“Even though I knew it was probably wrong, I couldn’t deny what I felt.”
My only desire was for him to tell me more. I knew he was holding back but I couldn’t tell why.
“I like you more than I should and…”
That wasn’t the first time he’d said that to me and I still didn’t know what he meant by it. “I don’t understand…”
“I don’t expect you to understand, Marjorie.”
He didn’t expect me to understand the nature of his rudeness? Or his attraction toward me?
“I just can’t get too close to people.” He finally gazed at me.
“Why?”
“I can’t explain why.”
Why was it so hard for him to explain? What was underneath the meaning of his words?
“I mean…I shouldn’t even be here, alone, with you.” he gestured toward me with one hand.
“But you are…”
“Yes, I am. But I shouldn’t be. I do enjoy having you around. I enjoy your company.”
Those words were anything but flattering. “You have a strange way of showing it sometimes.”
“Yes, maybe I do.” He sounded defensive. “But that’s just me.”
I nodded. There was no way for me to understand the true meanings of what he said unless he explained them to me, and he wasn’t about to do that.
“Alexis wasn’t far from the truth when he stated that I’m not normal.”
“So I’ve noticed you tend to stand out a bit, even from your own family members. In spite of that, I would consider you significantly normal.”
“Trust me, Marjorie, my family isn’t by any means normal, and neither am I.”
“What would you define as normal, then?”
“I don’t know…the opposite of me, I guess.”
“That being…?”
“You don’t want to know.”
Kyran turned his attention back to the TV and I watched as he mentally pulled away from me. Every time I pried for information, he pulled away. Taking his silence as a sign that he wasn’t going to answer any more questions, I focused my eyes on the television instead of on him.
“Can I ask you what happened with your friend Angela? Or is that something you don’t wish to share?”
So, now he was the one wanting to ask questions.
“No. Everyone around here knows anyway so you’ll find out eventually. But I guess it’s better for you to hear it from me.”
He listened intently as I poured out the events of the night of the accident. He made no comments or faces as I narrated the worst night of my life in vivid detail. The only thing I didn’t go in too deep about was the creature I saw that night. I casually mentioned it was just an animal I’d seen and nothing more.
“And your friend Angela blames you for something that wasn’t your fault?”
“She never did before.”
“No?”
“No.” My eyes searched his face as I spoke the next words. “I think she blames me now because of you.”
“Me?” His eyes widened in surprise. “What do I have to do with it?”
“Ever since the accident Angela has been a little detached from the life she used to have. She hasn’t dated at all since then, and she used to be really popular with boys before.”
“I still don’t understand, what does that have to do with me?”
“Well, she hasn’t developed any interest in anyone. But then you came along and…she likes you, Kyran, a lot.”
He didn’t seem surprised but his eyes revealed nothing of what he was thinking.
“I think she’s blaming me now because she feels that because she’s in a wheelchair you’ll never notice her.” I said.
“Angela is a very nice girl but I’m not interested in her in that way.”
He made no mention of the kiss he supposedly shared with Angela, but then again, I knew he wouldn’t. “Your friend Angela is very pretty. No doubt someone will notice her, wheelchair or not. But that person isn’t me. I told her this.” He added.
“Oh?” I tried to sound casual and silently thanked God that I was able to speak in a steady voice.
“Saturday, Gage and I were at the party at Jimmy’s house.”
I listened intently, hoping to hear the truth behind the kiss.
“She and I were alone for a brief moment and…she…we spoke for a while.”
Disappointment coursed through me as I realized he wasn’t going to say anything about what I was waiting to hear. Maybe it wasn’t in his personality to kiss and tell.
“Did she take it okay?”
“Not as I would’ve liked.” His smiled faded. “I was, however, more disappointed that you weren’t there.”
I had to bite back the urge to smile like an idiot. “I wasn’t in the mood for parties.”
He nodded as if he knew exactly what I was talking about. “I wasn’t either, but I made an appearance hoping I would see you there.”
I regretted even more having missed the party after hearing him say that. “Sorry, had I known you were planning on attending I would’ve gone.”
“I need to make up more valid excuses to see you more often, or at least be more direct about it.”
I wondered why he felt the need to come up with “excuses” to see me outside of school. “Ah, like today?”
“No, today doesn’t count for an excuse.”
“Why not?”
“Because today you really needed a friend. I couldn’t let you just go on alone, hurting like you were.”
Well, so far he’d worked his magic. “I’m feeling much better now, thank you.”
“De rien.”
“So, what excuse are you going to use next time?”
“I don’t know. I’m still thinking about it.” His grin took my breath away. “But for right now, I would like very much to enjoy the pleasure of your company.”
And I wanted to enjoy his.
“What do you feel like doing?”
“Hmm, I don’t know. There are a lot of activities we could do in this house.” I sat up and placed one hand under my chin. “Do you like playing video games?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Well, I’m going to tell you a secret, but if you tell anyone, I’ll swear it’s a lie.” I clearly detected a sparkle of interest in his silver eyes.
Slowly, he nodded. “I won’t tell a soul, I promise.”
“All right. Well, I love to play video games, online games, that sort of thing. Sometimes I play in the privacy of my bedroom and no one knows I have that little weakness. I guess you can say it’s my hidden hobby.”
His amused expression turned into a grin. “Well, what do you know, a beautiful girl that loves to play video games. You’re worming yourself into my heart.” I started to blush as he scrutinized my face. “Come on, let’s play a few battles. I want you to show me how good you really are.”
“All right, but I’m warning you, I’m pretty good.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
He took my hand and pulled me gently toward the door. We made our way to the seating area downstairs where we proceeded to spend several hours battling each other through some popular games. Throughout all of this, I was amazed at how relaxed Kyran appeared to be. He smiled often and even laughed several times after I beat him on one game or another. He truly was more comfortable at home.
“Ouch! I’ve lost to a girl. I hope my brothers don’t hear about this. They’ll never let me live it down.” He stared at the TV then turned to look at me and caught me grinning.
“To be fair, I did warn you I was good. You should’ve heeded my warning.”
“That’s true, you did warn me.” He smiled.
God, that accent was so alluring!
Around noon my stomach growled softly, not loud enough for any ordinary person to hear, but Kyran, as I was fast learning, was no ordinary person. He turned his head toward me the instant the growling started.
“You’re hungry.” It w
asn’t a question. “No problem, we’ll eat here.”
“I…really?”
“Oui, I’ll cook for us.”
“You know how to cook?”
He’d mentioned earlier that occasionally they helped Simone and Josephine, but I didn’t think he meant they cooked. I figured he meant they helped dice vegetables or something like that.
“I can cook, not like a gourmet chef but good enough to take hunger away. Come on.”
He was actually going to cook for me? Not only was he sexy and good looking, but he also knew how to cook. I was beginning to become enamored with him.
Whoa! Enamored? Where did that come from? No, that couldn’t happen. Marjorie Emery couldn’t fall in love with anyone. “Oh, wait. I forgot my phone upstairs.”
“Go get it. I’ll wait for you in the kitchen.” As soon as I opened my phone, I noticed missed calls and texts from Angela, Tracy, and Claire, even a few from Bobby and Miguel. No doubt the girls had gone crazy when they couldn’t find me and asked the boys to text me to see if I had at least answered them back. Well, they would have to wait to hear back from me, at least for a little while.
I made my way down to the enormous kitchen and stopped when I noticed Kyran moving about. His expression was one of deep concentration as he worked over the counter, cutting, slicing, and spicing. I would’ve never imagined any man looking sexy while cooking, but damn if Kyran wasn’t the epitome of hotness as he leaned over the counter while deeply engrossed in the task at hand. Not wanting to disturb my chef, I sat on a chair next to the island, hoping not to distract him too much. After all, I was admiring the view just fine. However, he was the one distracting me.
“Can I help?”
“Thanks, but no. I’m doing this for you.”
Too bad, I was looking for an excuse to get closer to him.
My phone vibrated and I flipped it open to find a text from Tracy.
Where are you? Are you okay?
I decided to answer just in case she panicked and called the police.
I’m fine, Trace, don’t worry.
It’s about damn time. Why didn’t you answer me before?
I forgot my phone, sorry.
Where are you?
At Kyran’s house, with him.
What?
Yeah, Angela and I had a little disagreement.
I know, she told me. She’s been crying all day. She says she’s sorry. Are you coming back?
I’m not ready to come back. I don’t want to talk to Angie today. I’m sorry I worried you guys but I’m fine. I’m having a great time.
Knowing Tracy, she was probably squealing in delight as she imagined Kyran and me together, alone, and in his house.
You won’t believe this, I texted.
What? Tell me.
He’s cooking lunch for us both.
You’re kidding!
No, I’m not.
Well, just make sure you let me in on all the details after you get home today.
I will. Let everyone else know I’m fine. I shut my phone off to avoid getting any more interruptions and went back to observing Kyran as he cooked.
Cooking seemed to be something he really enjoyed.
“Having fun there, Kyran?”
He brought his gaze up to meet mine and smiled. “Why do you ask?”
“I don’t think I have ever seen you this relaxed before.”
“I don’t do it much, but when I do it helps me relax and concentrate on other things. My home is the one place I feel comfortable in.” he said.
“I can see why, I mean, this place is wonderful.”
“The house’s grandeur means very little to me. What I do see when I’m here is my family.”
I could relate to that.
“So, uh, Chef Rousseau, what’re you making for us?”
“Croque-monsieur.”
“I don’t know what that is, but it smells delicious.” If it tasted as good as it smelled, I was in for a treat.
CHAPTER TEN
About fifteen minutes later, the lunch Kyran had so elaborately put together was done. I helped him serve both the food and the beverages and soon we were sitting down at the kitchen table, enjoying the meal. My taste buds were already eager to taste the delicious looking sandwich. It was all I could do not to gobble it whole.
“Wow! Kyran, this is amazing.” Not only was he gorgeous, he could cook too.
“Merci. I’m glad you like it. One day I must invite you over for dinner. I can make an even better meal than this one.”
Boasting, huh? Funny, I couldn’t picture him as the boasting type.
“And you have to come over and try the indoor pool.”
Was that his way of saying he wanted to see me with less clothing? I nearly choked on my drink as that possibility crossed my mind.
“Sounds like fun to me.”
“How does Wednesday sound?”
Wednesday? The same day Kenny asked for me to join his study group. “I…well, Wednesday?”
“You already have plans?” His eyes glimmered with hidden intent.
“Not exactly, but…you were there. You heard.” I had the feeling that’s exactly why he was inviting me over on that of all days.
“I heard, but you didn’t agree to go, so I’m inviting you to come here instead. I can cook, later we can swim, then we can study.”
Each other? Or the books? I wondered. I was secretly hoping for both. “All right, Wednesday it is.”
“Perfect.” His eyes wavered a bit but he quickly recovered. So, I was spending my Wednesday evening with him at his house. That would probably turn out to be one interesting night indeed. “I’m looking forward to that.”
“Me too.” How could he be such an amazing human being one moment and other times be such a pain. And they say women are the ones with the most mood swings. Yeah right.
After lunch, we decided to clean up the kitchen together. He washed the dishes while I dried and placed them inside the cupboard.
“Marjorie?” he handed me a plate, which I dried and put away.
“Yes?”
“Why don’t you like it when people call you Marjie? Isn’t it a short version of your name?” he asked as he handed over another plate.
“How do you know I don’t like it when people call me that?”
“I watch your face. You always make a face when people call you that.” He certainly was observant, much more than I’d thought, which meant I had to watch out for my reactions more closely.
“I…didn’t realize I did that.” Nothing escaped his very observant silver eyes. And he was watching my reaction closely as we spoke, too. “It’s not that I don’t like it exactly. It’s just that Marjie was…my mother used to call me that all the time as a pet name. You know how mothers are. I loved it because it was just a mother and daughter thing. Everyone else just called me Marjorie.” I paused to look at him.
Kyran was carefully listening to every single word I spoke. I suddenly felt vulnerable in a way I hadn’t in a long time. It had been literally years since I last spoke of my mother.
“My mother left us when I was eight.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” He obviously misunderstood what I had just said.
“Um, my mom didn’t die. She left us…as in abandoned us.”
“Oh. I’m sorry just the same.”
“Thank you.” I finished with the plate I was drying and placed it in the cupboard with the rest. “She left us without giving us an explanation or a reason why. She just took off one day and never came back. She called a few days later to say that it was better for my dad and me if she just disappeared. We never heard from or saw her again.” Speaking of my mother turned out to be harder than I thought it would be. “When I realized she had no intention of coming back I decided to get rid of everything that reminded me of her, including that nickname. Every time someone calls me Marjie I’m reminded of her. I remember what she used to look like, her voice, and what we shared.” I shrugged. “M
aybe that’s weird for some people, but that’s how I feel.”
“There isn’t anything weird about that. It’s normal, it’s human.”
I nodded in agreement. “What about your parents?” I felt the need to change the subject, thinking that anything that diverted my attention from my absent mother was more to my liking.
“My parents died a few years ago while we were living in Iowa.” His voice was strained, as if speaking of his parents’ deaths was still painful for him.
“I’m sorry, Kyran. How did they die?” He tensed as soon as the question left my mouth and I suddenly wished I could take it back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.”
“No, it’s fine. My parents were killed.”
“That’s awful! I’m so sorry.” I took a step back so I could look into his silver eyes. “Have the killers been caught?”
“We’re getting there.” We? Before I could ask any more questions he pulled me toward him and said, “I don’t want to relive moments I’d rather forget. You are here with me now and that makes the pain a lot better. I hardly think about anything when you are close, Marjorie.”
His lips were so tantalizing that I couldn’t resist the urge to lift my head up a fraction of an inch and kiss him. And kiss him I did. My arms came up to encircle his broad shoulders, pulling him down to my waiting mouth. Slowly, Kyran leaned down and brushed my lips with his. They were hot and moist and felt so incredibly good against mine.
Before I had a chance to figure out what was happening, Kyran was pushing me gently against the wall, until my back was firmly planted against it, and then he deepened the kiss. I accommodated his request and indulged in the wonderful feelings his caress invoked within me. Our tongues played a very sexy game of tag and I shamelessly moaned when his body pressed against my own. Sensations I had never felt before washed through my body like a downpour of hot water.
Kyran’s hands tightened their grip on my waist, his fingernails digging into my skin, causing soft stings of pain to radiate through it as his fingers continued to burrow deeper in. I was so caught up in the kiss I hardly noticed anything aside from the monsoon of emotions coursing through my body. Just as I pushed my body forward toward him, he took a faltering step back, his breathing harsh, his eyes closed, and his speech hoarse. “I’m sorry, Marjorie.”
Secrets of the Moon Page 17
