Shades of Amber (5 page)

Feeling rebellious, I
lunged for my notebook. It was a small victory, but I’d take it.
Plopping back into my seat, I started making up answers.

“
You don’t know where I
live.”

I was grasping at
straws.

He patted my knee. “I know
more than you think, Jade.”

It took a few seconds for
his words to hit me. I looked at him from the corner of my eye. The
combination of his yummy cologne and close proximity made my
temperature rise.

His hair fell forward as
he read my notes.

“
If you think this is
endearing, you’re wrong.”

Troy held my gaze as he
ditched the jacket and rolled his shirtsleeves. “No?”

I shook my
head.

“
How about this?” he
asked, stretching in his seat. The gap in his shirt widened,
revealing a coin medallion along with some of his chest.

It was very
appealing.

“
What kind of necklace is
that?”

He rested his chin on his
hand, distracting me with the glint of his silver watch. “What will
you give me if I tell you?”

I rolled my eyes, unable
to fathom how someone so gorgeous could get on my nerves so much,
but it was more than that. He seemed to enjoy getting under my
skin.

“
How about you tell me,
and I agree to answer your questions for our English assignment,” I
said sarcastically.

There was no way he’d
accept that deal. I waited for him to laugh, but he checked his
watch and smiled.

“
You’ve got a deal, but I
have to go right now.” He rose and swung the satchel over his
shoulder. “We can talk about it later.”

My vision swam as I
considered what a failing grade would do to my GPA.

Troy wasn’t going
anywhere.

Jumping up, I latched onto
his forearm, despite the jolt of heat. His gaze met mine and then
lingered on my lips. We were standing far too close, but I couldn’t
allow my pride to get in the way. It was okay to need him… for
educational purposes.

“
You can’t leave. We
haven’t finished our assignment, and it’s due tomorrow.”

“
It’s already 3:30. I have
to go. I can call you and we can.…” he sighed, letting the sentence
drop when I shook my head. “You still won’t give me your phone
number?”

“
Definitely
not.”

He shrugged and ran a hand
through his hair. “Alright, I guess we’ll just turn in what we
have.”

“
Yeah right! Just take me
with you, that way we can get it done.”

He smiled. “If you say
so.”

My words replayed in my
head. “Wait, I didn’t mean that. I just… you tricked me!” I reached
for my bag, but he already had it.

“
Come on, cher.” He held
out his hand. “You said the words, now you have to follow
through.”

I crossed my arms,
weighing my options: get into a car with my captivating
English partner
or take
a failing grade because my pride got in the way.

His thumb brushed my
cheek. “You are so small and feisty.” He bit his lip as he searched
my gaze. “You remind me of a de-clawed kitten who thinks it can
still scratch people.”

My hand rushed toward his
face, but his fingers circled my wrist. Our breaths came fast as we
stared at each other, and then I stepped aside. “Just wait, this
kitten hasn’t been de-clawed,” I muttered as we put on our
outerwear.

His mouth twitched. “Not
yet.”

What did that
mean?

I stewed as we made our
way to the parking lot. My need for self-preservation kicked in as
we neared a black Chevy Suburban. When he reached for the keys, I
took off, darting between cars as I ran for the student
center.

“
Good riddance,” I
muttered, but barely got the words out before two arms latched
around my waist. Troy’s strength surprised me as he spun and lifted
me over his shoulder, avoiding my attempts to kick him in the
shin.

“
Careful, some people like
the chase,” he whispered as he set me on my feet. His hands moved
up my back, across my shoulder blades, and back down, making my
insides tingle. The longer he held me, the less I felt like
fighting. My breathing slowed as I laid my cheek against his chest,
inhaling his scent.

“
You’re safe with
me.”

Yeah right.

“
How can you say that?
You’re a lion and I’m a mouse.”

The corner of his mouth
rose. “We are not animals, Jade. You’re a smart, fascinating girl,
and I’m just a guy who enjoys being around you.” He laced his
fingers through mine and guided me back to his SUV.

Around him, I was a bundle
of irrational thoughts. I liked and loathed him at the same time,
even though he’d never done anything to me.

Keeping hold of my hand,
he put our bags in the backseat, and pinned me against the door.
“We all have fears. You fear your attraction to me.”

My mouth opened, but he
put his finger on my lips.

“
As soon as you let your
guard down, you’ll understand why I keep pursuing you.”

Troy gripped my waist as
his face inched toward mine.

Did I want
this?

His hand slid into my
hair, tilting my head back. I struggled to think everything
through, but I could only hear his whispers, “Don’t fight this
feeling, Jade. All I want is a kiss. Just. One. Kiss.”

The words lingered in my
ear. I wanted to bury my feelings, but I couldn’t, and when he
asked again, I nodded.

He smiled against my neck
as he pressed a kiss to each cheek, and then his lips were on mine.
Soft and gentle—it was the perfect first kiss, and then it morphed
into something stronger.

I wanted to protest when
he finally let me go, but stopped when I saw Amelia and Faith.
Amelia cleared her throat as Troy turned to introduce himself. It
took me a second for my heart to slow down, and then I was able to
move.

“
Nice to meet you, Troy,”
Faith said, fanning herself.

He put his arm around me,
but I shrugged it off. “What are you guys so happy
about?”

Amelia crossed her arms.
“We didn’t know you guys were dating.”

“
Who told you
that?”

Faith laughed. “Umm, he
just did! Plus we saw you kissing, which was
the
hottest kiss I’ve ever
seen!”

I wanted to smack the
smile from his face. “Why did you tell them that?”

Troy pulled me against his
side. “Don’t fight it. The heart feels without logic.”

He was right. My mind
shouted that this was a bad idea, but my heart and body were ready
to follow him anywhere. Digging my nails into my palm, I struggled
to exude a calm I didn’t feel.

Amelia and Faith studied
us with barely contained glee. I could’ve used them as a means of
escape, but then we’d fail our assignment.

“
I’ll call you guys
later,” I said with a shrug.

They smiled, knowing I’d
give them the scoop as soon as I could.

Troy took my hand. “We’d
better get going.”

Doubts ping-ponged inside
my head, but I had to suck it up. Thanks to my love of movies and
books, I wasn’t clueless when it came to romance, but capturing the
interest of a living, breathing man was completely new. After
saying bye to my friends, I let Troy help me into the shiny
vehicle, careful not to freak when he brushed my hair behind my
ear.

In order to try this
dating thing, I’d have to stop trying to bury my
feelings.

“
Your friends seem nice,”
he said as we buckled our seatbelts.

“
Thanks.” My breath
hitched when the locks slid into place. “Where are we
going?”

“
Someplace quiet, so we
can get our work done.”

“
We just left the
library!” I snapped as I looked out the window.

He laughed. “Are you
always so paranoid and jumpy? Or is it just me?”

I leaned my forehead
against the cool glass. “I’m always paranoid.”

“
So, I just make you
jumpy, then?”

I angled myself to see his
profile. He drove with one hand and changed the station without
looking down. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been staring, but I
stopped when he looked at me from the corner of his eye.

“
Yes, among other
things.”

He chuckled. “So, I make
you jumpy. What else do I do?”

I pretended to zip my lips
and throw away the key. “That, I’ll never tell.” I leaned my head
back, noting the soft jazz in the background.

“
I think you’ll be
surprised by the things you’ll tell me.”

I glared at him. “You
don’t know the future.”

He removed his sunglasses
from an overhead compartment. “If I did, I’d know exactly how to
make you let your guard down,” he replied as he put them
on.

I took a deep breath.
“Why?”

He pulled the glasses to
the tip of his nose and glanced at me, eyes glittering. “I want you
to love me, not fear me.”

I tried not to laugh.
“Why?”

His jaw tensed. “I think
I’ve already fallen in love with you.”

How could he love me after
a few days? He had to have some kind of agenda.

I stayed quiet, not sure
how to swallow that lump of information. When Billie Holiday came
over the speakers, I relaxed a little.

Upon opening my eyes, I
saw a red wall with a chandelier sticking out of it. Not a wall, a
ceiling. I rubbed my eyes and jumped up.

“
Where are we?”

Troy smiled and sat on the
red couch, patting the spot beside him.

“
Answer my
question!”

“
Sit down. And I will.”
His commanding tone made me sweat.

“
Fine.” I sat on the
opposite end. Shadows played over the red and black décor as I
stared at him, waiting for an explanation.

He crossed his ankle over
his knee. “I had to pick up a letter for my mother.”

“
So where are we?” I asked
with a little more composure.

He waved his hand. “In my
living room.”

I shot to my feet. “Your
living room… in your house?”

He laughed and shook his
head. I heaved a sigh of relief until he pulled me into his arms.
“This is my apartment.”

“
Why did you bring me in
here?”

“
I didn’t want you to wake
up alone.” He kept one hand around my waist as he pulled an
envelope from his jacket.

“
Oh.” I scanned the bare
walls for photos. “Where does your mom live?”

“
She and my father have a
house in New Orleans.”

“
So you were born
there?”

“
Can’t you tell?” he asked
in a thicker accent than usual.

I laughed as we stepped
into the main hallway. “It’s hard to pay attention when you’re
always so close.”

Oil paintings of flowers
and landscapes lined the white walls as we made our way to the
elevator.

“
This place is
impressive.”

He took my hand and laid a
gold key on my palm. “It is.” His fingers curled around mine. “If
you ever need me, you can come right in.”

I gaped at him as the
doors slid open. “Is this a key to your apartment? This is too
much.”

He pulled me into the
lift. “Why not? We’ll be spending a lot of time
together.”

Hearing those words made
me nervous.

Somehow, I’d stumbled upon
a very handsome, very determined man, and I had to convince him to
slow down.

I slipped the key into his
jacket pocket. “You don’t even know me.”

“
Then we should get to
know each other.”

“
How old are you?” I asked
when we reached the lobby.

He held his chin and
struck a debonair pose. “I’ll be twenty in April.”

“
You
seem older. Are you sure you’re only nineteen?” I rubbed my
forehead. “How old do you think
I
am?”

He led me to the Suburban.
“I know how old I am, Jade. I also know you’ll be eighteen on
November 11
^th
. How old did you
think I was?”

“
Honestly, I wouldn’t be
surprised if you were twenty four.”

He laughed and started the
car. “Would you even date someone six years older than
you?”

I laughed too.
“No.”

“
I didn’t think so.” His
smile made me wonder if he was lying.

“
You really are just about
to turn twenty, aren’t you?”

“
Yes,” he assured before
pulling onto the street.

The clock on his dashboard
read 4:40.