Someday was not today.
It took Chase less than three minutes to find us. Seriously – no joke. Under three minutes without a car. He traveled on foot faster than any mode of transportation. This was one of those times I loved that he wasn’t entirely human.
There was a blur of color right before Chase materialized outside my window. My heart accelerated more as I stared at him through the windowpane, mesmerized by his half-silver, half-gold eyes. I completely forgot about my tire, forgot my fear, forgot to think. There was only him. I couldn’t help but eat up the sight of him. In my head, I knew that I had just seen him a few hours ago, but the rest me felt like it had been days, weeks, years. There was no rhyme or reason – it just was.
I could tell by the way his eyes roamed over my face, that he felt exactly the same. The swirly mark at my hip tingled, and I instinctively put a hand to my side. It was always the same, and I wasn’t sure I would ever get used to this.
Lexi cleared her throat, snapping me back to reality. I rolled down my foggy window.
“You got a flat,” he said, stating the obvious. A piece of his midnight hair fell off to one side. It was so dark now, and he blended in with the night, except for his eyes.
The spell was broken, and I was feeling moody now. “Duh, it’s the arrow sticking out of the tire that has us freaked out.”
He inspected the tire and the nasty arrow embedded in the rubber, then he took off lickety-split.
Damn him.
“Where the hell did he go?” I asked Lexi who was completely unfazed by her cousin’s sudden disappearance, leaving us stranded, again, I might add. Getting out of the car, I slammed the door with more force than necessary. This was more than I could take. “Ahhh!” I screamed.
“What? Are you trying to attract their attention? Or worse?” Chase asked, like a smartass, suddenly behind me.
I flinched, spinning around. Then my heart jumped as well, but for totally different reasons. He was close – extremely close. On either side of my arms, his hands steadied me, and I laid mine fingers flat on his chest. A rush of security and ease washed through me. Inhaling, I breathed in his scent – sexy and fresh, as if he’d just stepped out of a shower. His heart beat strong under my palm, and I felt it quicken as I fisted a handful of his shirt, holding him in place. And I wished we were anywhere but here, stranded on the side of the road. I blinked.
He inched forward, and I held my breath.
“Can you guys do the whole sexual tension thing later? I want to get the heck out of dodge before one of them decides to come back and put an arrow in my heart,” Lexi said condescendingly, clearly annoyed. She had gotten out of the car sometime during our burning exchange.
Taking a step back, Chase seared her with a dull look. “It’s clear. Whoever was here is gone and isn’t coming back, unless of course Angel starts yelling again. We might have to restrain her.”
“I bet you’d like that,” I sneered, feeling clear-headed again, instead of thinking with my teenage hormones.
He smirked. “I think I deserve a reward for rescuing you. I can think of a few ways you could repay me.”
I arched a brow. “Me too. My foot up your ass sounds like a good one.”
He snickered.
Lexi looked ready to slam our heads together.
We could do this all night, this sarcastic banter back and forth and not accomplish a darn thing. I crossed my arms. “Now fix my car so we can go home. I’m tired. I’m hungry. And I’m crabby,” I complained.
“Yeah, yeah. Give me a minute. I’m still planning on collecting that reward,” he added as he opened the trunk.
I knew all to well what his idea of a reward was. Not happening. However, that didn’t stop my body from reacting to the insinuation. Traitorous body. The fact that he put the idea into my head was maddening. It would be all I thought about for the rest of the night. That was bound to get uncomfortable.
It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him he had exactly one minute, but one look in Lexi’s direction told me that probably wasn’t the best idea. She looked frazzled, and I wasn’t really sure I had ever seen her frazzled. It probably wasn’t wish to push my luck.
“Well, I got a reward for you,” Lexi piped in, leaning on the car. “Angel’s mom is making dinner, and I bet she would love it if you stopped by.”
There was a good chance I might have to kick Lexi’s butt. It was true that Mom would probably love it if Chase came over. Hell, lately half the time I thought she had a crush on him. My mom loved Chase, but I guess she wasn’t thinking straight. The new romance seemed to have dulled her common sense.
I shuddered every time I thought about my mom and Devin. Together. Parents of teenagers should not be allowed to date until the teens have gone off to college. I’m thinking about starting a petition.