“Yes, of course, come in,” she managed in a choked voice, and somehow getting her feet to move out of his way.
Her heart hammered as he moved with easy grace into the house, his shoulder briefly brushed against hers. A tremor raced through her, causing her heart to lurch, and her body to hum with electricity once more. His powerful frame seemed to take up the entire foyer, her entire world. Fascination seized her as he ran an elegant hand through his damp hair, shaking the rain from it. Melissa nudged her, her eyes wide as she nodded slightly toward the kitchen in an attempt to make Cassie at least act somewhat normal.
“Do you want something to eat, or drink?” Cassie asked quickly, a little too quickly as she realized she sounded like a complete idiot. His close proximity was shaking her to the core though.
“No, thank you.”
She nodded, her gaze darted to Melissa. She didn’t know what to say or do. “Hey, grab me a Coke!” Chris shouted down the steps, apparently on commercial break.
“Please!” Melissa yelled back.
“Please!”
“I’ll get it.” Melissa headed for the kitchen, leaving the two of them painfully alone.
Cassie shifted uncomfortably, fidgeting nervously with the edge of her shirt. “You won’t get in trouble for leaving school will you?” she asked softly.
He shrugged absently. “It’s worth it to make sure that you’re ok.”
Cassie hated the heat that flooded her face, but she could not stop the fire that burned over her skin. “We were uh just watching TV and hanging out,” she managed to stammer out. “Do you want to join us?”
He grinned at her, his dimples flashed as his head cocked slightly to the side. “Sure.”
His gaze roamed over the house as she led him up the stairs. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears, her throat was dry as excitement and terror tore through her in equal waves. The heat of his body was fierce in the small confines of the stairwell. It burned through her clothes, heating her to the core of her being.
Chris did not look up as she pushed the door open, his attention was still riveted on the TV. “Who was it?” he muttered, shoving a handful of chips into his mouth.
Cassie shook her head at him in disbelief. He was like a zombie when TV and food were involved. He didn’t even sense a new presence in the room. “It’s Devon.”
He turned slowly toward them, his eyes widened in startled disbelief. “Hey,” he greeted dully.
Devon nodded to him as his gaze ran over Cassie’s room. She glanced around, her eyes darting over her mahogany dresser with its assortment of jewelry boxes, knickknacks, and hair care products. The only thing decorating her cream colored walls was a picture of her parents. It hung above an overstuffed armchair next to the window that Chris climbed through. On the other side of the window were two large bookcases stuffed full of books neatly organized alphabetically. The nightstand, beside her queen sized sleigh bed, held only an alarm clock.
For the first time she noticed how sparse it was, how much it did not look like a normal teen’s room with all the cluster, posters, and chaos that were usually present. Then again, she was anything but a normal teen. She looked back at him, not at all surprised to find his steady gaze focused upon her once more. She couldn’t stop the blush burning into the roots of her hair.
“Here you go.” Melissa breezed into the room; she tossed a can of Coke to Chris, who was still staring at Devon in disbelief.
Melissa plopped onto the bed and drew her legs up beneath her. “Do you want to sit?” Cassie asked Devon softly.
Melissa scooted over on the bed, making room for him as he sat on the edge of it. Cassie’s heart fluttered, a strange sensation took over. She had never had a boy in her room before, unless she counted Chris, which she didn’t. And Devon was most certainly not a boy, or at least not like any boy she had ever known.
“You like this show?” Chris asked Devon.
Devon turned slowly away from her, his forehead furrowed slightly as he watched the ship battling the fierce weather and sea. “Never seen it.”
“Oh, you’re in for a treat then, this show is the best!” Chris said eagerly, thrusting the bag of chips at Devon which he politely waved away. Apparently watching TV was Chris’s favorite way to bond.
“Looks interesting,” Devon replied. “Are you going to sit?”
Cassie’s eyes widened as he patted the spot beside him on the bed. She glanced wildly at Melissa, but her friend was watching TV, an annoyingly bright smile on her face. There would be no hope from her, and Chris was already engrossed in the program again. Moving stiffly, she perched gingerly on the corner of the bed, unable to fully relax with him only tantalizing inches from her.
Her hands clenched upon her legs, her fingers dug into her jeans. She could feel the strength of his aura. Unknowingly she leaned closer to him, a current shooting through her as they touched briefly. His fingers intertwined with hers, locking tight as he pulled her hand into his lap.
She glanced up at him, her mouth parting as she found his emerald eyes on her. She knew that she try and slow her involvement with him, but she could not bring herself to move away, could not bring herself to put any distance between them again. She was mesmerized by him, enchanted like a cobra under the snake charmer’s spell.
Resting her head on his shoulder, she fully resigned herself to the fact that she was not going to be able to stay away from him. She could not stand to part with him for more than a few hours, never mind the rest of her short life. She would just have to make sure that she kept him safe. That they all kept him protected from the dangers and brutality of their world. She did not kid herself into thinking it would be easy.
CHAPTER 12
Cassie sucked on the end of her straw, pulling the thick shake through it as she studied the group gathered around the picnic tables. The crowded area was loud as kids shouted, laughed, and threw things at one another. The football team had won their game tonight and it seemed that the entire school had turned out to celebrate.
Chris shifted slightly beside her, his large body was crammed into the tiny corner they had managed to snag. “Freaking mad house,” he muttered.
“It’s because you guys are so great, you should be happy,” Melissa told him.
He rolled his eyes, but they gleamed with pride. Though he tried to play it off like it was no big deal, he loved being the star of the team. Cassie’s gaze scanned the crowd as she waited impatiently for Devon to arrive. He hadn’t been able to make it to the football game, but he’d said he would be here.