker, I
retrieve my books, and Seth insists on carrying them. In the hallway in front
of my classroom, he leans into me and gives me a fleeting kiss. Then, handing
me my books: "See you after class, baby."

I smile at him and enter the classroom,
ignoring all the astonished/resentful/admiring glances directed at me. I take
my seat next to Marcie who, judging by her frozen expression, has also seen me
with Seth through the open door.

"Good morning," I greet her
carefully.

Her face gradually thaws into a cautious
smile. "Hello. Summer, you look amazing today! I really love what you're
wearing."

"Thanks." I grin a little at
the sincere compliment.

She shakes her head. "And here I
was thinking that the ruckus you caused on Friday was the most excitement I'd see
in pretty much all my high school career. Talk about naive, right? 'Cause today
there's gonna be mayhem the likes of which R.-High has never seen before, I'm
sure."

I scoff. "Jeez, Marcie, you're
making me sound as if I'm an agent of chaos."

She raises her eyebrows. "Uh... you
can't deny that you've been here less than three weeks and you've already caused
a huge hullabaloo."
Hullabaloo?
How does she come up with these
words? "As for what I just saw... Trust me, that'll shake up the very
foundation of R.-High."

"But Marcie, I'm not the one at the
center of turmoil! Seth is. Obviously, if Seth weren't so well-known or popular
or whatever, we wouldn't be having these problems. And anyway, it was just a
little peck."

She gives me a pitying look. "Umm...
it wasn't the peck. That was really kinda tame for Seth; he's been seen giving
much heavier smooches to girls." I scowl at her, but she continues,
undeterred: "But he's never been seen"—she starts counting on her
fingers—"holding hands with a girl, carrying her stuff, and walking her to
her class. You still wanna tell me there's nothing between you?"

I swallow, a bit nervous. "He's my
boyfriend." And it's a little scary how much I love saying those words.

She gives a bark of laughter. "Wow,
that's so funny! Oh, Summer, you're a hoot!"

I stare at her.

"You mean it wasn't a joke?"
She appears shocked. "Oh crapety, I'm so sorry, Summer. I wasn't laughing
at you!"

"Why were you laughing then?"

"Well, just the idea that Seth
I've-never-been-in-a-committed-relationship-and-really-wouldn't-know-the-meaning-of-commitment-even-if-it-came-and-bit-me-in-my-perfectly-shaped-behind
Lewis has gone and made you his girlfriend, just two flipping weeks after you
arrived in town, is mind-boggling—you have to agree. How in the world did you
two get together? Before Friday, you were never even seen
talking
in
school!"

What total bullshit! Seth absolutely
knows the meaning of commitment: in all our years together, he's always been
there for me, caring and protective, and he's never once broken a promise to
me. That he has obviously never wanted to commit to any
other
girl,
however... that makes me fiercely glad.

But how to answer Marcie's question
about how Seth and I became a couple? "It's a long story."

"And you don't wanna share it with
me," she says quietly, correctly interpreting my closed-off expression.
"I kinda already got that impression when you didn't show up at lunch on
Friday, and then ran from Dana and me after Chemistry like you were Speedy
Gonzales." She sounds... hurt. Not because she doesn't get to hear the
gossip, but because I don't trust her.

I instantly feel guilty. She's a nice
girl and she's been kind to me from the start.

"I'm sorry, Marcie, it's just that
I'm not very good at being someone's friend. Seth and I... we have a very
complicated history. But I'll tell you what I can of it, okay?" I give her
a small smile, and she instantly grins back, full of joy. Heavens, she's so
easy to please.

The teacher arrives and class starts,
and I whisper to Marcie that we'll talk at lunch.

* * *

The hours fly by quickly.

Seth meets me after each class, takes my
books and accompanies me, my hand wrapped in his, to my next class. He always
leaves me with a light kiss on the lips. The stares and whispers get
progressively worse.

Also, at one point, something odd
happens.

We're walking to my Algebra 2 class when
a lanky, tattooed guy with baggy jeans, lots of chains, and spiky hair crosses
our path and brushes against Seth's free side. In a blink, I see a little black
object changing hands, from the lanky guy to Seth, who immediately slips it
into his pocket. This honestly happens so very fast that I would never have
noticed it if I hadn't already been watching the guy—because in a sea of
gawking faces, he had been the only one not staring at me and Seth.