Between Now & Never (34 page)

BOOK: Between Now & Never

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I open my mouth to assure him I can walk, but I glimpse his sharp jaw and strong chin, and the connection between my mind and my mouth floats away. My eyes travel over his lips and then to his eyes, and my heart freaks out. Skips a beat. The most impossibly blue eyes I’ve ever seen stare back into mine, and I lose not only my train of thought but all control of my gaping eyes as well.

One side of his mouth pulls into something of a grin, his face inches from mine. His eyes trace the outline of my forehead down to my chin and linger on my lips. Then his gaze meets mine again. He raises a brow. “Are you all right?”

“Y-y-yes.” My voice comes out like a frog’s croak. “Fine. Thanks.”

“You sure?”

“Mm-hm.” Another attempt to steady my voice. I try to get my flirt on, flashing a smile as I assure him, “The ground can walk just fine.”

That puts a smile on his face.

“I mean,
I
can walk just fine. On the ground. You can set me down.” I bite my tongue before I do more damage.

“Right,” he says doubtfully. Something in the way he holds me, the brazen expression on his face as he looks into my eyes, tells me I should be careful.

“I’m good. I promise.”

He sets me down at last. Now that I’m out of his arms and can think straight, I finally get a rational look at him. Dark hair, only visible around the edge of his baseball cap. Thick hair. Total girl magnet. He’s at least six inches taller than my five foot seven. All right, even out of his arms, my heart rattles around so fast I fear another blackout, or whatever just happened.

He watches me as I wobble. “You gonna be okay?”

I nod even though I feel like a ballerina who rolled off a stage. “Where did those, um, those—”

“Those losers?” he asks.

I nod.

He smiles. “They bailed.”

No wonder. Another glance at his—ahem—
intimidating
physique, and I decide I don’t blame them. He’s hot, okay, hotter than any guy has a right to be. And unfortunately, it’s impossible for him not to know that. He’s one of
those kind
. He even looks amused, as though he’s reading my fascination from my face. Meanwhile, I can’t do anything but stare into his blue eyes, feeling like a dental patient after a heavy dose of laughing gas.

I run a hand through my hair, suddenly reminded of the bird poop in there. And the gum on my shoe. This keeps getting better.

Then I flinch when I spot a swarm of gnats by my head, and one flies into my eye.

“What the—” I mutter.

“You okay?” he asks. Again.

“Yeah,” I lie, bending over and blinking. And stepping right into the puddle of mud behind me. Sound advice to myself:
Leave now!

Reminding myself I have a plan—buy Lucky Charms and head home—I let my one bug-free eye jump between this cute guy and the display of fireworks behind me, gearing up to leave. I always have a plan, my life a programmed route from A to B. It’s safe, predictable. Maybe that’s why I haven’t budged.

“Thanks,” I say, and turn to leave for real this time, but not without sneaking one last glance at his gorgeous face. My stomach somersaults when I catch his eyes on me. Fixed on me. And not in a
you-are-a-ditzy-klutz-who-won’t-make-it-off-of-River-Street-alive
kind of way. Like, in a good way. His stare glues my feet to the ground, holding me near. Blood rushes to my cheeks and I smile, despite myself.

He extends a hand with an unbearably charming smile, probably practiced. “I’m Austin.”

Laura Johnston lives in Utah with her husband and two children. Growing up with five siblings, a few horses, peach trees, beehives, and gardens, she developed an active imagination and always loved a good story. She fell in love with the young adult genre through her experience in high school as well as her job later as a high school teacher. Laura enjoys running, playing tennis, sewing, traveling, writing, writing, and more writing, and above all, spending time with her husband and kids. REWIND TO YOU was her debut novel. You can visit her at laurajohnstonauthor.com.