He picked her hands up and held them gently. “I was hoping it would just be us, Em. A little alone time might be just what the doctor ordered.”
Emily didn’t like the idea of leaving Junie alone on a Friday night, especially after what had just happened to her mom. But she didn’t want to disappoint Derek, either. It was hard to resist his handsome face and say no, especially when her heart was shouting at her to say yes.
She resisted the impulse to let her emotions decide and took a moment to think it through. Derek was only talking about a few hours, and it’s not like Junie hadn’t spent nights alone in the shelter before, back when her mom was out doing whatever it was that she did. Junie was more than capable, and could probably manage without her for a bit. Junie was a resourceful, street-smart teenager, and she’d understand. She liked boys, too, and would probably do the same if given the chance.
If Emily did this, then she’d need to go to the shelter on Saturday and make it up to Junie by taking her to the park to feed the ducks. They could spend the whole day together like besties. Nora was going to leave her money for the weekend, so maybe she could spent some of it on Junie. Do something special, like go shopping for a cute top at Goodwill. She liked her new plan and everyone would be happy, including her.
“Okay. Sounds fun, Derek. What time?”
He gave her a sexy, devilish smile that changed the rhythm of her heart. “Around six. It’ll be dark by then and the neighbors won’t notice.”
* * *
The following evening, Emily was sitting on Nora’s couch with nervous breath, watching the clock tick closer and closer to six. Time seemed to have slowed down the moment after the Morris family took off for their weekend in LA earlier that afternoon, leaving Emily alone and anxious in a spacious home she’d never seen before today.
House-sitting was fun, she decided, and she was enjoying herself, feeling as close to normal as she had since the awful night of The Taking. Living in an urban house with a kitchen, a living room, and bedrooms brought back wonderful memories of what life had been like with her mom. She knew she could never go back to how it was before, but she also knew she should appreciate being safe and warm in a loving home where everything was quiet.
She’d spent the early evening making sure the place was extra clean and tidy for Derek’s arrival. Nora and Duane weren’t messy, but the kids had left some toys and clothes lying around, and there was a stack of dishes in the sink that needed to be washed. She probably didn’t need to do the extra cleaning, but she felt obligated to help out since they were kind enough to give her a place to stay for a few days. Cleaning also helped pass the time while she waited for her date to start.
Maybe “date” wasn’t the best term to describe her plans for the evening, since Derek wasn’t taking her out for a night on the town. She wasn’t sure if that component was necessary in order to classify their get-together as a date, but it’s what she decided to call it. Either way, she wanted the place to look nice for him. She wouldn’t have this chance again, not with her time-jumping issues. Everything needed to be perfect.
Bing! Bong! the doorbell rang out.
She gasped with an excited smile, feeling her heart flutter as her eyes found the front door. Her hands went to the sides of her face, realizing that her boyfriend was five minutes early and their evening together was about to start.
Her hands and knees began to tremble, bringing with it some lightheadedness and a few blue speckles in her vision. She steadied herself with a deep, calming breath and stood from the couch, adjusting the fun skirt and cute top she had borrowed from Nora’s closet. She looked in the mirror hanging on the wall to her right and checked the makeup Nora had given her access to. It was perfect. So was her hair—clean, combed, and styled in a Jennifer Aniston look. She wondered if Derek would like her ensemble. He’d never seen her dressed up this way and frankly, neither had she.
Bing! Bong! the door chime called out again.
Emily ran to the door, unlatched the deadbolt and grabbed the doorknob. She planned to land a big kiss on his lips to set the mood and let him know how much she missed him. She twisted the knob and pulled the door open, hoping to see her handsome man standing there with a smile and maybe a bouquet of flowers.
But what her eyes reported didn’t match what she’d expected, making her freeze for a moment. The Orange Man was standing there with his expressionless face, looking back at her. He was holding a metal briefcase horizontally in front of his chest with its lid open, facing her.
She glanced down at the swirling gray surface of its interior and before she could blink, an intense flash of white light invaded her vision.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Emily blinked a few times, trying to clear the fuzzy globs from her vision, only to find Derek standing in front of her. He was holding the screen door open with a concerned look on his face.
“Em? Are you okay? Babe? Talk to me,” Derek said in front of Nora and Duane’s house.
“What—what happened?” she said in a choppy voice, flexing her hands—they felt numb, and so did her feet.
“I don’t know. I walked up to the door and found you staring into space like a zombie.”
“That’s weird. I don’t remember answering the door. Did you ring the bell?”
He pushed his way inside. “No. You were already standing here with the door open. Like you were waiting for me. Are you okay?”
Her head was swimming. “I’m not sure. I must have completely zoned out for a minute.” She felt a strange disconnect from her memory. “My entire body feels tingly, like I slept too long.”
Emily lost her balance when a bout of dizziness hit her. She took a corrective step to stay upright. It worked.
“Whoa,” Derek said, grabbing her elbow. “Better sit down before you hurt yourself.”
He led her to the couch and took a seat next to her. “What’s the last thing you remember?”
She pointed at the wall clock. “I was sitting here, looking at that stupid clock and counting the minutes until I got to see you again. Next thing I know, I’m standing at the door looking at you. I don’t understand.”
“Me either. Just rest for a minute. Maybe it’ll come back to you.”
Her eyes locked onto the hour and minute hands of the clock, realizing that something wasn’t right.
“Six twenty-seven . . .” she said, trying to think it through.
“Sorry about that.”
“How is that possible?”
“It took me longer to get here than I expected. Didn’t factor in stopping a bunch of times to rest. Sometimes it’s hard to breathe.”
“Thirty-two minutes?” she asked in a hesitant voice.
“Yeah, I should have left earlier. Sorry to make you wait like that.”
She gave him a sidelong glance while she churned through it in her brain. “It was five minutes before six last time I looked at that clock. That means, somehow, thirty-two minutes have passed in like one second. Was I standing there the whole time, or did I sit here and then move to the door?”
“Impossible to know.”
“This is crazy.”
“Did you black out?”
“I don’t think so. But maybe.”
“You could have fallen asleep and then sleepwalked to the door.”
“Really?”
“Sure. It’s possible. I’ve seen you do stranger things than that.”
She shook her head, not wanting to believe any of it. “But I’ve never sleepwalked before in my life.”
“I’m sure that’s what happened. What else could it be?”
“Maybe I mini-jumped. If I did, then everything is changing again.”
“I’m just glad I got here when I did. What if some asshole had seen you standing there with the door open and tried come in. This ain’t the greatest neighborhood to start with.”
“That’s a little too scary to think about.”
“At least you’re okay. How ya feeling? Better?”<
br />
“Yes, much. The numbness is gone and so are the tingles. Just wish my heart would quit racing. It’s beating a hundred miles an hour right now.”
“I’m sure it will. Just give it time. You had quite a scare,” he said, rubbing his hand across her back.
“Wow, that feels soooo good,” she said, letting her eyes close as he continued to pamper her.
A few minutes later, he stopped and sat back on the couch.
She looked at him. “Something wrong?”
A coy smile came across his lips. “I brought you a present.”
“You did? What?” she asked, tapping her palms together in anticipation. She could have flashed on him to find out, but didn’t want to ruin the surprise. “Come on! Show me! Please! Don’t make me wait!”
“Well, now that you’re not a zombie anymore,” he said, leaning to his right and resting his elbow on the open end of the seat cushion. He put his other arm behind his back and left it there. “One of my roommates snuck something into the home and gave it to me earlier.”
Hearing the words “snuck something into the home” changed Emily’s anticipation to apprehension. A series of new objects flashed in her mind: gun—knife—drugs—condom.
“What is it?” she asked with a concerned voice.
“Just a little something to help us celebrate my recovery.”
He pulled his hand out to reveal a pint-sized bottle of peppermint schnapps. It must have been stuffed inside the waistband of his jeans.
She slapped him on the arm. “Oh my God, Derek!”
“What?”
“You’re so bad.”
“Yeah, well, so are you.”
“No I’m not. I’m a good girl,” she said, with the same type of coy smile he gave her. “And you, Mr. Bad Boy. Have you been following doctor’s orders? Feeling any better?”
“I’m starting to. My ribs don’t hurt every time I breathe, and my head isn’t throbbing, so yeah—I’m getting better. But I’m going a little stir crazy sitting on that couch, hour after hour, watching TV with a bunch of mindless zombies.”
She grinned. “Sort of like me at the front door a minute ago.”
“Exactly,” he said, laughing hard.
“I’m sure it gets old really fast just lying around all day, doing nothing.”
He nodded. “There are only so many game shows and soap operas a guy can watch before his brain turns into mush.”
“I can imagine,” she said, seeing him lean in for a kiss. She pushed him away. “Slow down, Romeo. You can’t just catch me off guard like that. You know what might happen.”
He rolled his eyes. “So, what? I need to make a reservation first? Not exactly romantic.”
“Yeah, about as romantic as peppermint schnapps.”
“You got me there.”
“Look, we’ve got lots of time. No need to rush things, okay?”
“Sure. But I need to be back at the home by nine thirty.”
“What do you say to ordering a pizza? Nora left me some money. I’m thinking pepperoni with extra cheese.”
* * *
An hour later, after they’d eaten pizza, Derek went into the kitchen and brought back two shot glasses. He put them on the table and filled them to the brim with liquor.
He pushed one to Emily. “I hope you like peppermint.”
She stared at the glass sitting in front of her. “I don’t know. This is my first time.”
“For schnapps or alcohol?”
“Both.”
“Time to fix that, then.” He took his glass and downed it. He made an exaggerated face, then broke out laughing. “Your turn.”
Emily took her glass, sniffed it, and then took a sip. Her throat burned as the booze slid down her gullet. She coughed. “Eeeewwww. Gross.”
“The trick is to slam it down all at once. That way you won’t taste it.”
She turned the glass up, opened her mouth and let what was left wash down in one gulp. It still stung, but this time she didn’t want to gag. “It’s still awful.”
“Just got to get used to it,” he said, pouring two more shots.
Emily drank hers first. “Ahhhh,” she said, trying to sound cool. She hated every drop of it, but didn’t want Derek to think she was a total goof. Her head began to tingle and her mood changed from nervous to excited. She giggled.
“See, I told you it would get better.” Derek downed his, then slammed the glass on the table with the rim down. “Hey, I just thought of something. You never told me what happened with Junie and her mom.”
“I didn’t?”
He shook his head.
“When I saw her this morning, Junie told me her mom’s hearing is next week and she’ll probably be sent to rehab for a couple of months. Junie’s going to be moved to a different shelter—one for displaced kids—Tumbleweeds.”
“That place is a complete dump.”
“I don’t like it much either. But if her mom makes it through treatment, she’ll get Junie back and they’ll get placed in public housing together.”
“Really? They usually don’t give druggies second chances. Must be another one of the state’s new programs. Always try to fix the unfixable,” Derek said, pouring two more shots.
“Wheeee,” she said, feeling her head spin and her eyes start to blur. “I’m really starting to feel it, big time.”
“Already? Even after the pizza?”
“Yeah, I’m such a lightweight.”
Derek took the shot away from her. “Then no more for you,” he said, drinking his shot and then hers.
She frowned, exaggerating her expression like a sad toddler. “But I was just getting the hang of it.”
“Any more and you’ll get sick. I’m not sure how vomiting and a hangover would play out with your condition.”
“Good point,” she said with slurred speech. She gazed into his captivating eyes, forgetting to turn off her second sight. It kicked in automatically and she felt his raging desire. It was smoldering hot, like a blast furnace about to explode. The new sensation was beyond anything she’d ever felt before, making her both happy and nervous at the same time.
A moment later, the link dropped after a swell of vertigo slammed into her, making her queasy when the room tilted to one side. She guessed this woozy feeling was what her BFF, Stacy, had meant long ago when she said she got totally buzzed the night before—happy and dizzy with an extra side of goofy.
Before she realized what was happening, Derek was out of his chair, around the table, and they were standing up and kissing like a love-starved couple on their wedding night. Emily lost herself in him, rubbing her body against his.
They stumbled across the kitchen, never letting go of each other. Her insides were out of control and she expected a jump tingle to start, but it didn’t. Somehow, the combination of the alcohol, Derek’s presence, and her own sexual desires were suppressing the jump process from forming.
“The Derek Effect,” she said in a whisper, as he kissed her across the neck and collarbone.
He stopped and pulled back, looking at her with concern. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“Do you want me to stop?”
She was petrified, but didn’t want him to stop, ever. She shook her head and then kissed him hard on the mouth, letting her tongue dart inside and explore.
Without hesitation, he pushed her against the refrigerator and began to grind his hips against her. She could feel him getting hard in his jeans, pressing against her moist vagina.
She leaned her head to the side and moaned as his lips moved from her mouth to the delicate skin just under her earlobe. His mouth was magic, stimulating the area to perfection. Her arms fell limply to her sides, surrendering her body to him. She didn’t care what he did or how he did it, as long as he never stopped.
His hand slid under her shirt and found her right breast, sending a wave of arousal through her body. He teased the nipple between his fingers, pulling and twisting with a gentle touch. H
e let go and pulled her shirt up, exposing both breasts. He bent down and kissed her belly in a circle around her navel, working slowly and with purpose. His tender lips continued to caress her skin, sliding up her torso and between her breasts, stopping just short of her mouth.
Emily’s body exploded with energy, fueling a powerful yearning she knew she couldn’t control. Every time his touch found her, it sent tingly bolts of electricity rippling across her skin.
Right then, the desire became overwhelming. She knew what she wanted. Her body knew what it wanted. And she wanted it now. She brought her arms in and grabbed his head, yanking him up to her face.
“Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll stop,” he said, with panting breath.
“Take me upstairs, now!” she demanded, not wanting to spend another minute as a virgin. The moment she’d waited her entire life for was finally here. She wasn’t sure what to do or how it would feel, but she didn’t care, as long as it happened now. And with him.
He didn’t wince in pain as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the stairs, never taking his eyes off hers.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Derek put Emily on the king-sized bed in the largest bedroom on the second floor. His ribs complained, but his body was being flooded with so many mood-altering hormones the pain was easy to ignore.
He pulled her shirt off, then her skirt, then her panties. Then it was his turn. He stood in front of her with a rock-hard penis trying to spring free from his pants. He took of his clothes, once piece at a time, never taking his eyes off her until he was stark naked like she was. Then he looked down at her beautiful, athletic body lying on the bed, waiting for him.
She gave him a timid smile, then held out her hand and guided him onto the soft sheet next to her.
“This is my first time. Please go slow,” she said with quivering lips and a soft tone.
He opened his mouth to say something to help soothe her concern about being a virgin, but she stopped him.
Emily whispered, “I don’t want to know. I don’t care if I’m not your first. Did you bring . . . protection?”
“No. I wasn’t expecting this. I mean, I thought we might fool around a little, but with your condition, I never thought—”
Glassford Girl: Part 3 (The Emily Heart Time Jumper) Page 15
