Shades of Amber (10 page)

“
What? Why?”

He stared at the pink and
white tennis shoes he’d given me for Valentine’s Day, and then at
my face. “I have to go away… it’s a family problem. I can’t say
anything more.”

Tears threatened to fall
as I surged to my feet. “A family problem? Okay, when will you be
back?”

He stood and walked over
to me, but as soon as he pulled me against his chest, I knew what
it meant. I tried to push him away, but he was a lot
stronger.

He hugged me as his lips
touched my ear. “You have to believe that I would stay with
you
if I could, but there’s no other way…
I’m doing this for
you
.”

That last remark gave me
enough strength. “You’re doing this for me?”

He tried to come closer
but I backed away, and held up my hand. “How could a ‘family
problem’ have anything to do with me?”

He ran a hand through his
damp hair and pinned me with his sad eyes. “I hope you never have
to understand.”

I blinked and he was
standing in front of me. His entire demeanor changed as he gripped
my waist and pressed his lips to mine.

“
I love
you.” His arms tightened as he nuzzled my neck. “Can’t you see I
don’t want to leave you? I don’t want to do this, but I
can’t
not
be around you.”

A few seconds later, he
was gone and so was my warmth. I’d spent every day trying to forget
him, and then a few months after he left, I saw an article on the
front page of the newspaper… “Twenty-one year old dies in freak
snow mobile accident.”

Go figure, I’d thought as
I slapped the paper on the lunch table in front of Amelia. “The
jerk left me to go skiing! ‘Family problems my butt!’”

From that moment on, I
tried not to think of my deceitful ex-boyfriend.

I glared at him as I wiped
the memory from my thoughts. “I was able to move on, you know,
until that night you cornered me in the library! So tell me… What.
Are. You?” I made sure to emphasize those last three
words.

He dipped his head,
watching me from beneath his lashes. “What will you give me if I
tell you?” The husky sound of his voice made me shiver.

The car bounced as we hit
a pothole, calling my attention to an even bigger problem: I had no
idea how long we’d been in the car or where we were
going.

Panic sank its teeth into
my lungs as I tried to regulate my breathing. “Why am I
here?”

His smile was all
predator. “You need to get away for a while, so I’m taking you
someplace beautiful—and solitary.”

“
One: that statement tells
me nothing of the location. Two: I don’t want to be alone with you.
Three: Even if I didn’t loathe you, I have school!”

Troy reached for my face,
but I slapped his hand. “Jade, Jade, Jade, it’s not like you to
turn down a surprise.”

Rain pelted the roof,
filling the silence. It sounded like the ghost of a tune lulling me
into a passive state. A need to touch him came over me, despite my
irritation. “I’m sick of your surprises
and
your
gifts!”

He put his hand in his
pocket, but didn’t respond.

The leather creaked as I
scooted toward him. My hands came up, gripping his shirt. “What
happened to you?” I got right in his face. His cologne smelled the
way it used to—exotic and sensual.

“
I’ll tell you everything…
as soon as we reach our destination.”

I started to protest, but
he put a finger to my lips. “Look what I found.”

My eyes widened when I saw
the pendant that should’ve been in the floor of my car. “Where did
you get that?”

Troy held it out, but I
inched away. “Where do you think?” He laughed, and grabbed a
handful of my hair as he brought his lips to my ear. “Why do you
keep rejecting me?”

“
You left me! I don’t owe
you anything!”

He chuckled. “Ah, my dear,
but I came back for you just the same.”

I focused on keeping the
panic from my voice. “No. I’m not the same and neither are
you.”

“
I need you to wear this,
Jade. Please, just do it for me.”

“
Why? What is
it?”

“
It belonged to my great,
great, great grandmother and I want you to have it.”

“
I can’t, I just can’t,
Troy. You and I are not together.”

He smiled, but it didn’t
reach his eyes. As I studied his face, I could see his struggle for
control. His anger was palpable as he turned toward the
window.

I pressed myself against
the opposite door. Leaning my cheek against the glass, I looked for
mile markers, but there was only the dark road. I felt a small
vibration in my jean pocket and thanked the heavens I still had my
phone. Glancing at him, I slipped it between the door and seat to
hide the light.

Before I could send the
S.O.S. his voice came at me like a lulling title wave. “They can’t
help you, Jade. No one knows where you are, so be a good girl and
enjoy the ride.”

Yeah, right.

Seeing rescue as my only
option, I gripped the phone tighter. My hands shook, but I couldn’t
let him bother me. My thumb found the send button right as we went
over a pothole. The phone slipped out of reach, and to make matters
worse, I was sure I hit the wrong button.

I felt like screaming,
cursing, and breaking the window, but then I remembered I hadn’t
tried the door.

The drop in temperature
made me shiver, but Troy didn’t seem to notice. He still faced the
window, his hand balled into a fist so tight I could see his
veins.

Wrapping my fingers around
the silver handle, I pulled, pushed, jiggled—nothing
happened.

Stupid kiddie
lock.

A small light caught my
attention while I rubbed my shoulders. I stared at his ring,
certain I was hallucinating when I saw fire spark and glow inside
the amber stone. Several seconds passed as I considered my options,
but just when I was ready to cozy up to him for warmth and a closer
look, the cold dissipated.

He turned around and
pinned me with his gaze. “You should rest… I know you’re
tired.”

I shook my head,
struggling to shake off his words. “I’m not.” I crossed my arms in
defiance.

Undeterred, he dragged me
to his side. “You are more beautiful each time I see
you.”

“
You’ve been gone two
years, of course I look better. I‘ve grown up.” I tried to wriggle
from his embrace, but he squeezed tighter.

“
You’re right. You’ve
gotten feistier with age.”

I tried to argue, but he
put a finger to my lips. “Sleep.”

A melody filled the cab as
my dark angel hummed something gloomy and sweet. My struggle didn’t
last long.

Simplicity

Like an angel,

you fell from the
sky.

Simple and
sweet,

and soon to be
mine.

I’ve waited
forever…

to have you by my
side.

I look forward to the
day

you understand
why.

-Troy

Chapter 11

“
Are we making bread?” I
asked as Troy pulled me toward a bowl of dough. The delicious smell
of spices, meat, and vegetables wafted from the stove, making my
stomach growl.

He stepped behind me,
nuzzling my neck. “I thought we could bring New Orleans to you, so
we’ll make beignets to sate your sweet tooth.”

“
That sounds
good.”

A cloud of flour flew up
as he dropped the contents on the counter. His fingers slid through
mine as we kneaded the dough, adding a sensual heat to the already
warm kitchen. As he pressed closer to my back, I hoped my shorts
and t-shirt would keep me from sweating.

I licked my lips,
straining to keep me thoughts in check. “What are you brewing in
those pots over there?”

“
Magic.” His chest rumbled
with laughter. “There’s gumbo in the largest and oil for the
beignets in the other.

I tilted my head to rest
on his shoulder. “What’s a beignet?” My voice came out low and
breathy, but he didn’t seem to notice. His mind was on food, while
mine lingered in areas I wasn’t ready to explore.

“
I prepped the dough
yesterday, so all we have to do is roll it out, cut it into
squares, and let it fry for a few minutes.”

“
That doesn’t sound very
sweet.”

He chuckled. “It will once
you dust them with powdered sugar.”

“
So we’re making
doughnuts?”

“
Yes, cher.”

“
That’s not much of a
dessert.”

His lips brushed my neck
as his voice turned husky. “I can think of something much
sweeter.”

My body temperature rose
at the idea of a carnal dessert, but I shook my head. “The thought
of getting closer is very tempting, but I don’t think I’m ready to
be with you like that.”

Troy kissed my forehead.
“I understand.”

I turned around and looked
into his eyes. “I don’t think you do. The more time we spend
together, the more I think about lying in your bed, but I can’t get
over the fear that once we take that final step, we’ll fall apart,
and I’ll be left with the regret of giving my virginity to a man
who is no longer in my life.”

“
We’ve only been together
a few months, so I can see how you’d feel that way.” His lips
brushed mine. “But one day, you’ll see that I’m in this for the
rest of our lives.”

My fingers clutched the
blanket to my chest as I blinked several times.

After his death, I spent
weeks wishing we had taken that final step, but then I woke up one
day, and shoved all those thoughts aside because he would’ve left
me regardless.

Noting the satin texture,
I lifted the white comforter to my face with wide eyes. It was hard
to appreciate the large room with ornately carved furniture when I
wasn’t aware of how I got there. My skin prickled as a breeze
filtered through the window to my left. It was both nice and
frightening. Birds chirped as I looked over the manicured yard, but
nothing hinted to where I was—no cars with license plates or flags
to support school spirit.

Turning away, I slid to
the beige carpet. Images stirred as I fought to piece things
together. There was darkness and a car ride that seemed to last
forever.

“
Oh, no.”

I remembered being stuck
in the car with Troy—his heady cologne, his seductive voice. I shot
to my feet.

“
What the…?” My eyes froze
on the oval mirror in the corner. I spun away, and looked back as
my cheeks grew hot with anger.

Someone had taken my
clothes and stuffed me into an antique gown. I tried to stay angry,
but the longer I watched my reflection, the more beautiful I found
the dress. It was the same color as my amber ring. From its long
flowing sleeves and skirt to the simple, yet form-fitting bodice,
it screamed royalty. Lifting the dress, I discovered matching
slippers on my feet.

“
Did someone make this for
me?” I turned once, twice, and then my breath caught. Sure enough
the flash that caught my eye was right there… hanging around my
throat. I groped for the necklace’s clasp, but there was nothing
there.

Be calm.

Pain warred with fear as I
dug my nails into my palm.

How did he put it on, and
how could I get it off?

A lock clicked, and sure
enough,
he
was
there. Troy closed the door and slid a long key into his
pocket.

“
What’s going
on?”

He smiled as his gaze
locked on the pendant. “Not much.”

“
How dare you dress me and
force me to wear this… this.…”

Troy chuckled and spun me
in front of the mirror. “This.” He stroked the necklace. “Is an
important piece of family history, not a venomous
snake.”

I smacked his hand and ran
toward the window. It looked as if night had come, but I leaned out
to make sure the sun wasn’t just hiding somewhere.

“
Don’t lean over too far,
cher, I would hate for you to fall out.” His nearness wasn’t
surprising. I felt him before his arms circled my waist.

“
I’ll take any means of
escape if it gets me away from you,” I hissed. The moment I spoke,
I wondered if my words were too harsh, but I had to counteract the
warmth trying to seep from my frozen heart.

I faced him and
immediately regretted my decision. He had pulled his hair back and
looked undeniably handsome in a crisp, white tuxedo with an amber
vest, and bowtie.

“
Why are you all dressed
up?” I asked, holding my breath.