Part 18 (1/2)

”It's no one's business,” Donovan said, clearly startled by my sudden question. After a moment he added quietly, ”We broke up and then the next thing I hear is she's dead. Her parents were destroyed. They'd always liked me and were very kind to me. I wasn't about to tell them, 'Oh, by the way, I dumped your daughter.' So I decided not to tell anyone.” He paused and gave me a long look. ”Until you.”

I wanted to ask why, but the words wouldn't come. My throat had dried up. I fiddled with my pendant nervously.

Donovan's eyes went to it. ”What's that one?”

I looked down and back up at him, at those intense eyes. ”Red garnet.”

The gem is used to heighten romantic feelings, but that was the last thing I needed help with at the moment. Just being this close to Donovan, alone with him, was more powerful than any magic stone. I racked my brain for the gemstone's other meaning. It was on the tip of my tongue, but I couldn't grasp it. All I could see was Donovan's face, his eyes, his mouth.

He smiled. ”You're so funny with all your gemstones.”

The fever coursing through my body suddenly iced over. That's what he thought of me. I wasn't s.e.xy and intriguing like Kayla. I was funny and quirky. I'd be his cute little friend. Nothing more.

”Yeah, I'm weird,” I said, and before I could stop myself I added, ”Not like Kayla.”

He inched closer, maybe sensing he'd hurt my feelings. ”The thing about Kayla ...” He stopped and rubbed his cheek. ”Yeah, she was pretty and, yeah, sometimes I enjoyed the ego boost of having the school's most popular girl on my arm, but there were also times when I was disgusted by her and the way she treated people. She could be very cruel. Day to day, you never knew which Kayla was going to show up. What I like the most about you is that you're you - all the time.”

My brain wanted to stop and examine every word he'd said, but I forced myself to pay attention so I wouldn't miss anything. I'd have time to overa.n.a.lyze the entire conversation later.

”You're different, Jade.” He reached up and tenderly tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. ”You strolled into our school out of nowhere. You don't really fit in with any clique and you don't care. You're dating the most popular jock and you're friends with the weirdest, most unpopular girl. You're interesting to talk to. You don't care what anyone thinks about you, but not in a defensive or aggressive way. Just a natural way.”

He stopped and dropped his gaze, a blush rising to his face. Then he looked slowly back up at me and said, ”I've honestly never met anyone quite like you.”

My breath hitched. That was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to me. Unfortunately, I couldn't respond. I felt paralyzed from the throat up. I couldn't blink, talk, or even swallow.

Donovan opened his mouth to speak again. I couldn't tear my eyes from his slightly parted lips. Heat spread through me. My neck smoldered. I felt like my skin was on fire. I was going to spontaneously combust any moment, I knew it.

”I'm not dating Kane,” I mumbled. There was so much more I wanted to say but those were the only words I could muster at the moment.

Donovan moved closer. There were only a few inches between us now and I felt each one. He leaned in and whispered in my ear, ”So it's okay if I do this?”

He kissed my earlobe, then his lips trailed down my neck, then back up to my cheek. He stopped at my lips, and I realized he was waiting for a response.

”Yes,” I breathed. ”That's okay.”

His soft lips brushed lightly across mine as if he were testing things out. I closed my eyes and kissed him back, loosening up and letting go as he deepened the kiss.

The guessing game was over. He did want me. As much - if not more - than I wanted him. He stroked my face with both hands. I trailed my fingers up his back, his neck, and locked them in his hair.

I wanted to go on like this for hours, days. All my worries evaporated as I lost myself with him. I was blind, with closed eyes, but my other senses were overloaded. His kiss, his taste, his scent, his moans, his hands. I never wanted it to end.

But then I felt something else. First a small tingle on my skin, like a warning. Then the cold. It wasn't possible for me to be cold right now, not in this moment. Unless ...

I stiffened. Donovan pulled back and looked into my wide eyes. ”What's wrong?”

”I think she's here,” I whispered.

We sat frozen for a few moments, not even breathing. Just waiting for something to happen. If Kayla had made the whole house shake before, I almost expected it to explode now. I braced myself for the fury, so tightly wound my muscles ached.

But it never came. The energy drained out and disappeared, and the temperature returned to normal. It was like she'd watched us for a moment, and then left. Was she giving us privacy? Or planning to kill me in my sleep? I didn't know. All I knew was that my perfect moment was over.

”You should go home now,” I said softly.

And I would wait to see just how angry Kayla was.

I barely slept Wednesday night, tossing and turning, my consciousness on high alert. At any movement of air, any creak or slight sound in the house, my eyes snapped open and my heart pounded loudly in my ears. I expected the worst, but nothing happened.

Maybe Kayla wasn't mad. Maybe she was glad Donovan was happy and moving on.

Or maybe she was just biding her time ...

In cla.s.s on Thursday, Kane asked if we were still on for Sat.u.r.day night. I told him yes and suggested the clearing again. I needed something decidedly friendly and not ”datey” and somewhere Kayla's friends would be.

As weird as I felt making plans with Kane after what had happened with Donovan, I had to keep focused on my main goal: solving Kayla's murder.

Donovan was standing against my locker after last period, waiting for me with a crooked smile. It was clear that our kiss had changed everything. I'd been so aware of him all day, like my entire being was attuned to his proximity. In the cafeteria at lunch, I felt his eyes on me while I was chatting with Alexa, and I couldn't stop grinning. In between periods, we pa.s.sed each other once in the hall, and I felt electricity shoot through my body. My pulse quickened, my temperature rose, my mind raced. No one else had ever had that effect on me before. It was wonderful and intoxicating but ... the timing was wrong.

Romance could not be the focus of my life right now. Protecting Colby was my top priority. So finding Kayla's killer had to come before everything else. Donovan had texted me that morning that he had an idea for our ”project” that he'd tell me about after school. Unfortunately, I also had something to share with him. Something I didn't know how he'd react to.

I reached my locker and felt the spark from being near him again. He leaned forward and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. But I involuntarily stumbled back a step and looked around to see if anyone had seen.

Uncertainty flickered in Donovan's eyes, then went away. He probably figured I was against PDA. ”So,” he said, choosing to ignore the awkward moment. ”Ready to hear my idea?”

All I could feel was the invisible mark on my cheek where his lips just were. I wanted to throw my arms around his neck and repeat yesterday's make-out session, right there in the hallway. But we couldn't. And I had to tell him that.

”Sure,” I said, my voice barely audible.

He s.h.i.+fted his backpack from one shoulder to the other. ”I think we should pay a visit to Kayla's parents.”

I had to admit, I'd thought of that. But the idea gave me a rotten feeling. ”They moved,” I said.

”Only a couple towns away. I found their new address online. We can head over there and ask them some questions. See if they can think of anything that might help us.”

”I don't know ...” My voice trailed off. It seemed dirty to be interrogating Kayla's grieving parents. And I wasn't about to tell them she wasn't at rest - they didn't need to hear that after what they'd been through.

”The only thing is ...” Donovan paused. ”I don't think it's a good idea for us to ... you know ... act like a couple in front of them. I haven't seen them since the funeral, and they probably still think of me as Kayla's boyfriend and -”

I put up a hand and stopped him midsentence. ”I agree.” I took a deep breath. This was the conversation I'd been dreading all day. But now that it had come up naturally, I had to just say it. ”Actually, I've been thinking we should keep our ... keep ... us ... a secret for now.”

His eyes met mine, and there was no mistaking his disappointment.

The last thing I'd wanted was to hurt him. I started babbling. ”Just until we find out the truth about who killed Kayla. After that, she can be at peace and we can ... move on.”

He tilted his head to the side. ”You're scared of what she might do?”

”Yeah.” Among other things.