Mirror Image: Shattered Mirror Prophecies Book 1

by Bailey James

  “You have a trainer?” That’s so cool. I don’t know anyone who could say that. To me, that’s the same as someone saying they have an agent. It’s almost unheard of, and I’d never heard of it, except on TV.

  “Yep. If I want to win, I need one. And I want to win.”

  “But I never see you train. You’re always here.”

  “It may seem like it, but I’m up at dawn every morning and make sure to be back by the time you wake up.”

  “Jackson! Why haven’t you ever said anything? I’ve been keeping you up until you have to leave. You must be exhausted.”

  He chuckles and saunters over, his hands in his pockets. “I don’t mind. My trainer does, but he’ll get over it. You’re more important.” He spreads his hands in front of him as if to ask, “What are you gonna do?”

  My heart flip-flops, but I shake my head. “No, I’m not. Promise me you won’t do that again.” When he opens his mouth to argue, I place my hands on my hips. “I won’t talk to you if you don’t promise.”

  “All right, all right,” he says, laughing. “I promise. So, how’s my Tiger Lily today?”

  The butterflies retake flight at his casual use of the word ‘my.’”

  “Great. You?” I spin around in a circle, tossing my hands out.

  He chuckles. “Same. You’re in a good mood.”

  “I am. I really am. I have the rest of the day to talk to you. My parents are gone, my brother and sister, too. Ty thinks I’m busy with Leah, and Leah thinks I’ve met someone new, so she doesn’t know what to do. It’s great.”

  He frowns. “Wow. Why does she think you’ve met someone new?”

  I bite my bottom lip. “She caught us talking and knew it wasn’t Ty.”

  “Oh.” He watches me as I move to my radio and turn it on. “You’re okay with that?”

  I dance back to him, wiggling my hips to the music. “Yep. I don’t know why, but it feels right. I can’t help but feel that this is meant to be.”

  His whole expression changes, from laughing and happy to guarded. A chill runs through my body as I panic that maybe I’ve misconstrued everything. That he didn’t like me, that he was just one of those friendly people that you can never tell if they’re flirting or if that was their usual way of talking. And that what I had taken for flirting was actually nothing more than my overly active imagination.

  “What do you mean by that?” he asks.

  His hand clenches and unclenches on the mirror. His face is still vacant of all emotion. His eyes are the only things showing anything, and it’s impossible to tell what he’s thinking by them.

  “Just what I said,” I say. “I think that we were meant to find each other. To get to know each other. To start to,” I swallow at the lump in my throat, “like each other,” I finish in a whisper.

  Jackson steps closer to the mirror; his eyes are intense and never budge from mine. It makes me feel as if he can see right through me, that any secrets I’ve ever had, he knows.

  “You like me?” he demands, his voice rough.

  Heat swamps me from my chest to my cheeks, and I stare down at my feet. “Yeah, I do.”

  He doesn’t say anything, so I have no choice but to look up to try and see what he isn’t saying. I swallow the lump in my throat as he only continues to stare at me with the same intense expression.

  “What about Ty?” he asks.

  Pain slashes through my chest at the thought of Ty. As much as I don’t want to lose him, things have changed between us. I’ve changed. I don’t know what I feel towards him anymore. Not with all these confusing emotions about Jackson swirling around in my head. All the emotions I’ve felt with Ty feel blunted in comparison to what I feel for Jackson. And what I feel for Jackson, despite the incredibly short time I’ve known about him, feels more intense than anything I’ve ever felt. It’s like, if my feelings for both guys were a photo, what I feel for Ty is in faded black and white and Jackson’s, to borrow a line from Taylor Swift, it’s in screaming color.

  “He’s still your boyfriend. Isn’t he?” Jackson asks, his voice quiet, reserved.

  I close my eyes and sense the butterflies in my stomach turn into jumping frogs. Enormous jumping frogs.

  For a moment, the words I can’t believe I’m going to say get stuck in my throat, but I clear my throat twice and then blurt out with a wince, “Not if you want to take his spot.”

  “Yes,” comes Jackson’s immediate response.

  My eyes pop open, and I stare into his smiling face, not quite sure I understand what he just said. “Yes? Yes, what?”

  He’s grinning at me, his eyes sparkling like the emeralds that share the hue. “Yes, I want to take his spot.”

  “You do?” I feel stupid, like I don’t understand the joke he’s telling me. Maybe he is joking. But underneath that is a giddiness I can’t explain. Like I’m a kid, and all my Christmases have come at once.

  He smiles and touches the mirror. “Yes, Lily, I do. If you want me.”

  My eyes search his face, as I chant over and over in my head, Please don’t let him be joking. Please, God, don’t let him be joking.

  I swallow. “I want you.” My throat is so constricted from nerves that I can’t get anything past it but a whisper.

  Jackson breathes a quiet sigh and leans his head against the mirror. “That doesn’t answer what you’re going to do about Ty.”

  “I’m going to break up with him,” I answer, after a short hesitation. “In fact, I’ll do it now.” It’s the right thing to do. I can’t be with Ty if I feel like I do about Jackson. It’s not right. It’s not fair to either of them. Even if it breaks my heart to do it, I can’t do that to Ty. It’s not fair.

  Jackson brings his hand up to place the back of it on the mirror at my cheek. His green eyes are swimming with all kinds of emotions, including one that makes my heart stop and then pound with excitement.

  I know what his answer will be before he even speaks it.

  “Lily, of course I’m serious. I’ve wanted to take his place since before you even knew about me, but…I can share. For now. I don’t want you to make any decisions you’re going to regret.” He gives me a crooked grin. “Just let it be for now. Let us actually spend time together. Get to know each other. That way when you make a decision, we’ll both know it’s the right one and not because of all this.” He gestures to the mirror. “Okay?”

  The giddy feeling replaces everything else, and I find my legs too weak to stand on, so I lower myself to the ground. “Okay, but one question. How the hell are you supposed to date me? I mean, neither of us can get through.”

  “I think there may be a way, Tiger Lily. If you trust me.”

  I roll my eyes. “Of course I trust you. There’s no one I trust more.”

  He grins, but there’s still worry behind those gorgeous green eyes. “All right then, touch my hands over the mirror and close your eyes.”

  For a second, I hear his thoughts clearly in my mind, “Please let this work. Please let this work,” and then it grows quiet.

  Suddenly, I feel the brush of skin against my arm and hear the soft caress of water against land. My eyes fly open. I stare around. I’m on Dog Island. It is a tiny little island filled with trees in the middle of Lake Maitland, and one of my most favorite places.

  There’s a red blanket set on the beach, and moonlight glints off the calm waters that surround that little piece of land.

  The crunching of sand comes from behind me, and soft strokes along my bare back make me spin. Jackson is behind me, admiring me as I do him. He’s wearing something completely different than what he was. Black on black. Black shirt, black pants. The black silk shirt has the first three buttons undone, showing off the line of muscles on his chest. His white tie hangs loosely around his neck. He takes a step toward me and cups my cheek in his hand as he’d done the night of the
accident.

  I close my eyes and lean into it, enjoying the warmth of his skin against mine.

  “What is this?” I ask.

  “I created a world in our minds using our best memories.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  He removes his hand and turns me, so I’m facing the water. He pulls me into his chest, wrapping his arms around my waist. “This place seems to be yours.”

  I open my eyes. “Yes. This is my favorite spot. I’d wanted Ty to take me here after prom, but it never happened.” I glance down and recognize the silvery dress I wore that night. “I guess you get to take me here instead.” I smile at him over my shoulder. “I’d say that’s a trade-up.”

  He returns my grin. “I’d have to agree.” He rests his chin on my shoulder. “It’s beautiful, Lily, but not nearly as much as you.”

  My heart skips a beat as he tilts his head into my neck and nuzzles it.

  “I’ve wanted to do this for so long,” he breathes into my neck. Little goosebumps pop out all over my skin.

  For several minutes we stand still, enjoying the fact we can actually touch. Even if it’s only in our minds, I’m not going to complain. A chill goes through me as another thought occurs to me. That this all could be in my mind.

  “Are you cold?” Jackson asks.

  I shake off my thoughts. “No. I’m perfect. This is perfect. Thank you.”

  He takes my hand and leads me to the blanket, where a basket sits. “You’re welcome. Sit. Please.”

  I do as he requests, and he sits next to me. He places a plate with chocolate and strawberries on it and then hands me a champagne flute.

  “What is this?” I ask, watching the bubbles pop and sparkle in the gold liquid.

  “Champagne.”

  “I’m not old enough,” I tell him, and try to hand him back the glass.

  He chuckles. “Lily, there are no rules here but our own.”

  I nod, willing to be corrupted by him, and lift the glass to my mouth.

  The aroma of pear, toast, Pippin apple, pine resin, and raisins fill my nose. I take another deep breath, drawing in the scent before taking a tentative sip, and the flavor of a ripe golden pear tickles my taste buds, followed closely by tart apple and sweetening to hint at a Fuji apple.

  “Wow,” I say. “Now I know what Dom Perignon meant by saying it was like drinking stars.”

  He chuckles and then holds up a chocolate-covered strawberry. I reach for it, but he holds it just out of reach. “No. Let me,” he says.

  So, I open my mouth. Jackson trails the strawberry over my bottom lip first, then places it into my mouth. I bite into the succulent fruit and sigh at the burst of flavors on my tongue. Then he covers my mouth with his. His hands cupping my face, holding me in place.

  As if I would back away.

  I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him even closer and run my fingers up his neck to tangle in his thick hair. He tilts his head and takes the kiss deeper, fanning the flames of desire stirring in my belly.

  His tongue runs along my bottom lip, coaxing me to open for him. When I do, he immediately plunders my mouth, massaging my tongue with his. His hands lower, over the curve of my breasts, down my stomach to rest at my hips, inciting a trail of little fires wherever he touches.

  When he pulls back, we’re both gasping. My head spins, as if I’ve just turned in circles and then sat on the ground.

  “Wow,” I whisper.

  He grins, making me all gooey inside.

  “Come on.” He stands and tugs on my hand, pulling me up with him.

  He leads me to the water’s edge and then kneels in the surf. To my confusion and amusement, he starts dragging sand toward him.

  “What are you doing?” I ask, laughing.

  “Building a sandcastle. Come on. Help me.”

  I glance down at my dress, worrying about ruining it, then realize how silly that is and join him. When we finish building the perfect castle, I lean back on my heels, admiring it.

  “So…whose castle is it? Cinderella, Snow White, Aurora?” I ask.

  “Lily’s.”

  I glance over with a frown, scouring my brain for a Princess Lily. “Lily wasn’t a princess.”

  Jackson brushes a hand down the left side of my face. “She is to me.”

  My heart flutters when I understand what he’s saying. I smile. “Thank you.”

  He kisses me again, drawing me back to my feet as he rises to his. “You’re welcome.” His grin turns mischievous, and there’s a glint in his eyes I don’t trust.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Oh, nothing,” he says, way too innocently.

  Then, before I can react, he picks me up and throws me gently in front of him, so I land in the water. A short scream escapes my throat, and I end up inhaling water. I come up sputtering and glare at him. His smile drops, and he quickly apologizes. I wait until he swims over before spitting the mouthful of water into his face, laughing at the expression on his face. When it changes back to that same mischievous one from earlier, I stop laughing and try swimming away, but he grabs my ankle and pulls me back to him.

  He holds me in place and says, teasingly, “That wasn’t very nice.”

  I try biting my tongue to stop from laughing but end up doing it anyway. Jackson solves the matter by tossing me again. This time, I stay under, cautiously opening my eyes. I can see perfectly as if the water isn’t even there. I swim back to him underneath the water and then yank hard on his leg to pull him under with me.

  I pop back up to the surface, but he doesn’t come back up. I’m just about to make sure he’s okay when I feel his mouth on my thigh. I gasp.

  He comes back up, flashing that sinful smile. “Oops,” he says, sounding anything but sorry.

  “Uh, huh, whatever. I’m so sure that was an accident.

  “You’re right. And neither is this.”

  He presses his wet lips to mine and yanks me closer, so our bodies press tightly together. Again, my head spins, and I wrap my arms around his neck to keep myself steady.

  Too soon, he releases me and tugs me back onto shore. The minute I step onto the dry sand, he captures my mouth with his again. Our bodies meld together. I move my hands over his wet shirt, marveling at the definition of his muscles under my fingertips. His own hands come up and cup my breasts. I moan and press myself even closer until I feel his hard length against my stomach, proving exactly what I’m doing to him. I can’t help the smirk that crosses my face at the knowledge that I’ve done that to him.

  He lowers us to the blanket without releasing me, so he’s covering my body with his, and his hips are between my legs. I wrap them around him, locking my ankles around his back. His mouth moves from my lips to the side of my throat and then trails down and along my collarbone. I let my hands dig into his hair to scratch lightly at his scalp as his lips graze over the tops of my breasts, where my dress leaves them exposed.

  His hand slips under the skirt of my dress to rest along my upper thigh at the crease. My blood hums and wet heat pools in my center as my emotions boil over, threatening to make me forget everything but his touch. When his fingers graze along the elastic of my panties and his thumb slides under it, I moan and push my hips up, begging for more.

  Without warning, he yanks back, terror in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he says, gasping.

  “I’m not.” Panting, I push myself onto my elbows.

  He meets my gaze. “What?”

  “I’m not sorry. I want you to touch me.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I give him a look. “Beyond sure.”

  He smiles and pushes me back onto the blanket, covering me once again. I let my eyes close when he tugs the neckline of my dress down past my boobs, and his mouth closes over one of my nipples.

  However, almost instantly, my skin cools
, the feeling of his body on mine disappears, as so does his scent. My clothes are dry, and instead of the softness of the sand under my back, it’s a mixture of soft and hard.

  I blink open my eyes and sigh when I notice I’m back in my room. Sitting up, I peer into the mirror, where Jackson is doing the same, blinking his big, beautiful eyes. They’re dark with a mixture of lust and anger. I’m sure if I could see mine, they’d be the same.

  “What happened?” I’m breathless, and the words come out all husky.

  He glances down, his cheeks pink. “I couldn’t hold it any longer. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. We’ll just have to do it again.” I look up at him underneath my lashes. “Then we can finish what we started.”

  He gives me a tired smile, but it slowly fades. “I’m not sure if that will be possible. It takes all my concentration to hold us both there. I don’t think I’ll be able to do both.”

  I groan. “Stupid mirror.”

  “The mirror?” he asks with a laugh.

  “Why won’t it let us through?”

  He frowns, looking at his hands again. “I think it’s my fault.”

  “What do you mean?” How can this possibly be his fault? It’s not like he caused this to happen. It’s just fate. Right?

  “I mean, when I came through, I should have stayed through. That way—”

  “No,” I say firmly. “You shouldn’t have.” Of this, I’m sure. “You did the right thing. Your mom would’ve worried and then your swimming stuff—”

  His head jerks up and his eyes, emotion pouring from them, bore into mine. “You may be right about my mom, but the swimming I could have done there. And neither is as important as you, Lily. Maybe this isn’t a good idea,” he says quietly, looking away.

  My heart drops. “What’s not a good idea?”

  “This.” He makes a sweeping gesture between us. “Us.”

  Pure panic blows through me, causing my hands to shake. “No, it is a good idea. Why are you saying that?”

  Don’t change your mind. You can’t change your mind. Not after you made me fall for you. I think it, but I don’t say any of it.