Текст книги "Pushing the Limits"

Автор книги: Katie McGarry

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Текущая страница: 11 (всего у книги 23 страниц)

Lila placed her hands on her hips. “I’m not buying the mother card. You’re breaking up with Luke and you want my permission.”

“I’m not ‘in’ with him and I’m not going to be. I can handle losing Luke. I can handle becoming a social reject again, but I can’t handle losing you.”

“Are you falling for Noah Hutchins?” Glinda the Good Witch looked suddenly … serious.

Terror and joy fluttered inside of me. If I chose Noah, I might push Lila too far and destroy the only real friendship I ever had. But the mere thought of Noah’s name made my heart skip beats. It brought a smile to my face. It made my skin tingle for his touch. “Yes.”

She hugged me. “I expect a report on his abs. Real details, not romance novel nonsense.”

“What about Grace and Natalie?”

She sighed heavily, pulling away. “You know Nat will be fine. I’ll take care of Grace, but I’ll expect a picture of his abs for that one. Anyway, only three more months to graduation.”

“Echo?” said Luke from behind me.

Lila kissed my cheek, stuffed my shoes into my hand and left to join Natalie and Grace.

“Luke.” I tugged at my gloves.

He had his dress jacket off with his sleeves rolled up past his elbows. “I’m sorry for running into you. I saw you, but I couldn’t stop.”

“It’s okay.” I shifted from one uncomfortable foot to another, sensing the sand running into the bottom of the hourglass. “Luke …”

“He touched you—Noah. He saw your scars, didn’t flinch, and then he touched them.” Luke rubbed the back of his head. “I’m going to sound like a real dick, but I wouldn’t have been able to do that. Touch them or pretend they weren’t there. I thought I could, but …”

I rubbed my arms. Regardless of the words I’d planned on saying to him, the truth still stung. “Luke, it’s okay, because here’s the truth …” This sucked. “I’m not ‘in’ with you and I’m not going to be. Part of me really wanted us to work, but that’s what we became—work. We didn’t have to work the first time around.”

Luke nodded his head and then lowered it. His shoulders drooped forward and he stared at the floor for a second before wiping his nose. Then he raised his head and straightened to his full height. He forced a grin, but there wasn’t a light in his blue eyes. “Deanna came stag and she was hoping to get a ride in the limo to my house …”

“She can have my spot.” I didn’t need to rub it in that I planned on leaving with Noah.

He took a step toward me and whispered into my ear, “I really did love you.” Leaving out the unsaid word, once.

“Me, too.” Once.

NOAH

I should have thrown her over my shoulder and dragged her from the gym. Instead, like an idiot, I’d given her the choice. The choice to rip my heart out and hand it back to me. Why didn’t I listen to Beth? Why did I listen to Isaiah? Beth had experience down this road and Isaiah gave me advice he refused to take himself. I needed my damn head examined.

Fifteen minutes. Fuck it. She wasn’t coming and I wasn’t going to continue to stand here in the freezing cold like a moron. I had a party to go to. A party where there would be plenty of girls willing to give themselves to me and plenty of shit to smoke and enough alcohol to help me forget.

I pushed off the brick wall of the gym, shoving my hands in my jeans pocket for my keys. The door flew open, almost smacking me in the face. I opened my mouth to yell at the asshole busting out the door, but stopped the moment I came face-to-face with my own personal siren, my nymph—Echo. This time, she wouldn’t walk away.

Wrapping my arms around her, I walked her backward into the brick. “Tell me you chose me, Echo.”

She licked her lips. Those green eyes smoldered, calling me to her. “I chose you.”

For the first time in three years, the coil forever tightened in my gut relaxed. “You will never regret it. I promise.” Letting my hands skim the curve of her waist, I leaned into her soft body.

I wanted her. All of her, but Echo deserved more than a quick thrill and better than a guy like me. Everything needed to be slow and deliberate. I wanted to blow her mind with every touch and every kiss so her every thought always came back to me. I would never touch anyone else again without thinking about her.

I’d promised she would be more and I needed to keep that promise. Tearing myself away, I took her delicate hand in mine and headed toward my car. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?”

I opened the passenger door and turned to face her. Echo’s innocent eyes were wide with confusion. She shouldn’t be with me. We’d both been through hell, but Echo deserved better. Still, I wasn’t all bad. I used to be good, like her. She needed to know that. “Someplace special.”

“I’M BUYING YOU A COAT.” And I meant it. I opened the car door and slung my leather jacket around her shoulders. “It’s February. Why don’t you ever have a damn jacket on?”

Echo slid her arms through my coat, closing her eyes as she inhaled. When she finally opened them, she fluttered her eyelashes, giving me a look of pure seduction. “Maybe I like wearing yours instead.”

I swallowed. I had plans, and those plans did not involve kissing her against my car. Dammit, she was going to kill me. “Congratulations, it’s yours.”

Her laughter warmed me in ways a jacket couldn’t. “Are you going to be a big pushover now?”

Appeared so. I entwined my fingers with Echo’s and walked her across the empty street, toward the fountain. Red and pink lights lit up the water trickling from the three flowered tiers.

“It’s beautiful.” Echo stared at the fountain, her eyes darting to the different flowers etched in the metal. No, she was beautiful.

“I helped build this.”

“What?”

I motioned toward the houses that encircled the fountain. “The houses. I helped build these houses. My mom and dad were involved with Habitat for Humanity. It’s how they met. Instead of partying in Cancun for spring break, they went to eastern Kentucky and built houses. They got married and kept doing it.”

Echo let go of my hand and stared at the small vinyl houses with porches and swings. My dad had made sure every house had a swing. As she turned completely around, she caught sight of the plaque on the side of the fountain: In memory of David and Sarah Hutchins.

“Your parents?”

My throat tightened, leaving me unable to answer. I nodded.

“Every time I think I’ve got you figured out, Noah, you surprise me.”

Which was why I brought her here. “We didn’t finish that dance.”

Her anxious gaze went to the windows of the small neighborhood. All the shades were drawn. Some had lights on, some didn’t, but no one watched. “Here?”

“Why not?”

Echo’s high heel tapped against the sidewalk, the telltale sign of nerves. I took a deliberate step forward and caught her waist before she could back away from me. My siren had sung to me for way too long, capturing my heart, tempting me with her body, driving me slowly insane. Now, I expected her to pay up.

“Do you hear that?” I asked.

Echo raised an eyebrow when she heard nothing but the sound of water trickling in the fountain. “Hear what?”

I slid my right hand down her arm, cradled her hand against my chest and swayed us from side to side. “The music.”

Her eyes danced. “Maybe you could tell me what I’m supposed to be hearing.”

“Slow drum beat.” With one finger I tapped the beat into the small of her back. “Acoustic guitar.” I leaned down and hummed my favorite song in her ear. Her sweet cinnamon smell intoxicated me.

She relaxed, fitting perfectly into my body. In the crisp, cold February air, we swayed together, moving to our own personal beat. For one moment, we escaped hell. No teachers, no therapist, no well-meaning friends, no nightmares—just the two of us, dancing.

My song ended, my finger stopped tapping the beat, and we ceased swaying from side to side. She held perfectly still, keeping her hand in mine, her head resting on my shoulder. I nuzzled into the warmth of her silky curls, tightening my hold on her. Echo was becoming essential, like air.

I eased my hand to her chin, lifting her face toward me. My thumb caressed her warm, smooth cheek. My heart beat faster. A ghost of that siren smile graced her lips as she tilted her head closer to mine, creating the undeniable pull of the sailor lost at sea to the beautiful goddess calling him home.

I kissed her lips. Soft, full, warm—everything I’d fantasized it would be and more, so much more. Echo hesitantly pressed back, a curious question for which I had a response. I parted my lips and teased her bottom one, begging, praying, for permission. Her smooth hands inched up my neck and pulled at my hair, bringing me closer.

She opened her mouth, her tongue seductively touching mine, almost bringing me to my knees. Flames licked through me as our kiss deepened. Her hands massaged my scalp and neck, only stoking the heat of the fire.

Forgetting every rule I’d created for this moment, my hands wandered up her back, twining in her hair, bringing her closer to me. I wanted Echo. I needed Echo.

A car door slammed shut, startling her. She swiftly pulled away and turned her head toward the sound of the engine. We watched as the red taillights glowed toward us, then away when the car accelerated down the street.

Her eyes met mine again. “So what does this mean for us?”

I lowered my forehead to hers. “It means you’re mine.”

Echo

Monday morning ushered in a new phase of my life—dating Noah Hutchins in public.

The moment Noah came up behind me and kissed the side of my neck, I was torn between leaning into him and skirting away. Every muscle in my body screamed to fall into him. My brain told me to run. With a sigh, I followed my head. “You are breaking so many of the school’s public display of affection rules.”

Noah chuckled while I closed my locker. “So?”

So? “I don’t want detention.”

“You are way too uptight. I think I know what will help you chill.”

The way his eyes devoured me hinted I shouldn’t take the bait, but I did anyhow. “And what would that be?”

Noah pressed his body into mine, pushing me against the lockers. “Kissing.”

I held my books close to my chest and fought the urge to drop them and pull him close. But that would only encourage his behavior, and good God, bring on his fantastic kissing. Fantastic or not, kissing in public would definitely mean detention and a tardy slip.

I ducked underneath his arm and breathed in fresh air, welcoming any scent that didn’t remind me of him. Noah caught up to me, slowing his pace to mine.

“You know, you may have never noticed, but we have calculus together,” he said. “You could have waited for me.”

“And give you the chance to drag me into the janitor’s closet? No, thanks.”

Noah held his books at his side, his other hand shoved into his jeans pocket. As promised, he didn’t hold my hand or drape an arm around my shoulder, but he did pay more attention to me than the hallway in front of him or the other students roaming the halls.

We entered calculus and I swear, every person in the room froze and watched as Noah paused by my desk. “Isaiah, Beth and I will be by later.”

“All right.” Tutoring, car repair, hopefully a little kissing.

He flashed his wicked grin and lowered his voice. “Mrs. Frost always runs late. I could kiss you now and give the crowd what they’re looking for.”

That would be an awesome way to start class. I licked my lips and whispered, “You are going to get me in so much trouble.”

“Damn straight.” Noah caressed my cheek before heading to his seat in the back.

I settled in my seat and spent the entire hour trying to keep my mind focused on calculus and not on kissing Noah Hutchins. LILA PUSHED OFF THE WALL AND joined me as I walked toward the cafeteria. “Took you long enough. Where were you anyway?”

“I had to go to my locker before lunch.” Actually, I didn’t, but I’d used the excuse so I could walk past Noah’s locker and steal a few seconds—okay, a few kisses—from him. I finally understood why he and his friends preferred that desolate hallway to the cafeteria.

“Uh-huh. So tall, dark and mysterious isn’t going to sit with us at lunch?”

“Nope.” I shoved the optimism in my voice, forcing myself to be okay with it. After all, I really didn’t have a choice. I guessed I could sit with Noah, if I really wanted. I’d stalled long enough. “So, what’s the verdict on my social status?”

“It’s all down to lunch.”

Lovely. She could have warned me before we glided into the cafeteria. Why oh why couldn’t Glinda the Good Witch wave her magic wand and make the people of munchkinland love me?

Reminiscent of the first day of junior year, people stared and whispered as I walked past. At least they weren’t staring at my arms this time, but between me, Luke and Noah’s empty lunch table.

“Grab a tray, we’re getting food,” Lila mumbled as we breezed past our table. Natalie sent me a weak smile, while Grace busied herself with a container of yogurt.

My heart sank. The opinions of the rest of the school honestly didn’t matter to me. Their laughter and whispered comments stunk, but in the end, didn’t matter. But Grace’s rejection broke my heart. I slid my tray behind Lila’s, not touching a single item of food.

Uncharacteristically, Lila grabbed a plate of fries and two fudge brownies. “The school’s divided. Deanna told her friends that Luke only used you to make her jealous, which leads you back to the world of pathetic. Thanks to the fight at the dance and your and Noah’s make-out session before first period, some people think you dumped Luke for Noah, officially putting you on the road to freakdom.”

Awesome. Maybe I could be the queen of freakdom, the ruler of emotionally scarred people everywhere. Kind of like a stepsister to the Good Witch.

“And the rest of the school thinks that you and Luke used each other, that he belongs with Deanna and that you and Noah are hot.” Lila gave me a sly smile and winked as she handed her money to the cashier.

I followed her and caught sight of Luke hovering over Deanna, grinning at her like a fool. I did dump Luke for Noah, but Luke dumped me, too. Truth be told, I’d used him for normalcy. Had he used me to win back Deanna?

Deanna caught me looking. Her eyes narrowed. Luke gave me a half smile while taking Deanna’s hand. Maybe he’d used me, but I was okay with that. In this case, two wrongs made a major right. “Let me guess, you and Natalie make up that last group.”

“We’re the only part that matters, right?”

I joined Lila at the condiment station. “If the majority of the school has thrown me on the freak bus, why’s lunch a big deal?”

Lila squeezed honey mustard all over her fries. “Grace.” Sitting next to Natalie and another of her public friends, Grace stirred her yogurt over and over again.

“I’m surprised she hasn’t already made the decision. Rep versus friendship. Rep always wins, right?”

“She’s trying. Give the gossip some time to die down and she’ll come around.”

Yeah, maybe she would. I placed my empty tray on the condiment table. “Tell Natalie I said hi, okay?”

“Where are you going?”

“To paint.”

NOAH

“‘Sup, Mrs. Collins.” I strolled straight into her office and plopped down in the chair across from her. I had an hour to kill before I started my Friday night shift. Steam and the stench of nickel coffee rose from the untouched mug on the corner of her desk.

She glanced up from a file and gave me a weak smile. “I’m impressed. You responded to a summons on the same day. I didn’t think I’d hear from you until next week.”

“You wrote the magic words: Jacob and Tyler.”

“Hmm.” Mrs. Collins’s eyes drifted back to the file. Lines strained the skin around her eyes and she lacked her ever-present puppy enthusiasm.

“Are my brothers okay?”

She rubbed her forehead, looking suddenly exhausted. I sat on the edge of my seat. If those bastards hurt my brothers … “Mrs. Collins, are they okay?”

“Yes. Yes, your brothers are fine. Sorry.” She waved her hand over the file before closing it. “I’m a little distracted and tired. TGIF, right? Or do you kids not say that anymore?”

Mrs. Collins forced a kind smile onto her worn face, placing her hand over the four-inch thick file. That was when I caught sight of the label. It was Echo’s file. My gut twisted. Something was wrong.

“As you know, Tyler’s fifth birthday is rapidly approaching and I talked Carrie and Joe into letting you have an additional day of visitation.”

“No shit.”

A little tension eased off her face as she chuckled. “No shit, but I’d prefer you not say that around me again, or around your brothers.” She picked up a small white envelope on the edge of her desk and handed it to me. “Party invitation. The boys are making a big deal out of it. It’s an exclusive party at the visitation center with you as the only guest. Oh, and me. Maybe you could pick up some balloons for the visitation room. I’ll bring streamers. Be there or be square.”

Jacob had chicken scratched my name on the envelope. I never thought I’d see the day where I could celebrate any important event with my brothers. “How did you pull that off?”

“I told you if you concentrated on working on you, I’d take care of the situation with your brothers. When I give my word to someone, I plan on keeping it.” She rested her open palm over Echo’s file and stared down at it again. Was that the problem? Had she made a promise to Echo that she couldn’t keep?

I tried fishing. “Echo wants to remember what happened to her. Do you think you’ll be able to help?”

“I can’t discuss Echo with you, just like I won’t discuss you with her.”

Fair enough. Attempt number two. “She told me what happened with her mom. Actually, she told me what people told her what happened with her mom, which isn’t jack. To be honest, nutcase or not, I can’t imagine any decent mom hurting her kid.”

Mrs. Collins relaxed in her chair, still looking exhausted, though a spark lit her eyes. “Of course you wouldn’t. You had a very close relationship with your mother.”

Suddenly filled with the urge to beat my head against the wall, I slumped in the chair. I’d walked myself into this one. “Yeah, I did.” How the hell could I turn this back around to Echo?

Her puppy enthusiasm returned. “Jacob loves to write, but you know that already. Anyhow, Carrie and Joe let me read this endearing story about how your mom declared the first Friday of every month as family campout night. It sounded absolutely delightful. Was it fact or fiction?”

Mrs. Collins craved trust. I’d give the dog a bone. “Fact. My mom and dad started the tradition when I missed my first Tiger Scout campout because I got sick. That was Mom’s way of making me feel better.” She’d always found a way to make everything better.

“The rest of the story is also fact? The ghost stories, s’more making, everyone sleeping in the tent in the living room?” Mrs. Collins laughed. “You must have been a cool big brother.”

My grip on the invitation tightened. “Still am, but I can’t take credit. The campouts were all about my parents.”

“Then why were they upstairs instead of in the tent with your brothers the night of the fire?” Her eyes pierced through me. “I think you know why Jacob is having night terrors.”

I stood up. “I’ve got to get to work.”

“Noah, tell me about that night. Give me the opportunity to help your brother.”

“Like you’re helping Echo?”

Mrs. Collins blinked. Good—for the first time, I’d screwed with her. “That’s what I thought.”

WATER RUNNING INTO A STEEL sink mingled with the sound of banging as I walked into the classroom. The art teacher busied herself cleaning bowls while Echo sat on a stool with a wet paintbrush in hand. Several bright blue spots dotted her cheek and she created new ones when she absently tapped her index finger to her chin, causing the brush in her hand to mark her face in the same rhythm.

“May I help you?” The water turned off.

“I’m here for Echo.” Work would have to wait. If Echo had problems, I wanted to know.

Echo continued to tap her finger to her chin and created more dots on her face while she stared at the canvas. The intensity of her stare shocked me.

The art teacher stacked the bowls and walked toward the door. “She’s in the zone. Good luck getting her attention. Do me a favor. If she ends up painting her whole face, grab my camera from my desk and take a picture. I’ll add it to my collection.” She gazed at Echo and smiled. “I’ll title that one Smurf. Nice tats, by the way.”

“I’m focused, not deaf,” mumbled Echo after the teacher left. She put down the paintbrush and attempted to wipe her face with a rag.

The blue only highlighted the red in her hair. “You’re smearing it.”

“It’s a bad habit of mine.” Echo gave up, leaving the blue paint on her cheek. She hopped off the stool and stretched. “What are you doing here?”

The night sky stretched across Echo’s canvas. The curvature of the earth was lit on fire with bright yellows, reds and oranges. Bright blues quickly faded into darkness with stars glittering in the sky. Everyone said she was an artist, but I’d had no idea. “Echo, this is …”

“Crap.” She wrinkled her nose.

“No, really …”

“Whatever,” she said, rolling her eyes. “What do you need?”

“You.”

I loved how her face glowed. She stood up on her tiptoes and gave me a quick peck on the lips. “If I do any more I’ll get paint on you.”

Everything Echo did or said became sexual in my mind, and I fought hard to expel the images of her naked and covered in paint. “Mrs. Collins snagged me an invitation to Tyler’s birthday party.”

“Really? That’s fabulous!”

“Yeah.” But not why I’m here. “She was browsing through your file and she looked kind of … worried.” Echo’s smile fell. Throughout the week, her spirits had lowered with each passing day, but I let it slide when she’d come to life for me. No more sliding. I wanted answers. “You haven’t been at lunch this week. What’s going on, baby?”

She shrugged. “Nothing.”

I snagged one of her belt loops and brought her body against mine.

“Noah, the paint.”

“Fuck it. I can change clothes.” I tugged on her chin to force her to face me. “I don’t know much about this boyfriend stuff, but I’m not only interested in kissing you.”

“I know, and that means a lot to me. It’s just … I’m buying Grace time.” She tried a half smile, but failed.

When she’d told me earlier in the week about her shitty little friend, my response made her cry. Luckily, I’m a quick learner, so I kept my mouth shut—at least when it came to Grace. “What’s got Mrs. Collins so down?”

“I don’t know.”

I took a deep breath to keep the anger under control. “Echo, if you can’t trust me …”

She raised her voice. “I don’t know! Mrs. Collins has gotten very serious, asking me more questions about Mom and what I think about restraining orders, and Dad and Ashley have taken annoying to a whole other level. They took my car away from me this morning and announced that they will be driving me to and from school. They made up some lame excuse and said they wanted to detail it. Who details a Dodge Neon? I’ll tell you– nobody. Ashley may be brainless, but even she knows that!

“Ashley answers every call at home and my cell phone has lost its service. Dad tells me he’s working on it, but I don’t believe him.”

Mrs. Collins talking to her about restraining orders? Her father taking away her ride and her means of communication? Red flags shot to the sky. Echo’s mother meant danger. “Has your mom contacted you?”

Her head fell back. “Not you, too.”

Well aware that wasn’t an answer, I felt a menacing coil churn inside of me. No one messed with my girl. “Echo?”

“No.” With a defeated sigh, she relaxed into me. “I know it sounds crazy, but sometimes I miss her.”

It did sound crazy, yet at the same time it sounded sane. I kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back. Echo either didn’t see the signs or refused to acknowledge them: her family and Mrs. Collins were worried about her mother making a reappearance in her life. A tug of war raged in my brain between telling Echo my theory and keeping her happily in the dark.

But then again, they could be upset for other reasons. “Is it me? Are they giving you a hard time because you’re with me?”

Echo pressed against my arms for release and I let her go. I rubbed my neck to ease the tension. “It’s okay to tell me.”

“Ashley and my father don’t even know about you. I was going to introduce you this weekend when we went out, but now I’m not so sure.”

That entire statement was loaded. “I’m going to meet your parents this weekend and we’ve got plans?”

Her face reddened. “Sorry. I, um, assumed that, you know, that since you said I was yours, that we would kind of, I guess …” Damn, she was cute when she stammered.

“I planned on taking you to a party tomorrow night, but if you’ve made other plans, I’m flexible. I’m okay with meeting your dad. I can’t promise he’s going to be okay meeting me.”

The blush remained on her cheeks, but I got a smile out of her. “No, the party is fine.” Her forehead wrinkled. “Though I don’t know of anyone throwing one. My dad will be okay. Just don’t curse. You are capable of not cursing, right?”

“I was a Boy Scout.”

She giggled, then returned to the painting of the night sky, all traces of humor disappearing.

“It really is a beautiful painting,” I said.

“Mom constantly painted the constellations. Now, I’m stuck doing the same thing.” She paused. “On the rare occasion my mom decided to be a mom, she would tell me the story of Andromeda and Perseus before I fell asleep. Why was she telling it to me the day I got hurt? I’m so close to the truth.”

My heart hurt to see her in pain and, for one second, I shut down all emotion. One day, she’d figure out she was too good for a loser like me and when she left, I didn’t know how I’d deal with the pain. Echo tapped the paintbrush against her face. Hell, she was worth it. I enfolded her into my body once more, kissing the side of her neck. “Then let’s get serious. Tuesday, we’re getting into your file.”