Down the Hidden Path

by Heather Burch

  “But what about renting a cheap apartment in Burbank and working as servers in restaurants to make ends meet? What about auditions and counting pennies and stalking directors and writers? What about . . .”

  She giggled, drained the champagne glass. “Look at me, Miah.”

  When his golden gaze halted on her, Gray’s heart kicked up. She offered a sad smile. “I couldn’t even get a bit part in a movie filmed in my hometown.”

  He cast a glance over his shoulder. “Not your fault. Jennifer won’t allow anyone more beautiful than her on the set. It’s in her contract.”

  Beautiful? Miah thought she was beautiful? With her straight, slick, black hair and weird gray eyes. She’d looked at them in the mirror her whole life, but when she looked at everyone else, she had to admit—they were weird. In all the conversations she and Miah’d had, he’d failed to mention he thought her beautiful. She took the champagne from him and downed his glass. She didn’t drink, normally. But feeling out of place and now with Miah thinking she was beautiful and all, Gray worked her way through three more glasses while they chatted with the crew that would be leaving within a few days.

  A couple hours later, Miah found her sitting alone at a table. Two of the guys from the crew had just left her.

  “You were flirting,” he said as he pulled out a chair and sat next to her, where his powerful legs created a perfect frame for her to lean on.

  Gray tossed her hair. “Was I?”

  “Mm hmm.”

  “You know what they said?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “They said I could make it easy in Hollywood. Said I had a unique look. Exotic.” She pointed into the air as if she’d unraveled the mysteries of the world. “No wait, intoxicating.”

  “They’re right.” Something solid hit Gray’s floating heart, causing it to stop. Though the room had been dreamlike and whimsical moments ago, it was suddenly rock hard. Jeremiah was close enough that she could feel every breath he exhaled. Her hand was flat on his thigh, her face inches from his.

  “You’ve never told me I’m intoxicating.” Heat rose through his pant leg and if it didn’t feel so good, she’d snatch her hand away. A war entered his golden eyes. Did Jeremiah really think of her as intoxicating?

  Fingertips, warm and smooth, touched her cheek. “You’re more than that, Gray.”

  And that’s when she realized he was only now seeing her. Maybe it had taken him a long time, but Miah was finally seeing more than the girl he’d grown up with. Their time together was ending; high school was over. “Why? Why now?” She didn’t need to explain her question. Miah knew her like no one else did.

  He leaned back. “I didn’t like seeing those guys volleying for you.”

  Her gaze narrowed on him. “I’ve watched girls fighting over you my whole life.”

  He turned away. “That’s different.”

  “Why?”

  He didn’t answer, so she cupped his face with her hand and forced him to look at her. There really was a battle going on inside him. Golden eyes caught the light of the chandelier above, bouncing little sparks into the space between them.

  But the silence gave Gray courage, and all the things she’d wanted to say to Miah for so long were rising to the surface on champagne bubbles. “Why should you get to have a steady stream of girlfriends traipsing through your life, but I can’t have one movie crew member taking an interest?”

  “It’s just different, Gray.” His teeth were gritted, the muscle in his jaw tight.

  She tilted closer to him, her hand still clamped on his thigh. “Why? Because I’m a girl?”

  Jeremiah blew a breath of frustration into her face. “No. Because you deserve better than a guy like him. Better than . . .”

  Suddenly, the room felt smaller, all the pretty decorations eaten up by the intensity that was Jeremiah. “What?” She’d leaned closer and when he stood, she nearly fell to the ground. But strong hands clamped on her arms and pulled her to her feet.

  “Come on, I’m taking you home.”

  Outside, the air was cool and crisp, unusual for early summer in River Rock, but a nice reprieve from the stuffy party and stupid Jennifer Cransden. Gray stood at the edge of the sidewalk overlooking the downtown street, now empty of the bustle of noise and traffic it normally held. It was late. Later than she usually stayed out, but Nana had taken some ibuprofen and wouldn’t be up until dawn, so it hardly mattered. Miah strolled to his car, but Gray stayed on the sidewalk, enjoying the quiet, the night, the dreamy way she felt.

  When the wind kicked up, she tilted her head, closed her eyes, and let the breeze play through the strands of her hair. Miah was parked nearby, but she felt warm and powerful on the inside and if she kept him waiting there by his car door, so what? The hem of her thin silk dress flittered against her legs. She’d never realized how amazing silk felt against her skin. Soft and smooth and cool. Like touching heaven. Her fingers slid over the garment from her stomach to her hips, relishing the slick, glossy material and the way it pressed, just so, to her body.

  Something trickled across the back of her neck, leaving a trail of gooseflesh. She opened her eyes to find Miah leaning against his car, one foot cocked in front of the other. He’d look perfectly at ease if it wasn’t for the intensity in his gaze.

  Realization dawned for her. He was looking at her, noticing her stance, feet apart, wind pressing the dress to her body, hair flying behind her. She felt the power of being female, like a mermaid, or one of those women on the front of a ship with the breeze against her and the world as her audience, forging her own way, taking no prisoners.

  For how many years had she been desperate for Miah to see her? How many times had he missed opportunities? And now, now that he wanted to see her, she didn’t want to be seen, at least not by him.

  Around her the wind died, and with it, her moment of pretend immortal power. It left her empty. Now, she just wanted to go home and go to bed. Tomorrow was a new day. She’d wake up with this night behind her because to know that she could attract Miah meant she could maybe in some strange alternate universe have Miah.

  And that meant she could lose Miah.

  Her stature became lax as she corralled her hair, then dragged the length of it over her shoulder and hid behind it the best she could.

  Jeremiah dropped his keys and bent to pick them up. When he righted himself, she saw the concern in his eyes.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t think I should drive.”

  Her chin jutted forward. “Were you drinking?”

  “No. I mean, I had several glasses of the punch. Jennifer gave them to me. I told her I had to drive home.”

  Gray cut a glare to the door of the party. “You can’t trust people like Jennifer.”

  “I can have Gabriel come pick us up.”

  Gray touched his arm. “Gabriel is singing at the Neon Moon, right? We don’t want to cut his night short. If we sneak through the graveyard, it’s only four blocks. Let’s just walk.”

  Miah’s face split into a grin. “You and your graveyards.” His eyes were a little glassy.

  Gray took him by the hand and drew him in the direction of the cemetery where half the founders of River Rock were buried. She loved the place, the tilting headstones, the solitude. She hated the fact that a Hollywood scout was the only other being on the planet who had found value in the aged cemetery. He’d said it was the perfect spot for their movie, and suddenly, everyone in River Rock was talking about how wonderful and quaint their graveyard was. Gray felt a bit protective of it. Like she was its guardian. Or perhaps it was hers. She’d even done battle with a girl in seventh grade who’d called her freak and zombie for hanging out at the cemetery. A bunch of those girls had walked by once when she was placing wildflowers on a woman’s stone. She hadn’t known the woman, but her stone had looked lonely and Gray understood that. The girls had
busted out laughing and now that she was older, Gray supposed it had looked weird, putting flowers on a gravestone of someone who’d been dead longer than she’d been alive. After that, she’d been pronounced the town freak, middle-school freak, high school freak. No, she couldn’t say that. In high school she just didn’t have any friends. Except Jeremiah. Which by design meant people tolerated her, but no one really liked her. It was okay. Life was bigger than high school. At least, she hoped it would be.

  The breeze was a constant companion for their silence as she and Miah walked. Wind blew first at their sides, then into their faces after only a nominal pause at the car. Gray’s hands came up and cupped her elbows.

  Miah moved closer. “You cold?”

  “A little chilly.” She cast a glance over the slip of her dress. “Thin material.”

  “I don’t have a jacket, but you can take my shirt if you want.”

  One brow cocked. “That’s okay.”

  They ducked under the section of wrought iron fence and the cemetery opened up before them. Gray’s attention moved over the moonlit tombstones. They seemed to glow with unnatural light, their long shadows cast beside them opposite a full moon that peeked from the gathering clouds, brightening the area.

  “Why do you like graveyards?” Miah leaned into the wind. It was steady now, sending stray leaves and debris along the dirt paths of the cemetery.

  She turned to face him. “I don’t know.”

  His golden eyes searched her.

  “I guess a cemetery is a place of honor. It marks life and life is precious. I think cemeteries don’t get the honor they deserve.”

  Miah chuckled. “So, you probably don’t appreciate the fact that the production company of the movie built a set right at the edge.” He nodded toward the wooden cottage that had been constructed.

  Gray’s shoulder tipped up. “They said it would be suitable for a caretaker. Since they made it look old, part of the property, I guess I don’t mind it. In their own way, they’ve improved the area. That building will be there long after we’re dead and gone.”

  They walked on, taking the dirt path that would lead them beyond the cottage and out to the street. Just as they reached the corner, the sky crackled and lit up with jagged strips of lightning.

  “Come on.” Miah took Gray’s hand and pulled her beneath the small awning at the front door of the movie-set cottage.

  Gray scanned the sky. “I didn’t see that coming.” Of course, that’s how it was in the Ozark Mountains. Storms rose without warning.

  When the wind shifted and caused giant drops of water to pelt their sides, Miah used his body as a shield. Warmth rose from where he stood, his back to the storm, his chest facing Gray. And for the longest time, she stood right there, thinking about the future, how she knew in her heart Miah and she were on vastly different paths. She knew this might be one of the last nights they spent together like this. Best friends, but just a little bit more. When rain began to run in rivulets down his arms, she reached out and dragged him closer.

  Miah planted his hands on the wall behind her, closing her into a safe half circle. She let her hands trail down his arms to remove some of the rain.

  She shook off the excess and watched as the water speckled the last bits of dryness on the porch floor at her feet. When her eyes came up to Miah with an apology on her lips, she halted. His gaze had changed to molten lava. His breathing, ragged. A new kind of heat flew off him in waves and before Gray could stop herself, she was trapped in it. The heat rose, swirling around them, and now her breathing matched his.

  Miah licked his lips and somewhere deep inside, she knew a war was going on. But she didn’t care. She’d loved Miah since junior high, when he’d seen the invisible girl who everyone called Gray.

  In an instant, all their time together rushed into her mind. It was like people who say their life flashes before their eyes right before death. Swimming in the river, long walks in the woods, late-night study sessions when she fell asleep with her head against his chest. And quite suddenly, a new sensation skated through Gray’s being. A territorial sensation.

  Miah was hers.

  So many times, she’d hoped he’d ditch the friendship card and play the boyfriend card, but he never had. And she’d certainly never go there if he didn’t. Except. Except right now, Miah was looking at her with eyes filled with desire, and suddenly Gray realized for the first time ever, she was in control of the relationship.

  Her hands, still wet, came up to rest against his chest. Tell me what you want, her gaze said to him, and when her hands fisted into the cloth of his shirt, Miah’s groan answered her question.

  It fueled her. Gray reached up behind her and gripped one of his hands. When she placed it on her hip, another groan slipped from Miah’s lips. Gray captured the other hand. He came willingly now, putty in her grasp. Fire rose around them and they might as well have been standing in an inferno. Gripping his wrist tighter, she used his fingertips to trace the line of her breastbone, down, down, over her flat stomach and finally rested them on her other hip.

  And then the world became a blur. He dragged her closer, so close they touched everywhere from chest to thighs. Miah had never kissed her. But she knew, she knew he was going to, and it would likely ruin her, devastate her, but it didn’t matter. Right now, Miah McKinley was hers, and she wouldn’t feel anything but joy.

  His lips came down on hers hard, as if the whole of their relationship needed to be summed up in that one deep kiss. Or maybe it was to wreck the relationship they’d had and build a new one. Nothing was ever gained without loss. Gray had saved up her whole life for this kiss, and as his moist lips and tongue danced over her, she realized it was all worth the wait. He crowded around her more tightly, fitting her into him as if she’d always been there. As if it was her home. Miah couldn’t seem to get enough of her, and as his mouth trailed to the edge of her jaw and he whispered, “What are we doing?” into her ear, maybe it should have stopped her. Reminded her she was a practical kind of girl and Miah was a guy who’d had a lot of girlfriends. He was schooled at all this. She was new, and yet that wasn’t how it felt at all. She felt in control of her destiny for the first time. It was good and reckless and perfect.

  Lightning struck just above the building, causing Miah to jolt. It broke the moment. He blew out a breath and started to take a step back. But she trapped him, her hands clasping around his neck, her eyes staring deep into him.

  “Is this door unlocked?” she whispered.

  A quick frown, then understanding lit his gaze. “Gray.” It was an answer and a question all rolled into one.

  “Tell me you don’t want this and we’ll walk away.” Her touch became a caress. His body instantly responded. “Tell me you don’t want me, Jeremiah.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut and pulled several breaths. “I . . . I don’t . . .” Then, his eyes popped open and he was touching her everywhere. Lips on her mouth, fingers sliding over her bare shoulders. He growled into her ear, “I don’t think I can do that.”

  “Then stop pushing me away and take me inside.”

  CHAPTER 3

  Jeremiah woke with a start and sat straight up in bed. He tried to shake the grogginess from his being, but in the short months he’d been out of the army, he’d gone soft. He scanned the room with his powerful night vision. There was nothing there. He closed his eyes and quieted his breathing, listening, tuning in to the most acutely trained of his five senses. A light wind outside, the hum of his clock, a ceiling fan, no other sounds penetrated his mind. And that’s when he knew he hadn’t heard anything. He’d sensed something. At the realization, Miah threw off the covers, his feet hitting the hardwood floor. Without the help of a light, he grabbed the jeans he’d shrugged out of just before dropping into bed and tugged them on over his hips. He wasn’t cold, but that didn’t stop the gooseflesh from rising along his neck and shoulders. Miah mad
e his way downstairs, a curse and a prayer vying for dominance on his mouth.

  Something was wrong. Tragically wrong, and if he had to guess, it involved one of his brothers. He clutched his cell phone and paced the floor while trying to make contact. It took him two hours to get any information at all, but once he did, he went straight to Charlee’s house.

  He pounded on the door until Charlee answered. Her curly hair was a fright and she tugged a robe around her midsection and blinked away the sleep while flipping on the porch light. It was the middle of the night and as soon as she saw him, she sucked a deep breath. Instantly, she knew something was wrong, just like he’d known.

  A desperate look crossed her face and he could tell her teeth were clinched together as if the motion could shore her up for what Miah was about to say.

  And how exactly was he supposed to explain? His mouth opened, but nothing came out. Worry had stolen the color from her face and he knew he had to tell her something. But for a man who’d dealt with his fair share of pain, words failed him.

  The tension in the air was stealing the oxygen, making everything worse, and it was at that moment Miah remembered Ian was out of town. He needed to get a grip. Needed to be strong for her.

  “Miah, what has happened?”

  His eyes blinked and then filled with tears.

  Charlee grabbed the doorframe, her thin fingers locking on the wood to help hold her upright. “Miah! What?”

  “It’s . . .” He started to take a step in, but stopped. “It’s Caleb. He’s been in an accident. Charlee, they said he might not make it through the night.”

  He watched as she absorbed the words. She paled, a black veil appearing to float over her eyes. Charlee was about to faint. He grabbed her up just as her knees buckled.