Page 70 of Life and Death

“More than anything else I’ve ever wanted.” It was pathetic how obviously true the words were. So much for playing hard to get.

She closed her eyes. The car didn’t deviate so much as half an inch from the center of the lane.

“Then I’ll be there,” she finally said. “I do have a paper to turn in.”

She looked at me then, and her face was calmer, but her eyes were troubled.

We were suddenly in front of Charlie’s house. The lights were on, my truck in its place, everything totally normal. It was like waking up from a dream—the kind you didn’t want to lose, the kind you kept your eyes closed tight for, rolled over and covered your head with a pillow for, trying to find a way back in. She shut off the engine, but I didn’t move.

“Save me a seat at lunch?” I asked hesitantly.

I was rewarded with a wide smile. “That’s easy enough.”

“You promise?” I couldn’t keep the tone light enough.

“I promise.”

I stared into her eyes and it was like she was a magnet again, like she was pulling me toward her and I had no power to resist. I didn’t want to try. The wordvampirewas still there between us, but it was easier to ignore than I would have thought possible. Her face was so unbearably perfect, it hurt in a strange way to look at it. At the same time, I never wanted to look away. I wanted to know if her lips were as silky smooth as the skin of her hand—

Suddenly her left hand was there, palm forward, an inch from my face, warning me back, and she was cringing against the car door, her eyes wide and frightened and her teeth clenched together.

I jerked away from her.

“Sorry!”

She stared at me for a long moment, and I would swear she wasn’t breathing. After a long moment, she relaxed a little.

“You have to be more careful than that, Beau,” she said finally in a dull voice.

Cautiously—like I was made of glass or something—her left hand lifted mine off her right and then let it go. I crossed my arms over my chest.

“Maybe—” she began.

“I can do better than that,” I interrupted quickly. “Just tell me the rules, and I’ll follow them. Whatever you want from me.”

She sighed.

“Seriously. Tell me to do something, and I’ll do it.”

I regretted the words the second they were out of my mouth. What if she asked me to forget about her? There were some things that weren’t in my power to do.

But she smiled. “All right, I’ve got one.”

“Yeah?” I asked, wary.

“Don’t go in the woods alone again.”

I could feel the surprise on my face. “How did you know that?”

She touched the tip of her nose.

“Really? You must have anincrediblesense—”

“Are you going to agree to what I ask or not?” she interrupted.

“Sure, that one’s easy. Can I ask why?”

She frowned, her eyes tight again as she stared out the window past me. “I’m not always the most dangerous thing out there. Let’s leave it at that.”