Page 50 of The Heir

He chuckled and shifted gears, pulling out of the parking lot.

“Thank you for coming with me. I really needed to do something normal.”

“Normal?” he asked.

I shrugged, not wanting to say anything more.

We reached our street, and he parked in front of my house, but instead of unbuckling my seatbelt right away and escaping, I lingered, not ready yet to leave him. The song I created in my head for us was a constant reminder of just how much happiness that boy brought into my life. When I wasn’t with him, I longed for the melody that brought a smile to my face. When I was with him, I could forget about my parents’ cruel deaths and about that nameless man and all of the fears within my heart We sat there, and I listened to the music inside my soul, and I smelled mint and leather, which reminded me that I was with Shad, and I closed my eyes.

“Are you going to fall asleep, then?” he chuckled beside me as he spoke.

I opened my eyes and turned to him. “I get so tired after movies. Has anyone ever told you how good your car smells?”

He looked surprised. “My car?”

I nodded.

“No, I don’t often have people in my car.”

“Oh—”

“Just you, it would seem.” I looked deep into his eyes, enjoying the song I played just for us in my head. His honey colored eyes seemed to glow inside the dark car. I put a hand on his arm, and he put his hand on mine. His collar, I noticed, wasn’t straight, and before I could think about what I was doing, I leaned over the console, and tucked his collar into place.

“There, all better,” I barely whispered the words. My hand was on his leg, and I was nearly on top of him. I realized I may have moved closer than I had to. I knew I needed to move away, but my body wanted to be right where it was. The hand that had fixed his collar was hovering, and I placed it on his shoulder for balance. He took my waist in his hands to steady me so that I would not fall directly into his lap.

“Thank you,” he said in a rumble of a whisper. I could feel his hot breath on my face. I continued to look into his eyes again and saw something there: Sadness? Longing?

Why is he sad?I looked to his lips and quickly licked my own. “Sorry, your—uh, collar was a little messed up.”

“Thank you for fixing it,” he said, his hand moving upward to touch my hair. As he tangled his fingers into my hair, I tilted my head to him and melted against his chest, and he wrapped me in a hug.

Finally, I thought.I am finally in his arms. Finally, his arms are wrapped around me.How easy it would be to press my face into his neck, to kiss the side of his jaw— Get it together! But how can I when he smells like heaven, and rain, and all I want to do is to get caught in it, caught up in him?

I heard my song ringing so loudly inside of me that it was all consuming, and I never wanted it to stop. The hug was brief, and my side ached from pressing against the middle console, but it was worth it. He let go of me, and I scooted back over to my seat, straightening my hair. I grew embarrassed and turnedaway from him, trying to steady my breathing and the electricity and fire that were flowing through my body from our hug.

“I will walk you to your door,” he offered, his voice raspy and low. I nodded and waited for him to open my door for me, because I knew he would. I could not help but think as he walked me to my porch and wished me goodnight that I longed to be in his arms again and to know what a kiss tasted like from his lips.

Chapter Fifteen

“So, Emma, how was your date?” Mary asked the next morning as I came downstairs to grab a bagel for breakfast. She was already moving about the kitchen, dressed and ready for work with an oversized pink t-shirt and black leggings. Her blond wavy hair framed her face as she turned to look at me with a smile, waiting for me to respond.

“It wasn’t a date, Mary,” I said, grabbing a bagel from the counter and the cream cheese from the fridge.

“Uh, it kind of was. Did he pay for you?” Her smile was growing. I grabbed a butter knife from the drawer, a plate from the cupboard, and sat down on the stool at the kitchen bar.

“Yes.”

“Hold your hand?”

“Yes,” I said as I swiped cream cheese on the bagel. I didn’t bother toasting it as it took too long, and my stomach was already growling.

“Then it wasso,a date,” she said with her widest smile as she walked to the fridge, grabbed the orange juice, then a cup in the cupboard, and began to pour herself a glass. It was nice to seeher so happy, but it was confusing at the same time. I stopped spreading the cream cheese.

“I thought you didn’t like Shad,” I said, raising a brow and setting the knife down on the counter. She drank her cup of orange juice in one go, then set her empty cup on the granite countertop and leaned her back against it, crossing her arms. I took a small bite of my bagel, waiting for her answer while enjoying my breakfast immensely with my generous serving of cream cheese.The more cream cheese the better, I always thought.

“Well, he isn’t my favorite person, but I talked to Ryker, and he assured me that Shad is safe.”

“Safe?” I almost choked on a piece of my bagel. I coughed as I tried to clear my throat.

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