“Shall we?” He stepped into her space, forcing her to turn and re-enter the restaurant. There was no way he was going to let her flee now that she had actually shown up.
He placed his hand on the small of her back as they were led to a corner booth at the back of the restaurant. Harrison smiled at Gemma as they slid in opposite each other. Out of habit, he turned to survey his surroundings.
The tablecloths were checkered red and white with low candles as centerpieces. A family of five was two booths away laughing over their meal. An old couple that looked as though they dined there regularly was settled comfortably into an intimate conversation. The waiters flittered around the crowded room serving meals with smiles that begged for good tips. It was a welcoming family atmosphere.
“I’ve never been in here before. It’s nice and cozy.”
Harrison grinned. “That’s why my mom loves it so much.”
Her smile was brief then lost behind the menu card. Harrison stayed quiet in order to let her choose. He always got the same thing when he came here so didn’t bother opening his menu.
A young male waiter took their order with a cheerful smile and trotted off to deliver it.
Harrison leaned back in his chair with narrowed eyes. “You’re not one of those girls who lives on carrot sticks and low-fat cottage cheese are you?”
She smiled. “I’m afraid so.”
“But why? You’re skinny…in a good way. You don’t need to count your calories.”
Her teeth grabbed her lip as she fiddled with her cutlery. “It’s not that. I’m just…not allowed to eat junk food.”
His brow wrinkled with amused confusion as he leaned on the table.
“My mother’s really into nutrition. She’s a doctor scientist person and spends all day studying diseases and genetics and stuff. She keeps harping on about how a lot of illness can be controlled by diet. Food is fuel. Her motto is: the better the fuel, the better the engine will run.” Gemma shrugged. “It’s a car analogy.”
His smile grew as he watched her throughout the explanation. The way her nose twitched, the way her long fingers fidgeted with the fork then abruptly stopped to smooth out the tablecloth. She was adorable.
“Well, I think I feel sorry for you.”
“Don’t. I haven’t been sick.”
“Ever?”
“Never ever.”
“Not even a cold?”
She shook her head with a grin that disappeared when the waiter arrived. She looked down at the table as he placed iced water in front of her and a soda in front of Harrison. Her mumbled thanks was only just audible.
He wanted to ask what made her so afraid of others, but he took a sip of his drink instead. Gemma placed her glass back on the table and fiddled with her straw.
“So.” She cleared her throat. “Where were you born?”
“Boulder, Colorado.”
“Oh cool. It’s pretty there, right?”
He nodded. “I think so. I can’t remember. We only lived there for two years. That’s bordering on a record. My mom likes to move a lot.”
“I wonder why.”
Harrison shrugged. “Who knows. She…” He paused the way he always did when broaching this subject. One look at Gemma’s sincere interest had his lips flapping before he could stop them. “My dad died before I was born and it really screwed her up. She’s a great mom, but I don’t think she’s ever fully gotten over his death. We never talk about him and when I was little, things would set her off real easy. She’d go into this funk for a like a week and then we’d move.”
“Man, that sucks.”
“It’s gotten better since she met Bryan. He’s helped slow her down a little.”
“Do you like him?”
“Yeah, he’s awesome. I love having them around, although Rosie can drive me crazy.”
“Sisters do that.”
They both grinned. Gemma shifted in her seat as the waiter appeared with their meals. Harrison looked at her chicken salad with no dressing and grimaced. He’d take his fully loaded pizza over vegetables any day of the week.
Gemma glanced at his pizza. He thought he glimpsed a tinge of envy before she prodded her salad. Part of him wanted to offer her some, but tempting her seemed a little unfair. Although, it would be a good chance to see how strong her will was.
He was just opening his mouth to offer when she interrupted his train of thought.
“So I overheard Rosie say that her dad’s a mechanic. He’s trying to start up his own business or something?”
“Yeah.” Harrison took a large bite of pizza and answered around his food. “He’s opening a garage to restore old cars. He helped me restore mine. He’s got a thing for classics.”
“Well, you have to love the classics.” Gemma’s eyes lit, giving Harrison another reason to like her. “What condition was the Stingray in when you got it?”
“Total junk, but Bryan had faith. It took us eight months to get it road worthy.”
“Wow. That is so cool. I’d love to do that one day. Your car is so sexy.” She grinned, then blushed. “What’s her name?”
Harrison stopped chewing and pulled a long string of cheese away from his mouth. “Her name?”
“You haven’t named your car? She’s beautiful! How could you not name her?”
“I… I didn’t pick you for a name-your-vehicle kinda gal. You saying you’ve named your Ducati?”
Her eyes went dreamy. “He’s my black stallion. I usually call him Beauty. Dom always refers to him as The Beast.”
“Black Beauty.” Harrison nodded. “Nice.”
Gemma crunched her lettuce and took another sip of water then gave him a pointed look.
“Okay, fine. I call her Cory, but if you tell anyone that, I’ll have to kill you.”
She giggled. “Good luck with that.”
“True.” He shook his head with a chuckle and took another bite.
“I wouldn’t say anything.” Her voice was serious and Harrison couldn’t help feeling that there was more to her statement than he was catching.
Not wanting to lose the tone of their conversation, Harrison launched into an animated story about the first time he took his car for a spin and nearly crashed it into a tree. Gemma was in fits of giggles before long.
*****
The dinner had gone better than expected. Conversation seemed to come easy for them, although Harrison could still feel a quiet caution in his companion. Leaving the restaurant had been ridiculous with Gemma insisting they go separately to avoid being seen together. He tried not to let the request bug him, but was irritated nonetheless. He’d just had dinner with the coolest girl he’d ever met, what did he have to hide?
She did allow him to drive her to the beach instead of following him on her bike. That had taken some persuasion, but he was glad he put the effort in. She spent the whole trip in the car telling him about her sixteenth birthday and buying her Ducati. He loved the animated Gemma and wished others at school could see her like this. Their vicious gossip was so off the mark.
Harrison pulled the car to a stop and let the engine rumble as Gemma finished her story. He flicked off the ignition and they sat in sudden silence.
The breezy casualness that had floated them through the evening disappeared as expectations began to build. Harrison took his time to study the girl beside him. She was so beautiful. The urge to reach across and slide his hand over her shoulder and up her long neck was intense.
He knew the move would destroy all progress made, so he clenched his fist tight and looked out the windscreen.
“That’s the tree.” Harrison cleared his throat and pointed to the shadowy pine on the edge of the sand.
“Cool.”
He clicked the door open. The interior light came on, illuminating the car and giving him another taste of her stunning beauty. His breath caught and his limbs refused to move.
“What?” A nervous smile twittered across her features.
“You know ho
w they sometimes say that angels take on human form?”
She nodded, her emerald eyes glowing.
“I think when they do, they look just like you.”
Her expression began to crumple with that desperate look, so he grinned.
“Okay, that was a line.” The tension snapped with her melodic laughter. “Did it work?”
“Nearly.” She blushed.
He didn’t mean to go and ruin the lightness after that, but he couldn’t stop himself. He placed his arm across the back of her seat and leaned in close. “Everyone at school always talks about how beautiful you are. I bet none of them know it’s not just skin deep. Thanks for letting me see you tonight.”
Her lips parted with a small intake of breath. It was taking every ounce of willpower not to lean forward and kiss her.
He was losing the battle until his eyes ran down her face.
A cold shiver raced up his spine.
As if the quill of God was dripping ink, a star-shaped mark came to life on Gemma’s collarbone.
He jerked back. “What’s… What’s that mark?”
He reached out to touch it, but she slapped his hand away. Her face blanched and she pulled her shirt together with a tight fist. Turning in her seat, she faced the front. He watched her jaw muscles go tight as she slammed her teeth together.
She was never going to answer his question.
Wanting to know more, but unwilling to suffer in the tense silence for a second longer, Harrison let out a soft sigh. “Well, let’s climb this tree before it gets too late.”
Gemma’s head jerked to look at him. He couldn’t decipher her expression. It was either disappointment or relief… or maybe it was anger. He couldn’t help feeling it was more at herself than at him.
They climbed the tree in silence and found a perch on the top branch. He kept the conversation light, pointing out star constellations and sharing some of the crazy ideas he came up with while up there. She smiled and laughed, but it felt forced. The lightness from earlier had fled and Harrison had a feeling they wouldn’t get it back.
After only forty minutes they climbed back down and he drove her back to her bike. He didn’t try to touch her or get close again. If he was really truthful, fear was playing a small part in his decision. He would be an idiot to ignore the fact that she was unusual.
The image of a red mark pulsing on her collarbone made goosebumps rise over his skin as he watched her speed away. He wasn’t sure he wanted to get any closer to this girl, but knew that want and reality were two very different things. He seemed drawn to her by some magnetic force. It was pointless to fight it. He just needed to establish a few ground rules. And honesty had to be one of them, whether she liked it or not.
Pulling open his car door, he decided to let her have her peace for the rest of the weekend, but come Monday, he was getting some answers.
Chapter Seven
St Augustine, Florida - 2011 AD
Gemma flicked her locker open with a frown. It had been a crappy Monday. It had started off badly with a run that left her feeling ragged and scored her a big lecture from her father. Her mother then jumped in with a lengthy scientific explanation about how the body works and repairs itself after exercise.
“If you push yourself too hard, you will weaken your muscles and be no use. We insist on this strict regime so your body will be functioning at its peak. Now don’t go messing with it!”
Gemma managed not to roll her eyes throughout any of it, but it was an effort. She left feeling berated and edgy.
Once at school, Harrison had sought her out before the bell and asked that they get together for a chat. She was instantly wary and told him she probably couldn’t tell him what he wanted to know.
“I need my privacy. You have to respect that.”
He pretended not to care, but she could sense how pissed he was. He stalked off, leaving her feeling annihilated before the school day had even begun.
Thankfully the last period bell had just rung and Gemma couldn’t get out of there fast enough. Dumping her weighty biology textbook at the back of her locker, she fished around for her skinny English journal and felt her insides twist at the putrid breath tickling the nape of her neck.
“So I hear you had a date on Saturday.”
Gemma cringed as Jordan Monroe reminded her of another reason to hate her day. Someone had spotted Gemma and Harrison in the parking lot on Saturday night. The gossip had been thoroughly spread before Sunday lunch, apparently.
“It wasn’t a date. I just happened to bump into him.”
“Not sure I believe that, but okay.” Jordan snaked around her and leaned against the lockers.
Gemma took a step away from him, but he grabbed her open jacket and pulled her back. She felt no fear. Of all the people at school he was the least scary.
“Why are you wasting time with that weed when you should be with me?”
“Don’t make me sick. This jacket’s suede, I don’t want to ruin it.” She gave him a sickly sweet smile.
“You really are a frigid bitch, aren’t you?” He ran his hand up her arm.
“Why? Because I don’t want to date an arrogant prick who smells like Old Spice? I think that makes me normal.”
She flicked his hand off and slammed her locker closed. Jordan’s face had taken on a hard edge. Her body instantly readied itself for battle in spite of her inner screams to back off. Something about this loser always brought out the worst in her. She managed to step away from him, feeling her pride build as self-control took over. She would have made it more than two steps if he hadn’t made his next comment.
“Well, maybe once the competition has been eliminated you might think differently.”
Gemma’s heart slammed into her ribcage. Clinging to her inner monologue, she calmly turned on her heel to face him.
“Jordan, you touch Harrison and I will hunt you down. I don’t care how much trouble it causes me, you will suffer.”
His eyes blackened with a sneer. “You know I don’t care about that weed. I just want to get freaky with the freak.”
He ran a sweaty hand up her arm and placed it on her shoulder, pulling her toward him. She swallowed back the bile burning her throat, her mind switching to battle mode. Keeping her voice slow and clear, she gave the enemy his final out.
“I can think of six different ways to break every bone in your hand. It will take me three seconds to choose one.”
His eyes narrowed with skepticism.
“One.” She swallowed. “Two.”
His hand dropped away and he shot her a malignant look before backing off. She had a feeling it wouldn’t be over that easily, but it would probably scare him away for a week or two. At least he knew she meant it.
She ran a hand over her face and smoothed back her hair.
“What was that about?”
The sound of Harrison’s voice made her jump, yet instant relief flooded her system. She didn’t understand how the guy was able to make her sweat with fear yet still make her feel safe enough to be herself. The idea of downloading the last five minutes made her turn with a welcome smile that quickly disappeared. Her mouth froze shut.
He wasn’t alone.
Dana stood next to him, close enough that their hands kept brushing. Chelsea was on the other side doing much the same. Behind him Courtney hovered and behind her stood Darren. Gemma wondered if the ringlet blonde knew she was being thoroughly checked out by Mr. XBox.
She caught Courtney’s eye before her gaze dropped to the floor.
“It was nothing.”
A quick glimpse of Harrison showed a smoldering face.
“Are you okay?”
Gemma glanced up at Courtney, a ringlet bobbed against her cheekbone as she tipped her head, looking concerned.
“Of course she is.” Dana threw a black look over her shoulder.
“I was just checking, D. Your brother can be a jerk sometimes.”
“First class,” Darren mumbled.
“He’s not that bad!” Dana’s expression was dark and sulky.
Harrison’s stare was intense as he softly asked, “What did he want?”
“Um. Just…” Gemma fought for a bland expression. The group before her showed no mercy as they waited for an answer. “Well, he…”
“Cut out your tongue?” The look on Dana’s face told Gemma she was a pitiful loser.
“No, I just don’t…”
“Don’t what?”
Gemma’s mouth went into gold fish mode. Harrison soon put her out of her misery…sort of.
“Leave her alone, you guys. Gemma needs her privacy.”
Dana’s lips jumped into a smug smile. Gemma glanced up at Harrison and didn’t see the anger she was expecting. Instead he looked disappointed, which was a million times worse.
Gemma wanted to counter the attack with some witty words that would make them all smile and realize she wasn’t a complete dork. Harrison would laugh, step forward, and kiss her forehead in that adoring way guys do in the movies. He’d then wrap his arm around her waist and walk her out to her bike where he’d…
But who was she kidding?
As she stood fighting off complete humiliation the only thing she got were pins and needles in her toes. She closed her eyes and held in the scream.
If it weren’t for this stupid tingling that was clawing its way up her body, she wouldn’t need her privacy. Without taking her eyes off the floor she turned the opposite direction and walked away with as much dignity as she could muster. She wanted to walk the whole way out of sight, but the tingling had reached her ribcage forcing her to sprint before she reached the corner.
Tearing down the next hallway, she made a beeline for the bathroom, hating the self-loathing that followed her. Rushing to the end stall, she flung open the door. She didn’t have time to think about it; the tingling had already reached her shoulders. Bolting the door with one swift click, she closed her eyes and ground her teeth against the imminent pain.
*****
Paris, France - 1793 AD
Gemma’s body felt like it had been stabbed with a thousand knives as she got to her feet. It always took a moment to adjust and it always hurt. Clothes that smelled stale were thrown in her direction. The coarse fabric would feel horrible against her skin and she cringed to think what disgusting things lay hidden in the folds of the male breeches she was holding.
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