AllFreeNovel
Share Us
/>
Ignoring him, I reached for my water, tossing it along with my lunch into my backpack before slinging it over my shoulder.
Dropping his hand, he shrugged in response to my rudeness.
“Sorry,” he smiled apologetically.
God, he’s cute.
He ran his fingers threw his hair before speaking again and I was blatantly aware of the fact looking at him made me weak in the knees. “I really am sorry. I was running out of the woods to get to school and I didn’t even see you.”
“What are you, blind?” I snapped, not recognizing the brusque voice, although I know it came from my own mouth. Embarrassment crept up my cheeks and I grew increasingly flustered by his stare.
Did he just say he came through the woods?
“You came from there?” I questioned, pointing to the rural timberland in front of us, my voice calmer than before.
He let out an agreeable laugh and quirked a dark eyebrow at me.
“Yes, well, I was late, so I was cutting through the woods to save a little time,” he answered, his fine-looking smile crawling up the corners of his mouth. He tucked his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, his broad shoulders drawing forward a little.
I looked at him baffled, standing with my hip popped out to the side. Why anyone would choose that route to school? I would rather be late. The forest was thick and overgrown with ferns lining the floor, inhibiting a clear path. The morning dew had yet to dry. The sparkling foliate was beautiful to look at, shining like emeralds, but I wouldn’t want to walk through it. Not to mention, I knew the woods were packed full of various spiders and insects. The Northeast was by far the buggiest place I had ever lived. I made every effort to avoid the woods unless there was a clear trail to follow and I had a full can of bug spray. I tried not to cringe at the thought of doing so, scrunched my nose and shook my shoulders in a mock shiver.
Watching my reaction to the woods, he grinned in amusement. The smile on his face made me swoon. I actually swooned. Okay, I didn’t fall over or anything, but wow!
“I’m Brent Cassidy. I don’t think we’ve met before. Are you new here?” he asked, cutting off my mental scrutiny. He extended his hand to shake mine once again.
My voice was nowhere to be found but I took his hand this time. As I did, I was instantly stimulated, my blood igniting and the butterflies from earlier returning in my gut. I felt my face turn a bright shade of crimson and my lips pursed to the side.
What the hell was that?
I never felt anything like it in my life. Hearing heavy breathing, I grew more embarrassed when I realized it was my breathing, or was it panting? Oh my God. I was panting!
Speak you idiot. He asked you a question.
His head was tilted to the side and he watched me with polite interest while I attempted to string together a sentence, telling my brain to send it through my mouth. I finally spoke. “I’m Claire, and yes, you can say I’m new here, but I lived here as a kid.”
He grinned, suggesting recognition. “Oh, yes, Claire Blake, Maggie’s niece.”
“That’s me,” I agreed shyly, sure that he would run back to the woods piecing together the family I belonged to. He didn’t turn and run but he wasn’t speaking either. Insecurity crept into my thoughts but I felt I had nothing to lose by asking. “You know my aunt?”
“My parents do and I’ve met her before. She seems very nice.”
Well, I thought, he was still here and said Maggie was nice. Maybe he wasn’t scared of ghosts, I considered silently, trying not to laugh at my own twisted humor.
He released my hand that I hadn’t noticed he was still holding. I didn’t like the void I felt when he let go. When I started to take a step back, I stumbled.
“You know we’re going to be late for class if we don’t start walking soon,” he declared, flashing a wicked grin as he watched me trip over my own feet. “You can do that right? Walk and talk at the same time?” he jabbed.
I fumed, completely flabbergasted. Is he serious? He knocked me over and now acted as though I was uncoordinated. Of course, my anger was fueled a little by the fact it was sometimes difficult for me to manage both walking and doing anything else.
Are you crazy? Even you have to admit, he is way too cute to be mad at.
“Sure, we can walk,” I agreed. As we started towards the school, I tried to make conversation. “So, are you always running late for school?” I jabbed back cynically.
Grinning, he ignored my question. As he talked, familiarity filled my senses. His voice was smooth, like fingers over satin, stirring emotions inside of me. Did I know this boy, maybe when we were kids? It was a strange sensation, as if we-had-been-friends-our-whole-lives, kind of familiar. It wasn’t a have-I’ve-see-you-somewhere-before kind of memory, but something more. Feeling this way was making him all the more attractive and my mind was adrift trying to figure him out.
“Do I know you? I mean, have we met before?” I finally inquired, no longer able to ignore the familiar feeling sweeping through my body like a really bad case of déjà vu.
