Shadowed Strength: Shadowed Series Book One Read online

  With that, the sadness left his face and was replaced by a devilish grin. Melanie groaned and rolled her eyes.

  Oh my God! Did I really just say that?

  “Whatever I feel like, huh?”

  “Umm, yeah. Oh, shut up! You know what I meant!”

  His grin got even bigger. “I’m sure I know exactly what you meant.”

  She tried to give him a stern look, but couldn’t pull it off with the big goofy grin trying to split her face. He took her soda from her and grabbed her hand. Without saying another word, he led her back through the crowded living room toward a closed door on the other side.

  As she passed the couch, Tara let out a wolf whistle and waggled her eyebrows from where she sat perched on Chris’s lap. Mel crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue in response.

  He opened the door, pulled her inside and shut it behind her. Melanie released his hand before he could feel the sweat pooling in her palm and took a quick look around. There wasn’t much in the room. A bed. A dresser and a closed door that must be a closet. A nightstand.

  Next to a bed.

  Oh my God Melanie, stop focusing on the bed already, she thought furiously.

  “Well?”

  “Huh? What?”

  “What do you think?”

  “Think about what?” Oh, God, what does he expect? I’m freaking out here.

  “My room, Melanie. What do you think of my room?”

  She turned away from the bed at last and focused on Jeremy. The amused look on his face told her he knew exactly what she’d been thinking. Her face burned hot with embarrassment.

  She looked down at the floor to try to hide her red cheeks. “It’s nice.”

  He walked over and, setting her soda on the nightstand, sat down on the bed. “It’s not much, I know, but it’ll do for the next few weeks.”

  “Mm hmm.”

  She was still standing by the door looking at the floor. He stood up and walked back over to her, put his fingertips under her chin and lifted until her eyes met his. He must have seen the panic there because he took a small step back and dropped his hand.

  “Hey, are you ok? You seem nervous or something. Am I making you uncomfortable?”

  Melanie took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “No, really, it’s not you. It’s me.” Oh God, did I really just say that?

  He arched an eyebrow at her. “Did you really just say that?”

  She backpedaled quickly with, “No, wait. That’s not what I meant. It is you.” Both eyebrows went up with that gem of a statement. “Wait. Oh God, I am such a dork.”

  He shook his head slightly, grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the bed. He sat down and pulled her down next to him, where she perched on the edge nervously.

  “Okay, Mel. This is me. Relax. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  She stared at her shoes and mumbled something incoherent. She knew he wouldn’t understand. She tended to mumble when she was embarrassed.

  “What?” he asked softly.

  He pulled her hand into his lap and started rubbing soft circles around her knuckles. It relaxed her enough to speak more clearly.

  “I’m nervous about what you’re going to expect me to do. With you. In here.”

  He squeezed her hand gently. “Mel, look at me. Please.”

  She looked up and was ensnared by those dark, bottomless eyes. “I don’t expect anything from you. I brought you in here because I wanted to spend some time together, just you and me, with no dark designs on your virtue at all. I swear.”

  “Oh.” She looked back down at her shoes and willed her eyes to dry up.

  “Why are you still upset? Did I say something wrong?”

  She pulled herself together and looked back at his face. She couldn’t look into his eyes, so she focused on his chin.

  “No. You didn’t say anything wrong. I‘m so stupid. I should have known you wouldn’t want to do anything like that with me. Sorry I made this so uncomfortable.” She plastered a fake smile on her face and tried to sound chipper. “So, what d’ya wanna do?”

  Before she knew what was happening, he had her off the bed and straddling his lap. She couldn’t even take a breath before his mouth was on hers and his fingers were tangled in her hair. She ran her hands up and around his neck and held on for dear life.

  He pulled back slightly with a low growl and stared deep into her eyes. “Do not mistake what I said, Melanie. I said I don’t expect you to do anything, not that I don’t want you. It takes a lot of willpower and self-control to keep my hands off of you, especially when we are alone on a bed. But I know you’re not ready, particularly after everything that has happened, so I am trying to keep my paws to myself.”

  He eased her off his lap and put her back beside him. Then he stretched out on the bed and tugged her down next to him. She settled her head on his chest and he squeezed her tight with both arms.

  “This is nice,” she murmured.

  He responded by lightly running his fingertips up and down her spine.

  “So,” she started, then paused.

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Um, I was just wondering something.”

  “What?”

  “Well, we’ve been friends for a while now.”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh God, this is embarrassing, but I have to tell you. I have had the biggest crush on you for, like, ever.”

  “Oh, really?” He sounded smug, but she ignored it.

  “Yes, really. And, well, you always seemed to have me pegged solidly in the friend zone. I guess what I’ve been wondering is, what changed? When and why was I suddenly girlfriend material?”

  His hand on her back stilled and she could barely feel the rise and fall of his chest beneath her cheek. He didn’t say anything for several seconds and she got nervous again.

  “Forget it. Never mind. It was stup…”

  “Don’t Mel,” he interrupted. “Asking about my feelings for you is not stupid. It was just unexpected, that’s all. I needed a minute to get my thoughts in order so there would be no misunderstanding like before.”

  “Okay.” He still didn’t say anything. “Well?”

  “Well, you’re right, we have been friends for a long time and I have always loved hanging out with you. And you’re right, I only thought of you as friend. I mean, I’ve always thought you were gorgeous.” She almost choked on her own spit. He didn’t seem to notice.

  “But like you said, we were just friends. Then, at Karen’s party, when Sissy was so mean to you, I lost it. I wanted to wring her scrawny neck for hurting you. Then you disappeared and I felt an overwhelming urge to find you. I had to make sure you were okay. And when I did find you…” He paused and took a deep breath.

  When he spoke again, his voice cracked a little. “When I did find you, you were hurt, unconscious, and…and, your clothes were torn. I felt anger and regret and fear, a fear like I’ve never felt before. I started screaming for someone to call 911, and I held you until you woke up. And, well, you know the rest. I went to the hospital and watched you sleep all night. I kept thinking ‘How did this happen? How could this happen to such a wonderful, sweet, kind person? A girl who’s beautiful inside and out?’

  “I thought about all the many different emotions I felt that night. The extreme anger at Sissy and the anxiety when I couldn’t find you and the fear when I did. I realized that my feelings weren’t just ‘friendly’ anymore. I had a primal urge to protect you, to hold you.

  “When you woke up that next morning in the hospital and you let me hold your hand, it just felt right. So right. That’s when I decided I was going to go for it. I was going to ask you to be mine, and if you said no, I’d keep hounding you until you agreed.”

  This time she did choke. She sat up quickly, coughing, and Jeremy sat up and pounded her on the back. Normally she would have been mortified, but his speech had her giddy. She pushed him back down and rolled over on top of him. S
he tried to keep most of her weight on her arms as she dipped her head down and kissed him on the lips.

  “That,” she said between kisses, “was the sweetest, most wonderful thing anyone has ever said to me.” Another kiss.

  “Well,” he replied, “if it gets me this kind of response, I’ll be sure to say stuff like that all the time.”

  She smiled and kissed him again. Her arms were starting to tremble from holding herself up. Jeremy noticed. Before she could even start to be embarrassed, he grabbed her hands from either side of his shoulders and jerked them up above his head. Her full weight plopped down on him, but he didn’t even seem to notice. He never stopped kissing her as he let go of her hands and ran his hands up her arms and down her back. He hugged her tight, then abruptly rolled her back to his side.

  “Was I too heavy? Sorry, I mean, I was trying to hold myself...”

  He silenced her with a finger on her lips. “Shh. Just. Give me. A minute.” He was still on his back, staring at the ceiling.

  “Oh, God, Jeremy. I’m sorry…”

  “Melanie, please.” He was breathing hard.

  Oh God, did I fracture a rib or something? she thought miserably. Her eyes started to fill with tears.

  With one last deep breath, Jeremy turned his head to look at her. His eyebrows shot up when he got a look at her face.

  “Why are you crying?” he asked when he noticed her tears. He rolled over onto his side and wiped her eyes. “Did I do something wrong? Push too hard?”

  “What? No!”

  “Then what’s wrong? I thought we were enjoying ourselves. I know I was.”

  “Until I landed on top of you and hurt you.”

  “What? Are you serious? You think you hurt me?”

  She nodded. “You pushed me off and you were breathing hard like your ribs hurt or something. What’s so funny?!”

  He was trying hard not to laugh, but failing miserably. She tried to squirm away from him and leave the bed in a huff, but he wasn’t having it. He grabbed her around the waist and held on tight.

  His eyes were still dancing when he said, “Mel, you didn’t hurt me. You laying on top of me like that was the complete opposite of hurting me. It was heaven.”

  “Then why did you push me off? You were breathing hard and your body was all stiff…oh.”

  “Exactly. You’re not ready to go any further yet, so I had to stop you while I still had the will to.”

  She started blushing again. “Oh, sorry.”

  “Will you please stop apologizing?” He snuggled her closer. “I love everything you do to me.” Now she was the one smiling.

  They stayed there, cuddled together for a long time, just talking. Too soon, there was a knock on the door and she heard Tara’s voice call out, “Everybody decent?” just before the door swung open. Melanie bolted upright, while Jeremy shot Tara the stink eye.

  “Sorry, sorry,” she said. “Mel, it’s nearly midnight and we have to get going if we are going to make it back before curfew.”

  Mel jumped up in a panic. “What?! What time is it?”

  “Relax, it’s only 11:40. Say your goodnights,” she waggled her brows, “and I’ll meet you by the front door in five.”

  Tara pulled the door shut as Jeremy climbed off the bed. He pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her temple. She hugged him back and laid her head on his chest.

  “Tonight was really great,” he whispered.

  “Yeah, it was,” she whispered back. She pulled her head off his chest and looked into his eyes. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For being here with me. For being nice, and protective, and considerate, and all the things that you are.”

  “You don’t need to thank me for caring about you, Mel. It is really, truly my pleasure.”

  And with that, he gave her a kiss that should have set the ends of her hair on fire.

  Chapter 12

  “Alright spill,” Tara demanded. “Every last detail.”

  Melanie grinned at her. Tara had kept the conversation focused on Chris and the party in general during the car ride home, but now that they were in Melanie’s room, all bets were off. Melanie laid down on her bed with a groan and Tara plopped down beside her.

  “I’m waiting.”

  “Okay, okay! I’ll tell!” Melanie laughed. “I almost had a heart attack just walking into his room. Then he shut the door, and I swear, Tara, black spots started swimming in my vision.”

  Tara laughed. “You were nervous. I get it. Did he notice?”

  Melanie gave her bland look. “Please. This is Jeremy we’re talking about. Of course he noticed. And he asked me what was wrong.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “Well, you know me. I stuck my foot in my mouth, then blurted out the truth. I told him I was scared about what he expected. And before you ask, no, he didn’t expect anything. Which, of course, immediately hurt my feelings. I should have known he didn’t really want to do anything with me.”

  “Mel,” Tara started, but Melanie interrupted her.

  “When I said as much, he yanked me into his lap and kissed the daylights out of me.”

  “What?! Oh my God!”

  Mel was grinning from ear to ear. “Yep. Then he told me that what he expected and what he wanted were two completely different things.”

  Tara melted into the mattress. “He’s so awesome.” She sat back up quickly. “What happened then?”

  “We talked for a bit, then I attacked him. I couldn’t help it, Tara. Everything he said was so amazing. I rolled over on top of him and kissed him. He ended up pushing me away.”

  Tara drew her eyebrows down. “What? Why?”

  Mel blushed. “Well, things were getting a little…heated I guess, and he said he needed to stop before things got out of control.”

  Tara squealed. “Oh my God, he wants you. I knew it! I told you if you just told him how you felt, he’d be yours.”

  “Well, I’m not sure he’s technically mine, but I am most definitely his.”

  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  Melanie woke with a start and looked at the clock. It was 3:17 a.m. She must have been dreaming, but she couldn’t remember any of it. She slipped carefully from the bed, as not to wake up Tara, and tiptoed out of the room. She went to the kitchen for a drink of water and stared through the window into the backyard.

  After several moments, she realized what she was doing. She was looking for her dog. She scanned the tree line several times before giving up and going back to bed. She fell back asleep almost instantly, but it was a restless sleep, plagued with dark images of a man in a mask and a glinting knife.

  “What were you dreaming about last night,” asked Tara. “You were tossing and turning a lot.”

  Melanie sighed. “Honestly? I was dreaming about him. That man that attacked me. He’s still after me, Tara.”

  “What? What do you mean ‘still’?”

  Melanie went to her dresser and pulled open the top drawer. She pulled out the note and handed it to Tara. “I found this in my locker last week.”

  Tara read the note with wide eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I’m sorry. I figured you would think I was crazy and I was scared to show it to you.”

  “Mel! I don’t think you’re crazy. I know you’re crazy. But that is beside the point! Did you tell your mom? The cops? Anyone?”

  Melanie shook her head and said, “Jeremy knows. He was with me when I found it. But no, I didn’t tell anyone else besides you. The police have been calling my mom every few days to report that they have no leads, but I know they’ll just think this is a prank and that I’m being paranoid.”

  “How do you know it’s not? This smells like Sissy all over.”

  “See? That’s what I mean. And it’s him, Tara. Read it again. The words ‘little girl’ and ‘perfect match’ are the exact words he used when he…attacked me. He used those words deliberately, so I would know it was him.”
<
br />   “Well, then you have to tell someone, Mel! This is dangerous and you need protection.”

  “Tara, calm down and listen to me. My mom is already freaked out and if I show her this, that’ll be it. If she doesn’t move us right out of town, she’d, at the very least, put me on lockdown and never let me go out. And I have to go out, Tara. I have to see Jeremy. I finally have everything I ever wanted with him, and I refuse to let this, this jackhole rip it from me.”

  “Jackhole?” Tara laughed, the tension easing.

  Melanie smiled back at her. “Yeah, you know, jackhole. A cross between a jackass and an asshole.”

  Tara smiled for about two seconds, then it fell from her face. “How do we keep you safe?”

  “Well, I’ve been thinking about that. I think we need to go on the offensive. We need to figure who this guy is and the suspect pool just got narrowed down extensively. This was in my locker. That means it’s someone from our school.”

  Tara blanched. “Oh my God! That didn’t even occur to me.”

  “With you, Jeremy and me putting our heads together, we can figure this out. I know it.”

  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  She was smart, he’d give her that. But then, he already knew that about her. He knew how intelligent she was, how witty, how beautiful. But she was also insecure, something he found incredibly sexy. She had no idea how desirable he found her, how much he wanted to possess her, body and soul.

  He sat in a car, one he had rented solely for this purpose, parked a few houses down from hers. He couldn’t have anyone recognize his vehicle on this street, after all. He wore dark shades and a baseball cap and he sat, staring for hours, willing her front door to open and for her to walk out just so he could catch a glimpse.

  The weekends seemed to last for ages. Sometimes he saw her out and about. Sometimes he followed her and watched her. But most weekends, he played it safe and stayed away. He wasn’t stupid. That’s how stupid people get caught; going back to the “scene of the crime,” as it were. Two whole days without seeing that luscious body drove him crazy though, so here he was, waiting and thinking about how smart she was.