Page 54 of My Heart to Keep
I flattened my hands on his jaw. “And you are the best thing that has ever happened to me.”
His blue gaze searched mine. “Your butterscotch hair shimmers in the moonlight.”
I beamed up at him, my heart swooning and my body tingling. “Your poem.” He’d written me a couple of them during the last year or so.
He nibbled on my bottom lip. “Your amber eyes sparkle and ignite.” His tongue darted into my mouth. “Mmm… Your lips… are soft and taste like berry.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Nothing about our relationship is temporary,” I said, reciting his next line.
He moved a strand of hair from my eyes. “And when I look at you like you hung the moon, all I do is swoon and swoon and swoon.”
Tears of happiness and content and so much more surfaced. “I love you to the stars and back, Maiken Maxwell.”
He cemented his mouth to mine, kissing, taking, possessing. I was the happiest girl around as I matched him kiss for kiss and tongue for tongue.
This boy had my heart in the palm of his hand.
While I waited for Trevor to show up, I reminisced, staring off into space. It had been five days since I’d seen Maiken at the academy. Five days since we’d held hands and strolled the grounds in the moonlight and kissed until our lips were swollen. That night under the stars had been amazing and one of the best times of my life. It felt like we had grown so much closer.
Thedoor to the library creaked open, sounding ominous in the quiet space, and pulling me back to the present. I blinked a few times as I scanned the room. A handful of kids sat at tables scattered around, with their heads buried in books.
Trevor and I had agreed to meet on Wednesdays right after lunch since we both had a free period. The time worked out perfectly. He had basketball practice after school, and I had to get home on most days to get my chores done.
But the person gliding around tables liked she owned the damn library was none other than Sloane Price. Her hair was pulled back off her forehead. Her big brown eyes were heavily made up in a smoky look with blue eye shadow and a ton of mascara. Her solid black outfit brought out the white-blond color of her hair, and she was eyeing me as though she had a bone to pick.
Great!
She settled across the table, not sitting down. “Quinn.” Her voice was light, belying the petty snarl she had going on. “I hear you’re tutoring my stepbrother.”
I set my phone down, Maiken’s poem fading from my memory.Argh!I was having a perfectly good week. I was ready for my test in calculus that afternoon, and I was still riding on a love high since seeing Maiken. He and I had been texting more than ever, and even though he wasn’t in school with me, I kind of felt like we had a secret love affair going on. I knew that sounded ditzy, but I had to make the best of our separation. Not only that, but Thanksgiving was three weeks out, and he was coming home.
“You heard correctly.”
She flattened her red lips together as though she were holding back from yelling at me. “Don’t. Stay as far away from him as possible.”
I sat back. She was a confusing individual—nice one minute, a witch the next. She’d been through a rough time. She blamed herself for her father’s death. I couldn’t begin to know how that felt, and I hoped and prayed I never would.
“Are you worried about me?” I didn’t see any emotion in her brown eyes.
“We’ve had our differences, but I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Um, I’m only tutoring him. I need the gig for my college apps.”
She scanned the library like she had a big secret. Then she leaned over the table. “Just be careful. Trevor is an asshole.”
He had that quality about him, so I couldn’t exactly disagree. Still, he hadn’t been a jerk to me since I’d deleted the video from his phone.
“He’s got a girlfriend. Right?”
Disgust filled Sloane’s eyes. “Please tell me you’re not interested in him.”
I knitted my brow. “For real? Hello? Maiken Maxwell. My point is, if he has a girlfriend, then he’s not interested in me. Besides, he gave me the impression he needs to get his grades up to play ball.”
She lost her attitude. “Well, that is true. His dad has been cracking the whip with him and his grades.”
“See? Nothing to worry about.” Not that it was any of my business, but I had to ask. “Why didn’t you move like you were supposed to?”
“My mom’s job offer fell through. At least that’s what she tells me. But it was around the same time she met Trevor’s dad. I’m not even sure why I’m spilling all this to you.”
