She unbuttoned his shirt and basked in the deliciousness one last time before laying it on the bed. She’d wash it and bring it back to him tomorrow. Her own shirt was ruined, which ticked her off. She lifted the tattered rags from her chest and groaned. She took good care of her expensive clothing, and seeing her favorite shirt ripped to shreds was infuriating.
She shucked it off and tossed it in the trash along with her bra. She was going to have to replace those soon. Maybe a little retail therapy after work would make her feel better. Lord knew she needed it.
She stepped into the shower and washed her hair as best she could. Every muscle in her body ached from being thrown around and beaten the night before. Just raising her arms over her head was a chore. After she dressed for work in the most comfortable outfit she could find, she looked in the mirror at the giant, purple bruise across her cheek. It’d take several layers of foundation to cover that up. Her nerves were shot, but she had to go to work. At least it would get her mind off everything that happened.
Wearing enough makeup to make a drag queen jealous, she headed out the door. Hopefully no one would notice the discolored splotch on her face. She could always say the swelling was from a bad sinus infection. She stopped by a drive through for an Egg McMuffin and coffee before driving to work. That little cup of pudding didn’t do much for her last night, and she felt lightheaded from the lack of protein. She cringed with every turn of the steering wheel. She never realized how much she used her stomach muscles until they were beaten and bruised.
She ate her breakfast on the way to school and parked next to Damian’s car when she got there. Opening her door, she sighed. She was actually looking forward to running into him this morning. Oh, well. Maybe she could stop by his classroom on her off period. She wanted to tell him thank you again.
Honestly, she just wanted to see him. Maybe his cocky attitude could chase away her yearning to be in his arms. She shivered as the memories of her dream flashed through her mind. Would being in his arms be such a bad thing?
Janice met her at the door as she entered the building. “Hey, girl. How are you feeling?”
“Better. Thanks.” April continued to walk down the hall, and her friend kept pace with her.
“What did Jared say when you told him?”
She blew out a hard breath and opened her classroom door. “Come inside for a minute.” She closed the door and paced to her desk, where she dropped her purse and backpack before turning around and staring at the floor.
“He blamed me.” Her gaze flicked to Janice, and she cringed.
“What?” Janice’s eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. “You can’t be serious.”
“Well, I am. He bailed the asshole out of jail, and Greg convinced him it was all my fault. He came home screaming at me, saying I deserved it for dancing like a stripper.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. April, that’s not right. There’s something wrong with Jared if he’s taking Greg’s side.”
She shrugged and dropped into her chair. “I know. I don’t know what to do.”
Janice sat on the desk in front of her. “Well, Cleopatra. You’ve got to get out of denial first. I know you’re dying for a happily ever after, but Jared is obviously not the one to give it to you.”
“I’m not in denial. I know there’s a problem. I’ve known there was for a while now; I was trying to be optimistic before.”
Janice crossed her arms and frowned. “All the optimism in the world isn’t gonna change his personality.”
“Maybe not, but what if he’s the best I can do?”
“He’s not, babe. Not even close. So what are you going to do about it?”
Before she could form an answer, the bell rang to start first period.
“I’ll talk to you later, Janice.”
“Okay. I’m right down the hall if you need anything.”
What was she going to do? Jared was supposed to be the one. They were supposed to get married, move to Houston, have a few kids, and live happily ever after. That’s the way it was supposed to be. She’d have a diamond, a house, a nice car. And she’d dress her beautiful children in the cutest designer outfits money could buy. It was the American Dream. It was her dream.
If she couldn’t make it happen with Jared, what if she couldn’t make it happen with anyone at all? She couldn’t spend the rest of her life alone, but it looked like she couldn’t spend it with Jared either.
She propped open her door to greet her students, and pushed the thoughts from her mind. She had a job to do, and she wouldn’t let anything get in her way.
Her first two classes flew by without incident. Third period wasn’t so easy.
When Alex, an outgoing star student, sulked through the door, her nurturer senses kicked into overdrive. A worried frown replaced his usual shining smile, and his brow was drawn over watery eyes.
“Alex? Is something wrong? Do you want to talk about it?”
He nodded his head without looking her in the eye and drew in a shaky breath. “Yeah. Can we talk in private, though?”
Her stomach dropped at his request. Alex was one of the most open people she knew, and he never minded letting the entire class hear about the latest drama in his life.
“Of course. Why don’t you go in my office, and I’ll meet you there as soon as I get the class started on the assignment.”
He nodded again, keeping his eyes trained on the floor to avoid the questioning glances of his classmates, and he shuffled to the office.
“All right, y’all. Get out your books and do the pretest for chapter thirteen.”
When the class groaned, April crossed her arms over her chest. “Hey, I don’t like it anymore than you do. But I was just informed this chapter is going to be on your nine-weeks exam, so if you want to pass you’d better get busy.”
The students grumbled, but they pulled out their books and began the assignment. April joined Alex in her office.
“What’s up?”
Alex shifted from one foot to the other, still not looking at her. He wiped his eyes and ran his hand through his short, dark hair before taking a deep breath and blowing it out. He finally raised his gaze to hers and spoke.
“It’s just...You’re the first person I thought of to talk to about this. I just don’t know what to do.”
“What happened, Alex?” She instinctively put a hand on his shoulder to console him.
He swallowed and wrapped his arms around his stomach like he was trying to hold himself together. “I...I think I might have HIV.”
“Oh, Alex.” She pulled him into a motherly embrace and held him for a long moment. “Here, sit down and tell me all about it.” Teenagers were always exaggerating things. Hopefully that was the case this time.
He sniffled and wiped the fresh tears from his cheeks, then sat in the chair she offered him. April pulled up a chair right next to him and put her arm around him.
“Well...my girlfriend went to the doctor yesterday, and they told her she’s HIV positive. She came over and started yelling at me, saying I cheated on her. She’s telling everyone she got it from me.”
“Did she?”
“No...that’s the thing. I’ve never been with anyone but her.”
His entire body trembled, and her heart ached at the terror in his eyes. “Oh, Alex. I’m so sorry. Have you gotten checked out yet?”
He was silent for a moment. “I haven’t. I’m too scared. It would ruin my life. I just...I don’t know what to do, Ms. Carter. What should I do?”
“Does your dad know?”
“No. I was thinking about going to Planned Parenthood or something to get tested. What do you think?”
“Honestly? I think you need to tell your dad. He loves you, and he would want to know. No matter what the outcome, he’ll take care of you.”
He sighed and slumped in his chair. “I know. It’s just hard to talk to my dad about stuff like that. I always talked to my mom before she died.”
“It will be ha
rd. But I bet it would be hard to say it to your mom too, don’t you think?”
He shrugged. “Yeah. I guess it would.”
“Please talk to your dad before you go. Her parents might end up calling him, and it’s better if he hears it from you first. Okay?”
He inhaled deeply and sighed. “Yeah. Okay. You’re right. Do you mind if I call him from your office? I want to get it over with.”
April smiled and patted him on the back. “Take all the time you need. I’m gonna go check on the minions in the classroom.”
* * *
Damian had avoided her all morning. He usually got right into their battle of wits before the first bell rang, but he couldn’t do it today. And not just because he was exhausted from spending the night in The In-Between. His usual sharp senses were dulled to that of a human, and he felt sluggish, tired.
The real reason he wouldn’t rag on her today was that she’d endured enough pain to last a lifetime yesterday. Making her hate him didn’t seem so important anymore. She needed a friend, and that’s what he would be.
He’d have to be careful not to be too friendly, though. If she sensed his true feelings, she’d turn tail and run in the opposite direction. Which would be the wise thing for her to do.
When the bell rang to end third period, he traipsed down the hall to April’s classroom. They shared a conference period, so it was the perfect time to talk to her. He walked through the door just as she was about to leave.
“Oh! Hey, Damian. I was just fixin’ to come and see you.”
He smiled and closed the door behind him. “Well, here I am.” He knew his gaze was heavy, but he couldn’t tear it away from her emerald eyes. His fingers trembled with the urge to touch her. To take her in his arms and hold her close. He shoved his hands in his pockets and fought the need to close the distance between them. This was a close as he needed to get to her. Physically and emotionally.
She let out a nervous giggle and backed up to her desk, gripping the edge and resting her weight against it.
“I just wanted to check on you. Make sure you’re okay.”
“Oh, yeah. I’ll be fine. I’m tough.” She grinned and folded her hands in her lap. “I was, uh...I was actually coming to say thank you. For last night. For being there for me when I needed you.”
His breath caught, and his eyes grew wide. Did she know he’d spent the night with her? And was she thanking him for it? The idea of her wanting him to stay with her made his heart race and his palms slicken with sweat. But that couldn’t be what she meant.
“I mean, if you hadn’t gotten there when you did, he might’ve killed me.”
Of course it wasn’t.
She inhaled a shaky breath. “So, thank you...for being my hero.”
He chuckled. He was the farthest thing from a hero he could imagine. Heroes used their brains, not their hearts. And if he’d used his when...He couldn’t even finish the thought. But, if it made April feel better thinking he was a hero, then he’d let her.
“You’re welcome.”
She glanced at the floor, and then into his eyes. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Uh, sure.” But I might not answer it.
“Why are you suddenly being so nice to me? It’s... I don’t know. I kinda like it.” A tentative smile curved at her lips as she brushed her hair off her shoulder.
Uh-oh. He couldn’t have her liking any part of him. But did he really want her to hate him? Deep down, he knew he didn’t. He wanted her to love him. And that was selfish. How could he even entertain the idea of letting her in? Letting her know him, when he didn’t even know himself.
“I’m not being nice. Just concerned about my coworker. I wanted to make sure you’re going to finish out the year, you know? Have you started teaching your kids the new chapter?”
Way to go, idiot. So much for earning her trust.
She straightened her spine as the smile slipped from her face. “Of course I have. In fact, I bet my kids will do better on the test than yours.”
“Uh-huh. Wanna put money on it?”
She grinned. “Ten bucks says my class average will be higher than yours.”
“You’re on. But don’t feel too bad when you lose. Your inferior teaching skills don’t reflect on you as a person.”
They looked at each other in awkward silence, and then her gaze tightened into a glare. What he wouldn’t have given to be able to read her mind at that moment. The stubborn way she set her jaw and crossed her arms was so damn sexy.
“Well, I better go get ready for my next class.” He flashed a smile and strolled to the door. Part of him wanted her to call him back. To tell him she saw through his charade and pull him into her arms and kiss him. The feel of her soft lips pressed to his would be enough to buckle his knees. But that was crazy. Even if it could happen, he wouldn’t allow it. He’d never let her know how he felt.
She sucked in a breath before she spoke. “You’re gonna have to do a lot of work if you want a chance at beating me.”
“Dream on. You couldn’t beat me if your life depended on it.”
* * *
Well, so much for him being nice to her. She shouldn’t have been surprised; she knew it wouldn’t last. Damian was back to his old self, and the man from her dreams was just that—a dream.
But to be honest, it did hurt her feelings. A little. After what happened last night, and then her vivid dreams, she’d given in to the false hope he might actually care for her. Which was ridiculous. It didn’t matter if he did, because Jared…Well, what about Jared? He’d probably come home tonight and apologize. He usually did whenever he blew up at her. But she couldn’t forgive him this time. Not after he treated her like she was to blame.
The bell rang, and she stepped outside to greet her next class. Alex was the first student to step through the door. Tear stains streaked down from his puffy, red eyes as he moped into the classroom.
“How are you holding up?” April put her arm around him and led him further into the room.
“Fine. I’m fine.” He wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. “Do you think I can stay in here this period? There’s someone in my next class I don’t want to see right now. It’s...her.”
“Of course. I’ll e-mail your teacher to let her know.”
“I’m just so scared, you know? I have all these plans to travel and be a writer...and if I’m HIV positive...” He pretended to examine his fingernails as more students poured into the room.
“You’re going to be okay.” April pulled him to her and gave him a hug. “I’m sure the test will come back negative.”
A harsh voice, spiked with rage, drew her attention from her student. “There you are. You’re the reason this happened.”
She turned around and found herself staring down the barrel of a gun.
* * *
Damian berated himself on the way to his classroom. When he went inside, he slammed the door so hard pictures rattled on the walls. What happened to his plan to cut her some slack? To lay off the jabs and just be her friend?
It all went out the window when she said she liked him. No, she didn’t say she liked him. She said she liked the way he was acting. There was a difference, and he needed to remember that.
But how could he be her friend when simply looking at her set his soul on fire? The sooner her time here was up, the better. He needed to get away from her before he went down in flames.
He opened his door to let in his next class when adrenaline spiked in his core. Only it wasn’t his adrenaline; it was April’s again. Racing down the hallway to her room, he pushed against the raging flow of screaming students. A man held April and Alex at gunpoint. Six other students huddled under desks and in corners of the classroom, their gazes frozen on the gunman.
“It’s not my fault, I swear.” Alex’s voice trembled as he tried to reason with the attacker. “I’m not the one who gave it to her. It’s someone else.”
The man with the gun shook his head. “No. You’re the
only person my sister’s ever been with, Alex. I know it was you. You gave my little sister a disease.”
Damian calculated his options as they spoke. The man didn’t know he was there, so he had the element of surprise on his side. He could jump for the gun. But the attacker had his finger on the trigger, and he was distraught enough to pull it. He could try to talk the gun out of his hand, but just hearing Damian’s voice might be enough to startle him into shooting. Before he could make up his mind, April spoke.
“All right. Let’s just think about this. Killing Alex isn’t going to solve the problem. Shooting him won’t cure your sister.”
“Just keep outta this, Miss Carter.” His hands trembled as if he didn’t want to shoot, and it looked like April could convince him to turn over the gun. She took a step toward him, the gun pointing directly at her chest.
“Why don’t you give me the gun, and we can talk about it? You don’t really want to kill Alex, do you?”
“No.” His voice was a whisper; tears rolled down his cheeks.
April took another step toward the man and put her hands on the gun. Damian held his breath as the man loosened his grip. April was doing it. She was going to get the gun.
“Good. Now give me the gun.” Her soft voice should have soothed the man, but instead he panicked.
“No!” He tightened his grip, and his finger twitched.
He pulled the trigger, sending a bullet ripping through April’s chest. Damian screamed and burst into the room as his Charge collapsed to the floor.
He tackled the man, sending the weapon skidding across the floor. Chaos consumed the room; students ran screaming and neighboring teachers rushed in. His temper raged out of control as he pounded his fist into the man’s face. Nobody hurt April. She belonged to him.
The attacker was bruised and bloody by the time the teachers yanked Damian off him. He ripped from their grasp and darted to April where she lay in a pool of blood.
“Oh, no. April! No!” He pressed his hand to the hole in her chest to stop the bleeding, though he knew it was useless. The wound was fatal, and he could feel her life slipping away. The life he’d spent thirty years protecting, nurturing. Her death wasn’t supposed to be painful. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. He was her Guardian, damn it!
The Rest of Forever: A Guardian Angel Paranormal Romance Page 6
