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He stopped to my right and stood. “I lied to you. You know, when we broke up.”
Our break-up was the last thing I wanted to rehash with him. It was painful enough remembering it in private. After casting him a quick glance, I refocused on my books. “We? You mean when you dumped me?” I didn’t think I could handle some horrible confession about how he’d never really liked me. But like a train wreck, I had to look. “You lied about what?”
“The line I gave you about how different we were. And the other crap about how I needed someone more relaxed.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and turned away. “I’d been sparring with Chait that day and it was mind-opening. It dawned on me that if we were in a situation where I was going down — which was extremely likely considering how weak I was compared to older sorcerers — you’d do something stupid to save me. I felt like a liability and figured I’d probably get you killed. So I broke up with you, hoping I could keep you from doing something stupid.”
What?
It sounded so convincing. “Sure, Hayden. From the moment you asked me to be your girlfriend, you intended us to last forever. Yep. Whatever.” I gave a half snort. But on the inside, I wished with my entire being that he spoke the truth. After the way he’d dumped me though, I couldn’t put my faith in him again. “I mean, geez, you were so heartbroken, you waited all this time to tell me. Must have been difficult for you.” I pretended to get engrossed in my studies.
“I was afraid to say anything, because I thought you’d do exactly what you’re doing right now.” His clothes rustled, but I didn’t dare turn around to look. “Tessa…”
Doing my best to ignore him, I copied a math problem onto a piece of paper.
“I love you. I don’t want to be without you. Just…”
Had I heard that right? I dropped my pencil and turned around. “You love me, because we’re so completely wrong for each other?”
“If I didn’t love you, I wouldn’t have been able to let you go. The old me would have made sure we slept together first. If I only liked you, I wouldn’t be here groveling. Tessa, I’m in love with you.”
Was it possible he spoke the truth and really did love me? Could a guy like Hayden be capable of truly loving only one girl? I didn’t think so, not when he’d grown so used to having as many as he wanted, any time the urge grabbed him. I furrowed my brow, keeping my mouth in a straight line. “Of course you are. Can I get back to my homework now?”
When he left, I gathered my books, ran into the nearest bathroom and wept my heart out. The bastard. That was the second time I’d cried over him.
It would be the last.
* * * *
“You’re not concentrating, Tessa. Did you skip di
I set the katana on the weapons table and stared at the wall. “It’s Hayden. He’s hit on me twice today. Really messing with my head. The son of a bitch even had the balls to kiss me.”
“He’s in love with you.” Chait waved his own katana in the air, as if that explained and excused everything. “Of course he’s going to try again. If he’s smart, he won’t give up until you stop being stupid.”
“Chait.” I spun to face him. “What the hell is up with you?”
“Oh, sorry.” He smiled sheepishly. “I mean, until you smarten up, Princess Tessa.”
“That’s not what I meant.” I sighed, defeated. “How come all of a sudden you’re on his side?”
“It’s not sudden. I was there when he broke up with you. I watched him. He never acted like he was done with you, Tessa. That was a very tortured guy. Sickening to watch actually.” Chait faked a gag. “He was so twisted up over you, I considered killing him to put him out of his misery. But since you love him, I let him live.” Chait smirked.
“No, I don’t,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, you do.” Chait rolled his eyes. “I told him he needed to stop being an idiot. Looks like he’s listening. Now it’s your turn to stop being an idiot.” He set his sword down and stood in front of me. “Stop letting old hurts get in the way of letting him love you. He’s worth it. Go get him.”
My heart thumped like a drum in my chest. Was it possible Chait spoke the truth?
“I’m going to go throw up now, because I’ve turned into my dad. If vomiting doesn’t work, I’ll see if I can get an exorcism. Later, Princess.” He cuffed the top of my head in an ultimate act of disrespect. I kicked him in the ass just before he got to the door. He poked his head back in. “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that Hayden told me Christina’s parents are out of town again. He’s going to her party tonight.”
* * * *
I squeezed past the threshold of Christina’s house. Crammed bodies writhed and bumped to the pounding beat blaring from the speakers. The smell of sweat and alcohol assaulted my senses, the flashing lights morphing the dancers into characters from a bad eighties movie.
Sca
I saw only him.
Peace washed over me knowing that he’d fight for me and never let me down. I trusted him. He still had some rough edges. Despite his evolution over the past weeks, he hadn’t changed that much. Hayden was the complete opposite of the kind of guy I’d intended to wait for.
But he was the guy I needed.
After rejecting him earlier, would he still want me? Did the expression on his face mean loathing or longing?
From across the room, I looked into his unwavering eyes and knew the answer. Was it real love though? Would it endure through the years? The centuries? I couldn’t be sure, but he did care. Deeply. That was obvious. Besides, I loved him enough to carry us both.
Picking up my pace, I zipped through the crowd, keeping him in my sights. When I was only a few feet away, I launched myself at him, knowing he’d catch me. My legs wrapped around his hips and my face burrowed in his neck, inhaling his familiar musky scent. “I love you, too.”
“I know.” His arms wrapped tight around my waist, squeezing me close.
“You know?” I withdrew slightly to see his face.
A smile teased his lips. “I hoped. I figured this much love couldn’t be all one-sided. You had to love me back, at least a little. Besides, as you said, we’re completely wrong for each other. How can anyone resist that?”
“I made a mistake saying that,” I said softly for his ears only. “Because everything about this now feels exactly right.”
My body slid against his as he slowly lowered my feet to the floor. His palm flattened on the nape of my neck and urged me closer. I lifted my chin and studied his face. He loved me, like he’d said. That knowledge spiked my adrenalin and rushed blood through my veins in an explosion of delicious desire. Fire blazed through me, sending little tremors to my limbs as his warm mouth opened mine, his tongue searching and drowning out everything but him.
I pushed my palms against his chest and freed my imprisoned, but insanely happy, lips. “What do you say we get out of here?” I asked in a shaky voice.
Hayden didn’t answer. Taking my hand, he parted the sea of people and I followed.
We drove in silence, Hayden’s hand holding mine when he didn’t need it to steer. He parked in the driveway of his mom’s house and I got out without a word, waiting while he unlocked the front door. As I walked down the hallway ahead of him, I heard him close the front door and turn the deadbolt. I glanced his way from the doorway of the bedroom. His smoldering eyes made my heart beat a little faster.