Always You (4 page)

Dalton

“Mr. Reid, can I get help
with this?”

I glanced up. Paige Warner
stood in front of me, her hands resting on my desk.

“What’s up, Ms. Warner?”

“This homework
assignment—I wondered if you could have a look at it for me and make sure
it’s okay?” She leaned over, her blonde hair falling over her shoulder as she
tilted her head, eyeing me seductively.

“Paige, this is due today.
There’s not much you can do at this point if it’s not correct.”

Her face went red.

I stood up and clapped my
hands together. “Okay, guys, take your seats.” My eyes swept over Wrenn in her
usual spot in the back row. I gave her a wink, and she smiled.

Grabbing the handful of
papers on my desk, most covered in red pen, I began to hand them out.

“Your homework assignments
from last week. A few of you did really well. Some of you need to put a little
more effort into your studies.” I dropped a C-graded paper on Paige’s desk.
“Perhaps if you spent as much time on your homework as you did on shopping,
this would be an A.” Sniggers filled the room as she scowled at me. I placed
Wrenn’s paper down on her desk: A+.

“Good work,” I said to her
with another wink. She blushed, tilting her head as she gazed up at me.

“Yeah, it’s not that hard to
get good grades when your aunt pays the teachers’ wages,” muttered Paige. Her
comment was greeted with laughter from the other students.

Wrenn stared down at her
paper, refusing to bite.

“Enough, Paige,” I snapped.
“One more comment like that, and you’ll fail my class. Are we clear?”

Her jaw dropped as she
narrowed her eyes at me. She muttered a
yes
.

“Hand this week’s assignment up to the front, and
open your books to page seventy-three,” I snapped, shooting another glance in
Wrenn’s direction. Her head was still down.

I glanced around the room.
Some students eyed me with awe, impressed by my ability to shut Paige up.
Others didn’t look so impressed. Wrenn wore a tiny smile on her lips that made
my heart skip.

Made my heart
skip? What was I, a twelve-year-old girl?

Never mind the fact that any
kind of heart-skipping behavior caused by a student was totally inappropriate.
Wherever my heart—or any other parts of my body for that matter—was
going with this, it needed to stop.

The bell rang and the girls
began to pack up their things. While everyone else shot out of the room as
quickly as possible, Wrenn seemed to be taking her time, handling each pen one
by one as she placed them neatly in her backpack. By the time she stood up, the
room was nearly empty, the last of the students filing out.

From the corner of my eye, I
caught Paige glaring in my direction as she stomped out of the room. That girl
made me shudder. One look at Paige and all I saw was trouble.

Wrenn, still smiling,
approached the desk. Her green eyes were so bright with warmth that I couldn’t
help but feel good.

“Thanks for that. What you
said to Paige.” She paused, sweeping her hair over her shoulder. “But don’t
underestimate how much trouble that girl is. Even for you.”

“I appreciate your concern,
but I think I can handle it,” I chuckled. If Paige wanted to learn how tough I
could be, I was more than happy to show her. Girls like her made my skin crawl.
She had no empathy or feelings for anyone but herself.

“Okay, if you say so.” She
smiled at me, her finger tracing the edge of my desk. I could feel my heart
begin to race, and I had no idea why. I refused to believe it was because of
her.

“You shouldn’t be afraid to
stand up to her, Wrenn.”

She looked up, surprised,
her eyes meeting mine. Then she shrugged, as if it were no big deal.

“Standing up for myself
would just create more drama. I’d rather not have to deal with that. I’ve got
bigger things on my mind than Paige and her petty comments.” She smiled
wistfully. “I’d rather focus my attention on the people I actually give a damn
about. Does that make sense?”

“Perfect sense, actually,” I
mumbled, rubbing my neck, her comments hitting a little too close to home. “So,
you’re from Washington, and you like horror movies. What else is there to know
about Wrenn?” I don’t know why, but I didn’t want her to leave yet. I wanted to
keep this conversation going for as long as possible, without seeming like a
complete creep.

She made a face, looking
deep in thought.

“There’s not much to know,”
she said truthfully. “I’m pretty boring, I guess. I love cars, and I hate
shopping. I love things that make me think, like a good book. I’m quite
opinionated, but I pride myself on seeing both sides of the argument. And I’ve
wanted to be a lawyer since I was little.”

“Any particular area of
law?”

“Criminal law. Prosecution,”
she answered immediately. She glanced down at her phone. “And I’m late for
class,” she added sheepishly.

“I’ll write you a hall-pass
so you don’t get into to trouble.” I grinned, grabbing my pad. I scribbled out
the note and handed it to her. Our fingers brushed against one another, her
touch leaving me numb. She smiled at me, tiled her head down, and then walked
out of the room.

Sinking back into my chair,
I tried to process what had just happened. What was I doing? Creating little
fantasies in my head over a student was just plain wrong. But there was
something about her, something different. Something special that made me
want—no,
need
—to know
more.

Wrenn

I found myself looking forward to History classes much more than I should
have. After two weeks of Dalton being in my life, any chance I got to see him
was something I looked forward to.

A schoolgirl crush? Maybe. I wasn’t sure.

In class he always treated me the same as everyone else, but unlike some
of my other teachers, he didn’t sit back and ignore Paige’s snarky comments.
There was no special treatment toward me—perhaps I imagined a glance here
and a smile there, but nothing concrete. Out of class, he treated me like an
equal.

It was something that would never go anywhere, but it gave me comfort to
think about him as being something more than just my teacher. I didn’t for a
second dream that my crush would be reciprocated. I wasn’t stupid. He had been
nothing but above board when he was with me, in and out of class.

Still, I couldn’t stop myself from fantasizing about him when I lay in
bed at night, or imagining what it would be like to kiss him. As each day
progressed, I found myself thinking about him more and more.

***

I practically skipped to class on Thursday, which earned me an odd look
from Kass. She never saw me this happy about school, so I didn’t blame her
skepticism.

“What the hell is with you?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Shit. I needed to settle down. Nobody was this excited about History.
“Nothing. Just feeling good today. Being almost the weekend, and all.”

She seemed to accept that and proceeded to ramble on about her plans for
the weekend.

“Wrenn?”

“Huh?” I said, embarrassed that she had caught me lost in thought.

“I said you should come with us. Up the coast.”

This weekend? Hanging around the school gave me the chance to possibly
see Dalton. I wasn’t about to give that up.
Besides,
a weekend away with those two, watching them make out? I think I’ll pass.

“I promised I’d help my aunt with something,” I fibbed, biting my lip.
The chances of running into him were small, but I’d still take it. Besides, I
knew Kass and Trina enjoyed their alone time.

Kass nodded. “Too bad. If you get out of it, let me know. It’ll be fun.”

We walked into the room, taking our usual seats in the back. Dalton was
there already. Paige and her sidekick, Deena, stood next to him, giggling and
flicking their hair. I almost chuckled at how uncomfortable he looked.
Obviously his handling of her behavior on Monday hadn’t dampened her interest
in him. His eyes caught mine and narrowed slightly as I giggled. It was those
little connections we had, like just then, that made me wonder…

“What’s funny?” Kass asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“Paige and Deena. Look at how awkward Mr. Reid looks.”

Kass glanced over at them and began to snigger loudly. Paige glared back
at us, her expression one of pure hatred.

“Okay guys, settle down.” Mr. Reid waited as the last few students
scuffled into class and sat down. He held up some papers. “I have your
assignments to give back. Some are excellent, and some of you need to focus
more.” He began to work his way around the room, handing back papers. He winked
as he reached me, dropping my A+ paper down on my desk.

“Good job, again,” he muttered softly. I couldn’t help it, I was grinning
like an idiot. Paige rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything. I didn’t even
care.

Even she couldn’t ruin how good I felt right now.

***

“You wanna come to mine?” Kass bit down on her apple as we walked
outside. It was overcast and cold, a typical day for this time of year. All I
wanted to do was curl up in front of the fire with a book, or maybe a movie.

“Nah, I might have an early night. I’m exhausted.” I yawned and stretched
out my arms.

Kass rolled her eyes. “You’re weak,” she said with a grin as she walked
toward the parking lot. “But okay. See you tomorrow!”

I spent the evening stretched out on the sofa watching
Dawn of the Dead.
He was right: it was a
damn good movie, and scary as hell. My stomach somersaulted when I thought
about him. He’d gone out of his way to lend me this movie. Did he mean anything
by it? Or was he just being nice? I was trying so hard not to read into every
little interaction because I just knew I was setting myself up to be hurt. I
was his student. He was my teacher.
That
was the only thing I knew for sure.

Wrenn

Wow, I was exciting.

Saturday night and I was at home, studying. My aunt and uncle saw more
action than I did. They had gone out for the afternoon—and
evening—to a wedding.

Kass had asked me again to go with her and Trina, but I honestly just
felt like staying home. I liked having the house to myself, and studying meant
my mind was kept occupied. When my mind was occupied, I didn’t dwell on the
past. It was that simple.

Hearing the doorbell, I ran downstairs to answer it. I swung the door
open and gaped in surprise. Dalton stood there, looking devilishly sexy in a
pair of jeans and a Jacket. He flashed me that gorgeous crooked smile. He
looked pleased to see me.

“Wrenn, hey. Is Layna home?” He held up a small package wrapped neatly
with a bright pink ribbon. “A present from my mom,” he explained with a
sheepish grin. I giggled. That was
so
cute.

I stood aside and let him in. Shutting the door, I motioned for him to go
through to the kitchen.

“She and Dan are at a wedding. Can I get you a drink?” I asked.

He hesitated, and then nodded. “A soda would be nice, thanks.” He placed
the present down on the counter, watching me as I poured two glasses of soda.
Could he see how much my hands were shaking?

I handed him one of the glasses and smiled, taking a sip as I walked over
to the table. He followed, sliding into the chair opposite me.

Is this really happening?

Dalton, alone with me in my house, inches away from me. I could stretch
my leg out right now and it would accidentally brush past his. Not that I
would. My heart was racing, and I was shaking like crazy. Could he see how
nervous he made me? Fuck, I hoped not. I wanted to exude calm and cool, not a
hot mess.

“I thought the entire student population would be out tonight, being a
Saturday night,” he said lightly, his eyes on mine.

I shrugged and fiddled with the rim of my glass, the tip of my finger
going round and round. I glanced up and caught him staring. He looked flustered
when his eyes met mine.

“What can I say? I’m boring,” I said with a smile. “I was accepted into
prelaw at Boston University, but it’s a provisional acceptance dependent on my
grades. Any spare time I have goes into that.”

“And scary movies,” he added, his eyes twinkling.

I laughed. “Yes. Speaking of which…” I stood up, my drink in hand, waving
for him to follow me.

He raised an eyebrow and looked at me suspiciously.

“I’m taking you into the living room. I’m not planning on assaulting
you,” I joked.

His face flushed, which only made me giggle harder.

Worst attempt at humor
ever
. Someone needs to stop me. Intervention please.

In the living room, I set down
my drink and reached for the stack of DVDs on the coffee table.

“This is yours,” I said, handing him back
Dawn of the Dead.

“Did you enjoy it?” he asked.

“Loved it,” I admitted. I handed him the rest of the DVDs. “And these all
came yesterday, express mail.” I’d gone more than a little crazy ordering up on
Amazon.

“Holy shit, nice choice,” he said, holding up my copy of
Rosemary’s Baby
.

“I’ve never seen it,” I said with a smile.

He gasped, shaking his head in mock horror. “And you call yourself a
horror buff? Fuck homework. You need to watch this now. Right now,” he
declared. “Even if it means you don’t get into college, it’ll be worth it. It’s
imperative you see this movie.”

“Why don’t you stay? Layna and Dan will be a while, still, and if it’s as
scary as you say it is, there is no way in hell I’m watching it alone.”
Ha, bullshit.
I lived for horror movies,
but I wasn’t letting him leave without a fight.

He hesitated for half a second, and then shrugged. “Okay, what the hell.
Let’s do this.”

I tried to contain my excitement. He said yes? I had so
not
expected him to say yes! My
excitement turned to horror as it sank in.
Holy
shit, how can I sit next to him for two freaking hours and sixteen minutes?

“If you put it on, I’ll order a pizza,” he said, decisively. “Any
particular kind?” he asked.

I shook my head.

He fished out his phone and called the delivery place while I fiddled
with the DVD player, my stomach feeling like it was home to a rave full of
moths on acid.

Why moths? Because they aren’t as graceful as butterflies.

I sat down in one of the leather recliners, tucking my feet up under me.
I studied him while he was on the phone and unaware of my attention. His dark
hair was messy, but it worked perfectly with his jeans and faded shirt. He wore
a black jacket, which looked like leather. I resisted the urge to reach out and
touch it.

Everything about him I wanted to touch: his hair, I wanted to run my
hands through; the stubble on his jaw, I wanted to feel on my fingertips, his
lips, I wanted to feel pressed against mine, his tongue invading my mouth. Oh
God, he was making me wet . . .

“Ten minutes,” he said, jolting me out of my daydream.
Ten minutes, what? Oh, the pizza…

“Okay. Well, we can start the movie now, anyway.”

He settled down in the armchair next to me.
God, I can smell his aftershave.
That citrus, woody tone mixed with
the sweet scent of his sweat. Was it wrong that I just wanted to lean over and
sniff him? I giggled, the mental image too funny to resist. He glanced at me,
brow creased, and shook his head.

He probably thinks I’m a
freak
.

I had this strange habit of spontaneously laughing when I was nervous,
and nothing made me more nervous than having him as close to me as he was right
then. I was sure I was coming across as an immature teenager.

What was I doing, asking him to stay and watch a movie with me? And why
had he agreed? Isn’t Rule One of teaching
not
to associate with your students outside of class? The fact that he was in my
living room, his hand inches from mine, made me nervous. Moments ago this had
all been a silly crush in my head, but the possibility of this actually going
somewhere scared the hell out of me.

In my fantasies, I’d imagined myself taking the lead and seducing him.
He’d be unable to resist my charms.

In reality? Fuck, no. There was
no
way I could ever make a move.

No fucking way. I felt nervous changing positions in my seat, for God’s
sake. I’d never have the guts to try something . . . would I?

The doorbell rang and I jumped. Dalton chuckled as I pressed Pause.

“You can’t even handle the doorbell. How the hell are you going to handle
the scary parts?” he teased, standing up.

I glowered at him as he left the room. A few minutes later he came back
in, pizza box in hand, with two cans of soda. I pushed aside the books
scattered on the coffee table as he set down the box.

“Here,” he said, tossing me one of the cans.

I caught it. “Thanks,” I said, sitting it on the table next to my
half-full glass of Coke.

He opened the lid and presented the box to me. I picked the slice with
the most pepperoni.

“I was going to go that one,” he said, narrowing his eyes at me
playfully.

“Too bad. You shouldn’t have offered it to me first, then.” I shrugged,
shoving it in my mouth.

“Really? I guess that’s what I get for trying to be a gentleman,” he
said, his lips breaking into a grin.

I rolled my eyes at him and took another big bite, trying to ignore that
beautiful dimple on his cheek that I just wanted to reach out and touch. “Get
over it,” I joked, covering my mouth with my hand.

He laughed and reached for a slice. I unpaused the movie and he got right
back into it, as though there’d been no interruption.

I paid more attention to him than I did the screen. I figured I could
watch the movie again later. Watching
him
later would be a little more difficult—and creepy.

His eyes were glued to the screen as he shoved pizza into his mouth. I
focused again on the fuzzy regrowth around his jaw line. Did he do that
purposely, or could he just not be bothered to shave? I think that would be the
thing that would annoy me most about being a man—having to shave every
freaking day. It was an effort for me to wax once a month.

Downstairs, I had a basic bikini line wax and kept myself nicely trimmed.
For the love of God, I couldn’t understand why girls went completely bare.
There was no way in hell I’d ever be doing that. I was a wuss when it came to
pain.

I cringed. Was I seriously sitting here next to my teacher, thinking
about Brazilians and pubic hair?
What the
hell is wrong with me?
God, now I was thinking about what he’d like. I bet
all the chicks he had been with were smooth and bare down there . . .
 

Snap out of it, Wrenn!

I blushed furiously, praying to God he wouldn’t look over at me. He
didn’t.

***

“Well, I have to admit that was pretty damn good.”

Dalton grinned as he stretched his legs out. “I can’t believe you hadn’t
seen that before,” he said, shaking his head.

“I imagine there are quite a few classics I’ve yet to see that I should
have,” I replied, running my hand through my hair. I sat forward and closed the
empty pizza box. “Thanks for staying. This was fun.”

“It was,” he agreed, his gaze lingering on me, a tiny smile threatening
to invade his mouth. “There aren’t too many people here that I’ve been able to
be myself around,” he admitted. He sat forward, his arms resting casually on
his legs. “I knew moving away from my friends and family would be hard, but
it’s harder than I thought.”

“I can imagine,” I said softly. My mind flashed back to all my old
friends. I hadn’t even heard from them, not since the accident.

“Of course,” he said. “What am I saying? You know exactly how I feel. I
suppose you rack up a huge phone bill, too, right? Thank God for Skype is all I
can say.”

“I don’t exactly have many people to call,” I replied carefully. Wow this
was going downhill fast.

His face fell, and I knew he’d realized he had put his foot in it. I
hadn’t planned on explaining my situation to him so quickly, but now I felt
like I had to.

“I moved here because . . . because my family was killed in an accident
last year. Layna is my only living relative. She had to take me.” I swallowed
hard, praying he wouldn’t press me for more details.

“Shit, Wrenn. I’m an idiot. I can’t believe I said that.” He buried his
head in his hands.

“You didn’t know,” I said. “Most of the staff know, but only because they
were here when I came here, and Layna thought it was best they knew,
considering my fragile state. The students don’t know. And I’m glad. They hate
me enough as it is.”

“Maybe them knowing would give them a better insight to who you are and
what you’ve been though? I’m sure they don’t hate you,” he replied, his voice
soft.

I laughed. “Trust me, they do. I’m the niece of the headmistress and I
don’t come from a family of big money. Add to that all the ‘special’ attention
I used to get from teachers who were just trying to look out for me, and what’s
to not like?” I joked. I shrugged. “Not that I care. With the exception of
Kass, I’d prefer not to know any of my peers. I focus on my schoolwork and
grades. That’s it. Two more months and I’m free. Less than two months. Six
weeks. Thank God for extra credit and early graduation.”

He was silent for a moment. “Anyone who chooses not to get to know you is
missing out. Not you. You’re unlike anyone I’ve met.” He looked up and met my
gaze; those incredible blue eyes were staring right into my soul. It gave me
goose bumps. This guy made me feel like I wanted to live. Really live, not just
go through the motions of day to day life.

I smiled, not sure how to respond to his comment. “You’re just trying to
be nice, and I appreciate that, but I know how little this place matters out
there in the real world. What people here think of me, I try not to let it get
me down. I just think of the future. A few more months and I’ll be in college.
Hell, if it weren’t for the accident, I’d have been in college this year.”

“You would?” he murmured, his brow furrowing at the thought.

“Yes. I’m repeating my senior year because of the accident. That’s how I
have enough credits to graduate midyear.”

“Wow, I didn’t realize,” he mumbled, looking up at me and shaking off
whatever train of thought had been distracting him. “Anyway, I’d better go. I
can only imagine the gossip that would circulate if I was seen here when Layna
wasn’t home.” He rolled his eyes and stood up, his phone shooting out of his
hands and landing on the floor. We both bent down to retrieve it, almost
banging heads in the process. For a second, we looked at each other. I couldn’t
read his expression.