"No, at least not that I know of. I only saw him from across the parking lot, so I can't be positive, but he didn't look familiar. I was just a little weirded out about seeing some guy in the complex that I'd never seen before, that's all," I explained.
Nora searched my face. "Okay, if you're sure there is nothing you want to tell me then." She left the statement as more of a question. How I longed to answer her with the truth and spill my guts to her. Ask for her take on everything. I was so close to doing it, knowing her willingness to accept anything I had to confide in her. But I just couldn't.
"There's nothing to tell, Nora. Really. That was it."
"Okay then." She removed her hand from mine and took a sip of her wine. I did the same, not out of thirst, more to hide my shame about lying to my best friend.
"Well, I did see this guy, and I sure wouldn't mind that eye candy living next door to us. Speaking of eye candy, what's the skinny on Caleb?" she asked with excited anticipation. "Did I hear you are actually going out on a date?"
I gave a little laugh at her high school antics and said shyly, "Yeah, we're going out to dinner tomorrow night after I get done with my shift at the hospital. It's no big deal really."
"No big deal, huh? When's the last time you were on a date, Cassie? Seriously, this guy must have really charmed you. I've seen you turn down the hottest guys. So, give it up. What's this guy got?"
I knew this was coming. There was no way she was going to let me get away with being so blasé about a date I had finally agreed to, after not doing so for eons. But just to make her squirm, I said, "So pizza and a movie tonight? I think the new "Saw" movie is available now. What number are they on again? Fifty-five?" Nora and I loved to turn out all the lights in the apartment and watch scary slasher movies to scare the crap out of us. After the things I'd seen lately, however, I'm not sure men in masks were as frightening as they used to be.
"You will get nothing until you bare your soul on Caleb, Cassandra Cosgrove!"
Hearing her call me Cassandra made me think of the way Hunter said my name at Luke's. It had been so sensual coming from his lips, that I felt waves of pleasure throughout my body. How could mere words create such a reaction within me?
"Heellooo," Nora tried bringing me back from my reverie, snapping her fingers in front of my face.
I came out of my trance, put my knee up on the couch, faced Nora, and sighed. "Okay, okay. What is it with people and their bribery today?" I joked.
"Huh?"
"That's how Caleb got me to go for lunch today, but I'll get to that." I proceeded to tell her how I met Caleb at Luke's last night, and worked my way through the story until she found us at the door. The only parts I left out were the ones that had anything to do with my dreams or of Hunter.
She seemed satisfied, and even a bit happy for me, with all I confessed. "So, is he taking you somewhere nice?"
"I think he mentioned something like that."
"Oh my! That means you have to get dressed up and everything for this little shindig! I'm all over that. Who knows what you'd come up with, it's been that long."
"Whatever, Nora," I gave her a nudge, blushing because I knew she was right. It had been that long. And I didn't have a clue as to what to wear. Nora was good at transforming even the plainest caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly. I had no doubt that she'd have me looking no less than perfect for my date with Caleb.
After ordering pizza, we talked about school and our jobs, simple, normal things between friends. She joked more with me about my date with Caleb. I didn't mind; she had a way of making me forget all about the abnormal things that were center stage in my life. We did get more serious about my concerns of getting involved with someone at a time when it felt like I couldn't fit anything else in my life. I told her that I just wanted to concentrate on school and my career without interference, keeping to myself all of my other responsibilities. She eased all of my concerns, telling me to just have fun on the date and stop thinking so much about where anything would need to fit in.
"If fate would have it that this guy belongs in your life, there is nothing you can do about it," she told me.
Fate. I thought about the irony of it. I controlled the fates of others, but what was my fate? Would there be someone there to help me if I were to take a wrong step? Was it possible for me to be a Guardian of my own fate? I guess I would never know any of the answers unless I took a chance.
"I guess you're right," I told her.
"Of course I am!" She laughed. "Hey! I finally got my painting back from being framed. I want you to check it out and see if you think it would look good in here. Be right back." She ran to her room. Nora was a true artist. Her paintings amazed me and every one that she created seemed ten times more beautiful than the last. We already had several of them hanging on the walls throughout the apartment.
While she was gone, the buzzer rang, announcing the pizza man was waiting at our door. I yelled to Nora that I was going to run down to get it. We never buzzed anyone in; you just never knew what kind of crazies there were out there. A few minutes later, I was setting the pizza on the breakfast bar, when I realized that Nora still hadn't come out from her bedroom, unless she had during the few minutes it took to get the pizza. Either way, she wasn't in the living room and neither was the painting.
Just as I was going to call for her, she stepped out of her room. I was confused because she was wearing her jacket now with her purse and keys in hand.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"I'm so sorry, but I got a call from one of my project partners, and she is freaking out. Our project is due tomorrow and she forgot to get my notes, which directly correlate with her section of it. I'm so pissed! I hate people that wait until the last minute!"
"So you want me to put the pizza in the oven and just wait until you get back?"
Nora groaned. "I hate to do this, but we are going to have to reschedule our night, hon. I'm so sorry. She lives like halfway across town and I'm going to have to explain some things to her. She's not one of the brightest crayons in the box, so this could be awhile."
"That's okay. It's not your fault. We'll do it another night. Go do what you need to do."
She was already halfway out the door as she said, "I'm really sorry, Cassie. But at least I got to meet your new man. And we can talk more when I'm helping you get ready tomorrow, right?"
"Absolutely. Now get out of here and do your Good Samaritan deed for the night." I waved her out the door and shut it behind her as we said goodbye.
Not knowing what to do with myself, now that the night we'd planned was cancelled, I grabbed a slice of pizza. Then I took a seat on the couch and turned on the TV. I found a channel showing "Silence of the Lambs," but it wasn't starting for another half an hour. I decided to pass the time until the movie started by reading a magazine. As I got up to get one, my phone rang.
Praying that it was my mom finally calling to let me know she was all right, I grabbed the phone from the breakfast bar and read my mom's name on the display. Relieved, I answered quickly.
"Mom! Where are you? Are you okay? I've been trying to call you! Why haven't you answered?"
"Cassie, calm down. I'm fine. Sorry I haven't called before now, but I've been in areas without any reception. I should only be a few more days. I'm meeting with someone tomorrow who should have some answers for us, and then I'll be home. Everything okay there?
"I saw another one of those men, or whatever it is, again."
"You mean like the passenger of the car?" she asked, fear in her voice again. "With the eyes? Where?"
I didn't like hearing my mom scared, but the more information she had, the more helpful it might be in getting answers.
"He... it... was at school, following some guy. This one looked me dead in the eyes again. The guy almost fell down the steps in one of the buildings. Luckily, someone saw him and caught him before he went down. There was no way I could get to him in time. Just like the last time, though, the t
hing was gone, right before it all went down."
There was silence on the other line for so long, I thought I lost the connection.
"Mom?"
"I'm here, Cassie. So this guy was saved then?"
"Yeah, by this other guy that I knew. He happened to be walking up the stairs just in time." I didn't want to bother my mom about Caleb. It just wasn't the time. I'd tell her about him once she got back and we got all of this sorted out, if there were even anything to tell. Dinner with Caleb could end up being a complete bust.
"That's odd too. You've never had one saved by someone else before. You said you knew him?"
I guess I wasn't going to get away with keeping Caleb out of this after all.
"His name is Caleb, and I met him the other night. He goes to the law school at Waitling. We had lunch today. He seems pretty cool. Nora met him tonight and agrees."
"Nora met him?" she asked.
It seemed like a strange question to me, but I answered, "Yeah, briefly when he walked me to the door tonight. Why?"
"Oh, nothing really. I just think Nora is a very good judge of character. I value her opinion more than anyone that you're with. Is that it then, Cassie? Anything more that happened? I'm going to have to get going, the call is going to cut off soon."
"But you haven't told me anything yet!" I cried. "Where are you, who are you going to meet?"
"I'll tell you everything when I get back, Cassie. I promise. Now, I have to go. Be careful, baby. Try to stay low until I get back. Okay?"
"Yeah, Mom. I will," I murmured, disappointment clear in my voice.
I listened to silence for a while after my mom hung up. I hated that she kept all of this from me. The waiting in wonder felt as bad as what it must be like to wait for some doctor to relay the test results for a fatal disease. Would my mother come back with a deadly diagnosis?
Not much in the mood for the movie anymore, I decided to take a quick shower and go to bed. The day's confusion exhausted my mind more than my body. I wished for a peaceful night of sleep before drifting off.
CHAPTER EIGHT
I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed. Looking at the clock, I realized why. I had slept almost a full eight hours without any dreams to wake me. It was something that hadn't happened in a while. It was still fairly early, and I had a few hours before I had to be at the hospital for my shift, so I went for a run.
Near the apartment complex, there was a trail that bikers and runners frequented in the warmer climates. Only the die-hard runners could be seen on the trail in the winter months. It ran alongside a small creek for about a mile, ending in a park, with a loop-around to bring you back onto the path. It was a great two-mile jog that I used to run daily, but lately, school and work seemed to be my excuses not to go.
Feeling the euphoria of the run about a half-mile into it, I vowed to make sure that I squeezed it back into my daily routine. With music in my ears, I reveled in the smell of morning, which always seemed to be so fresh, as if not yet tainted by the day. The trees off the path were hinting of fall, their colors promising bright reds and yellows before the world turned white. My mood easily blended in with my refreshingly bright surroundings, thinking of the pleasant things in my life, instead of the doom and gloom that had monopolized my thoughts lately. I wanted to make the most of this nostalgia.
My mind wandered to Caleb. The familiar settings reminded me of our lunch in the park and sparked fresh feelings of my newfound interest in a man. I thought of the way he made me feel when he directed that gorgeous smile at me, and the flirtatious innuendoes. Coming from some men, it would have had me launching a physical attack, but coming from him sent little wings fluttering in my belly. I smiled to myself over the reaction I had to the flower he gave me; how its scent smelled so much stronger than any other flower I could remember.
I was coming up on the loop in the park, still wrapped up tight in my own reverie, when suddenly my mind went blank, as if all of my thoughts were erased, and my focus jolted back to reality. Had I not been forced from my daydream, I would have collided right into Hunter. I stopped short in front of him, shock on my face, and breathing heavily. His calm demeanor seemed a complete contrast to my pounding heart. I got the feeling that Hunter didn't wear a lot of his reactions for everyone to see. He seemed like the kind of man to keep his emotions completely under control.
"Cassandra, what a pleasure to see you here this morning," he said, as if he were here every morning and I just happened to show up one day.
A smile brightened his face as his eyes roamed over my body. The heat had not yet set in on the day, but it suddenly felt as if the sun were high in the sky, shining its thermal rays directly on me. My running shorts and tank top clung to me, burning my skin, at the same time highlighting every curve. In a self-conscious gesture, I pulled the tank away from my breasts, only to have it land right back. All I managed to do was draw his attention directly at my breasts, which he shamelessly observed.
If I had caught my breath, I might have said something about how rude he was, but my breathing only seemed to accelerate with his attention. He, on the other hand, appeared to be perfectly content standing there in his worn blue jeans, which hung casually from his waist, but perfectly hugged his hips. His lightweight, black T-shirt did little to cover the muscles in his chest and biceps underneath.
"Cassandra, you look like you need to sit down. Are you okay?" One hand gently grabbed my elbow as his other arm wrapped around my waist. His touch made me flinch, and he withdrew his hand around my waist, but kept his hand at my elbow.
Finally finding my voice, but still a little breathless, I managed, "Oh... no... Hunter, I'm fine, thanks. You just surprised me. I was kind of in a zone. What are you doing here?" I pulled my arm down, releasing his hold on my elbow.
"I was just checking out the area. I'm contemplating getting an apartment in the complex that I saw you and Caleb at yesterday, and I wanted to see what the neighborhood was like. Here, come and sit for a second." He pulled at my wrist, leading me towards a bench off the path.
I tried to pull back. "No, Hunter, I'm fine. Really. I have to get to—"
"Cassandra, your heart is racing and you still can't seem to take a full breath. Sit." He pulled harder at my wrist, forcing me to sit next to him. I didn't really notice that my heart was thumping so hard, but I looked down at my chest and saw it rapidly rising and falling. Our knees were almost touching as our bodies angled in, slightly facing one another. The closeness, and the fact that I felt half naked, did little to dispel my anxiety.
"I'm better now, thank you." I tried to ease back on the bench, but there was little room left on my end. "You know, I was really surprised to see you at the apartment yesterday. What's with the change of heart? When we met, you said you were just passing through. Now you're going to rent an apartment?" And in my complex, no less! I thought to myself.
He laughed. "I told you, Cassandra, I like what I see here."
I didn't want to look him in the eyes, but I did. His penetrating gaze made me feel like he was hinting at more than location. "Yeah but I thought you were just—"
"Hitting on you?"
"No, I was going to say kidd—"
"I was."
"You were kidding? Then why are you looking at_—"
"I was hitting on you."
It took me a minute before my brain processed his quick response, and when it did, I was still at a loss for words. I must have looked like an idiot with my mouth hanging open, which I only realized after I saw where his eyes had fallen.
Well, this was awkward. Here I was looking my worst, sweat dripping down my face (and other unmentionable areas), sitting with the most gorgeous man I had ever met, and he just told me he'd been hitting on me. I felt like someone was playing a cruel joke on me, or my willpower was being tested by a higher authority. My life was a wreck, and all of a sudden, I have two guys either asking me out or hitting on me? What are the freaking odds of that? None to one, because I didn't
believe that this was happenstance for a second. Something was going on.
"Look, I'm flattered, Hunter. I really am, but I don't have the time for someone in my life right now."
There was no disappointment, surprise, or even understanding on his face. There was only a cold hard stare, looking deep into my eyes, almost daring them to look away. "So where does Caleb fit in?"
"Caleb?" I shouldn't have been surprised that he had brought Caleb up, since he saw us at the apartment yesterday, and even mentioned him earlier. I really didn't even know what was between Caleb and me anyway. I wasn't about to share with Hunter what I didn't understand yet.
"Yes, Caleb. I saw you two at the apartment, remember? What were you doing with him?" His penetrating eyes stayed riveted on mine. I felt the need to squirm from them, but I stayed my ground and looked right back.
"We ran into each other at school and he walked me home. It was nothing." Why did this guy make me feel so defensive?
"Did you kiss him?"
"What?" I couldn't believe his candor. Unfortunately, my brain reacted to his question, and I pictured the near kiss between Caleb and me, broken up only by Nora's interference. I could feel my cheeks blushing from the memory. My reaction made it evident to Hunter to conclude whatever he wanted to from it.
I don't know why I cared what he thought of my reaction, or the near kiss with Caleb, for that matter, but I let out a resounding, "No!"
"Good."
His lips were on mine so suddenly that my brain refused to process that it was wrong. My first reaction was to gasp, which his tongue took complete advantage of. Each caress sent shock waves throughout my body as his tongue sensually mated with mine. My mouth seemed to have a life of its own, seeking its own pleasure in the dance. I breathed in through my nose and his powerful scent, a mix of lavender and musk, intoxicated me. His hand, entangled in my hair, grasped the back of my head, and kept me locked in his hedonistic torture.
Guardian Of Fate (Fate Series) Page 6
