When a covert organization intent on her as a weapon comes after her, Jay needs to find a place where she can blend in. Greenfield High seems perfect, except all the boys think she’s totally hot and keep hitting on her, and she has no idea how to handle them.
Jay’s just been partnered for Bio with ex-jock fallen from grace. She’s fascinated by him… and the feeling is entirely mutual. Unfortunately for Tyler , the thrill of scoring the hot new girl as his lab partner is marred by his reaction whenever he’s forced to dissect stuff. Last time he fainted. This time, as he watches Jay fishing round in Kermit’s stomach cavity, the result is far more humiliating. He loses his breakfast… all over the girl he so desperately wants to impress. Next stop, the guys’ bathroom to clean himself up and wish he was dead… but Jay follows him in. Tyler
“You don’t know me. Why should my wellbeing concern you?”
Gah! Did the girl not understand guy-talking-to-hot-chick subtext? She was gonna make him come right out and say it.
But before he could make a complete dumbass of himself, Jay nodded slowly, like she’d finally understood what he was trying not to say.
He sagged with relief, because once he admitted how he felt about her, there was no taking it back. And if he’d read her wrong, and she wasn’t into him, wasn’t doing anything more than being “nice” to a guy she felt sorry for, he’d be gutted.
When she didn’t say anything more, he slanted her an assessing glance. But he couldn’t tell what she was thinking at all—not the merest hint.
Weird.
had become pretty good at reading people’s faces. It was a skill he’d perfected, a skill that helped him get by in this clichéd little corner of hell where the jocks and the cheer squad ruled. He knew how to get by without a bunch of peeps to watch his back. He knew when he could get away with mouthing off. Just like he knew when to shut up, suck it up and do a disappearing act. He had it down to a fine art. Tyler
The silence stretched.
’s hopes wound tight, strangling him. What was he thinking, falling for a girl he’d just met? Jeez. He was a dumbass. He’d played right into her hands. Any moment now, she’d slink back to Shawn and this whole pathetic little episode would be all over school. Tyler
Except she stayed right where she was, her whole focus on him.
There was a light in her eyes that made his gut clench—in a good way. When he inhaled, she was standing so very close that her scent curled through him. His eyelids drifted closed. And then, layered beneath her fresh, clean smell was something indefinable, something that made his heart clamor. The merest hint of strangeness.
His eyelids popped open. His gaze locked on hers.
Those remarkable eyes held his, unblinking. Unwavering.
He saw it then, got the feeling she deliberately let him see it. Jay had secrets. Just like he did. And he didn’t move at all, not a muscle, as she rose up on tiptoe to press her lips against his.
The kiss was excruciatingly gentle, a butterfly kiss, the merest brush of her lips against his before she backed off and considered him through narrowed eyes.
“What’s wrong?” he whispered.
“That must be painful.” She pressed the pad of her finger to her lips and then stroked it lightly across the spot on his chin.
She was gone as quickly and noiselessly as she’d come, leaving’s face glowing from her attentions. And his heart aglow with something else—something he’d never felt for a girl before. Something more than just a little scary. Tyler
His hand smoothed over the abused leather of the door. “Sorry. I’m not the tantrum type. I promise.”Like what you've read? Here's how to buy!! At only $2.99 for the ebook, I'd buy it for the title alone! :)
He’d changed the subject. She took the hint.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s a tough car.”
“Yeah. My Honda would have been totaled.” He faced her and smiled. Then he looked at her mouth and the smile dropped away. While she watched in fascination, Jamison’s arm snaked behind her. “I’m so glad you were here.” He gave her a little hug.
She hugged him back, wishing so much to have been able to feel the pressure of it. When he eventually loosened his hold, she looked in his eyes. Their faces were only inches apart. She could almost taste the warmth of his skin.
She’d imagined all kinds of cravings, for all kinds of flavors during her short existence, but never for the taste of someone.
He was looking at her lips so intently she didn’t dare move them. His lashes were incredibly long, golden brown. His nostrils flared suddenly and the entire world tilted with his face as he moved forward. His mouth met hers as smoothly as...breathing.
She focused her conscious thought to the rise and fall of his chest, to his nearness, and she could have wept for her lack of taste in her mouth or sensation in her lips. For the first time, she mourned for the depth of experience lost to her. This wasn’t the smell or feel of peaches, or the taste of corn coming apart in her mouth. This was mortality beneath her hands, against her fingers...and completely out of her reach.
He pulled his arms from around her, put his hands to either side of her face, and looked into her eyes. And suddenly Skye felt ‘seen’ for the very first time. She imagined her true self inside her head, jumping up and down, waving at him, yelling, “hello!”
She was struggling for the right words to say; something cool, something appropriate—anything that wouldn’t ruin the memory of her first, and possibly only, kiss. Very soon, they were going to go through Hell together and then she’d take her place in the circle. Nothing could stop either from happening, but she had this one mortal-esque memory she could take with her.
If she didn’t say the wrong thing now.
Her lips moved. No words came out, but the movement got his attention and he pulled her mouth close and kissed her again. For a moment, she imagined a tingling in her toes. She pulled back and wiggled them, testing. Nothing.
“Sorry.” Jamison dragged his hands slowly off her face, like a blind man, memorizing.
“Please don’t be sorry. I didn’t mind.”
Oh great. She may as well embroider “take me, take me now,” on her shirt.
He was frowning. “Sorry if I’m not any good. I haven’t kissed much.”
She pulled herself back to her side of the car and looked out the window. No one was gawking through the glass, thank Heavens. A nurse made her way across the parking lot and got into her car.
Wow. Even if she had no sensation and no taste, she still realized what an incredible kisser he was. She’d seen women weep over such kisses, and not in the movies, either. His first serious girlfriend was in for a happy surprise. It shocked her, the sudden understanding she had for women eaten alive with jealousy.
He rubbed his hands on the knees of his jeans. Sweaty palms? Nervous maybe? She needed to acknowledge what he’d said.
“I’m sure you won’t be surprised when I tell you I’ve never kissed anyone before, and even I know that was...staggering.”
His hands stopped moving. He turned to her and grinned.
“Staggering’s good, right?”
“Oh, good. Definitely good.”
About Somewhere Over the Freaking Rainbow
Jamison is crushing on the new girl next door. Bad news—the neighbors are Somerleds--Amish-type cult-members killing off their own. Worse news—she’s next in line for sacrifice. Jamison will have to rise above the coward he thinks he is to get to the bottom of it all.
Something is terribly wrong with Skye. She’s experiencing emotions like the mortal teenager she’s pretending to be. When she finally asks the right questions, she finds answers that will rock the Somerled world...
...and none of her options include Jamison, the boy who has stolen the heart she was never meant to have.
Josh was still studying me. “You’re not mad at Elise for going after Bob, are you?”
“No. He’s just a friend.”
“Oh.” Josh nodded, considering this. “Is there anyone you like more than a friend?”
My gaze went to Josh’s. Why was he asking? Was he just making small talk or did he have a personal interest in the subject?
He was looking at me intently, his blue eyes locked on mine.
I shrugged. “There might be.”
“Anyone I know?”
“Maybe. You know a lot of people.”
Josh put his arm on the back of his seat, his fingers nearly brushing against my shoulder. “What’s he like, this guy?”
Normally I wouldn’t have admitted to anything, but I was tired of all my moments with Josh being ordinary, safe. This was one I was going to seize. “He’s the usual sort of guy that girls get crushes on. Smart. Funny. Really responsible.”
“That’s the usual sort? Why don’t I have girls swarming me?”
“He’s also tall, dark, and handsome,” I added, “Plus he’s got these gorgeous eyes—all deep blue and mystical.” I looked away from him then. I couldn’t keep looking at the eyes I’d just described.
Josh leaned a little closer to me. “A rich guy with a sports car?”
“Not really.”
Josh nodded, his gaze still intense. “Would I approve of you with this guy?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Would you?” I let my gaze slide to his then, just long enough to see him smile. I wasn’t going to say more. I wasn’t about to admit to everything when he hadn’t admitted to anything yet.
“I think I might approve of this guy.” Josh kept smiling. His voice was soft now, as lulling as the heater. “You said Bob didn’t kiss you. Have you ever been kissed?”
“Sure, if you count the time in the fourth grade when Jonny Miller cornered me in the coat closet.”
“No, I’m talking about a real kiss.” Josh moved even closer to me. “You’ll always remember your first real kiss.”
I thought about asking him if he remembered his first real kiss, but on second thought, I didn’t want to hear about any of his past kisses. “You’re probably right,” I said.
“If I was to kiss you now, I’d go down in your personal hall of fame. The opportunity is irresistible.”
And then he kissed me, and it was a real kiss. He put his hands around my waist to pull me closer. His lips were soft against mine, a question—one that I wanted to answer. In essay form.
He stood and faced me, a good four inches taller than my 5’10” and looking down at me with a smirk and a stubborn set to his bruised jaw. The green in his eyes sparkled and I felt myself caving already. As soon as he put his hands on my shoulders I knew I was doomed. “I need you to go home and give me a day. Just a day,” he added before I could cut him off with an argument. “I need to do this alone. Let me look over the file and see if it clears up any questions. I promise I’ll call you tomorrow and tell you what I find.”Whoa! Pretty hot, huh? :) Makes you want to read the rest! Here's how you can get your hands on a copy.
The unexpected power of his proximity and strength of his hands on my arms made me weak-kneed and unable to stand my ground. And if I wasn’t dissuaded already, I all but swooned when he leaned in and laid a gentle kiss on my forehead. He was fighting dirty and I didn’t care. I soaked in the sensation of his soft lips and the tingle that shimmied all the way to my toes. When he looked down into my eyes, the expression on his face rendered me speechless. All those sharp angles disappeared in a softness that reminded me of warm summer days when he was just a boy, of climbing trees, swimming in the lake and racing to the dock. I could swim in those eyes and never come up for air.
My heart fluttered and my cheeks grew warm, the silence between us filled with a hundred memories and one long moment that could change us both forever. I studied the curve of his lips, imagining how they would taste and feel against mine, willing him to kiss me. I laid my hands tentatively on his chest, struck by the firmness under my fingertips. His heart hammered and mine skipped a beat faster to match his. Breathe, I reminded myself.
He was inches away, his voice barely above a whisper. “No matter what I find in that file, I want you to know…you have given me…well… you helped me find me again, and I’ll never forget it.”
Tears stung behind my eyes and I blinked them back. The intensity built to a thunderous wave crashing in my head, his words touching me deeply. I had to tell him how much he meant to me. I knew it was a terrible risk (a flash coming to mind of the last time I had said the words), but he had to know. “Coop…you know I…”
Before I could say it, he kissed me. Those lips I’d been imagining were suddenly pressed against mine, moist and warm and soft. A groan escaped as my whole body surrendered to the moment, reveled in the contact between us, wanting more than I knew I should. I kissed him back, pressing my body against him and wrapping my arms around his neck to pull him closer. His hands went to the small of my back to hold me there as if I might pull away—an unlikely possibility from where I stood. I had dreamed of this moment since I was old enough to know Alex was the only boy I wanted to kiss. Now I was in his arms, wrapped in the strength, tenderness, and passion I’d always known was Alex.
