Mesmerized
Page 6
Lily, use your powers.
How? You want me to seduce a cop???
No! Look him in the eye and tell him what you want him to believe.
I'll try. I have to go he's waiting.
Lily opened the bathroom door and stared out at the cop, trying to come up with something to say. Her mother was much better at this. She walked out of the bathroom and swallowed hard. She twirled her hair and looked up into his eyes. "Officer, can you help me for a moment?”
"Uh sure, what can I do?" He looked around nervously.
Lily walked closer to the officer. She had no idea what she was doing, but figured at this point it was worth trying. She had seen her mother manipulate men countless times.
She locked her eyes with his and willed him to believe what she said. "I don't want to go down to the station. Go back and tell your boss you could not find me. You can leave now."
The officer turned and left. Lily couldn’t believe it worked! She had to get out of there before someone else came back. She grabbed her backpack and tossed in some clothes, cash, and the bankcard her father had given her.
She called Jake. "The cops came for me, but I got out of it for now. I need to go. I'll contact you when I can."
"Wait for me. I'm going with you."
"Jake, you can't leave for me."
"Of course I can. I'm on my way. There is nothing holding me here."
"Okay. Thank you." Lily hit the ‘end’ button on the phone and held it in her hand for a minute. She was surprised that Jake wanted to go with her, but she certainly didn’t mind.
For the first time in her life, Lily was really scared. Sure, there had been times when boys kissed her and passed out, but never something like this. Her eyelids burned with unshed tears. She didn’t like being this way. She didn’t want any of this.
It wasn’t Ben’s fault either. He couldn’t help himself. But, why did he have to push himself on her twice. She was sure that’s what landed him in the hospital. Being exposed twice and the open mouth kiss.
Her mind drifted to Hannah. She hated to leave her. She’d text her when they were safely far away.
“Lily?” Jake’s voice whispered on the other side of the door.
She flung the door open and threw her arms around Jake. “I’m so scared.”
“It’s okay. I’m here.” He held her tightly for a minute. “We should go.” He looked up and down the hallway quickly to make sure nobody was coming. Grabbing Lily’s hand, he led her out of the dorm.
They hurried across campus and into the woods nearby. Twigs crunched beneath their feet. Thankfully, the moon lit their path. She was glad Jake was with her. She would have been terrified running on her own.
“What are we gonna do, Jake?” Lily asked, her voice filled with panic.
“You told me your parents have some pull, right?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“Let their lawyers handle it. Or let your mother handle it her way. In the meantime, we’ll stay out of sight. I'm used to moving around unnoticed.”
“How far do you think it is to town?”
“Another hour on foot. Then we’ll have to get a car and get out of the area.”
Jake continued to lead Lily through the woods. Her legs were burning from the hills. Finally, she heard cars. Relief flooded through her—the road must be close. Five minutes later, they saw headlights. They stayed hidden behind the tree line as they followed the road. Shortly after, they came to a shopping center.
“You’re able to compel people, right?” Jake asked.
Lily nodded. “I haven’t done it often, at least not knowingly."
“You need to right now. Go tell someone to let us borrow their car.”
Lily swallowed hard. She didn't think it was right to manipulate people. But, she knew they didn’t have many options right now. She saw a man getting out of a dark-colored Honda Accord. She walked up to him, looked him right in the eyes, and said, “Excuse me."
The man turned and looked her up and down.
"You will let me borrow your car. You will not report it stolen.” She didn't let her stare waiver.
“Of course, Miss.” He handed Lily the keys and walked into the store.
Lily was almost proud of herself. If the deed hadn’t been so sneaky, she would have been. She waved to Jake, who came sprinting out and she handed him the keys. “I’m too shaky to drive.”
Jake took them and they got in the car. He started it up and headed south. He glanced over at Lily. She was biting on her fingers and her knee was bouncing up and down. “You okay?”
“Mhmm.”
He drove the speed limit so no cops would have reason to pull them over, and got to the next city a couple hours later. Parking the car at a mall, he wiped away their fingerprints. Then he grabbed Lily’s hand and they walked to a motel. “Lily?”
She looked up and met his eyes. “Yeah?”
“I need you to do the same thing to the clerk. Get us a room for the night. I don't have enough cash on me.”
“I have a bankcard.”
“We can’t use that. They’ll trace it.”
“Oh.” She nodded and went inside.
Jake could tell that she was very uncomfortable using her powers like this. He hated making her do so, but his money wasn’t close by. It would take a day to get to it.
Lily emerged from the motel with a keycard in her hand. “103.”
They walked into the motel room, which was dim, dreary, and smelled stale. It wasn’t anything like what Lily’s parents would stay in. Jake pulled the curtains shut.
“What are we going to do now?”
He smiled at her, a few things going through his head. He gazed at her longingly for a moment. She was absolutely beautiful. He wanted to bury his face in her long, brown hair and lose himself in her startling green eyes.
As if she knew what he was thinking her face flushed and her breathing increased. She smiled seductively and pushed him up against the wall. Her body didn’t seem her own anymore. Running her hands through his hair, she pressed her lips against his. Her breath came faster now, as did her heartbeat.
His hands ran up and down her back. He groaned and tangled his hands in her hair. “Lily,” he murmured.
Her body felt like it was on fire. All she wanted was him. The feeling between them was electrifying. She could feel the passion increasing and never wanted it to stop. Images of pushing him down on the bed and being with him flew through her mind as all her other worries floated away.
“Lily…” Jake panted. “Lily, stop.”
She heard him in her head, but she didn’t want to stop. She wanted all of him. "I can't." Lily grabbed his shirt and started to lift it off him.
He gripped her by the shoulders and pushed her back a little. “Stop.”
Her adrenaline was pumping ferociously. She opened her eyes and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“I want nothing more to be with you, but not like this.”
"I need you Jake. You make me feel alive." She pressed her body to his and he gave in. He lacked any control when she was around.
Lily went to undo his pants, which brought him back to reality. He grabbed her hands. "Not yet, Lily. We hardly know anything about each other."
"You don't want me?" She pouted.
"We don't even have any protection. Lily, we need to be smart about this."
The idea of being pregnant brought her down. "You're right. I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking."
Jake took her hand. "I want to learn all about you. What are you afraid of? What's your favorite food? Your favorite childhood memory? I want to know everything that makes you the person you are."
"Really? No guy has ever wanted to know anything about me. They're just attracted to me sexually."
"Believe me. I'm attracted to you sexually. I've never wanted anyone so bad in my life. And I've been around for a long time." He gave her a crooked grin.
They stayed up for hours talking. Lily had neve
r felt so accepted by anyone. When she was with Jake, she actually felt strangely normal.
Chapter Nine
In the morning, Lily took a shower. The long day of traveling made her feel gross. Jake pretended to be asleep, but he was peeking at her. She walked out and dropped her towel. Jake gasped.
She quickly grabbed the towel and covered herself. "I'm sorry. I thought you were sleeping."
"Lily, you are perfection." He could picture making love to her and chastised himself for stopping her the night before.
Her body flushed under his stare. She grabbed her clothes and ran to the bathroom slamming the door shut. Lily laid her head against the door and touched her necklace. Even that wasn't calming her down. Maybe she should leave him. She wasn't going to be able to control herself around him, and it was scaring the hell out of her. When she looked at him, all she thought about was making love to him. Her hormones were in overdrive.
Unfortunately, she couldn't stay in the bathroom forever. Taking a deep breath, she finally walked out, and told him to take a shower so they could get out of there. Lily walked around the room. The walls felt like they were closing in. She peeked outside. The sky was dark grey and overcast, like an impending storm was coming.
They decided to get another car. Lily was concerned about how easy it was getting for her to use the compulsion. "I think we should call my mom and check in."
“Okay, let’s stop at a store and get a throw away phone. We should have enough money for a cheap one. Once we get to my cabin we'll have plenty of money."
"You have a cabin?" Lily snapped her head in his direction.
"Yes, we should make it there today if we don't stop too much." Jake laughed. "You look surprised. I've got a few properties spread around the world. I can't stay anywhere for too long or people will notice I don't age."
"I guess that makes sense." Lily realized there was a lot about Jake she didn't know either.
At the store, Jake grabbed a few things for the trip while Lily ran to the restroom. When he was getting ready to pay, he noticed protection on the counter and threw it in with the supplies. He knew there was no way he could keep denying her.
Lily asked to drive. She was hoping it would keep her mind off wanting to tear Jake’s clothes off. She glanced over and smiled. He was trying to get the phone out of the package. "Thank you for coming with me."
"There is no where else I would rather be. Maybe your mother will have some good news."
"I doubt it, but I'm sure my parents are worried." Lily hesitated and then added. "It must be hard for you, not having any family?"
Jake shrugged. "I've gotten used to it. It does get lonely at times."
"Well, you have me now." Lily gave him one of her dazzling smiles that stopped his heart.
Jake gave her directions, and she drove for a while. They passed fields, farms, and soon got to a more mountainous region. There was a dusting of snow on the grass as the elevation grew.
Lily’s stomach rumbled as lunch time approached. They pulled into a fast food restaurant and ordered off the dollar menu. When she was done eating, Lily called home.
“Lily? Are you okay?” her mom answered.
“I’m fine.”
“Where are you?”
“Probably better that you don’t know right now.”
“What are you going to do?” Her mother sounded panicked.
“Just stay in hiding for a while. Do you know what’s going on there?”
Her mom hesitated. “We’re in touch with the lawyer. He thinks we should go up there. It might be the best idea. I can help them forget they were even looking for you.”
“Do you know how Ben is?”
“The same.”
“Lily, we should go,” Jake said a little too loudly.
“Who was that?” her mother demanded.
“Nobody, Mom.”
“Lily Anderson! I heard a male’s voice. Who’s with you?”
“I gotta go, Mom. I’ll call you soon. I love you and Dad,” she said quickly and hung up the phone. Turning to Jake, she said, “My mom heard you!”
“Sorry, I wasn't thinking.”
“I have to call Hannah real quick.”
“Lily!”
But, she was already dialing. Hannah picked up. “Hello?”
“It’s me. I can’t talk. Just wanted to tell you I’m okay.”
“Where are you?”
“Doesn’t matter. I’ll call you again, okay?” Lily hung up.
Jake grabbed the phone out of her hands so she couldn’t call anybody else and smashed it with his foot. “We’ll get another one later.” Taking her by the elbow, he led her to the car. “C’mon!”
“Jake, if you yank me like this, it’ll look like you’re kidnapping me.”
Jake realized she was right. “Sorry.” He let go of her arm.
He opened the passenger door for her and she climbed in. He slammed it and went around to the other side. “We’re going to have to ditch the car and walk for an hour. I don’t want the car connected to the town the cabin is in.”
“Okay.”
“It’s going to be cold.”
She smiled over at him. “As long as I’m with you, it’ll be fine.” She stared at his perfect face for a few minutes. She never dreamed the day would come when she would be able to love someone, but here it was. She felt it growing in her heart. At least she hoped it was love and not some weird succubi obsession.
“Did you always know what you were?” Jake asked her out of the blue.
She looked out the window at the passing trees. “No. My parents told me when I was thirteen.”
“That must have been hard to take.”
“I was shocked and in denial. Although, the way my mother acts made me believe it.” She played with her necklace. “What about you? Did you always know about the curse?”
"No, it took me awhile to figure it out. All my friends were aging around me and I stayed the same. Once, I got in a fight with some guy and he pushed me off a ledge. I should have died. But, I walked away with barely a scratch. I knew something was going on." Jake paused. "My father was on his death bed because of the plague, and he finally confided in me. He died shortly after."
"I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault. Just think, we would have never met if not for the curse." Jake took his eyes off the road to smile at her.
"If only Ben had been immortal, we wouldn’t be in this mess." Lily mumbled, and looked back out the window. Another two hours passed before Jake pulled into a resort parking lot. “We’ll walk from here.” He wiped down the steering wheel and door handles like he had in the other car. Taking Lily’s hand, he led her up the mountain.
Twenty minutes later, Lily was huffing and puffing. She was also pretty darn cold. But, she had Jake. So, she focused on him and kept going.
Jake squeezed her hand. “You’re doing great,” he encouraged her.
Soon, she saw a log cabin in the distance. “Is that it?” she asked.
“Yup.”
Lily let out a sigh of relief she wasn't sure she could make it much further. The cabin looked so inviting. It was small and cozy-looking. She glanced around and noticed there was a pile of wood on the side of the house. Obviously someone had been here recently. Lily looked at Jake nervously and pointed to the wood.
He laughed. "Don't worry. I have a caretaker that looks after the place for me. We can trust him. He's been with me for a long time."
Jake reached under the doormat and took out a key.
“Original hiding spot you got there,” Lily joked.
“Not a lot of people come out here and if they did, they wouldn’t be able to find anything of importance.” He unlocked the door and walked in.
The wood scent tickled Lily’s nose. It smelled just like she would expect a cabin in the woods to smell. The inside of the cabin was spacious and open, with a steep staircase leading up to a loft. It was decorated sparsely—there were a couple of throw rugs and a rockin
g chair in front of the fireplace. Lily liked it immediately. She sank into the worn leather couch and groaned. "Don't make me move." She groaned.
“I’ll start a fire,” Jake said and took off outside. He was back in a couple minutes with an armful of wood. He started building a fire and Lily watched him admiring his strong body.
“Bathroom work?” she asked.
“Yes.” Jake laughed and lit the fire.
She walked around the cabin. There were no pictures of family. Lily guessed his parents had died long before photos were taken.
She wandered into the kitchen and peeked in the cabinets. They were stocked full of canned food. At least they’d have something to eat.
Lily freshened up in the bathroom and came out to find Jake making some canned stew.
“Hope this is okay.”
“It’s perfect.” Lily wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his back.
They snuggled in front of the fire after they ate. Lily had trouble keeping her mind off the things she wanted to do with Jake. She leaned against him and he stroked her arm. “What kind of movies do you like?” Jake asked.
“Romance.”
He laughed loudly. “I should have known.”
“What about you?”
“Action.”
“Typical man.” She elbowed him. “How do you stay so cool?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re like ancient, right? How do you stay ‘in’?”
“I don’t know. Maybe my brain froze at seventeen too? I’ve never felt old.”
“Never felt stuck? Or out of touch?”
“No. I just keep adapting. It’s kind of neat to watch history being made. I remember what it was like before electricity, television, and Internet.”
Lily laughed. “I can’t imagine.”
“But, I like those inventions. I think cell phones are awesome and iPads are the neatest thing...until the next cool thing comes out. I’m sure as the years pass, you will find yourself feeling the same.”
“Maybe.” She shrugged and turned her head to look up at him. “You certainly don’t look old. You’re going to have to give me first hand history lessons. I’m sure it would be more interesting than our boring text books.”