Eminent Love (4 page)

And then kicked myself for the rest of the night because I hadn’t kissed her.

The mere thought of her lips on mine prevented sleep from taking over.

A
fter less than two
hours of sleep, I choked down an entire pot of coffee and left to pick her up. I was so tired, I didn’t know if I’d be able to make it to noon, but the second she answered her front door, adrenaline pumped through my veins and my lack of sleep became the furthest thing from my mind.

The night before, it had been dark. I wasn’t able to get a very good look at her from the lights on my dash or the glow from the screen. So when I picked her up the next morning for our day together, I became spellbound by the sight of her.

She may have been Drea’s twin, but other than their height, they looked nothing alike. Drea had straight, light-brown hair that fell to her shoulders; Layne’s was blond and hung in loose waves down her back. I hadn’t noticed the length the night before because of the bun, although seeing it long made me ache to run my fingers through it. Her eyes were strikingly different. I didn’t know the exact shade of Drea’s, other than they were darker, not the vibrant, crystal-clear blue of Layne’s, which had the ability to hypnotize me.

As I took in Layne’s outfit, I couldn’t help but admire her figure. She was thinner than her sister. Where Drea had healthy curves, Layne had lean, defined muscles. Her workout pants showed off her legs, hugging tightly to her thighs and calves. I used to think Drea had the perfect body…until I saw Layne’s.

“Are you going to tell me now what we’re doing?” she asked as I drove away from her house.

“We’re going on our first journey.”

Her enthusiasm was contagious—as well as the permanent grin on her face. “First? As in first of how many?”

“I don’t know yet.” I stopped myself before I said something else. It was an insane thought, one I’d never had before, but I never wanted this ride to end. I wanted to spend every day with her. Ridiculous, considering I’d met her less than twelve hours ago, but I couldn’t shake the conviction that her fixture in my life wouldn’t be temporary.

As if my heart had latched onto hers and refused to let go.

Yet I decided to see how the day went before allowing myself to entertain such a thought.

“Are we doing them all today?” Her eyes were wide, eyebrows arched high.

“No. As far as I know, it’s just this one. Depending on how well you like this, we might have to plan others like it. But we’ll have to see.” I took her hand in mine as I drove away. “But this won’t take all day. I thought maybe after the fun and games are over, we could get cleaned up and have dinner. What do you think?”

She rested her head on the seat behind her and turned her attention to me. “It’s ten in the morning. How long is this supposed to take? I just might be too exhausted come dinnertime.” Every word was filled with light humor, teasing almost. And without even looking at her, I could tell she donned a smile on those lips—the same lips I hadn’t been able to get off my mind and had kept me from getting a good night’s sleep.

“It won’t take all day. Unless we want it to. It’s totally up to us…more importantly, it’s completely up to you. You’re calling the shots here.”

Her giggle blanketed me and my nerves immediately vanished. “Yet you won’t even tell me where we’re going. How exactly am I calling the shots?”

I squeezed her hand and smiled broadly. “You’ll see.”

The drive wasn’t long, but it afforded us enough time to talk about nothing in particular. I asked her how her night was after she got home, and then she asked me about mine. I wasn’t about to admit I’d stayed up nearly all night because I couldn’t stop thinking about her, so I lied and said I passed out before my head hit the pillow.

As soon as we pulled into the parking area of Laurel Bluffs, she knew exactly what I had planned. She stared through windshield and asked, “We’re going hiking?”

My stomach sank faster than a lead weight in a pond. I’d been here once before when I first moved to town, and I thought it would be a beautiful place to take a date. Except I never dated, so in the two years I lived here, I’d only been that one time. The second I realized I wanted to see her again, spend more time with her, it was the first spot I thought to take her. “Like I said, Layne, this is all up to you. We don’t have to go. If you’re not into hiking—”

“Are you kidding me?” Her eyes widened and her entire face lit up with her smile. She didn’t even give me time to get out of the car and open her door before she made her way toward the entrance of the trail.

I snatched the pre-packed bag from the back seat and slung it over my shoulder before catching up to her. Thinking about bringing her here had filled me with exhilaration and flooded my mind with thoughts of making memories. It wasn’t until almost three in the morning before I worried she wouldn’t like it. Some girls I’d known in the past would’ve had no interest in hiking a five-mile trail. I began debating it, and even tried coming up with a backup plan. But in the end, at around seven this morning, I decided to go with it and see what happened. In all the scenarios my mind came up with, not one had her so excited, so filled with eagerness. It was infectious, and I found myself instantly calmed.

I didn’t waste any time before grabbing her hand and leading her down the trail.

The time went by fast as we walked and talked, learning all kinds of things about each other. She told me about the vacations her parents took her and Drea on, the things they saw, her favorite places, and the ones she wanted to go back to. I hadn’t done a tremendous amount of traveling, so I couldn’t contribute much to that conversation. Although, I kept her busy with questions.

The entire time we strolled along the trail, I thought about what Colin and Drea had said the night before, about Layne going through a difficult time and not being out much lately. Since meeting her, she didn’t seem to fit the person they’d described. Her attitude was amazing and extremely uplifting. Her laughter was genuine and easy, as if she found humor in everything. The only thing I could come up with was a relationship gone bad.

Layne was young—well, younger than me. I was only twenty-one, and she was eighteen. I couldn’t imagine anything substantial happening to her other than a bad breakup. So I played it cool and continued my inquiry, hoping it might lead to some sort of answer. Or at least something I could base a logical assumption on. Unfortunately, she didn’t give me anything.

Once we finally made it to the spot, we stopped and admired the scenery. A flat boulder extended over the river and the water ran steadily in front of us. I led her to the edge where she stood and stared out at the heavily wooded bank on the other side. The sounds of nature encompassed us as we took in the view. There were so many things I wanted to say, but had no idea where to start. Layne also acted as though she had something on her mind; however, she, too, remained quiet.

After a few moments, she reached up and wiped the back of her shoulders. She’d gathered her hair low on her nape as soon as we started our hike, but apparently, it wasn’t enough to keep her cool. I wrapped my fingers around her ponytail, which seemed to surprise her, because she moved away. Her chest heaved as she stared at me, not blinking as if I’d triggered a fear of hers.

“I’m sorry,” I said with my hands up, hoping to show her I hadn’t meant anything by it. “I was only going to suggest you get your hair off your neck. You seem to be a little sweaty, and it might cool you off more if it was up higher.”

Her gaze flitted around me, rapidly moving from one thing to the next. She’d switched from content to nervous in an instant, and it left my mouth dry, my throat constricted in abrupt worry. When her hands began to fidget in front of her, I knew immediately something had happened—I’d caused a change in her. Only, I couldn’t tell if she was scared or nervous. She swallowed roughly, causing her throat to dip deep as she ran her trembling hands over the crown of her hair.

“Layne.” I kept my voice low, soft, and I didn’t make any movements toward her. “Whatever I did, it wasn’t intentional. I didn’t mean to upset you.” I carefully studied her as she retreated farther, getting closer and closer to the edge of the rock behind her.

“It’s fine… You didn’t…” She closed her eyes and shook her head in short, jerky motions.

When she took another step back, clearly trying to evade me, I took two large ones forward and grabbed her arms. “Layne, be careful. You’re about to walk right off the rock.” I pulled her to my chest and held her there for a moment. My heart pounded against the side of her head, practically threatening to jump out of my body.

She fisted my shirt, lifted her gaze, and met my stare. Something clouded the usual bright blue, dimming them to an almost grey color. “I’m sorry. I just don’t like people touching my hair.” Her confession forced my thoughts to the night before, remembering what Colin had said.

I wanted to ask why, although I knew better. I was told not to mention it, so I had to bite my tongue and let it go. I didn’t want to cause her any more agony over whatever fear she experienced. “I didn’t mean anything by it. But I promise, I won’t touch your hair again. Maybe you should put your ponytail up higher. It might help with the heat.”

“No,” she said with wide, scared eyes. “I can’t wear it up like that.”

My forehead creased as I tried to understand what she meant.

“Didn’t my sister or Colin tell you?” Fear no longer clouded her eyes. Instead, skepticism took over her expression as she turned slightly and scrutinized me through her long lashes. Her tongue peeked out and ran smoothly over her plump lips, her brows raised in question, waiting for my response.

“Tell me what?” My words were cautious and my voice soft.

“What did they say to you to make you come out last night? And be honest with me. Drea has begged me for weeks to go out with her, and then at the last minute, they show up to take me home and bring me a date like I’m a freaking charity case.”

It was my turn to take a step back. The person in front of me wasn’t anything like the one I’d spent the evening with last night, nor the one I’d been hiking with for the last hour on the trail. “They said I spent too much time studying and I should take a break. Drea mentioned you and thought it would be a good idea if I came with them to keep you from being the third wheel.”

“Just like that? They were able to convince you to come out with us at the last minute, bring your own car, and keep me company with nothing more than a suggestion to keep me from being a tagalong? Creed…what did they
really
tell you? Specifically, about me?”

I didn’t want to say too much and piss anyone off. I also didn’t want to upset Layne. Whatever had caused this change in attitude baffled me. I figured it’d be best to simply answer her question and let whatever happens, happen. She couldn’t be upset with me, considering I had no idea about anything.

“They mentioned you hadn’t been out in a while. Something about you going through a hard time and needing to have some fun. That’s when Drea said I should have some fun, too, and invited me to come along.”

“There has to be more to it than that. Drea said you are really focused and it’s impossible for them to get you to do anything. There’s something you’re not telling me. What did they say to get you to come out with us? And don’t lie to me, Creed. Please. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s being lied to. Even if it’s meant to protect my feelings. I’m a ‘give it to me straight’ kinda girl.”

I admired that about her. I couldn’t argue with someone who only sought the truth, and for that, I decided to give it to her. No matter how ridiculous it made me look. “I had no desire to go, you’re right. I should be studying. I have a test this week, and I have to be prepared for it.” I let out a grumble and rolled my head back until I stared up at the clear blue sky. “I don’t know, Layne. I don’t know what you want me to say. No matter what I tell you, I’m going to be the asshole.”

“Why would you be the asshole?”

“Because you’re looking for an answer I can’t give you. I’m not sure what it is.”

“All I require is the truth. Giving it to me won’t make you an asshole.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and regarded her once more. “Honestly, I couldn’t tell you why. I have no idea what made me decide to go, other than I suck at guilt trips. She said if I didn’t go, you’d be left out, and I couldn’t let that happen. I wasn’t happy about leaving my studies behind, but the second I saw you outside the restaurant, I knew it was a decision I wouldn’t regret.”

“Why did you want to spend time with me today?”

I had an urge to demand things from her instead of giving her all the answers. However, I could tell by the look in her eyes she craved an honest reply from me. Whatever I said would affect what happened next. I stopped thinking and went with it, giving her the rawest form of honesty I could. “I had to see you again. I haven’t dated in a long time. I’ve had no desire to…until last night. For the first time in as long as I can remember, I wanted to spend real time with someone—with you. Not trapped in a car next to your sister, or in front of a movie that kept pulling your attention away. I had to have you all to myself, without distractions, without watchful eyes or prying friends. I yearned to get to know you.” My voice grew even quieter as I admitted, “I want to know everything about you.”

Tears glistened in her eyes, yet they didn’t fall. “Why?”

“Why do I want to know everything about you? I don’t think I can answer that, because I don’t even know. I can’t for the life of me figure out why I’m so intrigued by you. I’ve never felt this way before. It’s like you stepped out of that restaurant and my whole world changed. Trust me, I wish I understood. But I don’t.”

She closed the space between us and placed her palms flat on my chest. It was then I realized how heavy my breaths heaved in and out. I couldn’t recall another time in my life prior to this when I’d been so affected by another person. But she somehow found her way inside, embedded herself deep, and took hold, refusing to let go.