“I really don’t need to know about any interaction with anyone,” Izzy said, wincing. “And of course you had to turn this into something about you, but let me just tell you one thing.” She jutted her index finger in his face, her fingertip nearly brushing the tip of his nose. “I will never ever be jealous of any woman you’re decidedly intimate with because to be jealous would mean that I was even remotely interested in you, which I’m not.”
Johnny really did try to grasp what Izzy was saying, but he was distracted by the fiery gold her usual brown eyes transformed into when she was upset. He wondered what shade they would take on in the heat of passion. Maybe a chocolate color? Maybe a darker color? He wasn’t quite sure, but he knew he wanted to be the one to find out. He tilted his head to the side, inching his lips ever so slightly forward. Her hot breath now tickled his skin, and her lips were just begging to be kissed. Would she feel affronted if he kissed her in mid-lecture?
“How do you even know, darling?” Johnny asked, slipping on his notorious charm smile as his eyes danced in hers mischievously. “Maybe we should test your theory out to be extra sure you’re not interested in me.” He reached out to grasp her hips, but she weaseled her way out of his grasp. Johnny caught fear deeply embedded in her eyes, and he paused. Was she afraid of him, that he would harm her in any way?
“Trust me,” Izzy said, pushing her brow up and forcing the fear out of her body. How stupid she was to be afraid of him touching her.
You’re afraid because you know that you would like it, a voice inside her head taunted.
“You’re not even my type,” she forced herself to say before heading into her room and slamming the door shut behind her.
Well. Johnny stared at the shut door for a long moment. At least he knew she was home now.
Chapter 19
The next few days came and went in a sort of blur. If Izzy was being honest, she was still upset at Johnny and that nerve of his! Even as she was throwing on her royal blue graduation gown, the fight they had had kept replaying over and over in her mind. The nerve of that man to be upset at her for spending the night out when he had been shoving his tongue down Candy’s throat. Now, any desire she ever had with kissing him had pretty much gone out the window. Not that she ever wanted to kiss him, but if she had it would be gone. Who did he think he was, anyway? He wasn’t her brother or her father or even an uncle or someone along those lines. He was just a pirate from the eighteenth century who happened to have fallen into her apartment at the most inopportune time, and hadn’t left since. Just the thought that he believed he had every right to order her around caused the desire to throw her straightener across the bathroom. But she couldn’t because she knew just how expensive the item was.
When Izzy finished, she grabbed her graduation cap and placed it underneath her arm before heading out the door. She wasn’t exactly sure if Johnny was up, in the apartment, or somewhere else entirely, and she forced herself not to care. As she bounded down the steps, she tried to focus on graduation.
She would be graduating college today. How incredibly exciting was that? Her mother and father would be there, maybe her brother but Lord knew he had better things to do than to attend his younger sister’s graduation, and Bex would be there as well. Apparently after a heated discussion with her counselor, Bex still had one more semester to go before she graduated, and Izzy was glad she could count on her friend to be there for her.
Before exiting her car, Izzy quickly looked at herself in the small vanity mirror. Eyeliner, mascara, and gloss occupied her face, bringing out her eyes and made her full lips stand out. She pinned on her cap, hoping that the soft sea breeze wouldn’t cause it to fly off as she accepted her diploma. In fact, she hoped she wouldn’t trip over her gown or even herself as she walked up to shake the dean’s hand.
But Izzy did neither. When they called her name, the stadium applauded politely, and she managed to shake the dean’s hand and accept her diploma as gracefully as she could. It was official; she was a college graduate. After this summer, she would be heading out into the job force, getting a job, starting a career…
I thought you wanted to travel, a voice murmured inside her head as she waited for the ceremony to finish.
“I can’t afford to go gallivanting across the world,” she muttered under breath.
Finally, the commencement ceremony ended and all the graduates threw their caps in the air. Luckily, Izzy managed to find her cap, and she walked over to the bleachers, waiting for her family. It took a moment as families of different graduates descended onto the field in hopes to take pictures with certain professors or nice scenery, but after ten minutes, the young woman managed to make out her family through the crowd.
Bex saw her first and ran over to her, nearly toppling Izzy over as Bex pulled her friend into a tight hug. “Oh, congratulations, Izzy!” she murmured genuinely, before taking a step back and meeting her dark eyes with Izzy’s. “How does it feel?”
Before she could respond, Izzy saw her mother and father as well as another familiar figure. Was that –
“What is Johnny doing here?” Izzy asked Bex under her breath.
“Mr. and Mrs. Daniels!” Bex exclaimed, clearly avoiding her best friend’s question. “So glad you could make it.”
“Yes, well,” Helena Daniels said, her dark blue eyes flitting over the stadium in obvious distaste. Her hand cupped the side of her back while her other was holding on to her husband’s arm. Her dyed, bleach-blonde hair was pulled up into a clip, and her pale face was lathered in makeup without going over the top. She had a petite frame that seemed to drown in her new Chanel suit but seemed rather comfortable in her matching heels. “Our daughter is graduating college and all.”
“We are so proud of you,” Damon Daniels said, reaching out and squeezing his daughter’s shoulder warmly. His hazel eyes reflected his statement as he regarded his only daughter, and he pulled her into a tight hug.
“Oh Damon!” Helena exclaimed, her eyes immediately looking over her husband’s crisp, Armani suit. “Your suit! We still have to see Luke after this, you know, and it wouldn’t be fair for you to show up looking less than spectacular.”
“Where is Luke?” Izzy asked, trying to keep the contempt out of her voice. Despite her usual happy-go-lucky nature, her mother managed to bring out the cynic in the young woman.
“He’s sorry he couldn’t come,” Damon said, trying to reassure his daughter.
“Who is this man?” Helena said, turning her face to finally regard Johnny, who happened to be studying the scene that was unfolding before him quietly. “Oh Isabelle, did you hire this man to accompany you here because he looks like Johnny Depp? That’s pretty low, even for your addiction to that actor.”
“Mom,” Izzy said, narrowing her eyes at her mother. Helena regarded her daughter almost lazily. She met eyes with Johnny for a moment, before swallowing. “This is my friend, Johnny Clover.”
“His name is even Johnny,” Helena said in a dry voice, rolling her blue eyes up to the sky. “Imagine that.” Her hand moved dismissively around as though she had her usual dry martini in her French-manicured hand. “Whatever happened to Zach? I liked him very much, you know.”
“I told you this, Mom,” Izzy said through gritted teeth, trying to contain her patience along with her temper. “Zach and I broke up.”
“Well, can’t you just apologize for whatever it is you did wrong and get back together with him?” Helena asked breezily, almost as though it was the most obvious decision in the world for her daughter to do.
Damon immediately recognized the fire that sparked in his daughter’s eyes, and intervened before Izzy had the chance. “Congratulations, again, darling,” he told his daughter. “Now, your mother and I really should get going. We have to meet Luke in about forty-five minutes.”
“You mean she’s not coming with us?” Helena asked, appalled at the notion her daughter wouldn’t accompany her parents to meet with the golden child.
“I can’t,” Izzy
said. “I told you, I have my graduation ball tonight.”
“Oh of course,” Helena said as her husband proceeded to lead her away. “As long as your priorities are in check.”
Bex stepped in front of her friend, her hands gripping the sides of her shoulders to keep Izzy from going after her mother. Bex wasn’t sure if Izzy would do anything in public, especially at her graduation, but she also knew that no one could get to Izzy as her mother could, and because of that, she wanted to take all the necessary precautions.
Izzy felt her body slowly start to relax, especially when her parents disappeared into the large crowd of graduates and their families. Her eyes finally found Johnny’s, and she felt her face blush under his inquiring gaze. “I’m sorry,” she murmured softly. “I’m sorry for my parents’ behavior, especially my mother’s.”
“Are you all right, love?” Johnny asked, leaning towards her, much closer than what was necessary.
Izzy found it hard to think of a response when Johnny looked so breath-takingly handsome. He wasn’t wearing anything over the top, just a simple white, long-sleeved collared shirt tucked into navy blue slacks. A couple of buttons were left undone, revealing the beginnings of a nicely toned torso. She was supposed to be mad at him, wasn’t she? How could she be, when he looked like that? And his dark eyes seemed genuinely concerned about her well-being.
“I’m fine,” she told him before running her fingers through her hair. She found it much easier to do now that it was straight. “I’m just… I’m sorry if my parents offended you in any way.”
“They’re your parents,” Bex said flatly. “They offend everyone.”
“What happened to your hair?” Johnny asked, reaching out and taking a few strands of hair between his fingertips, staring at it and feeling the silkiness. “What happened to the waves?”
“Oh,” Izzy said, feeling another flush mask her cheeks. “I straightened it.”
“Is it going to be this way forever?” Johnny asked, clearly worried at the thought.
“No, of course not,” Izzy replied, shaking her head. She found this somewhat difficult to do since Johnny still had some of her hair in his hand. “Once I shower or come in contact with water, it’ll go back to the way it normally is.”
“Are you keeping it this way tonight?” he asked her, his brow perking.
“I don’t know,” she said. “Why?”
“I just like it better the way you normally where it,” Johnny told her honestly. Izzy was about to retort something along the lines of how it didn’t matter seeing as how he wasn’t taking her to the ball, but Johnny seemed to sense this, and cut in. “Now, tell me, why did everyone throw their caps up at the end of the ceremony? In fact, why have a ceremony in the first place?”
Chapter 20
When Johnny first laid eyes on Izzy as she headed down her apartment stairs, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She was wearing a royal blue strapless dress with a ruched cross bodice that added texture to a classic shape. The sweetheart cut revealed a bout of her cleavage in a classy way and the empire waistline highlighted her slim frame while the skirt itself billowed around her loosely. Her blonde hair was completely pulled back into a lovely bun, some strands threaded with small pearls. Her makeup was light and natural, but the necessities were highlighted; her brown eyes stood out, her already full lips looked even fuller, and her sharp cheekbones looked higher though they already were. Johnny was glad to see her freckles were still shown; she looked absolutely beautiful. On her feet, there were simple black high heels.
She looked absolutely…
Johnny had been thinking about his feelings for the past twelve hours. Actually, he had been thinking of her from the moment he first laid eyes upon her, and when he realized she had stirred unfamiliar feelings inside of him, he thought on them whenever he wasn’t distracted with something else. But as he looked at her descending down the stairs, he realized that he had wanted her all to himself. Though he may never be able to offer her love, he could offer everything that went along with the emotion. Hell, he may even be able to be monogamous to her. He had already started, what without having any sort of sexual relations since coming to this new world, although he was tempted.
But that wasn’t because of Izzy, now was it? He just didn’t desire to, which was quite odd, now that he thought of it.
“What are you doing here?” Izzy asked once she finally reached the bottom. She arched her brow suspiciously and began to look at the man in front of her.
Johnny looked painstakingly handsome in the suit he was wearing. It was different from the one they had bought at South Coast Plaza, but it fit his frame in such a way that Izzy could swear it was made with him in mind. It was a black suit, with white pinstripes running down both the blazer and the slacks. A white, long-sleeved collared shirt sat underneath his blazer, and a dark navy blue tie with dull green stripes hung from around his neck. A satin maroon handkerchief was placed expertly in his breast pocket, the top of it sticking out in a triangular shape. If there was ever to be a photo of what perfection looked like, Johnny would surely be it. His dark, shaggy hair was pushed back from his face so not one stray strand fell into it. She also noticed that he shaved, now completely free of any and all facial hair, revealing a well-defined jaw line. This only brought out more of his angular face, highlighting his cheekbones, his perfect, low brow, his dark, dangerous eyes. Her lips drifted to his lips, and she wanted to badly to push on her toes and claim his lips with hers.
Sensing this, she took a step back, hoping the distance would stop her from engaging in such an act of foolishness.
“Izzy!” a female voice exclaimed, running up to her friend. Izzy’s eyes narrowed when she saw Bex; of course her friend would be behind this. Izzy was perfectly fine going to the graduation ball by herself! She didn’t need a man to escort her!
Although… Johnny did look exceedingly handsome…
“I enlisted Johnny to accompany you to the Ball,” Bex told her friend, as though it was the best idea she had ever had. “I figured after everything today, hell, the whole month, really, you deserve a night for fun. And I thought that you and Johnny get along well enough, so why not?”
“I would be honored,” Johnny began as he reached out and took her hand in his, before leaning forward slightly as he brought her fingers to his lips, “to accompany you to your ball.” His lips brushed her knuckles, causing every hair on her body to stand while a warmth spread throughout her body. There were times Izzy forgot that Johnny was a pirate back in the eighteenth century, but little acts of chivalry such as this one reminded her.
“All right,” Izzy finally said, turning her head in hopes he wouldn’t see her blush. She slipped her fingers from his and headed to the passenger seat of Bex’s car, trying to calm her steady heart.
Even after the car ride pulled up to UCI’s huge library, Izzy still had a fluttery feeling in her chest. Before she could turn and slip outside, Johnny was at the door, and proceeded to open it for her. He offered her his hand, and for a moment, all Izzy could do was look at him. His eyes, whether he meant them to or not, gave her a smoldering look, causing a sensual shiver to run down her back. She swallowed before taking it, and Johnny helped her out of the vehicle. She was so close to him, he could smell the vanilla and strawberry scent radiating off her exposed skin. She smelled delicious, and he wondered for a moment what she would taste like. After shutting the door behind her, he offered her his arm, and Izzy took it before Johnny began to lead her inside.
The library was cleared out, and in its stead, there were tables of refreshments, tables and chairs for people to sit down and converse, a deejay and a dance floor. The lights were dim, making the atmosphere more romantic, and upon entering the large building, there was a large banner that congratulated Izzy’s class. Many people acknowledged the couple with a look of curiosity. Some even looked both Izzy and Johnny up and down, their eyes filled with interest depending on their gender and who they were looking at.
> “What would you like to do?” Izzy asked, tilting her chin up and bringing it closer to him in hopes he could hear her better.
Would ‘kiss you’ be a bad answer? a voice inside of his mind asked quite curiously.
“Whatever you would like to do,” he instead responded, and curled his lips up to indicate that he was being sincere in his response.
For the next few hours, Izzy introduced Johnny to her friends and professors. She noticed many women give her glares, while some looked at him oddly. A few people actually went up to him and asked if he was Johnny Depp. Instead of getting mad, Izzy was glad to see that Johnny was taking it all in stride. They drank water, ate some of the snacks that were offered, and danced.
Though many women were giving the man insinuating stares, Johnny only had eyes for Izzy. He didn’t even have to pretend to be completely consumed with her; he was soon realizing it was starting to become natural. Of course, that didn’t mean he loved her, but he was beginning to grow accustomed to the feeling of caring for her. The two danced as well, with Izzy teaching him the way people did it here rather than where Johnny was from. Johnny seemed to particularly like the close proximity of dancing, as well as the more provocative moves. As he assumed, Izzy was quite talented at moving her hips along to the loud beat of any song, but really, there was never any doubt in Johnny’s mind.
Beautiful Disaster Page 10
