He tipped his
head and brushed his lips against mine, lightly, barely touching, teasing me as
if with a soft, silken feather. I stood completely still, and rather than closing
my eyes, a normal reaction, I opened them even wider and stared directly into
his gleaming hazel-green ones. Involuntarily, I shuddered, and my lips moved
against his. But his mouth curled into a wicked grin, and he withdrew. The
contact had been so brief; I didn’t think I could even consider it a kiss.
He took a small
step backwards and traced my lips with his finger, pressing harder than he had
with his lips. In an edgy voice he said, “Wonder if that qualifies as
pleasing
or
provocative
?” With a shrug, he winked and started for the door.
“How about more
like impertinent? Or insolent? And maybe…” I started to say with fire in my
tone, but he whipped around, reached for my arm, and hauled me towards him.
“How about no
more fancy words,” he said and crushed his lips against mine.
Completely taken
off guard, I squirmed in his arms, but he gripped me tighter. His hands slid
down my back, sending a stream of shock waves through my body. I trembled as
his hands advanced down the small of my back. His fingertips stopped
precariously low on my waistline. When he began nibbling on my lips, my mouth
parted in astonishment, and I gasped. Warmth flooded through my body as he
crushed his lips against mine. With smoldering eyes, he returned my gaze and
seized the opportunity to assault my mouth with his tongue. I whimpered once,
and my eyelids snapped shut.
He pushed me
against the wall with his body, one hand caressing my face, the other grasping
my head and tugging on my hair. Hot, flustered, and caught in the moment, I
relinquished to his compelling touch and consented when his tongue connected
with mine. With our lips pressed together, our tongues fought frantically as if
starved for pleasure. I wrapped my arms around him and surrendered to his
demands. His body was solid, strong, and pressing into mine with hot intensity.
He kissed me fervently, for how long I don’t know, but I responded with
unabashed need. When we broke apart my body wavered. I was breathless,
exhausted from being so completely dominated.
Shamefully
though, when I opened my eyes and found the ones staring back at me were
hazel-green, not aqua-marine, I felt a wave of disappointment. That’s when
guilt washed over me. Guilt because I was thinking about Jason when I’d just
kissed Ash. And even though the kiss had been audacious just like Ash, and I’d
thoroughly enjoyed it, I was still thinking of Jason. It’s not like the
excitement and energy wasn’t there with Ash; he just wasn’t Jason. Could I even
give Ash a fair shot if Jason was in my life? I only hoped Ash couldn’t read my
emotions.
“That was
definitely provocative,” he said, grasping my hands.
“Ash…” I said
quietly, biting my lower lip, “I’m not ready…”
He placed his
finger over my lips. “Shhh…Lexi, don’t say anything. I know you’re rebelling
against a relationship right now for whatever reason. I’m not really looking
for one either, but that doesn’t mean we can’t explore a little passion once in
awhile. Besides, now you’ll know what you have to look forward to when you do
change your mind – if I’m not already taken by then…” He let his sentence trail
off and grinned. “Let’s go check on that pizza, before you throw all caution to
the wind and beg me to seduce you.” He chuckled and tugged on my arm.
Tongue-tied, I
fought to regain my composure as he lead me outside, where we drew several
interested looks. We ate pizza and hung out for awhile before the band
regrouped for the second half of their practice session. When we said our
good-byes, Noa told us to come back for the party. There was no way I’d be
ready for another romantic confrontation with Ash that soon. Luckily, I had a
late shift at work and had to decline, but Ben and Ally said they’d drop by.
From the porch
Ash threw out a few parting words of warning, “Lexi, no more snooping around,
or next time, we won’t stop at
provocative
.”
“I wasn’t…” I
started to say but could see he was teasing me. “You’re hopeless,” I said with
a chuckle, because with Ash, humor was inescapable.
With his
signature cocky grin plastered on his face, he said, “I know. Plan on seeing me
soon.”
Talk about Déjà
vu! Monday morning I found myself standing outside the Fairhaven store clinging
to one of the green shopping carts, trying to muster up enough courage to walk
through the front doors. I’d worked all weekend, but at the end of my shift the
night before, Dave Wheeler, my store manager, had informed me that the
Fairhaven store needed to borrow a checker for the week. I didn’t know if it
was by sheer coincidence or fate, but Dave decided to send me.
My nine o’clock
shift started in ten minutes, and I was mentally preparing myself for the
inevitable – coming face to face with Jason at some point. I’d thought a lot
about my last encounter with him, and the more I’d thought about it, the more
my blood boiled. His unpredictable mood swings and secrets were exhausting, and
I wondered if I shouldn’t heed his original warnings and steer clear of him
until the weekend.
After clocking
in, I returned a wave to the employee who was driving a rider pallet around the
back room like it was a toy. Walking through produce, I realized the store was
probably only a third the size of my home store, so the departments were much
more condensed but also cozier. Lights were on in the Bellingham Credit Union,
a separate business at the front of the store. The bank employee was scurrying
around behind the metal bars like she was behind schedule.
Consisting of
only about six check stands, the small front end appeared empty of customers
and empty of a morning checker. Even though the bakery was on the other side of
the store, the aroma of fresh, baked breads permeated the front end. As I
approached check stand #4, a blonde head popped up, and I found myself staring
into a pair of familiar, stunning eyes. My heart lurched and my pulse
quickened. Shaking my head, I couldn’t help from biting painfully on my lower
lip. Whenever I saw him, I had no control over how my body reacted physically.
It was annoying. What’s worse, is that Fate was definitely amusing herself with
my life.
Jason sized me
up while I leaned against the counter gaping at him. Holding several empty
cardboard boxes, he’d obviously been stocking the candy bars and gum. Clean
shaven and dapper in his dark slacks and silky tie, he looked handsome and
sophisticated. He didn’t appear the least bit startled to see me at his store
in my work uniform. I, on the other hand, was taken off guard. I’d never had
time to ask him which department he worked in. Now I knew. Not only that, but
his gold nametag, which denoted he’d been an employee of the month, had his
full name:
Jason Walker
, followed by the words:
Customer Service
Manager
.
“Hi, Alex,” he
said smoothly, dropping the empty cardboard boxes into a blue bin.
“You’ve got to
be kidding me,” I said hotly. “Was this your crazy idea? Dragging me out of my
own store and over to yours so you could mess with my head some more?” The more
I thought about his games, the angrier I became.
“Alex,” he said
and glanced around the empty front end, “I’m not trying to mess with your head.
I know I’ve given you no reason to believe me, and I understand your
frustration. Really, I do, and I take full responsibility for all the
confusion, especially all the drama with Madison.”
I crossed my
arms to indicate I wasn’t buying it.
He sighed. “I
know you’re ticked off at me. I would be too, if I were you. But I promise you,
this weekend we’ll explain everything, and then you can decide how you feel
about all of us…and about our friendship.” He scratched his head.
“So, as of right
now, we’re friends?” I said with a chilly smile.
“Of course,” he
said with a wounded expression. “I thought we’d established that already. I
haven’t changed my mind, have you?” He actually looked taken aback, like the
thought had never crossed his mind before now.
“No,” I said and
shifted my feet. “I just need to be clear where we stand today – in case you
change your mind tomorrow,” I added spitefully. I studied his intense
aqua-marine eyes, which were the same color as his tie, and ironically enough,
the same color as my scarf. We looked like we’d coordinated our color scheme
beforehand. As usual, he stole my breath away, but I didn’t relent. Breaking
the silence, I said, “I’m just a bit
P.O.’d
.”
He responded
immediately. “I know. I can hear it in your voice and see it in your body
movements. Do you think you can work alongside me all week without our
relationship interfering with your job? Or is this too much to handle?”
I pursed my
lips. Relationship? He had some nerve.
“I’ll understand
if you can’t stay, though. I can find some way to switch you with another
checker from your store. Then you could avoid me altogether.” He dropped his
hands in dismay.
My heart
softened, and as I pondered what to do, I surveyed the colorful floral
department off to my right. As John Denver’s version of
Leaving on a Jet
Plane
flowed from the speakers, all I could focus on were the words, “Oh
babe, I hate to go
.
” My conscience told me the smartest thing to do
would be to keep my distance, but my emotions were begging me not to walk away.
Even though Jason was totally infuriating, my feelings were already deeply
vested, and I wanted to be near him.
“As far as I’m
concerned,” I said with determination, “what’s done is done. Dave and Merrick
have already gone to enough trouble switching schedules around and making this
work. The least I can do is stick around and be a team player
for their
sakes,
” I emphasized. “I want them to know I’m reliable, so just send me to
my check stand and I’ll get to work.” Trying my best to act indifferent, I
studied an end display of Campbell’s Soup with interest.
His lips
vibrated, like he’d been holding his breath under water for a long time.
“Thanks. It means a lot to hear you say that.”
“Don’t push it.”
He acquiesced
with a quick salute. “How about check stand #3?”
“Fine,” I said,
as a sudden surge of customers emerged from the aisles. When we were standing
alone in a desolate front end again, I turned to him, and said, “So we work
together all week, acting like everything is perfectly normal, but this weekend
I ask all the questions and you promise to be forthcoming with straight
answers?”
His nod was
slight, and he looked worried, but he said candidly, “Yes. Believe me, it will
be a relief for both of us. I’m anxious to explain; I don’t like secrets any
more than you do.”
Pressing my
hands together, I said softly, “Jason, I’d feel a whole lot better if you’d
answer a couple questions right now…and answer them honestly,” I added.
He hesitated,
looked me straight in the eyes, and said quietly, “I’ve been asked not to talk
about any of this with you until we’re all together this weekend.”
“Oh, by whom?
Madison?” I sneered and shook my head angrily.
“Actually, by
Max’s parents and my own,” he said calmly.
“Huh?” That
surprised me. What did his parents have to do with this?
Exiting his
check stand, he came and leaned over mine. In a low, husky voice he said, “But
if you really need me to, I will.”
My heart beat
quickened, and I said imploringly, “Please, just a couple.”
He nodded once,
frown lines overtaking his smooth forehead. “Okay.”
I regarded his
perfectly balanced face, which in my opinion was flawless. Keeping my voice
neutral, I said, “The first one is easy. Are you dating Madison?”
He looked
relieved. “What? No! We have a strong…friendship of sorts, but we are not a
couple. Never have been and never will be.”
Nervously
locking my hands together behind my back, I nodded. “Jessica thinks I’m an
Amethyst, do you?”
He raised his
eyebrows this time but answered calmly, “Yes, I do.”
I’d expected that
response since I’d overheard his discussion with Madison, but I needed to start
with that question so I could ask the next one. I touched his shoulder, and he
blinked hard. In the most normal tone I could muster, I said, “Is that the only
reason you’ve shown an interest in me?”
His irises
flared. “No, Alex. It’s not.” He glanced at my hand on his shoulder. “You being
an Amethyst is…well, it’s…it’s just part of who you are, and it makes…it makes
our relationship complicated.”
“Why?” I asked. He
gave me a desperate look and shook his head slowly, so I acquiesced. “Okay…I’ll
wait, but that’s the first question I’ll be expecting you to answer.” I dropped
my hand and turned my head at voices drifting towards us, signaling it was time
to get to work.
A steady stream
of customers continued throughout the entire day, and intermittently Jason and
I would chat – always keeping the topics neutral. The next couple days brought
much of the same, and during down times I engaged in simple, non-committal conversations
with him and the other checkers. Despite remaining low-key, I was counting down
the days. Now that I knew his family was also involved, I was dying to know
what their involvement was.
Wednesday
afternoon proved interesting. While Jason was on his lunch break, Ash sauntered
into the store. Once he spotted me, he marched right over and demanded to know
why I’d switched stores without bothering to tell him. Conveniently, I was
customerless. After I’d filled him in on the short-term changes in my work
schedule he mellowed out.
After finding
out my shift ended at seven o’clock, he announced, “You’ll want to run home and
change, because I’ll be picking you up a half hour after that.”