Eternal Choice: (The Cursed Series, Book 2)

by Kara Leigh Miller

  It was like he knew how my body reacted to him. But that was impossible.

  “Okay,” I said, drawing out the word. “Add creepy staring to your list of talents.”

  He laughed, and every nerve in my body came alive. I didn’t know if I wanted to run or stay, to laugh or cry or throw myself into his arms.

  “In my defense, you are standing there half-naked,” he said.

  I glanced down at myself—why, I had no idea. I was hyper-aware of the fact that I was showing more skin than I had covered.

  “I’m wearing a bikini. Surely, you’ve seen one of those before,” I said.

  “I’ve seen a lot of bikinis before.” He took a step closer, and I couldn’t force my legs to move, even though I knew I should. “Just never on you.”

  My heart stuttered in my chest, but I refused to give in to his obvious flirting. Not when I was standing in Simon’s house.

  “Of course not. We just met.” I gave him a dirty look. What was up with this guy?

  “Of course,” he said, his tone cool.

  Without another word, I stepped around him and headed out to the backyard. Simon was already in the pool. He was attaching a net to one side, while Olivia fastened the other. I piled my stuff on a lounge chair.

  When Simon noticed me, his eyes widened, and my face heated. Trent appeared beside me—seemingly out of nowhere—and I gasped with shock.

  “Apparently, you’re a ninja, too.” I shook my head. “I didn’t even hear you come outside.”

  He chuckled but didn’t say anything.

  Oliva climbed out of the pool, her svelte, tanned body dripping wet. It was unfair how gorgeous she was. “So much for my wish that you stayed home. Or, I don’t know, fell down and knocked yourself out,” she said.

  Before I could think about what I was doing, I raised my middle finger at her. Her jaw dropped. How was that for being a meaner girl? I couldn’t wait to tell Jaxon everything.

  Trent snickered, and Simon let out a loud whoop.

  Olivia scowled at me, then glanced at her brother. “Classy one you got here, Simon.” Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she smiled sweetly at Trent and took hold of his arm.

  Hot jealousy singed my insides, which was ludicrous. I had no reason whatsoever to be feeling this way, especially about a guy I didn’t even know.

  “What happened to Ethan?” I asked Olivia.

  She waved her hand dismissively. “He’s old news.”

  “Yesterday is old news?” I attempted to sound innocent, but my tone had a bite to it. I couldn’t bring myself to care.

  “Yup. Which means by tomorrow, you’ll be old news, too,” she said.

  I clenched my jaw.

  “How about some volleyball?” Simon asked, clearly trying to diffuse the situation. He stood, arms folded on top of the pool’s edge. Even though he was addressing all of us, his gaze was trained on me.

  I nodded.

  “Lovely.” Simon smiled. “Livi, you and Trent can play against me and Chloe.” He held his hand out to me, and I approached.

  Sitting on the edge and dipping my feet into the water—no surprise that it was the perfect level of warm—I allowed him to help me into the water. As soon as I was in, I expected Simon to release me. But he didn’t. He kept his hands on my waist.

  Behind me, I heard what could only be described as a growl. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge. Everything inside of me wanted to turn around, to look at Trent, but I fought against the urge.

  A moment later, Trent was in the water. He slipped on a pair of sunglasses, which was odd, and turned away. But then again, he was a tad odd.

  Olivia joined him, an overblown plastic ball in her hands. “We get the first serve,” she announced.

  “We volley for serve,” Simon said.

  “Not today.” Oliva smiled sweetly, then tossed the ball to Trent.

  He caught it with ease, then lifted it and hit it over the net. Only, he didn’t just hit it. He smacked it. Hard. The sting of his palm against the plastic made me cringe. Simon lunged in front of me and hit the ball back over the net.

  Trent lobbed it back, but this time, it flew straight at me. I put my hands up and slapped at the ball—not out of skill but out of fear of being hit in the face. The ball barely made it over the net before Olivia wailed on it.

  After a couple minutes of steady volleying, Simon scored the first point. He rushed at me, wrapping his arms around me, and lifting me out of the water. I laughed. But I didn’t miss the deadly scowl Trent threw at him. I was starting to think that guy had some serious anger issues.

  Celebration over, Simon served the ball. Trent all but shoved Olivia out of the way, and I swore he punched the ball over the net.

  For a while, it was a good-natured game of volleyball, with Trent and Simon laughing and shouting harmless insults at each other. Eventually, though, our friendly game of two-on-two had turned into a cutthroat game of one-on-one.

  I watched Trent closely, the way his muscles tensed and spasmed with each hit. But more than that, he was so… graceful. Which was nearly impossible in chest high water, but he somehow pulled it off. And he moved fast, too, which again was nearly impossible under these conditions, but he did it. Without missing a single shot.

  “You two about done?” Olivia stood off to the side, arms crossed, pouting.

  For once, I agreed with her. I hadn’t come here to get ignored while the guys tried to prove who was the better pool volleyball player. Thankfully, my cell phone rang, saving me. I moved toward the steps.

  “This is the dumbest party ever.” Olivia hoisted herself out of the pool, wrapped a towel around her waist, and stormed inside.

  Good riddance. From the corner of my eye, I saw the ball heading straight toward me, but I wasn’t fast enough. The wet plastic smashed against my face, and the hard spout used to blow it up scraped across my cheek.

  “Ow,” I said.

  Pain radiated across my cheek and up to my eye. Tears burned my throat, and I was powerless to stop them from falling. I closed my eyes against the stinging pain. Trent reached me first—no idea how when Simon was literally only a couple inches away from me.

  “Are you okay?” Trent’s voice was full of concern. Gently, he pulled my hand from my face, his thumb brushing across my knuckles.

  Another dizzying wave of déjà vu hit me, and I swayed, afraid I’d slip and end up underwater.

  “Chloe, love, are you okay?” Simon sounded so far away despite standing right next to me.

  “She needs some ice for her cheek.” Trent’s words were tight, like he was forcing them out through clenched teeth.

  I couldn’t be sure, though, because my eye was watering, and my vision was blurred.

  Trent guided me out of the pool and onto a chaise lounge while Simon hurried inside for ice. Trent sat on the chair opposite me. My hand was still clasped in his, and I didn’t even try to pull away.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “Do you feel sick? Dizzy? Maybe you have a concussion.” He removed his sunglasses.

  “I don’t have a concussion.”

  “Are you sure? You’re not a doctor. You could be wrong.” He shifted so his leg was in between mine, which brought our bodies closer.

  “You’re not a doctor, either,” I said with a bit too much snark.

  He reached up to touch my face, and I flinched. He let his hand drop to my knee, but he leaned closer, studying me. And I did the same. His eyes were a stormy blue, but there was a tenderness in his gaze.

  I glanced down to where both of his hands now rested on my knees. Long, slender fingers. Perfectly manicured nails. Strong, self-assured touch. I know these hands.

  A nagging hum built in my head, growing louder by the second, but it was indecipherable. There was something about Trent. Something… familiar. But I couldn’t pinpoint it, and it was starting to drive me crazy.

  “You look so much like someone I know, an
d I can’t shake this feeling that I know you. Every time I’m around you, it’s like déjà vu,” I whispered. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I wished I could take them back. I sounded crazy.

  An almost imperceptible smile ghosted across his face. “Do I seem like the kind of guy you’d forget?”

  I let out a surprised laugh. “No.”

  “Good.” He closed the short distance between us, his lips dangerously close to mine. “Because you’re definitely not the kind of girl I’d ever forget.”

  My breath hitched.

  His eyes darkened.

  Our mouths, like magnets, pulled closer and closer. “Trent, we can’t.” I placed my hands on his chest, intending to push him away, but my fingers curled against him, like I was trying to find a way to crawl inside of him rather than get away from him.

  He sat back, eyes even darker than they were a moment ago. “Because of him?”

  Not more than a second later, Simon strolled outside, carrying an ice pack. I jerked away from Trent, putting some much needed distance between us. Simon must not have noticed, because he sat beside me, our legs pressed against one another like nothing was wrong.

  “Sorry. Livi was being a pain,” he said and handed me the ice.

  I took it and held it to my cheek, wincing only slightly. “Thanks.”

  “Better?” Simon asked.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

  But one look at Trent, and I wasn’t so sure about that.

  CHAPTER TWELVE:

  Everyone Has a Twin Somewhere

  HALF AN HOUR LATER WHEN DECLAN dropped me off at the bookstore, my cheek still stung, and it was probably red, too. I should have canceled Jaxon’s tutoring session, but it was the only thing that made any sense—my entire day had been bizarre. Besides, I could really use a bit more of his no-nonsense advice.

  Jaxon was once again seated on the couch in the alcove, and when he saw me, he stood. “Why is your hair wet? What happened to your face?” he asked, eyes wide. “It wasn’t the mean girl, was it?”

  “I went swimming after school,” I said, taken aback by his concern. “And no, it wasn’t Olivia. It was an unfortunate volleyball accident.”

  He narrowed his eyes and studied me as if he didn’t believe me.

  I sighed. “Sit, and I’ll tell you everything.” I dropped my bag to the floor and flopped down on the couch.

  Jaxon sat a moment later, much closer than he had last week, and our legs were pressed together. Warmth spread through me. Nothing like the fire Trent’s touch caused, but this sensation was pleasant.

  “So, how was your date Friday night?” he asked.

  I playfully elbowed him. “It wasn’t a date.”

  He smirked. “Uh-huh. Did he hold your hand?”

  I kept my gaze trained on my hands in my lap.

  “Yeah, it was most definitely a date,” Jaxon said with a laugh. “I hope you let him down easy.”

  I glanced at him and tilted my head. I barely knew him, yet I felt comfortable with him—comfortable enough to tell him everything that had happened this past weekend—and that was unusual for me. But there was something about him, a strong, silent will that made it easy to open up.

  “I keep telling Simon we’re just friends.” I tucked one leg under me and shifted so I was facing Jaxon. “But that’s not even the weirdest thing that happened.”

  “Oh yeah?” Jaxon rested his elbow on the back of the couch, angling his body so he was facing me, too.

  “Yeah, so the concert was great. I had a ton of fun. His sister ignored us all night, which only made it better.”

  Jaxon chuckled but remained silent, waiting for me to continue.

  “Simon had VIP tickets, and at one point, we got close to the mosh pit. We were right in front of the stage. People were pushing and shoving, and we got separated. This crowd surfer was seconds away from crashing down on my head when this guy yanked me out of the way.”

  My heart raced at the memory of Trent grabbing me and hauling me against his chest. I could still feel his arms around me, see the way he looked at me. I suppressed a shiver.

  “Sounds like you were lucky,” Jaxon said.

  “Yeah, I guess. But the really weird part… He looked exactly like you. Except his arms were a tad smaller than yours, and he was an inch or so taller, but seriously. He looked so much like you. It was creepy.”

  “Hmm.” Jaxon shrugged. “Well, you know what they say. Everyone has a twin somewhere.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “So, you don’t happen to have a twin brother?”

  “Nope.” He grinned, but his eyes were darker than they had been a second ago.

  Was he lying to me? Why would he do that, especially about something as harmless as having a brother?

  “But I’m dying to know.” Jaxon’s lips curved into a mischievous smile. “Was this guy as hot as I am?”

  I laughed. “Nice try.”

  “What?” he said innocently.

  “Oh, come on. You know you’re hot. You don’t need me to tell you that.” I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t stop the heat that spread across my cheeks. “So, Saturday,” I said, refusing to dwell on the fact that I’d just told Jaxon to his face that I thought he was hot. “I go to this charity ball with my dad and stepmom, and this guy is there!”

  “Interesting.” Jaxon’s expression was one of amused interest, but he didn’t seem the least bit shocked by anything I was telling him.

  “Right? We talked and danced, and then he tells me he’s starting at my school.” My eyes widened to emphasize my point, and I gestured with my hands. “Can you believe that?” I didn’t give him a chance to respond. “Sure enough, he’s there today, and, of course, he’s now friends with Simon.” Groaning, I dropped my head to the back of the couch.

  Jaxon laughed. “Well, that certainly makes things… complicated. I take it you like this guy?”

  “Yes, and what’s really weird is that I feel like I know him. I can’t explain it, but every time I’m near him, it’s…” I took a deep breath. “I don’t even know.”

  He was quiet for several moments, and his expression hardened for a flash of a second before returning to its relaxed state. “Does he know you like him?”

  I shook my head. There was no way I could tell Trent I liked him, or that whenever I was around him, I felt like I was home again, that I was safe and loved. He’d think I was crazy.

  “So, how did that happen then?” Jaxon motioned toward my cheek.

  “Simon invited us to his house to go swimming. We were playing volleyball in the pool, and I got smacked in the face with the ball.”

  Jaxon nodded. “I was expecting something more scandalous, like maybe you got into a fight with the mean girl.”

  “Her name’s Olivia, and I did flip her off.” I smiled proudly. “Oh, and I called her out for how often she changes boyfriends. She really didn’t like that.”

  “That’s my girl,” Jaxon said, and my heart fluttered at his compliment.

  I took a deep breath. “Okay, we really should study. I’m like the worst tutor on the planet.”

  “Nah.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Hearing about your life is much more exciting. And considering I’m paying you… the customer is always right.”

  I shook my head, but I couldn’t contain my smile. “There’s nothing else to say. I’ve told you everything.” I tucked my other foot beneath me and mimicked Jaxon’s position with my elbow propped on the back of the couch.

  He tilted his head, then reached over and gingerly ran his finger down my sore cheek. “Does it hurt? Want me to get you some ice?”

  My throat was suddenly dry, and I forgot how to form words. His touch was softer than I expected, and without realizing it, I leaned into his hand. He cupped my cheek in his large, warm palm, and my eyes fluttered closed.

  A fresh wave of heat spread through me, and my heart beat strong, a steady thumping that instinctively told me everything was all right. That Jaxon was
n’t ever going to hurt me. That he was someone I could count on—a friend.

  “Chloe?” His voice was strained.

  My eyes popped open and horrified, I jerked away. His hand fell back against the couch. I cleared my throat. “Uh, no, it doesn’t hurt. I’m fine.”

  I put both my feet back on the floor and faced forward, away from Jaxon. Was it hot in here? I fanned my face with my hand, and when I noticed him watching me with an amused smile, I tucked my hands under my legs.

  “So, are we going to study or what?” I asked.

  “Or what.”

  “Huh?”

  “You asked if we were going to study or what. I choose the or what.”

  “You’re impossible.” I laughed. “But fine. If you want to pay me to sit here and talk to you…” I shrugged. “Though, it seems like you’d have plenty of people who would be willing to talk to you for free.”

  “Probably,” he agreed. “But would you talk to me for free?”

  “Nope,” I said, but I couldn’t keep a straight face. “If this is seriously how you want to spend your time, then tell me about you.” I settled back again, allowing myself to get comfortable.

  “I’m boring.”

  “I highly doubt that,” I said.

  I bet he had a lot of great stories to tell, stories that involved tons of friends and girls chasing after him. He’d probably lived a more exciting life in his high school years than I had in my entire life.

  “Why are you nervous?” he asked.

  “I’m not.”

  “Yes, you are.”

  “I guess this is all just a little weird.” With a heavy sigh, I faced him. “Why did you hire me, Jaxon, if you never intended to actually do any studying?”

  “When I hired you, I did plan to study. I swear I did.” But his twitching lips told a different story. “Then I met you, and now, studying doesn’t seem so important anymore. But if you really want to teach me something, I suppose I can learn.”

  Before I could respond, my phone buzzed. I dug my cell from my backpack to find I had a new message.

  Simon: I’M SO SORRY ABOUT TODAY. HOW’S THAT BEAUTIFUL FACE?

  I smiled. Simon really was very sweet, but him calling me beautiful had unease swirling in my chest. Was Jaxon right about Simon? Did he consider the concert a date? Did he like me as more than a friend?