Ominous Love (6 page)

Huh? I blink. Why would he say that? He
couldn't know that Tom sneaked in here last night—could he? Nah, he just
doesn't like him, and why would he after today?

Peeking out the window, I watch him make his
way to the shed. He's so gorgeous. Everything about him is flawless, even his
bossiness. But the fact he loves animals makes me adore him even more. My heart
flutters. Then as he strides back across the lawn with the toolbox, I scoot
back to the kitchen before he catches me spying on him.

Breezing in through the back door, he heads
down the hall. “This won't take long.’

I trot after him like a loyal puppy,
then
I lean on the wall and watch him as he tinkers with the
lock. “
Thanks,
Seal.”

As he tightens the screws around the knob, he
frowns. “I feel better, knowing Tom can't just stroll in whenever he wants.” He
pulls the safety chain across, checks it, then picks up the toolbox and strides
back down the hall. “I'll check the windows in your bedroom. Which one is it?”

What? I point at my door. How come he knows
so much about fixing things? Maybe he's been putting on a big act.
Holy shit.
Don't
tell me he's some kind of weirdo who's planning to keep me a prisoner. My
stomach churns. I shouldn't have told him my folks will be away for two weeks.
What was I thinking? As I watch him fiddling with my bedroom window, I bite my
knuckle and hope that he's just obsessive-compulsive and has to check
everything. As he rattles the rickety handle, I jump with fright.

Frowning, he tinkers some more. “This was
unsafe too, so I've tightened the screws. No one can break in now.”

How strange. Why would he think someone's
going to break in? You'd really think he knew Tom sneaked in last night. Then I
suddenly remember the silhouette of a man under the tree in the storm.
Shoot. My blood runs cold. Was it Seal?
Is he just
pretending
to have
amnesia? Holding my stomach, I peek at him out the corner of my eye. He's about
the same height as that shadow man.

“Are you okay, Eloise?”

Oh crap.
The moment he says my name, I'm gone. No serial killer could make my heart
melt like this guy does. I take his hand. “Follow me and I'll show you to the
guest room.” As our fingers touch, tingles run right through me again. What's
wrong with me lately? I’m getting as bad as Tom. Blushing bright red, I point
to the open door. “You can sleep in here.”

He sits on the bed. “What a lovely room.”

“It may be lovely, but it smells a little
musty from the rain.” As I head over to the window to let in some fresh air, Matilda
darts out from under the bed. Trying not to tread on her, I lose my footing and
stumble backwards. Seal catches my fall with his arms and I land on his lap on
my bum. Whoa! My face hot with embarrassment, I nervously grip onto his wrist to
stop myself from toppling off the bed.

He laughs. “Oops, careful, you could've hurt
yourself.”

I can't speak. I just sit there, gazing at
him and enjoying the tingling running through my blood. My heart is thumping
like a drum, but as I attempt to move away, he holds me back.

“What's the rush?” he asks huskily, pulling me
against his shoulder.

Oh boy, he's even more beautiful close up. His
brows and lashes are black, contrasting with the blueness of his eyes. As I
inhale his gorgeous musky scent, a strange thrill ripples through me. Wow, could
this be the man I've been dreaming about?
 
I never saw his face, but he smells the same.
If only he'd kiss me, then I'd know for sure.

As I stare hungrily at his soft full lips, he
tilts my chin and gazes into my eyes. I'm hypnotised, then before I know what
I'm doing, I slip my hand inside the V-neck of his pullover and trail my
fingers along the hard muscles on his chest. Mmm, he feels so strong, too
strong to be a teenager.

Holding me in his arms, he kisses me gently
on the neck. My heart skips. Have I died and gone to heaven? Did that lightning
strike kill me? Or maybe I died when I was clipped by the car in the fog. I
don't know if I'm dead, but my body feels alive. I'm burning up and I don't
want to move. I just want to stay here forever in his arms.

He delicately nibbles my ear and strokes my
hair, but when he whispers my name, I sigh with longing and close my eyes. This
is just too good to be true. Am I dreaming again? I turn my head so he can kiss
my mouth, but instead, he grabs me tightly by the arms and shakes me. Startled,
I open my eyes.

He's just staring at me, his brows furrowed, his
eyes burning into mine. I freeze. Oh please, don't let him be a serial killer.

Still holding my arms, he closes his eyes and
breathes in through his nose, his chest rising in front of me. As I try to
wriggle free, he lifts me from his lap and plonks me on the bed.
Holy cow!
I swallow hard. Is he going to hurt me?
I back up against the bedhead. I should have listened to my
parents and not spoken to strangers. What was I thinking?

Chapter Seven

He's standing over me, his eyes piercing mine,
his nostrils flaring like he's planning something. My breathing quickens and I
start to hyperventilate. Whatever he wants to do to me, I don't think it's good.
I'm afraid, but I can't look away. Frowning, he turns and paces the room,
running his hands through his hair. Maybe he's remembering who he is, or maybe
he really is a criminal. Clenching my jaw, I move to the edge of the bed. I
glance at the door,
then
back at him, but before I
have a chance to bolt, he turns to face me.

Crap. As I look up at him, my legs turn to
jelly.

His face softer, he kneels down in front of
me and takes my hand in his. Whoa. Now what? I hold my breath.

He kisses my fingers and gazes at me. “Eloise,
we can't do this. It's wrong and I can't take advantage of you.”

What?
My
jaw drops. I want to slap him. How can he say my name like that after just
scaring the life out of me? I'm confused. So, he's not going to murder me? I
blink twice.

“Eloise, please tell me you understand.”

I swallow a big lump in my throat. Huh? He
likes me? I narrow my eyes at him. “You nearly frightened me to death. I thought
you were going to hurt me.”

“Hurt you?” He strokes my hair. “I could
never hurt you—that's what I'm trying to tell you. You drive me crazy, but I'm
not about to take advantage of you.”

Did he just say I drive him crazy? All the
air escapes my lungs as my body relaxes. I put my hand on his cheek and run my
fingers along the fresh stubble on his face. “But you didn't, Seal. It was me
who made the first move, so it's okay.”

Squeezing his eyes closed, he shakes his
head. “No, Eloise, it's not okay. I'm not like Tom.”

My heart sinks. This is so the pits. I don't understand,
and if he doesn't want me to kiss him, he should stop saying my name the way he
does. I flush with embarrassment and fiddle with the hem of my t-shirt.

A sad smile on his face, he moves a stray
curl from my forehead. “Don't be upset, Eloise. It's not that I don't fancy you.
It's just that you're so young and innocent and I don't even know who I am.”

Scowling, I look up at him. “I'm nearly seventeen,
and you're not much older, I can tell.”

He blows out a big breath. “But what if my memory
comes back and I find out I'm already in a relationship? And worse, I could be
married with children. I might be older than I look.” He holds my face between
his hands and looks deep into my eyes. “We can't risk it, Eloise.”

My heart sinks, my hopes and desires
squashed. Of course he'd have a beautiful girlfriend. What was I thinking? No
one as hot as Seal could possibly be free. Blushing beneath his touch, I close
my eyes. I just want to stay here and melt into his arms forever. Instead I
move his hands away, then stand up and turn to leave. “Okay, now you've succeeded
in making me feel like a cheap tart that breaks up families, I'll go and have a
cold shower.”

He grabs my shoulders and turns me to face
him. “You know that's not what I meant. It's not your fault that I'm attracted
to you. You're so sweet and endearing. But
please
try and understand that we can't just rush into anything, not until I get my
memory back. I don't want to be responsible for breaking your heart, or mine.
So we must stop before it's too late.”

I pull away. “I don't
want
to be sweet and endearing. And if you don’t want me to fall
for you, you shouldn’t say my name the way you do.”

“Your name?”

I press my fists to my waist. “Yes, my name.
You don't say it, you breathe it.”

He sighs. “I'm sorry. Listen, I'll look for
somewhere else to stay tomorrow. Then there'll be no temptation for either of
us.”

“No!” I grab his sleeve. “I don't think
that's a very good idea. Where would you go?”

His lips press into a grim line. “Don't
worry. I'll find somewhere.”

“You can't. You have no money, credit card,
or even a wallet. Have you forgotten, I found you on the beach stark naked?”

He smirks for a second. “How can I ever
forget that—to wake on a beach with a beautiful girl kissing me? You have no
idea what that felt like, Eloise. And though I have no memory, I was hoping you
were mine.”

“Really?”
I swallow hard, my heart
breaking. I want to tell him how I fell in love with him the moment I saw him,
but the words won’t come out. Instead I say, “I’ll be yours if you’ll let me.”

“We’ll have to wait until I get my memory
back before we can talk about this, Eloise. It’s not helping either of us.” He rubs
his chin as if deep in thought. “It might be best if I find a hostel for
homeless folks.”

I shake my head. “No. What if someone
recognises you and they want to harm you? You don't know if someone threw you
from a ship or boat.”

“I know you're trying to help me, but staying
here isn't an option.”

“Why not?”
I fold my arms. “If you leave,
I’ll be here all alone, and according to you I won’t be safe. You keep telling
me that someone might break in. Now I’m scared.”

The corner of his mouth curves into a
delicious smile. “Oh, so you’re using emotional blackmail on me now?”

I pout. “No, I really am scared.”

“Okay, you win. I'll stay until your folks
get back. And at least I'll be here to protect you from Tom. But first thing in
the morning, I'm going job hunting. I'll need the money to rent a place.”

I hug him around the waist. “You'll get your
memory back soon, and if you’re single and free we can be together.” I stare up
expectantly.

He lifts my chin with his hand. “Don't get
your hopes up, Eloise. It could lead to heartbreak.”

Frowning, I push him away. “You're just a big
tease, and I asked you not to say my name.”

“Sorry.” He holds his palms up. “How would
you like to be addressed, young lady?”

I squint at him. “You can call me Elle 'cause
I hate that name.”

He walks over to the door and holds it open. “Okay,
Miss Elle. I'm now officially your body guard, and if this is to be my room for
the next two weeks, I would like some privacy.”

Grunting under my breath, I stomp out of the
room. As he closes the door behind me, I'm sure I hear him laugh. The nerve of
him, and not even
a sympathy
kiss for my broken heart.

The sun is starting to set behind the hills,
making the house darker. I switch on the kitchen light and start to prepare
dinner—not that I'm hungry, but I have to feed Seal. After all, he might need
nourishment to get his memory back.

I hear the window open in his room and I
wonder what he's thinking. I know I'm acting like a lovesick fool, but I can't
seem to help it. I slam around in the kitchen, looking for something healthy to
cook. Seal must be starving by now. I grin to myself. My mother always says that
the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Huh, he's no man, he's just a boy—a
boy too chicken to kiss a girl. I sigh. And I thought it would be wonderful to
be in love, but this sucks. I don't have an appetite and I've been light-headed
since the moment I laid eyes on him. I can't concentrate on
anything
but him. Jeez, I don't even
want to chat online with my friends.

After opening the fridge, I take out the
packet of minced beef I'd left to defrost and toss it into a pot with some olive
oil and herbs. As it sizzles on the stove, I wash my hands and start chopping
some vegetables. Why did I go and make the first move? I don't know what came
over me. I've never done anything like that before, ever. How embarrassing. No
wonder Seal rejected me. He probably thinks I’m easy. Blushing, I throw the
vegetables into the pot with the meat,
then
I grab a
frozen garlic loaf from the freezer. As I place it in the oven, Seal walks in
with the toolbox. “Mmm. Something smells good.”

I give him a half smile. “
It's
spaghetti bolognaise, you'll love it. It'll be ready in an hour, but if you're
hungry now, I can make you something.”