Jace dropped down in the sand on her other side and gave her a look. I’ve seen that look quite a bit in the last couple of days with no real explanation for it.
It reminded me that I needed to have a talk with her, which I’d totally forgotten while we were practicing earlier.
“Are you okay Cass?”
“Yeah I’m fine.” She looked miserable and I felt bad because it looked like everyone else in our little group of four had paired off except her.
We sat there for a while, Jace and I slowly drawing her out of her shell, and I found it strange that I could go back to being normal after that earth shattering experience.
Jace kept watching me like he was going to pounce any minute, and I felt my resolve dwindling by the second. Definitely a week tops.
We snuck back in the house an hour later and the boys went home after making sure that we were safely inside.
At least there were two more very happy teenage girls in my room that night, the other one I’ll figure out.
Chapter 9
I knew it was going to be today, I don’t know how I knew, but all day there was just this feeling in the air.
From the moment he pulled in beside me this morning, the tension was thick and almost touchable. It was in everything he did.
The way he looked at me, like he was reliving every second of our time together last Saturday night at the beach. I hadn’t stopped thinking about it all week; it was a wonder I hadn’t given myself away.
It had been torture not seeing him the very next day, but dad insisted the family spend some time together, so our only contact had been the two hours we’d spent on the phone before bedtime.
Then the next day at school we all but ate each other’s faces off until the others started pelting us with snack foods.
It was hard and made even harder because my diabolical boyfriend decided that now was a good time to not study together.
He claimed he was taking care of something, but I think he was torturing me on purpose to get me to give up the goods.
Now we were heading to the cafeteria on Friday afternoon and I was almost certain that everyone could see what was going through both our minds.
He did his usual thing where he sat me at the table and headed off to get a tray for us to share.
Jared and Shane and some of the other guys had started following his example. Lately more and more people have been coming by the table, to say hello or to hang.
There was something strange going on at Eden High; the shift was almost palpable. I had missed it in the beginning, too preoccupied with my own blossoming affair.
Belle has been keeping me posted though she herself wasn’t sure what was the cause of the power change.
Daily it seemed more and more, that the once popular girls were losing their following.
According to Belle, a lot of the kids that had once shunned her were now saying hello out of nowhere and generally being sociable.
Cheerleading practice was still a little tense for me, with Mandy and her friends trying to appear menacing, though I noticed that except for Liz and Kelly, no one else seemed to be hanging on to her every word like before.
I tried to avoid her as much as possible and was happy to see that she had taken heed of Jace’s threat and was steering clear of me as well.
***
“You’re coming straight home with me after school, call your mom if you need to.” He leaned over and whispered in my ear in the middle of lunch.
“Is that an order?” I teased him since he pretty much worded everything the same way.
“If you’d like. Have Cassandra said anything to you about what’s been bothering her?” he changed the subject seeming preoccupied all of a sudden.
I looked down the table at the girl in question. Sunday morning before she’d left to go home, I’d cornered her alone and grilled her about why she’d seemed so preoccupied lately.
She swore up and down that she was fine, but I knew better. Belle had found us so I decided to table it until later, but I never had the chance before her dad came to get her.
I hope she didn’t notice the way the older man had given me the once over while he was pretending to ask about his daughter’s night. Gross!
“No, she says she’s fine, why, do you know something?”
He took his time answering me.
“It’s nothing for you to worry about, and when I say that I mean there’s nothing for you to worry about.”
We both knew that wasn’t gonna work but I kept it zipped for now. I didn’t want anything to go wrong today, not if we were going to be doing what I was pretty sure we would be later.
Thinking about it made me both nervous and excited. This was a big step, I never had any plans on just squandering my virginity like it was something I had to get rid of, and I was happy that it would be with someone I had actually grown to love.
Love, it seemed so unreal to be thinking of that now, so soon after we’d met.
Yesterday I’d questioned mom, being carful not to give too much away, though I think she was on to me when I asked how she’d known that dad was the one.
That hadn’t stopped her from answering though, and her words went a long way to soothing some of the worries I had floating around inside.
Jace seemed very sure of himself, then again he’s done this before; I won’t hold that against him.
Lunch was uneventful thank heavens. I’d almost half expected Mandy to jump out of somewhere knowingly, and stop us from going ahead with whatever he had planned.
By the time the last bell rang I was a bundle of nerves. Jace met me at my car and with a terse follow me, hopped into his car.
I don’t think I held a thought in my head the whole way. I was trying to remember how I felt right now, to see if there would be any difference later.
Shoot, I wish I’d gone home and had a bath first, get some of the school sweat off of me, but it was not to be.
We didn’t stop at his house but drove a little past it to the guesthouse that was on the same property, but with a separate entrance.
I looked around for his parents but no one seemed to be around. Now I was nervous and unsure of myself.
All week I’ve been half expecting this, now that the time had come, I wasn’t so sure.
Not that I was having second thoughts about giving myself to him, but because I was afraid I would suck.
He came back to help me out of the car since I seemed to be stuck to my seat.
“Hey, look at me; it’s going to be fine, trust me.” He held out his hand and I took it, following him into the little cottage that wasn’t so little once we got inside.
“Wow, this is…” the place looked ready for a romantic getaway. There were flowers everywhere, my favorite lilies of the valley I noticed, and candles waiting to be lit.
He walked over and pressed a button and the whole mood of the room changed as the curtains closed and a skylight receded above.
There were stars and…”Where did you get stars?” he pressed another button and music piped into the room.
“This is Hollywood babe, anything can happen haven’t you heard?”
I forgot to be nervous as he led me through the rooms and to the bathroom, where he sat me on the vanity and went to run me a bath.
I tried to remember the stories I’d heard of my friends losing their V card and none came close.
One had been in the backseat of a car, one was in a public bathroom of all places and none had been satisfactory.
Maybe that’s why I hadn’t been expecting much when my tame came. Already he had blown away all expectations.
***
JACE
Let’s get you out of these.” I liked seeing her in the things I’d bought, in the last week that’s pretty much all she wore.
I unbuttoned her shirt, taking my time and drawing it out. I wanted every moment of this night to be memorable.
So as much as I was dying for her taste on my tongue again,
I planned on playing it cool.
She stepped out of her underwear and I helped her over and into the tub full of bubbles in her favorite scent.
She looked both intrigued and scared and I set about easing her mind.
“You know I’m in love with you right? I don’t know if I’ve said it loud enough for you to hear, you know your hearing problem.” I got a laugh and a sneer, progress; at least she was no longer looking ready to bolt at any minute.
I washed her carefully, teasing her under the water before leaving her to soak while I moved across the room to the shower.
Damn, I’ve never over thought sex before. It was just something you did to feel good, one of the many things that brought me pleasure.
Somehow this felt different and I was sure that it was supposed to, with her.
I flicked off the water and went to get her. Lifting her out of the tub, I didn’t give her time to dwell, just moved in right away.
I dried her off, making sure to pay special attention to between her legs and her amazing breasts.
By the time I was done she was all but melting at my feet. I wanted to pick her up, lay her out on the bed and fuck her into tomorrow, but there was more to come.
I lifted her naked body into my arms and headed for the bedroom. Seating her on the edge I went back out to the living room to get my bag.
She was looking around the room from her place on the bed when I came back; I have to admit, I’d done a damn good job.
Kneeling in front of her, I took the little box I’d been carrying all week from the pocket of the bag.
“Babe, this is gonna sound crazy, but I can’t have you unless you accept this.” I opened the box and showed her the ring.
“Do you realize that both our parents knew they were meant for each other, after only knowing each other for just a little while.
I think that’s our destiny babe. I don’t know quite how it works but I’m absolutely sure that this, us, is meant to be.”
She looked like she was gonna cry and I felt for sure she was gonna turn me down. And then her hand came up though she was shaking like a leaf, but that was good enough for me.
I slipped the diamond on her finger and there was no doubt, no second thoughts in my mind. Everything I wanted was falling into place.
“I love the fuck out of you. Now let’s have our night and we’ll figure the rest out tomorrow.
THE END
Eden High: (A Serial Novel Book 3) Page 5