Enchantment (44 page)

He
m
ight as
well
have
s
plashed
cold
water
in
her
face.

She
placed
her
hands
on
her
hips
angri
l
y
.
“
I
n
case
y
o
u
haven’t
noticed,
I’m
not
a
teenager. Let
m
e
get
this
straight
—
y
ou
don’t
want
m
e
because…I
’
m
a
virgi
n
?
”
Her
hair
tu
m
bled
to
the side,
hiding her
face and
body
as
she
bent
down
to
pick up
her
bra
and
panties.

“I
wait
twent
y
-
five
y
e
ars
for
this
m
o
m
e
nt,
and
this
is
what
happens!
Why
do
I
tr
y
?
No
one wants
m
e.
No
one.”
Dressing
quick
l
y
,
she
dived
into
the
lagoon
and
s
wam
aw
a
y
.

Kerrigan
could
feel
Meeka’s
stormy
e
m
o
tions.
The
force
of
her
pain
caused
large
waves
in the
lagoon.
He
gaped
with
his
m
outh
open
in
awe
at
h
o
w
incredib
l
e
she
was,
but
he
knew
it
w
ould
be
a
m
is
t
ake
to
let
her
storm
aw
a
y
.

I
n
stant
l
y
, he
vanished
and
appeared
before
her,
m
o
r
e
appropriate
l
y
dre
s
sed. She
ju
m
ped sidewa
y
s and
s
watted
at
hi
m
.

“I
wish
y
o
u’d
stop
doing
that!” she
scolded. “You
don’t
understand.”

“Oh,
I
understand
perfect
l
y
.
I’m
not
good
enough.
I’ve
never
been
good
enough–not
for an
y
o
n
e.
Get
out
of
my
way
Kerrigan.
I’m
sorry
I
ever
dove
into
this
lagoon.
I’m
sorry
I
ever went
canoeing
in
the
stupid
creek.
I’m
sor
r
y
about
ever
y
t
h
ing
.
”

* * * *

H
i
s
ar
m
s
were
folded
over
his
naked
chest,
his
facial
features
hardened.
“I’m
not
going an
y
whe
r
e,
and
neither are
y
o
u
.
Not
until
y
ou hear
m
e
out.”

Heat
flooded
to
her
face.
S
he
wished
the
floor
w
ould
open
up
and
swallow
her.
When
she final
l
y
decided
to
lose
her
virgini
t
y
,
the
guy
r
e
j
ected her.
H
ow
hu
m
i
li
a
ting!

S
m
all fla
m
es erupted
like
an
aura
around
her
bod
y
, but
she
didn’t
care.

“I
m
ean
it,
precious.
I’m
not
going
an
y
where
until
y
o
u
listen
to
m
e,
fla
m
es
or
no fl
a
m
es.
Be se
n
sible.
We
have
to
s
pend
two
full
da
y
s
together.
Y
ou
can’t
be
m
ad
at
m
e
the
whole
t
i
m
e.
My parents
would
go
cra
z
y
.”

D
amn
it, he’s
right.

Cr
o
ssing
her
ar
m
s
beneath
her
breasts,
she
glared
at
hi
m
,
waiting
for
h
i
m
to
let
her
d
o
wn eas
y
, to go
on
about how
it
was
hi
m
, not her.

“I’m
sor
r
y
.
I
didn’t
m
ean
to
hurt
y
o
u
r
feelings.
Meeka,
y
ou
don’t
deserve
to
lose
y
o
ur virgini
t
y
to
so
m
ebo
d
y
like
m
e—somebo
d
y
who
will
be
gone
from
y
o
ur life
in
a
few
d
a
y
s
.
”

She
listened
to
his
voice
tr
y
i
n
g
to
w
a
sh
away
the
pain
in
her
heart.
It
was
hard
to
be
m
ad
at him
when
he
w
a
s
standing
in
front
of
her
with
on
l
y
his
pants on.
S
he
conceded.

Be
toug
h
.

“Ma
y
be we
j
u
st
need
to
keep
s
ome
distance
between
us
for
the
next
two
da
y
s.” “I
think
it
best,
Meeka.
Make
no
m
is
t
ake—I
do
want
y
o
u, but—”

“Don’t
worry
about
it.
Live and
learn,
right
?
”
She
bit
into
her
lip
to stop
the
tears.

Suddenl
y
,
she
noticed
the
odd
color
and
s
hape
of
his
e
y
es.
“Kerrigan,
y
o
ur
e
y
es
…
th
e
y
’
r
e
… well,
th
e
y
’
r
e
...”
She
couldn’t
finish
the
stat
e
m
e
n
t.
“
What
exact
l
y
are
y
ou
?
”

He
swore
loud
l
y
.
“
J
ust
another
reason
why
I
s
houldn’t
be
with
y
o
u,
Meeka.
Co
m
e
on.
I’ll walk
y
ou
back
to
y
o
ur roo
m
.”