Jeremiah looks over at her, head cocked to the side, his lips pulling up, blinking as if he can’t believe she just made the first move. Truthfully, Aislin can’t believe it either. After the pair finish their glasses, he offers to drive her home. The pair leave The Barn with their fingers still laced together, a huge victory smile plastered on Jeremiah’s face. As he pulls his car into Aislin’s driveway, he looks over at her and draws her knuckles to his lips. He exits the car and opens her door and then guides her to the front porch. The gold of his hair is illuminated in the soft glow of the porch light. Like a halo. Aislin smiles slightly, thinking him handsome. Gabe’s face flashes into her mind for a brief moment before she pushes the thought of him away. To keep him from resurfacing, she raises up on her tippy-toes and presses her lips to Jeremiah’s. He gasps softly and pushes her lower back, easing her body into his. He is much taller than she is and he cranes his head down to reach her more fully.
When she pulls away, he looks at her as if awestruck and Aislin giggles. “Goodnight, Jeremiah.” She unlocks her door and steps inside, waving her fingers at him as he backs away toward his car, one side of his mouth pulled up in a half-smile. She locks her door and watches through the blinds of her front window as the red of his taillights fade into the darkness.
Aislin spends the next few days with Jeremiah. She is getting ready to go to his house for the afternoon. He’s invited her over to swim and enjoy some sunshine. She ties on her emerald green bikini and throws on cut-offs and a white tank top, grabs her flip-flops and runs out to her CR-V. As she pulls into his driveway, she lowers her sunglasses taking it all in. To call it palatial would be an understatement. The house is humongous and easily the largest house she’s ever laid eyes on. It dwarfs Parker and Amy’s house, making it seem like a mobile home in comparison and making mobile homes seem like matchboxes. Jeremiah’s house is made of white stucco and its terra cotta tiled roof, long, regal windows and immaculate landscaping overwhelms Aislin as she pulls her compact SUV through the tall, iron gate monogrammed with an “S.”
A small outbuilding, matching the construction of the main house sits just beyond the house. As she parks her car in front of one of the bays of the three-car garage, Jeremiah pushes his way through a waist-high wrought iron fence leading toward the back yard. He flashes a bright smile and pushes his aviators up on his head. Wearing only dark blue swimming trunks, he is lean and tone. Not as thickly sculpted as Gabriel, Aislin muses, but still strong and in great shape. Aislin knows that any other woman would probably be drooling over Jeremiah at this point, but she isn’t any other woman. She is a woman in love with her best friend, a man who does not reciprocate her feelings. Unrequited love, she decides, is the worst type.
She pastes a fake smile on her face and tries to enjoy Jeremiah’s kiss as he greets her, though it’s obvious that he enjoys it much more than she.
“You ready to swim?” he asks, smiling lazily, still apparently drunk from the kiss.
“Sure, lead the way.” He grabs her hand and leads her through the gate he had just exited and into the back yard. Back yard? More like Oasis. Exotic plants outline the fence perimeter, outlined in black mulch. Classic Rock pours from speakers disguised as river rock, which matches the real stones near the top of the waterfall that empties into the sparkling swimming pool. This is no pond. Aislin isn’t sure how far the crystal pool extends, but decides it is beautiful. Placing her clothes on a lounger, Jeremiah leads her to the edge of the water. It is perfect. Not too cool and not too hot. She notices him staring from the corner of her eye and she smiles. At least he wants her, she thinks.
Aislin grows a bit self-conscious at his perusal of her body, while she is wearing a bikini that, at best, can only equate to skimpy underwear. He grabs her hand and pulls her toward the water. The pool’s edge is graduated, like the shore and the two gradually sink deeper into the water with each step. When waist-deep, Aislin shivers. The sun is bright, but the water is cooler the deeper they go.
“Come here,” Jeremiah orders, as he pulls her hand toward him. She places her hands on his chest and he encircles her waist with his long fingers.
Aislin blushes and looks down. “Aislin? Are you nervous?” The deep timbre of his voice makes her tremble. She nods, unable to bring the words out.
“Why?” he asks firmly.
Her eyes meet his icy blue ones and she shudders again. “You’ve never seen me before.”
“You’re worried about what I think?” He lifts his brows.
She nods again.
“Aislin, you are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever set eyes on. You’re perfect. And now, you’re mine.” He claims her lips and she sinks into him. At least with Jeremiah, her heart is safe. He won’t hurt her. She won’t give him that part of her. His kiss doesn’t overwhelm her. His touch doesn’t set her skin on fire like Gabe’s does. This is good. Good and safe and smart. She can do this. She can love with her head, not with her heart, and in doing so, in time her heart will follow.
The pair wades further into the crystal clear water until the tips of Aislin’s toes barely touch the smooth bottom. She doesn’t swim. She’d never had the opportunity to learn. Jeremiah tries to lead her further in, but she pulls his hand back.
“Come on,” he says, jerking his head toward the deepest part of the pool, still at least 30 feet away. He tugs her hand forward again, but harder this time. Aislin’s toes lose their purchase and her mouth and nose slip under the water. She panics.
Jeremiah watches her for a moment. “Help,” she manages to gurgle as she struggles in the water. He finally bolts into action, grabbing her by the waist and hauling her backward where her feet finally find the sweet ground, they’ve been searching for. She gasps and coughs and tries desperately to fill her lungs with air instead of the water that she’d inadvertently inhaled. Jeremiah stares at her.
“Are you okay? Do you even know how to swim?”
“No. I don’t swim. I never go where I can’t touch the bottom, so when you pulled me forward, I couldn’t touch. I almost drowned.”
He rolls his eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic. I was right beside you the whole time. I would never let anything happen to you. It just shocked me that a grown woman can’t swim.”
Aislin bristles at his comment. She is out of her element with him. The money that obviously oozes from him had never been a part of her life. She’d never lived in a home with a pool, let alone had the money or foster parents who wanted to spend money on lessons for her. Jeremiah leads her out of the water, and over to a glistening white chaise. She sits down, still sniffing occasionally from being water-logged. He steps away and returns a moment later with a plush, over-sized white towel. She accepts it and wraps it around her shoulders, which still shake. She had really been scared.
She looks down, but feels the chair move as he sits beside her. He is positioned between her and the pool, for which she is grateful. Her pool time today is probably over.
“Aislin.”
She doesn’t answer, just continues to look down. Aislin is embarrassed by the entire episode. If it had been Gabe, he would have known not to jerk her into the deeper water. He wouldn’t have stopped to assess her as she flailed around. He would have jumped immediately into action. What did it mean that he had hesitated?
“Aislin, look at me.” His words are hard and loud. She jerks and looks over at him. Not even aware that he’d moved closer, his lips land hard upon hers. They are possessive. There is no gentleness in this kiss. It is as if he is angry with her, yet turned on. She tries to keep up, to kiss him back with the same fever and intensity, but it is difficult. He is leading a dance that she cannot follow. His hands wind into her hair and pull her even closer, eliciting a surprised squeak from her throat. Jeremiah takes this as a good sign and a dark growl is torn from his chest. His hands unwind from her wet strands and he uses them to push the towel from her shoulders.
Jeremiah stops punishing her lips long enough to look at her. Aislin looks
down. Her bikini doesn’t cover much or leave anything to the imagination. Goosebumps cover her arms and the tiny triangles over her chest do not conceal the fact that her nipples are hardened. She tries to cross her arms.
He strikes like a viper, grabbing her arms and uncovering her. He doesn’t say a word, just pins her with his icy clear eyes and slowly shakes his head in warning. He begins to kiss her again and backs her further into the chaise. Her back bumps the reclined seat back and he positions himself so that he is half laying on top of her and half beside her. With one hand behind his head, he uses the thumb of his free hand to brush over her bottom lip. Aislin is nervous. She doesn’t even think when she tries to lick her lips, but sweeps across his thumb accidentally.
A rumble tears from deep in his chest. His eyes dilate, the black overtaking the icicle blue. His fingers trail down her throat and sweep across her collar bone and then all the way down her arm from shoulder to fingertip. He lifts her hand and kisses the back of it gently before replacing it. Her heart hammers in her chest. She’d never been in such an intimate position with anyone but Gabriel before. It is very different with Jeremiah. Scary. He is very intense. And, yet it’s exciting on some level. Gabriel had looked at her as if she was precious, but delicate. He had worshipped her with his hands and mouth. He had lied. His beautiful mouth didn’t really want her at all.
Jeremiah does. He wants her and with every touch of his hand, she knows it. She can feel it. With every kiss, he seeks to possess her, to make Aislin his. She shudders. She wants to know what it feels like to be wanted, to be loved. His hand brushes over her flat stomach and she arches her back at the feather-light touch. Jeremiah smirks at her and then looks a bit further north than her stomach. Aislin holds her breath as he takes her in.
The smile falls from his face. Stupid B cups! He quickly sits up. Will he leave like Gabe did? “Sit up and turn around.” Aislin isn’t sure why, but she obeys. She sits up and then turns her back to him, sitting cross-legged on the chaise. “Straighten your back. Sit up straight, Aislin.” She pulls herself up straight. Jeremiah brushes her hair over her right shoulder. She turns to look back at him over her left, when he tugs on the back string of her bikini, untying the knot. Aislin gasps. The only reason she is still covered is because of the top string. And, he’d already moved her hair. Her body tenses. She is suddenly unsure.
Is she ready to give him this part of her yet? He doesn’t untie the top string. His strong, soft hands move over her back and shoulders, massaging, kneading and making her moan from the exquisite pressure of it all. He pulls her back slightly until her head rests on his shoulder. Jeremiah’s hot breath passes over her ear making her shiver. Aislin’s thighs pinch together involuntarily. A slight rumble of laughter comes from behind her. “I’ve got you, baby. Don’t worry.” He guides her hands up until they meet behind his neck and clasp together tightly. “Shhhh.” She isn’t aware that she’d made a sound.
Aislin feels that the skimpy triangles that barely covered her before, have now ridden up exposing the underside of her breasts. She starts to lower her arms, but Jeremiah pins them in place until she clasps them again. Her heart is going to beat its way out of her sternum. She is sure of it. She’s never felt so exposed or vulnerable as she does in this moment, and she isn’t even fully exposed. His hands land under her ribs, his thumbs sweeping the underside of her breasts, in a barely-there touch that drives her crazy. She remains still. Aislin still isn’t sure she wants this with Jeremiah. Her body is certainly responding, but the fact that Gabe keeps sneaking into her mind, makes her wonder if she’s doing the right thing. His thumbs still and he holds her tightly, holding himself back.
“May I touch you, Aislin?” The huskiness in his voice surprises her. Would she let him? What should she do? She wishes for telepathic contact with Ella. Els would know what to do, how to handle him, to handle this. His thumbs begin moving again, this time grazing higher. He isn’t waiting for her answer. And now she knows hers.
“No.” His thumbs stop abruptly. His fingers squeeze her ribs tightly.
“No?” His stern voice questions her decision.
She shakes her head. No it is. Her heart had overtaken her mouth and for that, she is thankful. Aislin’s body quivers. She is scared. Should she be afraid of someone she is trying to love? No. She shouldn’t. He roughly ties her bathing suit back on and stalks away toward the house, leaving her on the chaise in the sun. Alone.
Aislin gathers her things She isn’t about to sit out there like some pathetic, clingy chick. She’s leaving. If he can’t accept her boundaries and wishes, then too damn bad for him. Back at home, she scrubs the sunscreen from her skin and rinses the chlorine from her hair. She thinks of Gabriel. Aislin misses him. Misses his friendship more than anything. She wonders if they will ever be fixed. Will they ever be the same Gabe and Mac again?
Her cell phone rings as she towels off and Ella’s chipper voice fills the bathroom via the speakerphone.
“OMG!!!!” Ella screeches. “Ais, sit down. Are you sitting?”
“Yes.”
“Liar. Guess what? Well, guess. Go ahead…” Ella pauses but only for a second before continuing. “I got into NYU!!! I’m going to law school!!!”
“Ella! Yay!!!!” Aislin shouts and jumps up and down. She knows Ella is doing the same. “Congratulations! When do you have to be up there?”
“Well,” Ella quiets. “Next week. I’m going to visit Mom and Dad before I settle in. Dad has already rented an apartment for me! Can you believe this? It’s so crazy. I mean, it’s what I’ve always wanted, but I didn’t know if I would get in. I’m going to miss you, Ais!”
“I’ll miss you, too, but we can e-mail and Skype and text. I’m so happy for you! And, I hate to say it, but I told you so!!!”
Ella laughs. “Yeah, yeah.”
Aislin travels to Huntington and helps her best friend pack up her apartment. She helps Ella cram all of the boxes and clothes into her silver, Toyota Corolla. The two smile, cry, hug and cry some more before saying their goodbyes. Aislin waves as her best friend leaves West Virginia for good. She knows that it will be a long time before the two see each other in person again, but vows to visit her in NY once she is settled. Though the thought of flying makes her stomach flip, Aislin will definitely climb aboard an airplane to see Ella again. Hell, she would walk through fire for that girl.
†
When Ella’s car fades out of sight, Aislin’s cell phone buzzes in her pocket. It’s a phone call from Gabe. She slides the arrow across the screen and says, “Hello?”
“Mac?”
“Yeah. I’m here.” She plugs her finger in the opposite ear to hear over the traffic.
“Where are you?”
“Um, I’m in Huntington. Sorry it’s so loud. There’s a lot of traffic.”
“Oh, it’s cool. Listen, I wanted to apologize for being an ass the past few weeks. I hope you’ll forgive me and we can just put everything behind us. I miss you. I miss my best friend,” he admits.
“I miss you and I’m sorry, too, Gabe.”
“Um, I wanted to let you know that I’ll be out of town for a few weeks. I’ve been selected for a special training operation. I’ll call you when I get back and maybe we can get together and do something.”
“Yeah. That sounds great. Just call me when you get back home. And, Gabe?”
“Yeah?”
“Take care of yourself.”
“Always, Mac. Bye.”
She says, “Bye,” too late. He had already hung up. She wonders what kind of special training he is receiving, whether or not it is dangerous. The thought sends her stomach plummeting to the ground. She climbs into her car, puts her sunglasses on and heads back to coal country.
†
Aislin climbs into the passenger seat of Jeremiah’s car the following day, giving him a hesitant smile. He had called last night and apologized for his behavior. Explaining that he had been aroused and needed a cold shower to control himself,
he begs for her to give him one more chance. He pulls her close and kisses her lips chastely before releasing her. No butterflies take flight in her stomach. No electricity pops between them. They are going hiking. Parking at the trail head, the two set off into the woods, backpacks loaded with the makings of a pleasant picnic lunch.
Jeremiah’s mood is strange, Aislin notes. He doesn’t look in her eyes very much, doesn’t hold her hand. Other than the obligatory peck he had given her in the car, he hadn’t been affectionate at all. Aislin wonders if he is still angry about what happened. On the phone, both had agreed to put it behind them, and nothing else had happened between then and now, so she shrugs it off. The hike to the waterfall is long and quiet, a strained tension between the two of them. When they settle on the edge of the lake on a large flat rock, Aislin spreads a thin blanket and begins to unpack their lunch. Having skipped breakfast, she is starving. Jeremiah stands aloofly, looking over the water.
“Jeremiah?” she says quietly.
He doesn’t acknowledge her.
“Jeremiah,” she says louder, shielding her eyes from the harsh afternoon sunlight.
“What?” he snaps. His eyes pierce her like blades.
“Lunch is ready,” she says softly.
The two eat their turkey sandwiches in silence.
“Is something wrong?” Aislin finally asks, tired of the awkward tension in the air.
“What makes you think something’s wrong?” he snaps back.
“You just aren’t acting like you normally do.” She shrugs and turns her eyes back to the lake.
“Well, Aislin, not everything is about you. It’s not your problem, either.”
Devil Creek Page 8
