Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) (195 page)

A woman,
as stunning as Grace, sat at a desk near the window. They could
almost pass as sisters. Both had similar features -- the same
perfectly tanned skin and beautiful ocean blue eyes. She also had
the same extremely feminine physique, but more muscular. She
probably did Yoga or Pilates ten times a day.

She had
to be Sarah, Grace’s adoptive mom. Sarah’s blonde hair skimmed her
shoulders. She grinned and leaned against the desk, her chin
fitting perfectly into her little hand. “Hello.”

“
Sarah, this is Rouge.”

“
Nice to meet you.” I was jealous of her perfect-sounding
voice. Bold, sensual and like she feared nothing.

Grace pointed to a burnt red colored door on the other side
of the living room. “That’s Caleb’s office.”

The room
fell silent at the mention of his name. The butterflies in my tummy
started dancing again. I’d never met the guy, so why should I be
nervous about his office?

“
He’s out this evening.” Sarah stared at Grace. “A meeting out
of town.”

The butterflies settled a little, or maybe
one managed to escape. I clenched my teeth together.
Urrgghh…I hated
being nervous
.

“
Is it okay if we watch a movie in here? If you’ve got work to
do…” Grace spoke oblivious to my inner battle.

“
Go ahead. I’m going to clean the kitchen then run some
errands.” As she stood, a beautiful silver pendant caught my eye. I
leaned slightly closer to see the detail but never got the chance.
Sarah tucked it inside her blouse.

We
settled in to watch the movie. I didn’t remember half of it; my
mind kept wandering back to the boy upstairs.

When it
finished we both stretched and headed to the hall. “I’d better get
you home. Heaven forbid I get you in trouble.”

I
laughed. “You won’t. Jim and Sally aren’t much bothered when I come
or go.” I sighed when I realized I didn’t have my key. “Shoot! I
left my purse upstairs.” I pictured it where I’d dropped it in her
closest on one of the shelves. “Just let me run up and grab
it.”

“
I’m gonna grab a bottle of water. Want one too?” Grace turned
back towards the living room and the kitchen beyond.

“
Sure.” I darted up the stairs two at a time, counting my
steps. I sneaked a quick peek down the empty, door-closed
hall.

My purse lay right where I’d left it. Head
down I checked for my keys as I ran out of Grace’s room. I glanced
up in time to bump straight into someone’s chest.
Michael’s.
His hands reached
for my elbows. I froze. He smelled so good – husky, masculine and
something that made me want to close my eyes and inhale so deeply
the scent saturated my lungs.

It took
all my willpower to step back. Why he didn’t move away first
skittered across my mind.

“
Sorry,” I whispered. “Didn’t see you.”

“
It’s fine.” His voice came out husky.

“
Did you find it?” Grace called out from the bottom of the
stairs.

Michael
flinched and dropped his hands. He stepped aside to let me by.
“Sorry.”

For bumping into me? Or for
earlier?
I
had no idea.

“
Good night, Rouge,” he spoke quietly. The way he said my name,
I would have done anything he wanted. No one had ever put that much
meaning into one little word.

Chapter 4

“
Folklore.” Something about the cover made me stop working. The
leather was warm in my hands, even when all the other books were
cool from being in storage.

It was
Saturday morning. I’d gotten a job at The Eclectic Bookstore. Liza,
my new boss, asked me to sort through inventory which needed
filing. Liza had a natural Goth appearance and couldn’t be older
than thirty.

The
store sold new and old stuff. She handed me a cardboard box of
books and asked me to enter the bar codes into the computer or
create titles in her system if they didn’t have an ISBN number. Not
as confusing as it sounded. Once I typed in the number, the title
would show up and if it didn’t I just entered the title and author,
her computer did the rest. It wasn’t the most exciting job, but at
least I’d have spending money and hopefully be able to put a bit
away for after graduation.

Halfway
through, I’d found the leather book.

Everything around me melted away, except the raised contours
of some kind of beasty animal on the cover. So lifelike I wondered
if it’d been hand drawn from a photo instead of being some made-up
creature. Gingerly, afraid I might crack the leather, I opened the
front cover and checked for a date. Apparently it had been written
pre-copyright days. I flipped through, my fingers running across
thick parchment and ink blotted pages. A noise inside the shop
snapped me out of my reverie. I set it aside, figuring I’d ask Liza
how much it cost.

The rest
of the morning I spent sorting and stocking books. They all seemed
to cover stories about witches, warlocks and other immortal
legends. Liza had mentioned she loved old fairy tales and their
history. She dressed the part and seemed to have that eerie,
far-away thought and conversation process. She had the personality
to suit it as well. I loved it.

When we
finished mid-afternoon, she picked up the leather book I’d set
aside. “Interested?”

I
shrugged. “It looks old.”

She
tossed it at me. “Keep it. A bonus for your first day.”

Catching
it like a football, I hugged it to my chest. “You sure? I can pay
for it.”

Shaking
her head, she laughed. “It’s okay to accept a freebie once and a
while. Trust me, it always feels better to give than to
receive.”

“
Except if you give everything away, you’ll go broke.” I tried
to stop a grin but it managed to escape. “Thanks. See you later.” I
stuffed the book into my backpack and headed out the front
door.

After
the dimness of the shop, the bright sun blinded me. I squinted
against its glare. Slipping my other arm through the backpack strap
I froze momentarily when a car sped behind me. I jumped to the
other side of the sidewalk when it screeched against the
curb.

“
What the –”

Grace’s
little Smartcar stopped within inches of my feet.

“
Need a lift?” The fuzzy dice still swung from her crazy
driving.

“
You’re nuts!” I pounded my chest, trying to restart my
heart.

She
chuckled and grinned. “You’re fine. I stopped in plenty of time.”
She revved the sewing machine engine. “You heading somewhere or all
finished?”

I opened
the passenger door and got in. “I started a part-time job
today.”

“
At The Eclectic Bookstore?”

“
Yeah, how’d you know?”

“
I saw you leave the store and swung the car around. Ready for
tonight?”

“
Sure. Just need to grab my stuff.”

We drove
to my place. Once there, she played with the car keys and glanced
towards the house.

“
I’ll just run in and grab my stuff.” I opened the passenger
door and tossed my backpack in the back. I dashed inside, thankful
Jim and Sally weren’t home to question me. I left a note on the
fridge: “Sleeping at a new classmate’s. Text my cell if you need
me.” Throwing my already packed bag over my shoulder, I was out
again in less than three minutes.

Grace
leaned across the seat and swung the car door open for me. I tossed
my bag with my backpack and then jumped in. “Ready.”

“
Awesome. Let’s get outta here.”

At her
house we went straight to her room. Grace ran down and grabbed a
fruit tray so we could snack, chill on her bed and listen to
music.

“
I wonder what the weather’s supposed to be like tonight.” I
glanced out the window toward the clear blue sky.

Grace
jumped off the bed and strolled to the closet. “Cloudy by the lake.
It’ll be cool, but I’ve got the perfect scarf for you.”

“
Do you know the forecast after the weekend?” I
joked.

“
It’ll be nice, not too sunny, typical weather for the
beginning of September.”

“
Thanks, weather woman.” I laughed. “Didn’t know you were such
of fan.”

She
smiled. “I like to be able to coordinate my outfits to match the
temperature outside.” Making a face, she tossed a scarf at
me.

“
Fair enough. Where’s the rest of your family?” I tried not to
sound like I cared if her brother was home.

“
Caleb and Michael are probably working, and Sarah’s getting
some groceries. She’s very excited you’re sleeping
over.”

“
What does Caleb do?”
Rob banks? The house was
freakin’ huge.

“
He’s…uh…He’s head of a big, important company…uh…dealing with
medical stuff.” She disappeared back into the closet.

At least
the guy had a job. I had no intention of prying as I knew the
feeling too well. “What’re you wearing tonight?” The perfect
question to entertain Grace.

“
I went shopping today. Got an amethyst colored top and black
skinny jeans.” She came out dressed in new clothes. Her pants
enveloped her toned legs and the top was glued to her skin in all
the right places. Even the color of the fabric made her skin glow.
I wished I could look like that. An outfit hung neatly over her
arm. “Here’s yours.”

“
I took the clothes held out to me, catching the price on a
silver tank top and awesome matching black half-jacket. It was over
a hundred bucks. I’d have to work three weeks to afford it. “You
bought me stuff? I thought I was just going to borrow something to
wear. I’ll have to pay you back.”

“
You won’t. It’s a gift and it’d be rude if you didn’t accept
it.” The corners of her mouth twitched like a playful kitten’s and
her eyes sparkled.

“
That’s not the point.” I didn’t know how to explain I didn’t
want hand outs.

“
Please. I wanted to.” She signed. “I promise I won’t do it
again.”

Far from
an expert in gift receiving, I did know what to do or
say.

My
silence must have been an okay for her. She grinned. “Just check
the sizes and ignore the prices tags.”

I
slipped on the pants and top, somehow not surprised she’d guessed
my size perfectly.

“
Full-length mirrors in the closet.” She followed close behind
as I went to the mirrors. “Hey, cool birthmark.” She lightly
touched the bottom corner of my left scapula. “It looks like some
kinda shape.”

I’d
never paid much attention to it. As a kid I wondered if my
birthmother noticed it when, or if, she ever held me. I reached
behind, pulling the top’s strap to try and cover it. “It’s in one
of those awkward spots. I can’t really see it.” I stared at my
strange, but pretty, reflection in the mirror.

“
You look great.” Grace beamed from behind me in the mirror’s
reflection.

I’d
personally never bought something in this style, but Grace had
taste. The outfit made my long skinny arms and legs look muscular
and sexy. Turning sideways, I checked to see how the pants fit my
butt. I actually had one in them. “I owe you big time.”

I
searched the mirror for her face. Focussing past her, my breath
caught as I noticed Michael behind her, leaning against the closet
doorframe. He’d slipped quietly into the room unnoticed. He stared
at me in the mirror, his eyes bright, but his expression closed off
when his gaze met mine.

He
cleared his throat. “You, uh, you’re…pretty.”

“
Oh no you don’t!” Grace shouted at him,
waving her hands wildly in his direction. “She’s coming out
with
me
tonight. If you want to hang out with Rouge, you ask her
out when she’s available. After tonight, I don’t think that’s going
to be for a very long time. You might as well get in
line!”

Michael
frowned, deep lines etched in his forehead. They quickly
disappeared when he smirked. “No probs. Caleb asked me to drop you
two off and pick you up.”

Why?
The strange, secretive look that passed between
them kept me silent.

Grace
leaned forward and pulled the price tags off of my clothes. “Caleb
just worries.” She turned to Michael. “If you’re driving, you
aren’t planning on staying, are you?”

“
Not really.” His eyes flitted back and forth as he looked at
Grace. “Just let me know should you need me.”

Was I
somehow missing part of the conversation?

“
Fine, then.” Grace cleared her throat. “Shall we
go?”

Outside,
we walked single file toward the parked cars. Grace climbed into
the back of a Mustang and pulled the seat back so I had no choice
but to sit in the front.

I
scowled at her. I was nervous and had no skills around guys. I’d be
better hiding out in the back, listening and pretending to
participate in the conversation.