Sweet Harmony (26 page)

Even though it's for his own good, he's going to be hurt,
she realized. Despite all the arguments and punching, she didn't want that to happen. Maybe she'd never wanted to hurt him, not even in the beginning when she truly believed she loathed him. At that moment, she wanted to be closer to him, a fact which surprised her. She wasn't a touchy-feely person. She'd never be the girl who gave random hugs or even the person who enjoyed receiving them. Still she didn't have much time left with Daniel. She wanted to enjoy the last few days she had with the first boy who'd managed to make her heart beat faster. In order to do that, she had to get over being a chicken about her own emotions and just let go.

"Daniel," she said, touching his arm.

The guy let out a nasally snore.

"Hey, Daniel," she said a little louder, some of the sweet romanticism she'd felt for him fading.

The guy was muttering about stealing food again.

"Wake up, you idiot!" She hurled a pillow at his head.

With a grunt, Daniel flew into the sitting position, his golden blond hair askew.

"What's the matter?" Daniel rubbed his eyes, then glanced at her, his
mouth thin. "Is something wrong?"

All hopes of being sweet like a normal girl
flew out the window.

"Get in." She pointed at the bed. "I'm cold."

"What?" Daniel's eyebrow rose.

"I said,
I'm cold." She was so embarrassed her cheeks were hot. "I want you to come up here."

"You're asking me to sleep next to you to keep you warm?" Daniel
looked at her like she'd sprouted an arm out of her forehead. 

"Fine." She was humiliated enough already.
She wasn't going to ask again. "Don't sleep next to me. Whatever."

"No, I will." Daniel scrambled into the bed and wrapped his arms around her.

Being in somebody's arms was a little awkward at first. She could smell his breath and could hear his heartbeat when she placed her head on his chest.
We're so close right now,
she realized. She shut her eyes and listened to the music his body made.

"Hey, are you okay?" Daniel's voice was
surprisingly soft.

"Yeah." She swallowed. "Why?"

"I'm not complaining, but this is unlike you," he said. "I thought I'd have to sell my soul in order for you to request to be close to me like this."

"I'll tell you what." She propped herself up on her elbow. "I'll let you sell your soul to me. How about that?"

She'd meant the words as a joke to ease her own tension, but Daniel didn't take the bait. 

"My soul is already yours," he murmured.

What was she supposed to say now? Daniel's words were so intimate. She'd never been close enough to someone to speak like that. The most romantic words she'd ever uttered had been to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a day she'd been really
hungry.

She laid her head on his chest again and fell silent. He held her
so close the breath was chased from her lungs. Being enveloped in Daniel made her feel warmer than she'd ever been in her entire life. To her horror, she realized she just might cry. To conceal her emotions, she pressed her face against his chest and heard his heart's rhythm yet again.

"Your heart beats really fast," she whispered.

"Not always," he said.

It took her a moment to realize
his heart was beating quickly because she was there.

She didn't make a habit out of cursing the universe or fate. She'd always believed that life was what
a person made it and that blaming the world made it easier to have an excuse not to act. Now she was changing. She wanted to curse the universe for making her leave Daniel.

There's a first for everything,
she thought, squeezing her eyes shut.

Chapter Twenty-Two

The next morning, Annamarie awoke to the sound of her alarm clock blaring. She glanced at Daniel who was still at her side. The alarm clock's shrill scream made him mutter under his breath, but he didn't wake up like she had. After she shut off the alarm, she saw that Boris was already awake and eating a power bar.

"Good morning," she whispered.

The man nodded at her and chewed slowly.

She struggled out of bed and opened her dresser. She was in the middle of pulling out her uniform when two strong arms wrapped around her waist and
yanked her back into the bed. It took her a moment to realize it was Daniel.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"What does it look like?" Daniel sounded like he was half awake. "I'm pulling you back into bed. Go to sleep."

"You have to go to class," she said. "Mrs. Carmichael only excused you from school yesterday."

Plus, I don't want you listening in when I talk with my dad on the phone.

"You don't have to go
to school today, so I don't want to either," he muttered. "I want to stay here with you."

The only reason she didn't have to go to class
was because she was being removed from the school roster anyway.

"You should go," she said. "I don't want you to fail because of me."

"I won't fail." He buried his face into her hair. "Unlike a certain someone, I'm a straight A student. I've never failed a subject in my life."

Somehow it didn't seem fair that Daniel was gorgeous, rich, and smart. She was in the bottom rank of every class.
That's only because you never study,
whispered a dark voice in her head. Probably if she spent as much time studying as she did making trouble, she'd be a straight A student too. She grumbled, if only because she hadn't seen Daniel pick up a book either.

"What's the matter?" Daniel asked. "Are you in awe of my superior intelligence?"

"What superior intelligence?" She picked up a pillow and hit him over the head with it.

"Ouch." Daniel released her and gave her a dirty look. "What happened to the sweet girl who begged me to sleep in the same bed with her last night?"

She had to fight the urge to plug her ears like a little kid.

"Is the mighty toilet girl speechless?" he asked.

"Go to class," she said. "I have Boris to look after me."

The last thing she wanted was
for Daniel to get detention.

"
Somebody is supposed to be with you all the time. Don't you remember the schedule I made?" Daniel yawned. "I'm a firm believer in schedules."

"The schedule says that Jaiden watches me in the morning." She stared at him pointedly.

"It may say that, but Jaiden isn't here." Daniel climbed out of bed and stretched. "Plus, I have a lot to think about. I have to figure out how to convince your dad not to take you out of the academy. I'm not going to let him steal you away from me even if I have to superglue you to the wall."

"I have Boris."
Her stomach sunk at his second comment. She was leaving whether he superglued her to the wall or not. "And you should think in class. You aren't going to plan much of anything if you spend all day napping."

"Do you really want me to go to class that much?" Daniel sighed.

"Yes." She crossed her arms. "If you lose your class rank, riches, and good looks, all you'll have to rely on is your cynical personality."

"Ouch." Daniel clutched his heart, but he was grinning. "Fine. I'll go to class on one condition."

She didn't like the way he was smirking.

"
What's the condition?" If he asked her to do something weird, she'd kick him.

"Kiss me goodbye," he said.

"What?" Despite how hard she tried to fight it, her face burned.

"Kiss me." Daniel pointed to his lips.

"No." She couldn't even look him in the eye now.

"Okay." Daniel flopped back on her bed and
pulled the blankets over his body. "A day off it is."

She'd never be able to talk to her dad in peace
at this rate. It wasn't like she was fantastic at talking in code either. If she tried, her parent would think she was nuts—well, more so than he already did.

"Fine." Even the
thought of what she had to do made her palms sweaty and her stomach churn. "I'll kiss you goodbye."

"Really?"
Daniel was out of the bed again within seconds. "Great."

He stood in front of her, awaiting his
farewell kiss. The problem was preparing to kiss somebody was different than anything else she'd ever done before. It didn't help that Daniel's eyes were alit with laughter and that Boris was watching everything.

"I'm waiting," Daniel said,
smirking.

"I'm getting ready." She
hit him in the shoulder. "It would help if you would stop staring at me. Close your eyes or something."

"
I want to watch you," he said.

"Daniel, do you want this kiss or not?" she
asked sinisterly.

"I suppose I'll shut my eyes
just for you." Daniel winked at her and then finally did as she'd asked.

Now that Daniel was no longer staring at her with his bright blue eyes, it was a little easier. Unfortunately, the butterflies were still raging a war inside her stomach and her brain melted into unidentifiable sludge.
You can do this,
she told herself.
It's just a kiss. It's not like you're slicing off your finger or something.
Okay, thinking of chopping off body parts had not been a good idea. Now she was queasy on top of everything else.

"
At this rate I'm going to miss all of my classes anyway." Daniel opened one eye.

"Shut up."
She wrung her hands.

This was just like jumping into the Pacific Ocean. The water itself was wonderful—after she got over the frigid first jump. Before she could chicken out, she placed her hands on Daniel's
hips and plunged into the churning water. After she pressed her lips against Daniel's warm ones, she took a step back, shaking. That hadn't been so bad. The guy opened his eyes.

"That was the kind of kiss you'd give your Great Aunt Tilly," he said.

Not in her family. She hadn't even seen her parents kiss in years, which probably explained some of her family problems.

"I'm sorry my kiss wasn't good enough for you." She was miffed
. Kissing him had taken a lot of courage, dang it!

"I n
ever said it wasn't good enough." He placed his large hands on her shoulders. "I just hoped it would go something like this."

Before she had time to react, Daniel pressed his lips to her own.
The boy's mouth was hungry as he tangled his fingers in her hair. She was losing her sense of thought. All she could do was smell Daniel's sweet skin and feel his warm mouth moving against hers. This kiss was of a completely different caliber than the one she'd given. When the guy pulled back, a hallelujah chorus serenaded her mind.

"
That
was a goodbye kiss." Daniel grinned, his blue eyes sparkling as he touched her cheek. "I'll be thinking about you while I'm in class. I'll be back at lunch, so don't you dare eat without me."

"B-bye."
Stupid stammer.

Long after Daniel was gone, her lips
remained warm and her body tingled. She'd be remembering the kiss throughout the rest of the day. But that was a problem…Talking to her dad with that experience on her mind was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever had to do.

****

At ten minutes until ten, Annamarie flashed a nervous smile at Boris. It was almost time for her to speak to her dad, but she didn't really want the bodyguard listening in. After all, he worked for Daniel and could report everything said to his boss. That was why she had to go to the bathroom. It would echo a little during the conversation, but at least she'd have some privacy.

"I need t
o go to the restroom," she said, glancing at Boris.

She headed for the door.

"Okay." The man moved to follow her.

"You aren't coming in with me." She'd kick him in the privates before she'd allow him to do that.

"I'll wait outside in the hall like I've always done in the past," he said. "I won't intrude unless it's absolutely necessary."

She'd forgotten he
usually waited in the hall. Normally she wasn't so jumpy when lying. Stupid Daniel. She blamed his kiss. She'd spent the last two hours in a state of intoxication—she'd had too much Daniel and now she was staggering around like a drunk.

After she went out into the empty hall—all the other girls were in class—Boris followed behind her to the restroom
door. She paused, fingering the cell in her pocket.

"I may be awhile," she said. "
I haven't really been able to go lately, if you catch my drift."

Boris stared at her, unmoving. The guy really needed to get a sense of humor or at least buy himself a dictionary. Words were a good thing.

"I'll be back." She walked into the bathroom and headed to the stall in the back.

The minutes ticked by as she stared at her phone.
Come on, Dad.
There was only so much time a person could spend in the bathroom. Boris was bound to become suspicious. Finally, at one minute after ten, her phone rang. She answered it.

"Hey," she said.

"Annamarie!" her dad cried. "Why haven't you been answering you phone? I've been trying to get ahold of you for the past couple of days."

"I've been busy," she whispered. "Ugh…I think you know why."

"Yes." Her dad sighed. "Why didn't you tell me what was happening to you? I thought when you begged me to come home you were just trying to get out of going to the academy. I had no idea that you were in danger."

"Well, you know me." She let out a nervous laugh, glancing at the door. "I always manage to piss somebody
off, so I'm always in danger."

"I'm sure you know this already, but I'm removing you from the academy. I'll fly down in two days,
" her dad said. "I would have come right away, but my manager has been a real thorn in my side about finishing tomorrow's concert."

"Okay."
Goodbye, Daniel.
She blew out a sigh.

"
That principal at the school is a piece of work," her dad muttered. "Even after everything that happened, she didn't want me to remove you from school. Believe me, I was surprised. Your last three tutors were begging to be let off the hook after dealing with your antics."

"I know
." She chewed her bottom lip, trying to erase Daniel's kiss from her mind.

"Annamarie?" her dad said.

"Yeah?" She leaned against the wall.

"Are you shaken up
about all of this?" he asked. "Right now, you don't sound much like my daughter. You haven't yelled at me or ranted about how strong you are."

"I'm okay."
Liar. You don't want to leave the school.

She found her hesitation
about leaving the academy ironic considering the fact she'd begged her dad to take her home only a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, even though she was reluctant now, she had to keep Daniel and Jaiden in mind.

"If you're sure." He
r dad sounded suspicious.

"
Yeah, but I have a favor to ask you," she said.

"You aren't going to ask me to buy you a weapon, are you?" Her dad was on edge again. "It's like I said after you saw that five thousand dollar medieval sword
—the answer is no. I worry enough about you and Yuri wrestling without you having weapons too."

"It's nothing like that.
It's something small." She ran a hand through her hair. "When you come, let's leave right away, okay? I want to be out of this school as fast as possible."

That way she'd be less likely to run into Daniel
.

"
Is it because of that Nathan boy who's after you?" Her dad's voice was soft. "Are you still in danger? Mrs. Carmichael assured me that you'll be safe at school at least until I come to get you."

No way could she tell him the truth
about why she wanted to sneak away from campus. Besides, she didn't think he'd believe that two guys liked her enough to fight over her. She could scarcely believe it herself.

"People here
aren't too fond of me, so I want to leave fast." It wasn't exactly a lie. Half the student body was rooting for Nathan to finish his hit job. "I'd just prefer if I got out of here with as much dignity as possible."

"Is it that bad?" He groaned. "I've really messed up with you, haven't I? I thought that by sending you away from the paparazzi, you'd have an easier time dealing with what your mom
did. Now it's even worse. Will you ever forgive me for all the mistakes I've made over the last couple of months?"