Enigma (6 page)

He hadn’t moved an inch toward me, but I’d managed to position myself only a single breath away from him. Even when he edged away from me, I moved toward him, and saw his expression turn from resistance to pure agony. And then he pulled me close into his heavenly body and wrapped his arms around me. Our chests molded together and we were so close to the cliff edge that my heart fluttered, partly because I was enjoying him holding me, and partly because I was petrified that I would fall off the cliff.

“No, I’m not into cliff diving, that’s for sure!” I said, looking into his blue eyes.

He laughed and I was drawn to his unassuming and seductive smile.

“I thought you weren’t afraid of being up here?”

I blushed again, unable to take back what I’d already said. “Well, I guess I lied. So can we move away from the edge now?” I made a second mistake of looking down and realized how fearful of heights I was.

“So, if you aren’t into cliff diving, then I guess you must be into me. That’s why you followed me up here, right?”

I buried my head in his shoulder. I could feel my cheeks burning as he laughed quietly. I couldn’t deny anything he said; I didn’t want to deny it.

“Don’t be embarrassed. I’ve been enjoying the attention you’ve been giving me,” he said boldly.

I looked up at him. “You’re so . . . .” I began, but his smile grew wider and I couldn’t even pretend to be mad at him.

Suddenly, we heard voices. With three unconscious bodies surrounding us, I began to panic. I didn’t want to have to explain what had happened and I certainly didn’t want any trouble for the guy who’d saved me. I felt his hold on me tighten.

“Close your eyes,” he said softly.

I didn’t hesitate to do as he said, and leaned into his chest, feeling his sweet breath as his lips glided toward my ear.

“By the way . . . I’m Jack,” he whispered.

I opened my eyes. Jack was staring at me while holding me over the cliff edge. In any normal situation, I would have been afraid, but for some reason I wasn’t; I trusted Jack completely. The voices were getting nearer.

“Hold on,” he said, looking into my eyes.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and placed my arms around his neck. He held me in his strong arms and jumped.

I buried my head in his smooth, toned chest, and could hear his heart beating erratically. He laughed as we descended and the wind whipped through my hair. After I’d gotten over the fear of falling, I felt exhilarated; it was an incredible sensation—pure adrenaline and complete freedom.

CHAPTER 6

A
s we crashed into the ocean, I closed my eyes and clung to Jack. Our bodies intertwined under the water, and being so close to him made me feel more comfortable than I probably should have been.

Within seconds, we were at the surface, and I was gasping for air. Jack looked at me and smiled, showing no signs of being out of breath. When my breathing returned to normal, we walked out of the rippling sea comfortably wrapped in each other’s arms.

As we reached the dry sand, I closed my eyes and begged my mind to lock this moment away forever so that I would never forget it. I found myself wanting to remain in his arms, to hear and feel every single breath he took, but it wasn’t long before he released me. I stood for a moment before awkwardly falling in the sand.

“Kate, are you okay?” he asked, more concerned than I was.

“Uh . . . I feel dizzy.”

Jack sat next to me and gently pulled me up. “I’m sorry. I feel like an idiot for taking you off the cliff like that, especially after you told me that you weren’t into cliff diving. But I didn’t have a choice; I didn’t want anyone to see us around those unconscious drunks.” He looked out toward the ocean.

“Well, after the feeling that I was going to die went away, I kind of enjoyed it. It was an adrenaline rush.” I smiled and Jack laughed.

“You’re probably dizzy from the fall. Do you feel sick?” Jack pushed my hair to the side and tucked it behind my ear. My face tingled with his touch.

“No, just dizzy. But I feel kind of weird.”

Jack looked concerned, but I was enjoying his company, even if I did feel dizzy and strange.

“Just for the record, you were safe with me. Nothing would’ve happened to you. I would never put you in danger.” He got up, walked around and sat behind me, securing me between his thighs. My head spun and the dizziness became stronger. I closed my eyes; the moment was almost surreal. We silently held each other until Jack spoke again, sounding gravely concerned.

“I have to leave, Kate.”

“No, please stay. I’ll be okay,” I insisted.

“I’m so sorry, Kate. I feel terrible. I’m sorry for doing this to you.”

The waves crashed onto the shore and I couldn’t fully concentrate on what Jack was saying. A feeling swept over me that I’d never felt before. Jack leaned into me and gently caressed my cheek with his. He then turned me around and draped me across his lap, and this intoxicating feeling had me drifting in and out of consciousness.

“Kate, look at me. Are you okay? Say something! Say anything!” he pleaded.

This powerful feeling left me speechless.

“Kate! Kate!” he repeated softly into my ear.

I turned my face toward his and leaned up to kiss him, but as I touched the edge of his bottom lip, he backed away from me and quickly stood, leaving me lying in the sand.

“Kate, I’m sorry, but I can’t. I-I’d like to, but I just can’t. I should’ve never—”

“Sorry, Jack. I don’t know what came over me. I feel strange. I’ve never felt like this before,” I said, regaining my balance.

Jack looked guilty. “Don’t worry. I’m sure it’s just the jump, that’s all. The adrenaline makes you feel strange, kind of crazy,” he said without looking at me.

Jack’s excuses didn’t make me feel any better.

“Jack, I feel so stupid. As if someone like you would be interested in someone like me.”

“No, you’ve got it all wrong.” He walked over to me and reached out, but soon retracted his hand, refusing to look at me.

I was confused. “Well, do you have a girlfriend? Please don’t tell me you’re gay. All the gorgeous guys are gay,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

Jack laughed. “You think I’m gorgeous?”

“Well, you’ve rejected me, so it doesn’t really matter what I think, does it?” I said, folding my arms and turning away from him. I couldn’t bear to look at him. Not only had I tried to kiss a virtual stranger who’d made me jump off of a cliff with him, but I’d told him he was gorgeous. It was like a double rejection and I pitied myself. I was ready to leave.

“No, Kate. You don’t understand. I’m not rejecting you. I don’t have a girlfriend and I’m certainly not gay! Look, I’m complicated; I’m not someone you want to get involved with, trust me. You have to stay away from me, for your own sake.” He ran his fingers through his hair and looked frustrated.

“I’m already involved with you, Jack,” I told him, speaking more firmly than I intended to. “How did you manage to get to the top of the cliff, jump, and swim back to shore in such a short amount of time?”

Jack looked at the sand and sighed. “I can’t tell you anything about me even if I wanted to. Like I said, you should stay away from me. I’m giving you a chance to walk away from me. Take it.”

“I might not need to know you, but I want to. And I’m still waiting for an answer to my question. I’ve answered all your questions. Now it’s your turn,” I said impatiently.

Jack picked up a stone and threw it into the ocean. It flew so fast through the air that if I had blinked, I wouldn’t have seen it hit the water.

“You don’t want to know the answers to your questions, Kate,” he said in a despondent tone.

He paced up and down the beach while I stood with my arms folded, trying to be patient. Then, he spun around, spraying sand around him. I stared at his rigid face, noticing a hint of purple around the edge of his blue eyes. They looked like sparkling amethyst crystals. I’d never seen anything so strange and took a few steps away from him.

“Kate, please don’t be afraid of me,” he tried to reassure me while covering his eyes with his hand.

I couldn’t move. “Jack, your eyes . . . they’re purple! What’s happening to you?”

He refused to look at me, his hands still covering his face. “I can explain. Just know that you’re not in any danger. Please, you have to know that,” he insisted. He knelt down, holding his head in his hands. “Kate, please don’t be afraid. I’ll answer your questions, anything you want to know, but you can’t tell anyone about me. Please stay.”

I was confused. One minute he was telling me to avoid him for my own good, and now he was begging me to stay. I had no intention of leaving him, especially because I wanted answers. So I walked closer to him, ready to hear his explanation.

“Jack, you have to tell me everything. What I’ve just seen isn’t normal,” I said, trying not to offend him.

He looked at me, finally revealing his face. “I’ll tell you everything; wait with me and I’ll explain.” His eyes were beautifully blue again. After pushing for answers, I was afraid of what he might say. “Kate, are you afraid of me?” he asked.

I took his hand in mine. “No. Maybe I should be, but I’m not.”

He smiled, and the connection I felt to him was incredible and unlike anything I’d ever experienced. As I placed my hand in his, my heart skipped a beat, the connection between us was instantly incredible. I’d never felt a connection like it before.

“Kate, I’m so sorry.” Jack drew me into him and took my face in his hands. As his warm lips explored my mouth, I felt what seemed like a thousand electric currents coursing through my body.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him back, not wanting the moment to end. Our tongues glided together as if they were made for one another. Neither of us wanted to release from our electric embrace. When our lips finally parted, I remained fixated on Jack’s enthralling face, almost forgetting about his chameleon eyes.

“Kate, you’re going to think I’m completely insane.”

I giggled. “I already think you’re crazy, Jack. I think that goes without saying; we’re a perfect match. Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’ve been going crazy too.”

He smiled widely and kissed me again, holding me closer. “You were right when you said my eyes changing color wasn’t normal. I’m not normal.” The gentle breeze blew my hair and Jack guided my wavy locks away from my eyes.

“Well, you need to define normal for me,” I said, thinking that the last few days had been anything but ordinary.

“Normal is being human,” he said.

I looked up at him, surprised by what he said. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m not entirely . . . human-like.”

I ran both of my hands up his arms. “You feel pretty human to me. What are you talking about, Jack? Of course you’re human. You’re certainly not an animal. And apart from humans and animals, nothing else exists.”

Jack sighed and looked deeply into my eyes. “Define
exists
.”

I wasn’t sure what the point of this conversation was, but I answered his question anyway.

“To exist is to be alive, I guess.”

Jack kissed my lips and he felt very much alive to me. “Well, I’m definitely alive!” he said with a huge smile.

“Well, that must mean you exist then, right?”

Jack sighed again and ran his fingers through his hair, looking at me like we’d known each other forever. “Enough of the defining, Kate. What I’m about to tell you will probably completely freak you out. But you’ve already seen too much for me to keep my secret from you.” He shook his head. I wanted him to open up to me; I wanted to know what secrets he was hiding.

“So tell me . . . what’s your big secret?” I asked, my heartbeat picking up its pace.

“Kate, I’m not human.” He stared at me, waiting for a reaction.

“If you’re not human then what are you?” I couldn’t believe I was actually asking him such a bizarre question.
Was he some alien creature from another planet? Was he a comic book superhero? Was he a shape-shifter? A vampire? How could he not be human?
I thought.
None of those things really exist. They’re just fantasy.
My imagination was running wild.

“I’m an Enigma. I’m different from everybody else,” he declared.

My fear immediately turned to sympathy. I felt different from everyone else too. But
I
was human.

“Kate, ever since I saved your life the other day, I’ve felt an impulsive connection toward you. I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind.” Jack moved closer to me. “I get this weird feeling when I think about you and it intensifies like crazy when I touch you. I’m not strong enough to stay away from you anymore, and I’ll have to accept the consequence of giving into my feelings.”

My breathing was shallow and I began to feel dizzy again. Jack had been pining for me all along, but had gone out of his way to avoid me.

“I don’t want you to stay away from me.” I leaned into him and our lips were a mere breath apart.