“See Ally,” Ben said jovially from across the room, “not everyone has their life all planned out when they’re 12 years old. Some of us just don’t know what we want to be when we grow up. We need time to consider the possibilities before jumping into a career we might not like.”
“Ben,” Ally said as she stepped out of the kitchen and placed her hands on her hips, “that’s the whole point. You haven’t grown up yet, and you don’t seem to have any plans of doing so anytime soon. I don’t expect you to necessarily have your career all figured out, but a little maturity would be nice once in awhile.” With a shake of her head, she walked back over to the stove. The aroma of taco seasoning drifted into the room.
Ben shrugged and rolled his eyes. “Kai, get back over here, I need help.” Glancing at me, he added, “I told Kai he could stop by and borrow some of my CD’s.”
“Uh huh, the thousands of CD’s,” Ally interrupted, banging a pan loudly on the counter. “That’s why you’re always so poor and can’t afford to take me out on a real date,”
“Ally’s awesome,” Kai politely interjected. “She told us to stick around and she’d feed us.”
“Oh yes, nachos – real gourmet,” she said, fussing with the cheese grater.
“Smells great,” Ash said, patting his stomach.
“Got awhile on the hamburger,” she said, attacking the meat with a spatula. “At least Ash here,” she nodded her head his direction and flashed him a look of approval, “was kind enough to run down to the store and grab guacamole and sour cream for the rest of you gluttons.”
Ash sent her a smile oozing with flattery – one he’d obviously practiced in the mirror a few hundred times. When he asked her if there was any other way he could be of assistance, I almost gagged at the sound of his syrupy, thick voice. What a kiss-ass.
With his attention focused solely on Ally, I found myself, regrettably, unable to resist the urge to look him over. His brown hair hung in longer layers, about shoulder length. His extremely white teeth made his smile all the more provocative. Well built, he walked with a swagger, which only heightened his overbearing self-confidence. Unfortunately, he was downright sexy. But worse than that, he was well aware of it. Not my type – at all. And while his eyes were an interesting and fascinating green, they were not like a certain pair of aquamarine eyes I hadn’t been able to forget about.
Wait a minute…was he actually wearing a pair of boot cut, 7 For All Mankind, premium jeans? Yep, and fitting into them rather nicely, too. This guy knew his designer denim and didn’t mind spending a pretty penny either. Of course, who was I to talk?
His eyes spiraled my way, and he raised one brow flirtatiously. “So, once you’re done checkin’ me out – you gonna tell us about all the flowers and break open that chocolate?”
Great. Cocky and rude. My face sweltered. “For your information, I’m allergic to chocolate and…”
“Really, that’s great. Then you won’t mind handing over that box.”
“What?” Ally said, scurrying out of the kitchen. Laughing, she grabbed the box. “Oh yumm! Godiva’s.” She hugged the box and prompted, “So, fill us in. Where did all the goodies come from?” She plopped down at our green tiled table, one of our many great garage sale finds, and ripped open the box. After plucking one out for herself, she motioned for Ash to sit down and join her. Instead, he walked around the table and pulled a chair out for me.
“Humph,” I uttered, clearly not impressed. I sat down anyways and scowled as he bowed and winked. Beaming, he settled into the chair on my left. Under my breath I mumbled, “Sorry buddy, fourth down is over.”
“What? I didn’t catch that,” he remarked. Placing one elbow on the table, he rested his chin on his hand like he was posing for a photo shoot. Then he focused his compelling eyes on me, like I was the camera.
I puffed out my cheeks. “Don’t worry about it. You weren’t supposed to.” Ally kicked me under the table and launched a dirty look my way. “What?” I asked wide-eyed.
With a final warning look, she held her half-eaten piece of dark chocolate in the air and sighed, “Mmm…this is perfection.” Peering into the box, she pulled out a white star. “Lexi – details now, and hurry up already.” She slid the box across to Ash, and he dove in with gusto.
“All right.” I sighed but looked warily over at Ash.
“Don’t mind me, I love a good story,” he said, dropping two chocolate squares into his mouth.
Shaking my head, I directed my conversation towards Ally. “Okay, so the whole day was total drama grocery store.”
“Talk louder, I don’t want to miss any details either,” Ben called out.
“Fine.” Exasperated, I raised my hands in the air. “Around eleven o’clock this morning, a girl in the floral department brings the dozen red roses and box of chocolates to my check stand. She couldn’t give me any information other than I was to read the attached card.” I pointed to the partially hidden paper in the middle of the roses, and Ally reached for it.
I peeked over at Ash only to find his eyes glued on the card. “Okay, you’re gonna find the note hilarious but kind of disturbing, too. Jessica thinks the same weird guy might be sporadically sending flowers to different checkers, because all the cards have the same creepiness factor to them.”
“Jessica who? And what weird guy?” Ash asked. His black shirt was unbuttoned a notch too low for my liking, but that didn’t stop my pulse from quickening. There was something elicit about how the rectangular silver pendant, hanging from a thin, black cord around his neck, rested against his chest.
Ally took a couple minutes and explained to Ash and Kai about the flower phenomenon involving new checkers. Clearing her throat, she said, “So, the card reads:Sweetest Angel…”
“Sweetest Angel? You’ve got to be kidding,” Ash interjected.
Ally laughed and started again, “Sweetest Angel. The other day our eyes locked from a distance, and you graced me with your heavenly smile. I knew we’d made a divine connection. Lost in your eyes, I found myself enchanted. You are one of heaven’s little blessings – a truly celestial being, beautiful and innocent, like a cherub…” At that point, Ally started to lose it, and the Ben and Kai went into hysterics in the living room. Turning bright shades of pink, I covered my face with my hands.
“Di-vine con-nec-tion…” Ben said, barely getting the syllables out between laughter.
“What a whacko,” Kai added.
“A cherub?” Ash said disdainfully. “Obviously, he doesn’t know that cherubs are chubby, plump-cheeked, little angels.” He tugged my hands apart and grinned. “Not the way I’d describe you in the least. Are you okay?”
I nodded, but tears were streaming down my face. Pulling myself together, I dabbed my cheeks with the sleeve of my blouse.
Ally pointed at me, on the verge of hysterics herself. “Let’s see if I can finish this. “Umm, okay…like a cherub. Although your beauty far surpasses any flower, please enjoy the roses and chocolates. The time shall come when we may speak openly with one another. I only count the days. Ours will be a match made in heaven. Yours truly, --S.” Looking at me in disbelief, Ally convulsed into another fit of laughter. She drummed her hands against the table and pounded her feet on the floor. “Hilarious!”
“Do you think you’d recognize him?” Ash said, tilting back in his chair.
“Hardly.”
“Well, he sounds like a psychopath to me,” he replied. Then in a voice of reason he added, “You need to be extra careful when you walk out to your car, especially late at night.”
“He’s right Lexi,” Ben said. “If I’m ever working at the same time, come find me, and I’ll walk you out. I can’t believe Jessica said that is normal.”
“So, was Tori working today?” Ally asked.
“Yes. And you know Jessica; as soon as she saw the roses, she gave me a wicked grin and went about her diabolical mischief.”
“She sent you the lilies, didn’t she?” Ally jumped up a
nd ran into the kitchen, obviously remembering she had taco meat to stir.
“Oh, not only did she send me the lilies, but she somehow managed to place Tori in the check stand right next to mine. When that second flower bouquet arrived, Jessica came over and made a big fuss. Tori looked thoroughly annoyed, and I was dying of embarrassment.”
Ash nodded approvingly. “I like this Jessica girl; sounds like she knows how to laugh.” He rested his arms on the table, exposing several leather wrist bands. His fingers were long, and he wore a couple plain, silver rings at the knuckles.
“That’s Jessica all right.” Ally spooned the meat from the frying pan onto the chips and proceeded to cover them with cheese.
“Yep,” Ben added, “she’s got a warped sense of humor.”
“Such excitement. We never have this much fun in the clothing department. Maybe I should work at the grocery store…all that attention might make Ben jealous again.” Ally winked at me.
“Don’t even think about it,” Ben said.
“Sounds safer where you are,” Kai added.
In a solemn tone, Ash said, “You need to be careful. There are a lot of creeps running around these days. I’ll give you my number in case you ever need help in a hurry.”
“Oh, that’s okay,” I said, surprised at his seemingly genuine concern. He stared me down, and I conceded. “Fine, fine. Jot it down for me…”
“No. Just hand me your cell,” he demanded, “and I’ll program it in for you.”
Reluctantly, I handed him my phone. “Thanks,” I muttered.
“No problem. But, a better way to thank me would be to cook me dinner sometime.”
Loud booms of laughter erupted from both sides of me. “Ash,” Ally said as she slapped the kitchen counter, “Lexi doesn’t cook, and believe me; you wouldn’t want her to try.”
“I second that,” Ben said. “Not a good idea…unless you want to die young.”
“Thanks a lot guys.” I gritted my teeth. “Just because I can’t cook…”
Ally walked out of the kitchen and put her arm around me. “This girl took wood and metal shop in high school. Completely refused to sign up for Home Ec. She might not cook or sew, but if you want her to impress you, she could always build you…a house or something.” Cracking up, she patted my back.
“That’s enough from you two traitors,” I said half teasing, half serious. “How come everyone’s a comedian today?”
“What’s worse,” Kai chimed in, “is that Ash can’t cook either.” He looked at Ash and shook his head sadly. “Maybe you’re not meant to be together after all. Sorry man.”
“No worries,” Ash said. “I have plenty of money; we’ll just eat out.”
Since he looked serious, I decided to exit the room before he extended a dinner invitation. “I can’t take this humiliation any more. I’m off to change my clothes.”
“Need any help?” Ash smiled slyly.
My mouth dropped. “Absolutely not.” As he winked, I added, “You pestiferous…”
“That’s not a word!” he exclaimed.
“Oh yes it is,” I said smugly, whipping my scarf through the air.
“Ash, you better get yourself a dictionary App if you’re gonna take her on,” Ally suggested with a big smile and added, “Nachos are ready.”
As I walked towards my bedroom Ash called out, “Well, at least wear jeans and grab a windbreaker. You’ll want to be warm when I take you out for a ride on my bike.”
Whipping around, I regarded him hotly and said, “Not a chance.”
He walked towards me, deliberately slow, until he was intentionally invading my personal space. He was probably about six inches taller than me, but that didn’t intimidate me in the least. It was the proximity of his face to mine and his musky, masculine scent that had me breathing heavy.
“Scared of the adrenaline rush, honey?” he taunted.
“First of all, I’m not your honey,” I said spitefully, “and second of all, I’m not afraid of a little speed. Motorcycles don’t scare me,” I lied. A couple years before, my premonitions had me yanking a young girl out of the way just before a motorcycle went skidding across her path. She was fine, but the rider had died. Speed was fine, but I’d been leery of motorcycles ever since.
He bit his lower lip and said in a velvety voice, “I’m not so sure about that. But I wasn’t referring to the motorcycle.”
It took me a minute to realize he was talking about himself. “You are arrogant and insolent and…and…” I broke off, suddenly at a rare loss for words.
“Maybe,” he said simply. “Too bad you’re intimidated by a little adventure. Might be too dangerous for you after all.”
“I think you think you’re more dangerous than you really are,” I snapped.
He chuckled at my dirty look and said, “But I’m more than willing to do whatever it takes to please…” He let his voice drift off as his eyes traveled down my body.
I didn’t know why I was so unnerved, why I couldn’t just turn and walk away. Maybe I was ready to live on the edge – have a little excitement before I died. Maybe in some weird way it was my revenge on Jason for running out on me. But whatever it was, the words that escaped my mouth surprised me. “Well then, let’s see what you’ve got. Bring it on, if you can – which, I seriously doubt.” I swung my hip out and smacked my lips together. “It’s gonna take everything you’ve got to impress me.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ally almost drop the nacho tray.
Ash never flinched; he just kept smiling. Reaching his hand out, he gently tilted my chin upwards. His touch was warm and exhilarating. It was a different kind of warmth than the strange heat I’d felt with Jason, but still more than enough to make me shudder.
“Oh, I will. Believe me, I will. And I promise you’ll be begging for more.” Brazenly, he glanced down at my lips, where his eyes lingered way too long. After what felt like an eternity, he raised his gaze and winked. Then he strolled into the kitchen and said to Ally, “Those nachos smell great. Let’s eat.”
My heart lurched unexpectedly. Ally nodded her head towards Ash and her blue eyes sparkled with admiration. Unbelievable!
Once the guys had crowded around the table and were devouring the nachos, she turned to me and hissed quietly, “Forget Jason. Ash is deliciously sexy. And Alex, I know you saw his Seven jeans. What a pair you’d make! No pun intended.” She giggled.
“Ha, ha. Very funny. And they aren’t just Seven jeans,” I informed her, slapping her gently on the shoulder. “They’re 7 For All Mankind. Why in the world does he have you so…so…bamboozled?” I said, frustrated at my inability to procure a better word. I didn’t give her time to respond before adding, “All I can say is callow.”
She shook her head incredulously. “What does that mean?”
I glanced at the guys, all of whom were totally engrossed in eating. “It’s the word of the day.”
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, of course it is,” she said disgustedly. “Live a little. You might enjoy yourself more.”
“It means immature,” I called over my shoulder.
CHAPTER 9 – A LITTLE ADVENTURE AND A LOT OF DANGER
A few minutes later I stepped out of my bedroom feeling comfortable and confident in my triangle pocket, boot cut, stretch Hudson jeans. Ha! That would show him he wasn’t the only one with an eye for expensive jeans. Against my better judgment, I’d determined there was no way I could renege on his offer, or his demand rather, that I go for a ride, so I’d slipped into my green windbreaker as well. As I entered the room, they were cleaning up the last of the nachos and enjoying another round of laughter while re-reading the note.
Noticing my approach, Kai said, “Lexi, this card is so corny. Too bad Ash wasn’t the one who sent you flowers. He probably would have included a nice melodic love song, and I can promise you, it would have been worth reading.”
Skeptically, I looked over at Ash. “Somehow, I doubt that very much.”
Kai shoved a couple broke
n chips into his mouth and shook his head adamantly. Still chewing, he said, “No seriously, Ash is a great writer. We have a band with my brother and a couple of his friends, and Ash writes all our original stuff.”
“No way. That’s cool!” Ben interjected.
“Oh yeah. We’re not serious or anything, but we have a good time and play at parties – our parties mostly,” Kai said. “We’re hoping to get a couple gigs at the local bars this year.”
I glanced at Ash who seemed unusually quiet. Drinking a Coke, he appeared to be studying the can rather intently. “What instrument do you play?” I asked Kai.
“Oh, I play the drums.” He made a few quick hand strokes like he was beating on some real drums. “Ash sings and also plays the guitar. My brother Noa plays bass, and our other roommates, Matt and Patrick, take lead guitar and keyboards.”
“What kind of music do you guys play?” Ally asked.
Kai raised his shoulders. “Mostly rock – a little bit of classic, hard, and modern. We have several originals,” he nodded, “thanks to Ash’s brilliant writing.”
Ash shrugged and said indifferently, “I don’t know about brilliant, but some of its okay.” In a respectful tone he added, “All the guys have talent. That’s what makes the band sound good. All the singer really needs is attitude.” He laughed at himself and pulled me towards the doorway. “And we all know I have plenty of that. Later guys. I promised Lexi a little danger and a lot of adventure.”
I gave Ally a desperate look, but she just smiled and said, “Have a good time. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She and Ben snickered.
Grabbing two helmets off the floor, Ash handed me the royal blue one. “By the way,” he said snidely, “nice jeans. Bet they cost you a pretty penny.”
“Not nearly as much as yours,” I snapped and hurried outside.
“Touché’ – Miss Feisty.”
I shook my head with resignation. “So, where we headed?”
“You’ll see,” he said, pulling on his helmet, a perfect color match to his bike. Then he whistled. “Wow! Sweet ride. Is this yours,” he asked pointing at my Nissan.
Amethyst - Book One of the Guardian Series Page 10