by Sherry Soule
“I’d rather show you. Come on.”
Inside the building, we take seats and lean back. His “human” friend waves at us from behind a booth. Hayden takes my hand and rubs his thumb over my palm, sending delicious tingles throughout my body. The lights dim and above us a constellation of stars appear in IMAX-quality. Soft instrumental music fills the room and the show becomes a romantic, celestial experience.
“If you ask me to find The Big Dipper—I should warn you—I’ve heard that pick-up line before,” I tease him.
“I promise to be a gentleman. But you on the other hand,” he jokes, “might be a problem.”
As we take in the amazing galactic display before us, Hayden’s voice becomes softer, more intimate. “Sloane, this is the best time I’ve ever had,” he confesses.
“I know what you mean,” I whisper, gazing at his profile. “It was insanely thoughtful of you to plan this.”
Hayden flips up the armrest between us, and I snuggle into him. He drapes his arm over my shoulders and it feels like a warm protective blanket around me.
We watch the ceiling glowing and changing, revealing different solar systems and Hayden even points out where the Zetas come from. The swirling masses of stars are mesmerizing.
“I can almost imagine listening to Evanescence for some of these scenes.”
Hayden laughs, his whole chest vibrating and jiggling me. “I thought it would be more appropriate to listen to Debussy myself.”
“Classical music? You never cease to amaze me, Mr. Lancaster.”
His hand gently rubs up and down my arm. “The feeling is entirely mutual, Miss Masterson.”
He kisses the top of my head, and the gesture is so sweet and tender, my heart swells. He takes my arm and places it across his chest.
“You know, this is really nice.” I slide my hand over the six-pack beneath his shirt. “It’s almost as though we’re a real couple.”
Hayden shifts in his seat and looks at me intently, his expression hidden by the darkness surrounding us. For a second, I wonder if he can see in the dark with his inhuman gaze.
“We are a real couple, Sloane. Just because we can’t make out in the hallway like other kids at school doesn’t mean my feelings for you aren’t as strong…” he pauses, settling back into the seat. “And trust me, kissing you is something I think about every time I see you.”
Oh. Wow. I liquefy in my seat and nuzzle into his warmth.
The show runs about forty minutes, then the lights blink on and the music ends. He takes my hand and leads me through the small lobby and outside.
Hayden’s cell buzzes and he checks the screen. “Uh, I gotta take this.” He holds up one finger. “I’ll be right back.” He answers the call and walks back inside the lobby. “What do you want now? I told you to stop calling me!” he says in a highly irritated tone as the automatic doors swoosh closed behind him.
While I’m waiting for Hayden near the entrance, I take in the beautiful view of the city below. Dark clouds release a light rain that dampens my hair and clothes, but I don’t mind.
Hayden returns and puts his arm around my waist. “Ready?”
“Yup. Where to next?”
“Food. I’m thinking beer-battered onion rings and milk shakes. I doubt anyone will recognize us around here, so we’re safe enough. Sound good?”
I can’t help my face-splitting grin. “You had me at onion rings.”
He starts to say something more, but I tug his head down until my lips skim the edge of his jaw. “I missed you.”
“I was only gone a moment.”
“It was too long,” I say huskily.
His breath catches, and his hands rest on my hips. Neither us seems to care that we’re being spritzed with the drizzle. The fresh scent of rain fills my nostrils, and something else...the scent of male skin, like a heady masculine spice.
Applying pressure on the back of his neck, I urge his mouth to mine, finding firmness and warmth, the tang of peppermint melting into the intimate taste of him. His hand closes over my nape and tips my head back. His mouth barely grazes mine, yet I sigh heavily at the brush of his lips. Another slow caress, a dizzying pressure as he opens my mouth with his tongue. At that moment, it’s as if the two of us are one. One body, one mind, one spirit as though we’ve become emotionally merged.
With the soft drizzle trickling down our bodies and these epic kisses, it’s like a scene straight out of The Notebook. Another magical movie moment to savor.
A distant growl of thunder rumbles the sky, then a flash of lightning illuminates the buildings. He takes me in his arms, holding me tighter under the gray sky. My hair is dripping wet and so is my dress, but I don’t care. He cups my chin in his strong hands and guides it up to his face. It rains harder now, turning his hair dark and slick, and saturating his clothes. He looks good wet. He even smells awesome, all clean skin and saturated cotton. His skin warm beneath the mist of droplets.
“Sloane,” he whispers.
“Yes…”
“It’s not fair that I don’t get to choose whom I can love.” He presses his forehead to mine. “I’ve spent my life with expectations that I don’t think I can fulfill. To compensate, I’ve been impulsive and reckless.” He kisses my neck before continuing, “But this thing between us? At first, I tried so hard to reject my feelings. Tried to rationalize all the reasons why it would be better to stay away from you. Except, I think my subconscious has known from the first moment I saw you at school that we’d end up together…long before my heart...”
Wow. Just wow. His heartfelt declaration turns my insides into a mini-Chernobyl.
Hayden’s fingertips explore the underside of my jaw and roam to my cheek. His head lowers and his lips move to mine in a gently nibbling kiss, causing a sweet ache to spread beneath my ribcage. It so nice not to have to hide our relationship tonight and be openly affectionate for a rare moment.
“I know what you mean…I feel it too when we’re together.” My voice is faint. “But maybe we’re just being irresponsible—”
“I don’t believe that. Not anymore. You—we—are not an impulsive decision,” he says. “There’ve only been a few times in my life when something felt so right that I didn’t care about the consequences. And this is one of those times.”
As the rain patters on the ground like candy falling from the sky, I’m unaware of moving backward, until the stucco wall rubs against my back, the sharp edges digging into my skin. He pulls me closer, tighter, and his mouth seeks mine, all hot silk and possessiveness. This is by far the sexiest, hottest kiss I’ve ever experienced. Vehement flushes of heat rise through me, bringing the desire to overwhelming proportions. These forbidden kisses become fierce, then lazy as if melting from their own passion.
He pulls back his head and tightens his arms around me. “You have no idea how much you’ve changed my world,” he says softly. “My life seemed so empty before we met, Sloane. Devoid of this warm feeling I have in the middle of my chest now…one I can’t ignore any longer.”
Hayden lifts me with astonishing ease until my legs are wrapped around his waist. A small moan erupts from his lips. I slide my hands up to his hair, so soft and thick, like golden silk in my palms. He takes my mouth again, slower, longer, while something unravels within me. Time freezes. The kissing and touching seems everlasting while we hold each other. Cold droplets stream down my face as our bodies intertwine. I’m not only soaked with rain but with anticipation, and part of it is because Hayden, who always seems so in control, is struggling for self-restraint. His breath comes out in ragged puffs, his hands gripping my butt and holding me upright. He kisses my throat, tasting the skin, his lips caressing my pulse.
My fingertips graze the unshaven bristle on his jaw. “We need to stop. Someone might see us.”
“You’re right.” He eases me to the ground and kisses my forehead. “We should go before I teleport you somewhere more private.” His thumb brushes across my cheekbone and down my neck.
&
nbsp; I shift my position, creating space between us. “Mr. Lancaster, I fear my virtue is at risk,” I tease. “Seriously, though. Cool it, Alien Boy. One of us needs to think, and I’m afraid you may not be in the right frame of mind to make tough decisions.”
What I don’t say is that I’m not at all sure I’m the best one to keep us from doing the horizontal mambo any second, either. Freakin’ hormones.
He smiles, slowly trailing his fingertips down my arm, and interlacing our fingers. “You’re right. Come on.”
As we walk back to the SUV, I find myself beaming. Hayden Lancaster can’t keep his hands off me. Me! And the feeling is mutual. Oh, so mutual. I have no idea what the future holds for us, but right now, I don’t even care. Because it really doesn’t matter. As long as we’re together, we can confront any snobby hybrids, outwit any special agents, and avoid any mind-wiping gadgets.
Reaching his wheels, Hayden opens my door and draws me close, his lips brushing mine. “Sloane, you undo me. You may be the only good thing I have going on in my life right now.”
My face flushes under his heated stare. “Mine, too,” I whisper. “Do you believe in destiny, Hayden?”
“I do now…but before I met you, I didn’t think there was any such thing as love-at-first-sight, or one person for everyone, or a soulmate. But when I’m near you, I think...I might be wrong.” He runs his thumb across my bottom lip, causing the blood to sear in my veins. “You know what I believe now? That the universe has no conscious will, only inevitabilities, and it was inevitable that we should be together. It was fated—written in the stars—that no matter what, I’ll never stop trying to make you happy or wanting to keep you safe. I am lost in you, with no desire to ever escape.”
Words escape me. My breath snags in my throat. Even my knees wobble. How is it that he can say the most romantic things?
He lowers his lips to mine again and the kiss deepens briefly. Just as I get up the nerve to grab his cute butt, he pulls away.
“In you go,” he says, sliding his hands to my waist and helping me onto the seat.
My heart throbbing, I fumble with the seatbelt and finally get it latched. He still hasn’t gotten in on the driver’s side, and I glance in the side-mirror. Hayden’s standing about ten feet away from the rear of the car, hands on his hips and staring down the secluded road. I peer over the headrest out the back window.
What is he looking at? Have the hybrids discovered us? Agent Dixon?
Hayden runs his fingers through his hair and scans the terrain once more. Maybe we both just needed to take a moment after the intensity of that make out session. His shoulder muscles bunch up, and then relax. He turns back toward the Ranger Rover and I quickly shift in my seat. Without a word, Hayden slips inside and starts the engine.
“Everything, okay?” I ask.
“Of course.” He grabs my hand and brings it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on my palm. “Thanks for helping me slow down. I was getting a little too caught up in the moment.”
“You’re a guy. It’s expected,” I say lightly. “Tonight was cool. Wait. That isn’t a strong enough word…”
Hayden nods. “Yeah. I know what you mean.”
As we drive off, even after all the warm kisses still warming my lips and Hayden’s passionate declaration, my stomach suddenly churns. When I think back to all the sneaking around we have to do now, a dark mood settles over me, smothering the sparks of desire and elation I’d felt only moments ago in Hayden’s arms.
If we get caught, they’ll be hell to pay. So I’d better be damned sure that this star-crossed romance is worth risking my own life.
TWENTY-THREE
I roll out of bed before the alarm goes off and jump in the shower. Wanting to look extra pretty today for Hayden, I put on a cute black dress with sheer shoulder straps that stops just above my knees, over tights with a skull-and-crossbones print. Then I dig out my black ankle-boots with military style patches from the pile in the closet. I glance at myself in the mirror. Even though the dress is tight across the D-cups, the swoop neckline only shows a hint of cleavage.
I slip out the front door before my mom can ask me to take Jonah to school. I want to catch Hayden in the parking lot. Just as I’m shutting the door, the squeal of tires on the driveway has me whipping around.
Hayden’s Range Rover parks behind the Jetta and he waves at me through the windshield. Guess he had the same idea.
I can’t repress the ridiculous grin that’s threatening to split my face in two. I go over to the SUV and open the passenger-side door.
“What are you doing here?” My grin fades and I look around anxiously. “Someone might see you.”
“Doing what? Giving a friend a lift to school?” He shakes his head. “I’m sure it’s allowed. So, shut up and get in.”
I hesitate and tug up the strap of my backpack over one shoulder. My gut clenches. Being a secret couple kind of blows.
He looks serious yet amused. “Are you getting in? Or do I have to get out and throw you over my shoulder?”
I turn away from him. “We’re going to get caught.”
“No, we’re not.” He taps his fingers on the steering wheel. “Everyone knows we’re friends, Sloane. If you just act natural, we’ll be fine. You’ll be fine. I promised to keep you safe and I will.”
“I know all that…but it still makes me super nervous.” I glance up at him, but his expression gives nothing away. “It’s easier for you not to worry because you’re not the one in danger of being mind-wiped.”
“Okay. You’re right. I’ll go.” He shifts into drive. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinking.”
Hayden looks behind him, and then starts backing out.
“Wait!”
He stomps on the brakes. I open the door, hop onto the seat, and dump my backpack on the floor.
“Change of heart?” he asks.
“I’m over-thinking this.” I sigh. “You’re right, you giving me a ride to school means nothing. I don’t know why I got so freaked. No one suspects anything and I trust you.”
“That’s the right attitude,” he says with a nod. “Ready to roll?”
“Yup. What brings you here so early, anyway?”
He takes a deep breath and exhales slowly. “I was dreaming about you last night. And when I woke up this morning, I just felt like I had to see you, so I drove here instead of school.” He shakes his head, a blush staining his cheeks. “Uh, that didn’t sound quite as creepy in my head. Scratch that.”
I smile. “Was it a sexy dream?”
Hayden crookedly grins. “Something like that…” He backs out and merges with the traffic. “And I missed you, Peaches.”
My mood lightens. “Did ya now? And what did you miss most?”
He downshifts and glances over at me, those mismatched eyes dancing. “Oh, I don’t know...maybe it was your cute smile. Your beautiful hazel eyes. Your gorgeous purple hair. Or that headstrong personality. All the things I like in a girl.”
“Good to know I meet your standards,” I tease with a smile.
His gaze burns with emotion. “I don’t want someone who meets my criteria, Sloane. I’d rather have someone so amazing that they change it...someone like you,” he says softly.
My heart becomes a big gooey mess inside my chest. The knots in my stomach loosen. There’s no one else on this entire planet I’d rather be with than Hayden. And while that’s a scary thought, I feel strangely content and safe with him. Which is crazy weird because the odds that we can ever have a normal relationship are stacked against us.
I lick my lips. “Last night was awesome. Thank you so much for sharing the observatory with me. I haven’t ever…I mean I’ve never felt…”
What I really want to say is that I loved kissing him, touching him, and that he’s totally worth the risks.
Hayden clears his throat. “Me either, Peaches.”
Haven High looms in the distance, and I groan. Right now, I want nothing more than to skip school and teleport to a priv
ate beach on Maui.
“School’s gonna suck now that we have to go back to being strictly platonic.”
He sighs. “I know…it’s going to be even worse because I can’t kiss you or touch you.”
Hayden and I both reach over to turn up the radio. His fingers brush mine, sending a crackling current throughout my body. We share a brief glance before I sit back and let him control the tunes. Through the speakers, Plumb’s “Need You Now” begins playing, and the tender moment unravels. It douses the heated, emotional exchange with a splash of the reality. Being back at school in front of people all day without touching sucks.
“I think our sham of being only friends is going to kill me.”
“Me, too…” I say.
When we arrive at school, Hayden opens my door for me. His hand touches the small of my back as we weave our way down the hallway.
I stop at my locker. “See you at lunch, friend?”
“Yup. I’ll save you a seat.” He waves and takes off.
I mess with the lock, spinning the dial and reentering the combo, but it doesn’t open. After a few more failed attempts, I bang a fist on the locker.
“Need some help?” Devin asks from behind.
“No thanks.”
I try the combo again, willing it to work, and this time it unlocks. Yay! I reach for my textbook and fumble with the heavy book, which slips from my fingers and lands on Devin’s foot.
“Owww.” He moans.
My hands fly up to cover my mouth. “Oops! Sorry, Devin.” But I don’t feel the slightest bit guilty.
“It’s cool.” He grimaces and hands me the book. “My, my, Sloane, you look stunning today.”
I would say thank you, if he weren’t talking to my breasts.
Rolling my eyes, I tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. “I’m late for class.”
“You still coming over to my house this weekend to watch the movie?” he asks.
“Yup. Count me in.”
“Great. See ya later.” He walks in the opposite direction.
I have the strongest urge to go home and shower, but I head to next class instead.
