Ember (Constant Flame Duet Book 1)

by Christi Whitson

  When Lena was out with her friends, however, she became a very different person. No one who saw her on those occasions would have recognized her as Nate Gardner’s daughter, and that was precisely why she did it. She had come to accept that it was impossible to be perfect all the time, and the stress of trying to meet that goal for so many years had been slowly killing her. Lena kept her rebellion as discreet as possible, and no one outside of her group of friends knew about that part of her life. She saw it as a necessary evil, and at times, she felt that the occasional break from reality was the only thing keeping her sane.

  Lena's first class passed without incident, and she replied to Mateo’s text as she made her way across campus to the lecture hall where her second class was being held. She wasn’t surprised to find the auditorium already crowded since the course was a business lecture that was only offered once every other year, and it always filled up quickly. Students were instructed to pick up a copy of the syllabus just inside the door, and Lena scanned it briefly before attempting to find a seat. Apart from the primary lecturer, guest speakers were invited into the class as well, and she smiled when she spotted her father’s name on the list.

  There weren’t many seats left in the first few rows, where she usually preferred to sit, so she was forced to climb a few steps until she found an empty desk next to the aisle. She slipped into the seat quietly and pulled a few things from her backpack, glancing to her right when she felt someone watching her. Her breath seemed to catch in her throat as she did a quick double-take.

  Green eyes.

  Lena had stopped looking for green eyes years ago, but she still felt a rush of adrenaline each time she encountered them. Before she could stop it, her brain was cataloging his other features for comparison. This man’s hair was much darker than that of her childhood friend, but his features were just as striking. Lena swallowed thickly as she tried not to stare at his chiseled jaw and broad shoulders. She turned back to the syllabus on her desk, but the words on the page no longer held her interest. There was a strange sort of magnetism that kept drawing her gaze in his direction, and she gave him a polite smile that she hoped wasn’t too inviting, not wanting the rest of the semester to be awkward.

  She wasn’t all that experienced when it came to men, but neither was she so naive that she didn’t recognize when a man was attracted to her. In this case, it was flattering since he was clearly out of her league. He looked like he’d just walked off of a magazine cover, but another part of her wondered whether he was really that good-looking or if she was merely drawn to the features she’d been daydreaming about since she was four years old. If they’d been sitting anywhere else, Lena might have been brave enough to flirt with him a little, but she knew that they would be in class together for the next few months.

  Nothing more awkward than having to see your one-night stand on a regular basis, Lena mused. The notion of this man becoming anything other than that didn’t even cross her mind. She’d never really been in a romantic relationship, but she was no doe-eyed virgin either. Her experiences had mostly been restricted to physical encounters as opposed to emotional ones, and she preferred it that way. Feelings only led to more pain, it seemed, and Lena was determined to avoid that at all costs.

  “Please take note of the chair you’re sitting in today,” the instructor advised in a somewhat nasal tone. “I won’t be taking time to do a roll call for every class, so you need to make sure you’re in those seats for the rest of the term or risk being marked absent.”

  Lena didn’t know whether to cheer or groan at the prospect of sitting next to the handsome stranger all semester. She was already finding it difficult to concentrate, and that would make maintaining her grade point average even harder. There was an odd sort of current in the air around them, and Lena wondered if she was the only one who could sense it.

  She wasn’t. As the professor began to take attendance, Owen struggled to pay close enough attention so as not to miss his name. He couldn’t seem to focus on anything but the blue-eyed goddess who had taken the seat next to his and was now hiding slightly behind a curtain of wavy red hair. From the brief glimpse he'd managed to catch of her features as she took her seat, he could tell she was stunningly beautiful. It wasn’t in the vapid, sorority-girl way he’d become accustomed to seeing on campus, however. Most of the girls who threw themselves at him on a regular basis could hardly be considered women. They were immature, swooning drama queens who could scarcely hold an intelligent conversation, and the majority of them seemed to be at college for nothing more than the parties and the copious amounts of alcohol to be consumed.

  The woman next to him now was as different from those girls as night from day. She hadn’t shown up to her morning classes with a hangover or a lingering buzz from the night before. Though she seemed a little tired, her blue eyes were alert and intelligent. Her long red hair had a shine worthy of a shampoo commercial, reflecting even the low theater lights in the auditorium like tiny flames. Her skin was flawless and clear, and when she caught him staring at her for the third time, her cheeks pinkened adorably. Owen could tell that she was trying to avoid his gaze, and he gave himself a mental shake, forcing himself to look away. Stop creeping her out, Langford, he chastised himself.

  “Eleanore Gardner,” the instructor called out robotically.

  “Here,” the goddess answered back.

  Eleanore, the name echoed in Owen’s mind. Beautiful… just like her. His eyes seemed to be drawn to her by some invisible force, and he was only half-listening as the professor trudged through the roll call. Owen tried to be more covert about his gawking, deciding to keep his gaze from locking with hers. Instead, he memorized every inch of her body, which only made his distraction worse.

  She was dressed in what Julia would have called a bohemian style, but the loose fabric of her skirt and top did little to hide her hourglass figure. She had a small frame, and Owen suspected that there would be nearly a foot of difference in their heights if they were to stand side-by-side. In spite of her short stature, her legs were long and shapely, encased in snug, mid-calf leather boots. Her curves were soft and inviting, and his hands itched to touch her, to bury themselves in her fiery red hair. Owen was so fascinated by her that he very nearly missed his cue to speak up when the professor called his name.

  “Owen Langford.”

  “Here,” he responded accordingly.

  Lena stiffened, her mind reeling at the revelation of the stranger’s first name. Don’t be ridiculous. It can’t possibly be him, she told herself firmly. It had been fifteen years since she’d last seen the boy with the sad, green eyes, and although she certainly hadn’t forgotten him, Lena knew that this was merely a coincidence. She was certain that any similarity she might find in this man’s features was a product of her own wishful thinking and nothing more, but she couldn’t shake the curiosity she felt. Lena had no way of knowing where her childhood friend was now; she didn’t even know if he was still alive. Her mind had cooked up a thousand stories in those fifteen years, and any one of them could be just as likely as the next.

  Under different circumstances, Lena might have been bold enough to simply ask him about his childhood, but she knew that doing so would make her sound like some kind of stalker. She would have to sit next to this person all semester, and she was sure that opening a conversation about whether they might have met previously as two traumatized children in a Chicago foster home would probably leave him with the impression that she was nine pennies short of a dime.

  As she continued a covert observation of him, the intrigue over his name faded to make way for other points of interest. The steady air flow from the vent over their heads sent Owen’s clean, masculine scent in her direction, assaulting her senses until she couldn’t help but wonder if he tasted as good as he smelled. She pretended to take notes on the lecture while her eyes continued to trace every muscle revealed by his snug black t-shirt, and after a few minutes, she realized that sitting next to him for the whole
term was going to be hell.

  Maybe the instructor will let me switch seats, Lena mused, imagining what excuse she could give. “I know it seems silly, Professor, but I’d prefer not to sit next to the male model who smells like liquid sex.” She rolled her eyes at herself, knowing that any number of Kappa Beta Whatever girls would be more than happy to switch places with her. Lena gave herself another mental shake. She could handle this; she would just have to force herself to tune him out completely. She’d pretend he didn’t exist... Pretend that the sexy, alpha-male scent was coming from the overly-primped frat boy who was sitting in front of them… Pretend that those green eyes weren’t glued to her every time he thought she wasn’t looking… Fuck. What the hell is he staring at?

  An eternity later, the professor called an end to the class and dismissed them until Thursday morning. They both rose to their feet at the same time, and once again the invisible magnetism drew their gazes toward one another. It was the first time since the brief smile she’d given him at the start of the class that Owen was able to truly look into her eyes, and what he saw there caused the air to freeze in his chest. He felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck, and for a moment, he wondered if his heart had actually stopped. Her blue eyes seemed to swallow him whole, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t the first time he’d looked into them.

  No, that’s insane, he chided himself. I’d sure as hell remember meeting this girl. You don’t just forget someone who looks like her.

  Owen gave her an awkward smile as they walked toward the exit together, both of them intensely aware of their proximity. The charge that had hung in the air for the last hour and a half seemed to sizzle between them even more, and they were both simultaneously relieved and disappointed when their paths took them in opposite directions. He watched her go, admiring the way her hips made her skirt swirl around her legs in a mesmerizing sort of dance.

  Eleanore…

  The name seemed to reverberate in Owen’s mind as he ate lunch and attended his afternoon classes. It wasn’t the sort of name that was easily forgotten, and he was certain he’d never met anyone named Eleanore. He wouldn’t have forgotten a girl like that.

  He couldn’t place her last name either, though it was common enough. One of his biggest motives for taking the lecture in the first place had been the opportunity to hear one of the guest lecturers who would be speaking at some point that semester. That man’s name was Gardner as well. He didn’t know much about the man outside of his business interests, but Owen had followed his career very closely. The man was a genius, and Owen felt that if he ended up with even half of Nathaniel Gardner’s success, he would be a wealthy man for the rest of his days.

  As the afternoon wore on, the metaphorical fog in Owen’s head seemed to clear somewhat, and he began to wonder if the whole thing was a fluke. He suspected that his fixation with Eleanore had more to do with her red hair and blue eyes than anything else. He’d been partial to those features for as long as he could remember. No matter how many girls had tried to catch his eye in the past, he’d never really felt anything for them. Even the girl he’d dated so briefly in high school had only managed to attract him enough to accomplish the loss of his virginity. She’d been his first and his last.

  If Owen were being completely honest with himself, he’d have to admit that he had worried more than once that there might be something fundamentally wrong with him. Guys his age seemed to be focused on sex twenty-four hours a day, but that simply wasn’t the case with him. Thanks to his mother’s abuses, he was far from ignorant when it came to sex, but it just wasn’t something that he thought about all that much. Owen sometimes wondered if she’d managed to fuck him up worse than he’d previously realized. He feared that she had truly broken him, that he would never be attracted to a woman the way he should be.

  Those fears made the events of that day all the more astonishing. For the first time in his life, he’d actually reacted to a woman the way a healthy nineteen-year-old male would be expected to react. Owen wondered if it would be like that every time they were near each other or if it had been a one-time phenomenon. He wasn’t sure which scenario to hope for. As much as he longed to be normal, he also knew that getting involved with someone now could potentially jeopardize his academic goals. He was in his senior year and was due to graduate in nine short months. This was not the time to get distracted by a girl.

  And yet, as he went about his school and work routines, Owen found that his mind was still full of her. Her fathomless blue eyes, her nervous little smile, the sway of her hips when she’d walked away from him after class… His mind replayed the encounter a dozen times, and he couldn’t help but wonder if she’d been equally affected by him.

  There was only one way to find out…

  Chapter 9

  The Following Thursday

  Torture. That was what the next fifteen weeks were going to be. Torture in the form of raw and abundant sexual tension. The air vents were pumping cool air into the auditorium, but the perpetual flush in Lena's cheeks betrayed her elevated internal temperature. Owen Langford was making her hot… and wet.

  It was utterly ridiculous, as she’d told herself multiple times since their first encounter earlier that week. Lena had spent the rest of the day on Tuesday watching for him, half-dreading and half-hoping that he would be in one of her other classes, but she hadn’t seen him again until after she’d taken her seat in the auditorium for Thursday’s lecture. She arrived first this time, which allowed her to study him a little more openly as he entered the large room and climbed the steps to his seat. The word study was probably too tame, she acknowledged privately. What she was doing was gawking.

  He was dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a casual button-down shirt that had been left open to reveal a white t-shirt underneath. His hair was tousled to artistic perfection in spite of the high winds that had threatened to blow her over on the walk from her last class. He’d added a pair of black framed glasses that only seemed to enhance his green eyes, and his scent… Lena inhaled again, already addicted. Once again, he smelled like liquid sex appeal, and she was half tempted to ask for the name of his cologne so that she could spray it all over her pillow when she got home. Ridiculous and pathetic, Lena thought reproachfully.

  Lena wasn’t the only one who found the sexual tension to be damn near unbearable. Throughout the lecture, Owen’s eyes gravitated toward her repeatedly, as though he’d been bidden to memorize every inch of her body. She’d opted for soft leggings and a belted, tunic-style shirt, along with a pair of knee-high suede boots. Her beautiful red hair was loose around her shoulders again, falling in gentle waves all the way down to her elbows, and Owen longed to weave his fingers through it. Her makeup was very light, but the shine of her lip gloss in the low light of the auditorium made him eager to taste her sweet mouth.

  He hadn’t missed her open appraisal as he’d climbed the steps and taken his seat next to her, and it was gratifying to think that he might be having a similar effect on her. He’d made up his mind to speak to her, but finding a suitable opportunity might prove difficult. Owen wasn’t one to talk during class, and he didn’t think that Eleanore was either. His mind had run through dozens of scenarios, some too juvenile and others overly complex, but he’d eventually decided to bide his time and wait for the right moment. His previous experience with women hadn’t prepared him for this.

  Lena gave a sigh of relief when the professor dismissed them, and she hastened to the door without daring to look back at her handsome classmate. Although their paths had taken them in opposite directions after class on Tuesday, today Owen decided to follow her as she made her way to the student union. He was careful not to lose her in the crowd as she slipped through the lines and purchased a few items. He piled a few things onto a lunch tray as well, and when he sought her out amidst the sea of people, he spotted her sitting alone.

  Lena had found a small, unoccupied table in a relatively quiet corner of the large ca
feteria. She opened her MacBook and became absorbed in preparations for her next class and in planning her weekend schedule. She knew she would have some homework to finish, as well as a few hours’ work at GC on Saturday and dinner with her father on Sunday evening. Lena had mastered the art of time management long ago, but she’d only begun to make time for herself in the past year. After playing the perfect daughter charade at GC, Lena knew she would need a night out with her friends on Saturday.

  Her train of thought was suddenly interrupted by a tall shadow next to her table and the now-familiar scent of Owen Langford, and she looked up to see him holding a tray of food. Lena stared at him in bewilderment. How can anyone look that hot while holding a plastic cafeteria tray? she wondered, realizing a second too late that he was speaking to her. Jesus, what the fuck is wrong with me?

  “I’m sorry, what?” Lena asked once she’d managed to find her voice.

  “Is it alright if I join you?” Owen repeated, his lips curving upward into a sexy smile.

  “Um… Sure.” As soon as she’d uttered the word, she wanted to kick herself for it. Hadn’t she been planning to pretend he didn’t exist? Fuck. However, in the next instant, Owen blinded her with a panty-dropping smile, and Lena forgot why she’d ever had that stupid idea in the first place.

  “It’s Eleanore, right?” he asked as he slid into the seat across from her. She quickly closed her laptop and stuffed it into her bag to make room for his tray.