V is for Virgin (34 page)

“Told you so,” Russ said smugly.

“I don’t get it. This shouldn’t be working.”

“Maybe the Jell-o knew my birthday present would be totally lame if it didn’t work.”

After a minute the pool was completely jelled, so Russ stripped down to his swim trunks and sat on the edge of the pool. Slowly, he stuck his feet into the goopy mixture and frowned. “This feels pretty nasty.”

I stuck my feet over the side of the pool and wrinkled my nose. “Slimy,” I agreed.

“And sticky,” Russ complained.

“At least it’s warm.”

“Yeah,” Russ said, fighting a laugh. “That’s why I picked this pool. It’s the only heated one in town.”

“How very insightful of you. I thought you picked it because Brad is a prick.”

“Happy coincidence,” Russ said with an innocent shrug. “And I swear I don’t know anything about his big pool party on Saturday.”

We had a good laugh and then I swirled my feet around once more. “It kind of tickles.”

“It’s gross. You sure you want to go all the way in?”

“Of course!” I said. “It’s not every day your best friend magically fulfills one of your life-long wishes.”

I couldn’t understand the look I got from Russ just then, but he stared at me long enough to make me feel nervous. “What if I could?” he asked suddenly.

“Could what?”

“Magically make all your wishes come true.”

I laughed at the thought. “Yeah, that’s all I’d need. I’m spoiled enough as it is. Besides, if wishes came true every day they wouldn’t be magical anymore. Nope, once in a lifetime’s good enough for me. Now come on, I’ll race you to the other end!”

As sticky, and slimy, and even kind of, well, extremely disgusting as it was, swimming in a giant pool of jell-o was seriously one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my life. But it was definitely a one-time thing, and after about fifteen minutes I was more than ready to call it quits. I climbed out of the pool and was so sticky that the thought of wrapping myself in a towel was too unappealing despite how cold it was outside.

“Let’s rinse off in the hot tub,” Russ suggested.

“Ooh, good idea.”

I didn’t wait for Russ. I practically dove into the hot tub and scrubbed my hair beneath the water. Once the slimy coating was washed off my skin I sat back and enjoyed the heat and bubbles. I closed my eyes and sighed.

“We should make spa-hopping a weekly occurrence.”

Of course, I quickly changed my mind when Russ slipped into the water with me and I nearly reached out to touch him.

Seriously, what was wrong with me lately? It’s not like I was surprised by the way he looks without a shirt on. We’d spent most of the summer at the lake together. I knew he kept in shape. So why did I suddenly wish he hadn’t sat all the way across the hot tub from me? Why did I have a desire to climb in his lap and lean against his bare chest?

I felt myself starting to blush so I closed my eyes again and tried to pretend he wasn’t there. “Seriously Russ, you’ve outdone yourself this year. Thank you. Best birthday present ever.”

“Really? So then I didn’t need to get you this?”

I opened my eyes and Russ handed me another present. This one was just as beautifully wrapped but smaller and way, way lighter. “What’s this for?”

“You didn’t think I was only going to give you a bag of Jell-o for your birthday, did you? I’m way smoother than that.”

“You gave me a lot more than just a bag of Jell-o and you know it.”

Russ shrugged like it was no big deal, even though we both knew it was. “Yeah, well, now I’m giving you that, so shut up and open it.”

“Yes, sir,” I teased with a mock salute and happily tore off the wrapping.

I was surprised to find a rectangular box covered in black crushed velvet. It was too big to hold a ring or a bracelet, but it was definitely a jewelry box.

“Russell Alexander Devereaux, what did you do?”

I was only teasing. I fully expected to open the box and find, knowing Russ, a lock of his hair that I was supposed to treasure for eternity or something like that. But when I looked up I saw a flash of insecurity in his all too confident eyes.

“Just open it,” he said. He tried to sound playful but his voice shook the slightest bit and he couldn’t fool me.

Suddenly afraid to look, I swallowed back a lump in my throat and pulled open the box. “Russ!” I gasped.

The necklace was absolutely breathtaking. It was Victorian-style—with turquoise beads sown intricately into silver chains. A large turquoise crystal cut into the shape of a teardrop dangled delicately from the center. It looked like it was hundreds of years old and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“It was my mother’s,” Russ said. “My father gave it to her after they were married, and he gave it to me after she left. It’s been handed down in our family for generations.”

“Very funny.”

When I looked up there wasn’t a hint of play anywhere on Russ’s face. It may have been the first time I’d ever seen him one hundred percent serious.

My face went white. “I can’t accept this.”

I tried to hand him the box and he pushed it back at me. “I told Dad I wanted to give it to you, and he agreed that I should.”

“But it was your mother’s. It’s an heirloom. This should stay in your family.”

“You’ve been my best friend since we were riding tricycles and making mud pies. I want you to have it.”

I looked down at the necklace again and my eyes burned. “I—I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Russ.”

As I stared at the jewelry, awestruck, Russ crossed the hot tub to sit next to me. And I mean like right next to me. His closeness made me shiver.

“Dani, there’s something I have to talk to you about.”

My head snapped up. First the private birthday celebration, then the necklace, and now the soft tone in his voice? None of this was right. None of this was like Russ.

Call me crazy, but it felt like he was about to cross a boundary he’d never dared breech before. He’d never even seemed like he’d wanted to breech it, but right now he was all up in my personal space like nobody’s business.

Russ picked up my hand, and before I had anytime to analyze that I was overcome with a strange sensation. The hand holding mine was warm, more warm than any hand had a right to be. It felt like it was sending fire through my body.

“Dani?” Russ asked suddenly. “Is everything okay? You look like you’re about to pass out.”

“I’m fine,” I said, though my breath was ragged. Something was definitely off, but I couldn’t tell what exactly was happening to me.

I put my hands to my head so Russ wouldn’t have the chance to be offended that I’d ripped my fingers from his. “It’s just a headache. I haven’t been feeling all that well for the last couple weeks, but I’m okay.”

“A couple weeks? Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?”

“Because it hasn’t been that bad. I’m fine, I promise. I’m already feeling better.” That wasn’t completely true, but I plastered a smile on my face anyway. “Now, what were you saying? You wanted to tell me something?”

Russ seemed to remember himself and took a deep breath. “You’re my best friend,” he said.

It sounded like the beginning of a rehearsed speech. That meant this was serious news.

“Duh…” I agreed slowly. My voice betrayed how nervous I was.

Russ shifted uneasily next to me and said, “And because you’re my best friend, there’s something I can’t hide from you anymore. But before I tell you what it is, you have to promise you’re not going to freak out.”

I sucked in a breath. “He is!” my brain screamed at me. “He’s making a move!”

Was I ready for that? If he told me he wanted more than friendship, could I give it to him? Could I kiss him and keep a straight face? Could he?

Terror seized my chest, making me unable to breathe. And yet… maybe it wasn’t fear causing my pulse to race. I couldn’t deny the things I’d been feeling lately. Still. I had no idea how to respond. “Um...”

Russ took my hand again, and I did my best to ignore the strange connection between us. I wondered if he felt it too.

“Dani, I…”

Love you
…

I waited with wide eyes, holding my breath for Russ to spit it out. He looked completely terrified. Which, lets just say, is not a look you often see on Russ Devereaux.

It was surprisingly nice that he was drawing this out because the suspense was making me realize just how much I wanted to hear him say it. Maybe this was a good thing. Maybe it would be perfect. I mean he was my best friend. Who better than him to be my first boyfriend?

“You…?” I prompted.

Russ broke into a sweat and I don’t think it was from the heat of the water. He took a deep breath and blurted, “DaniI’mawarlock.”

“Huh?” I had no idea what he’d just said, but I was pretty sure it wasn’t, “Dani I’m in love with you and want to be more than just your friend from now on.”

“I’m a warlock,” he said again—very slowly this time.

Okay, definitely not, “Dani I’m in love with you and want to be more than just your friend from now on.”

Was he joking? Or did he just chicken out? Because the panic I saw in his eyes a minute ago was completely real. But, “I’m a warlock?”

Seriously, WTF?

There was literally no way I could respond to such a statement. Like none. I know because I sat there for a really long time trying to come up with a reaction and simply couldn’t. Eventually Russ just had to start talking again.

“Supernatural beings, like the kind you read about in books—witches, vampires, werewolves—they’re real. And I’m one of them. I’m a warlock, Dani. I have magic. My dad, too.”

Okay, so he was crazy. My best friend had snapped his cap. I remembered the fire I felt when he touched me and immediately plastered my hand to his forehead. Again I was met with an overwhelming sensation. He was definitely radiating something warm and tingly. It didn’t exactly feel like a raging fever, but it was enough explanation for me.

“We need to get you home,” I told him. “You feel way too hot. I think meningitis is supposed to make you delusional and that can kill you.”

“I’m not sick, Dani.”

Russ covered my hand with his and moved it from his forehead to the side of his face. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and shuddered. There was something in the gesture that made goose bumps form all over me—something that leaned me back toward my first theory of Russ wanting to up the stakes in our relationship.

Apparently he was just too big a wuss to say it.

“I know I sound crazy but—”

“Crazy?” I asked with an incredulous laugh. “You don’t sound crazy. You sound like a moron!”

Russ flinched when I yelled. I didn’t mean to lose my temper, but I was surprisingly upset. I could have just called him out and forced him to admit he had feelings for me. Then I could have told him I was interested and ended the most romantic birthday of my life having my first make-out session in a freaking hot tub. But excuse me for having a little dignity and wanting my potential boyfriend to have the balls to make the first move.

“After everything you’ve done tonight to make this the most perfect birthday I’ve ever had, you’re really going to ruin it now?”

“I’m not trying to ruin it!” Russ snapped.

“Then stop being a coward and just say what you really want to say!”

Russ had the strangest look on his face. It was a little bit confusion and a lot frustration, but also, I swear there was disappointment mixed in there as well.

We sat there in the most uncomfortable silence as he searched for something to say, and were both extremely startled when the back porch lights of Brad’s house flicked on. “Who’s out there?” Mr. Halloway shouted. “I’m calling the sheriff!”

Russ and I scrambled as silently as we could for our clothes and then bailed before Brad thought to set his dog loose on us. It looked like my birthday celebration was over. Not exactly the way I’d envisioned the night ending, but considering it was us, not that surprising, either.

I just hoped that by the time I saw Russ at school in a few hours he’d have realized what a tool he was and manned up, because the minute we went our separate ways I got this really strange ache inside me. I missed him the second he was gone and knew that I didn’t just maybe want him. I really wanted him.

Chameleon (Supernaturals #1) coming summer 2013!

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