At First Touch (14 page)

“Here, I’ll put it in the trunk.” I handed the duffel bag to her and said I’d be right out. Giving Koko a quick pat on the head, I added to Dad’s note on the kitchen table, telling him I had gone and would call him like we talked about. Finally, I slipped out the door, locking it behind me, ready for whatever the night would bring.

Jared’s house was outside side of town, about ten minutes past the last community building, at the end of a narrow dirt road. Empty land stretched out on all sides of the modest farmhouse that commanded the landscape; a carefully maintained white fence marked the outlines of the property, and I could see the smoke from the promised bonfire rising from behind a slight hill to the left of the house. V.J. parked the car in a makeshift lot in the middle of a field, already crowded, and we joined the throng of classmates hiking to the site of the party. I called Dad, like he had asked, and briefly updated him on the situation. He conceded that I could wait until the party was over to call him again unless something went wrong. I hung up with a smile on my face.

I half-listened to V.J.’s excited chatter as I tried to get the anxious flutters in my stomach under control. It was already almost full dark and the moon was hidden behind thin clouds, casting a milky light that made shadows appear and shift in the corners of my eyes. The ground was a little damp and I felt the heels of my boots sinking with each step. I had the feeling I was being sucked inexorably into something I didn’t understand, and with each step I solidified the trap awaiting me.

I shook off the morbid feeling and gave my full attention to V.J., who was pointing out people from school and commenting on their outfits, who was with whom, and what consequences the unions might have when the weekend was over. By the time we rounded the hill and reached the main party, I was into the spirit of the thing, ready to let loose a little and bury my paranoia for an evening.

“Hey, I’m glad you girls could make it!” Jared greeted us as we came closer to the circle of chatting partygoers around the bonfire. “There’s drinks over there,” he said, pointing to a shaky-looking wooden table placed a safe distance from flying sparks, “and there are some chairs and stuff set up around the fire. Have a good time!” He flashed us a wide grin, his face covered in shadows, and then moved on to greet his next group of guests.

“Do you want to get something to drink?” V.J. asked and I nodded, suddenly realizing I didn’t really have a clear idea of what one was supposed to do at a party. I followed in her wake, noting how many people called greetings to her even as they gave me curious and sometimes hostile glances. Obviously I was still an unknown quantity.

“Hi!” a high-pitched male voice piped up behind me. I turned around and saw my gym partner bouncing nervously on the balls of his feet and waving shyly.

“Hey, um…Quade,” I said, hoping I got his name right. I must have because he brightened and smiled happily at me. “How’s it going?” 

“Good, it’s good. Pretty cool party, right?” He blushed as the lameness of his question obviously occurred to him. I laughed and agreed it was a pretty cool party. V.J. came back holding two drinks and handed one to me.

“Hey, Quade. Here’s a coke, Liz. I hope that’s ok.” I said it was and the three of us fell into conversation, which was mostly me listening to the two of them discuss their Spanish teacher’s new haircut. I was drifting a bit, just enjoying being part of a group when a warm hand rested on my shoulder. I tensed and then relaxed as Carey’s luxuriant voice greeted me.

“Hey guys. Liz.” I shifted to one side to let him join us, moving away from his touch out of habit. “Glad to see you all made it.” V.J. blushed and I felt a little heat rise in my cheeks as well. He had that effect on women.

He looked fantastic, dark and dangerous. Carey was dressed in faded jeans that hugged him in an enthralling manner and a tight black button down with the top three buttons undone, exposing a healthy amount of smooth, beautifully sculpted chest. His eyes gleamed in the firelight as he fixed his gaze on mine, and I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. Once again I felt an intense desire to reach out and run my fingers through his shining hair, but I balled my hands into fists and pressed them into my thighs.

Carey surveyed me with an appreciative glint in his eyes and then smiled broadly, making my heart pound loud enough that I was sure everyone could hear it. “You look…great.” He whispered close to my ear and I shivered. V.J. caught my eye and winked. I rolled my eyes at her.

“Um, thanks. So what usually goes on at these parties? Is there music or anything?” I asked, trying to control my breathing.

“Yeah, I think Jeff and his band are going to play in a bit. They’re getting set up right now,” Carey replied, pointing to a group of occupied boys arguing over a small black amp. Quade and Carey entered into a debate over what kind of wattage was better while V.J. and I talked about music. After a while we were joined by Mark; I laughed at V.J.’s pink cheeks and pleased expression when he asked if she wanted to take a walk.

“Will you be ok?” she asked me, a tiny line appearing between her brows. Carey moved a little closer to me and I grinned.

“I think I’ll manage,” I replied and we shared a moment of complete understanding. She and Mark wandered off and Quade went in search of food, leaving Carey and me alone for the first time.

“So what do you...”

“How are you…”

We both laughed as we simultaneously tried to strike up a conversation. He gestured for me walk ahead of him and we began strolling closer to the fire.

“I’m glad you came,” he said quietly, his eyes fixed on mine.

My lips curved in a smile and I met his gaze. It was strange; I had only known him for the briefest time, but I felt such a strong connection with him that went beyond the link between our minds. I knew everything there was to know about him, and yet I found myself wanting to know more, wanting to hear the things I knew from his own lips. I wanted him to trust me, to share his secret with me. I wanted to share mine with him. I was both frightened and elated by this flood of emotions and wasn’t sure how to act as a result. More than anything I wished I could kiss him and feel his arms around me. I sighed, knowing how unlikely an event that would be.

“Carey, I wanted to thank you again for your help with the whole…Fitz thing,” I said in a lowered voice.

“I told you, Liz. I want to help. You know, a guy from the FBI came to talk to me this afternoon.” I stiffened, afraid that he would tell me that was the last straw and to leave him out of my troubles. “I told him what I told the police; that I had gone outside to say hi to a friend when I heard a scream and ran around the building. I said that I found Fitz already unconscious and saw a girl run around the back of the building, but that I couldn’t recognize her. He seemed to believe me,” he said, his tone lightening.

“What was the agent’s name?” I asked, curious if it was Thrasher or his partner.

“Special Agent James Carson. He was really nice. He did ask me about you though; he knew I had been there with you somehow and wanted to know where you were and why you hadn’t been with me when the attack happened. I just told him that you went out to talk on your phone and that I didn’t see you after that. I hope that was ok.” It was amazing that he had managed to come up with the same story as I had.

“No, that’s great. That’s exactly what I told the agent who came to see me.” I frowned, sure that I was missing something, feeling a twinge of uneasiness that I had overlooked an important detail. I shrugged it off and grinned at Carey. He blinked and smiled back.

“So, can we let the whole thing go for tonight and just have fun?” he asked, his eyes sparkling. I laughed and agreed. There was a sudden burst of cheering and we looked around. The band had been successful in putting their equipment together and were ready to play. Carey shot me a quick grin and then grabbed my gloved hand in his and dragged me along as he pushed through the crowd to get closer to the band. Even through the glove I could feel the warm pressure of his hand and was surprised at how right it felt.

The band started up with a clumsy cover of an old Cure song, “
Friday I’m in Love
,” and the crowd began swaying rhythmically with the music until eventually a few scattered individuals started to dance. Despite myself, I was tapping my foot to the beat and grinning, totally overwhelmed by the experience of my very first party. When the band moved on to a slower song, some eighties ballad that was best left alone, Carey turned to me with that astonishing smile that was so devastating to my ability to think.

“Do you want to dance?” he asked, his eyes uncertain.

I opened the connection between us for a moment and found that he was thinking how much he liked me, how pretty I looked in the light of the fire, and how much he wanted to put his arms around me. I felt the blood rush to my head and closed my mind to his. It seemed so unbelievable to me that even as I became increasingly attracted to Carey, he could be feeling the same way.

“Sure,” I mumbled, unable to meet his eyes.

He laughed softly and slid his arms through mine, placing his palms on my lower back. Nearly shaking, I slid my hands up his arms, blinking in disbelief as I felt the strength buried in the muscles my fingers passed over. I finally rested my hands lightly on his shoulders, trying to maintain a safe distance between us. We swayed back and forth awkwardly for a few moments, and then Carey took his hands off my back and reached up to pull my arms around his neck, forcing me to move in closer, our bodies just a hairsbreadth away from touching. My heart pounded wildly as his hands made their way back to my hips.

He was watching me with a half-smile curving his lips and I found myself wondering what it would be like to feel them on my neck, my cheek, my mouth. I shivered a little and pictured him kissing me, the desire in me so strong I had to close my eyes and try to get a grip on myself. I sucked in my breath when I felt Carey’s mouth brush beneath my jaw, and my eyes flew open. He was bent over me, trailing his lips along the side of my neck, his warm breath tickling the skin, starting a violent trembling all over me.

“Wha..” I breathed as he slowly drew his lips along my cheek, pausing at the edge of my mouth, pressing a gentle kiss just at the corner of my lips. My control slipped and I plunged into his thoughts, which were turbulent to say the least.

“What am I doing? This is insane; I barely know her! But she feels so good, so right…I can’t stop, can’t stop, can’t stop…”
His thoughts were fast and confused and helped to clear my head a bit. I gently pulled away, not wishing to reject him, but knowing that things were moving too fast. Reluctantly he let me go and I was able to close the connection between our minds. His eyes widened and then narrowed as he studied me intently.

“There’s something about you,” he whispered, reaching a hand up to stroke my hair. “I don’t know what it is, but I feel like I know you, and that you know me, probably better than you should. There’s just this…connection between us. Am I right? Or is it just me?” His voice was soft and wondering, eyes warm with affection.

I felt an overwhelming urge to tell him everything, to share the burden of my life since the accident, explain why he felt such a strong connection to me, but I stopped, afraid of what his response would be.

Instead I answered him as honestly as I could without giving anything away.

“No, it’s not just you.”

He smiled and placed his lips on my forehead lingeringly. “I didn’t think so,” he said, and pulled back, giving me room to breathe and collect myself.  

“Well, isn’t this cozy?” I started at the voice behind Carey. With a sigh, he draped an arm casually around my shoulders and turned around to see Preston glowering at us.

“Preston,” Carey nodded, his voice tight and controlled. Preston merely sneered and moved closer to us, stumbling a little. I realized with a shock that he had been drinking, quite heavily if I was any judge.

“Man, if I’d known she was that easy, I might have made a little more effort…”

Preston’s offensive remark was cut off as Carey moved faster than I would have imagined possible and picked Preston up to toss him angrily to the ground like a worn tissue. Preston sat on his haunches, blinking with surprise and pain, while Carey stood over him fuming.

“Stop it now, Preston, before you go too far. She doesn’t need to hear your filth.” Carey’s voice had never sounded so threatening, so furious. I could see him clenching and unclenching his fists, clearly trying to restrain himself from causing Preston further damage.

Finally Preston seemed to catch up and staggered to his feet, a thunderous expression on his face.

“Should’ve known she’d go for you, Drake. She looks like the primitive type. Just be careful you don’t catch anything…you don’t know where she’s been,” he sneered, absurdly pleased with his wit.

I could see Carey was at a breaking point, so I simply rolled my eyes, removed my right glove, and punched Preston in the nose.

“Ow…what? OWWWWW!” he bellowed, clutching his bleeding nose in his hands and staring at me in fear and surprise. “What the hell?”

“Oh, calm down. I didn’t break your nose, although you’ll have a beauty of a shiner tomorrow.” I kept my voice light and pleasant, but knew that my eyes were full of menace. “Let me make something perfectly clear, Preston. You are not to speak to me again, for any reason. I find you…distasteful. Besides,” I said, lowering my voice, “I know a few things about you that I imagine you don’t want to be broadcast over town. For instance, I doubt it would do much for your reputation as a Casanova if people found out about your evening with Jessie Cramer.” I raised my eyebrows at him meaningfully and his whole face went white, his eyes widening in horror.