Page 12 of Life Blood
He turned to face me, his abs threatening to bust out of his shirt and interrupt my train of thought at any second, “It’s Zachary, but I prefer Zac.” His friendly smile ignited some weird pull in me. They were just like the vibes I had gotten off of Braden the night before after he had rescued me from Jackson and his shadows.
“Well, it was nice meeting you, Zac,” I answered as I walked past him, trying to shove the feeling away that this guy should be my best friend, but I didn’t know it yet.
His eyes narrowed, “You’re leaving? I thought you were waiting for your boyfriend?” he arched a playful brow, hitting me right between the eyes and sending my nerves into a frenzy.
“Looks like I’m walking.” I laughed, “Nothing new with my guy, though.”
“No way,” he said. “Let me give you a ride.”
“I don’t even know you.”
“Okay, okay. Makes sense.” I saw some kind of sadness behind his jewel-like eyes, “Like I said, we’re just trying to fit in. Maybe another time.”
What’s wrong with me? Now, I feel bad.
“You know what? I’ll take the ride. I’ve got to be at work early today anyway.”
The smile he put on display for my greedy eyes was one that highlighted every feature of his flawless face. His tanned skin, chiseled jawline—he literally had no flaws.
“My car’s over there,” he said, motioning to an expensive, gunmetal gray sports car parked in the far corner.
“Well, ifthat’syour car, good luck fitting in. Every guy here will hate you. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone screws with it.”
He laughed and looked over at me, “If anyonescrewswith my car, it might be the last thing they do.”
His statement was cheesy, but something about the way he said it made me believe him.
I slipped into the passenger’s seat after he unlocked the doors. The smell of leather and cologne was almost intoxicating.
I expected him to shove the car into gear and peel out to show off, but he actually drove like a reasonable person would. The vehicle proved its power with its throaty engine, but Zac never once threw me around the interior driving it like a maniac. Everything about Zac Banner seemed pleasant, and I really had to focus on not staring at him the entire ride home.
He pulled up to the curb of my house, and something hit me. I took another glance over at him, and just had the overwhelming sensation that I’d seen him before.
“Have we met?” I blurted out after pulling myself out of the seat.
Zac got out and came around the back of the car, and I could swear the gold flecks in his irises swirling.
“Yes,” he said with a grin, “About twenty minutes ago.”
“Very funny,” I answered and shouldered my backpack, “I’m serious. I feel like we’ve met before.”
Zac exhaled and planted both hands on his hips, “Unless you’ve been to Texas recently, I can say with certainty that we haven’t met.”
“That’s where you’re from?”
“Yep.”
Okay, dude was studying me while his topaz eyes did this mesmerizing swirly thing.
“What’s with your eyes?” I had no idea why I had the guts to blurt that out, or why I was fixated on his eyes.
Zac looked like he was about to reveal some deep, dark secret before he was interrupted by the loud thumping of the bass coming from David’s stupid car … half a block away.
Zac’s expression changed the moment he saw the beat-up Honda Civic speeding up to my house.
David came to a screeching halt and slammed his door as he got out of his car. I’d neverreallybeen embarrassed of my boyfriend until now.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing with mygirlfriend, Banner?” he bellowed, looking absolutely ridiculous as this tall, muscular guy towered over him.
