Authors: Jennifer Miller
AN EXCERPT FROM MY CLARITY
BY M. CLARKE
When we got
home, I thought Lexy would have left, but she stayed. I headed straight for the bathroom to take care of my wound. Lexy followed behind me and leaned against the door.
“Sorry, Alex. I shouldn’t have brought you there. I thought it would help get your mind off your dad.” Her tone was apologetic at first, and then it became filled with excitement. “But wasn’t it fun?”
“I did have fun, Lexy,” I confirmed. I didn’t want her to feel bad for doing something thoughtful. “I’m glad you took me. I’ve never been to one of those before. It was exciting. But do the cops come every time?”
“No. Sometimes we get lucky. They change the location every time. The guys who were taking the money are the ones who arrange it all. Either someone ratted the location or the cops played a hunch this time. If you get caught, they’ll throw you in jail and let you out the next day.”
“How do you know?” I asked, pumping liquid soap in my hands, and then running them under the sink. Thankfully, I only had minor scratches.
Lexy gave me a sly smile and handed the towel to me. “Jimmy got caught once.”
“Really?” I said, laughing as I hung the towel back on the rack. Our laughter was cut short when we went to the living room and saw Seth and Elijah walk through the door. Elijah was still huffing mad. His jaw muscles were tight and his lips were pressed in a thin line.
“Out!” Elijah was short and to the point. He made everyone jolt.
Thinking he meant me as well, I started heading to my room. I didn’t want to be around him either.
“Alex, where are you going?” he said softly, con
I stopped when he called my name. Without answering, I went to the kitchen instead and waited for him. I heard harsh whispers as if they were arguing and didn’t want me to hear, but it didn’t last long.
“Good night, Alex. See you tomorrow at work,” Lexy said.
“Good night, Alex,” Seth said next. “Go easy on her.” I heard him say to Elijah. Why would he say that?
“Bye,” I said loudly without a thought to walk them out the door.
Feeling restless, my heart hammered faster as I took out the milk carton and a bag of chocolate chip cookies. It was late at night, but I just felt like having something. After pouring milk into the cup, I took out a cookie as I watched Elijah walk in.
Though his shoulders were relaxed compared to a minute ago, I could see the worried look in his eyes, but not for long. “What are you doing?” he chuckled lightly, apparently finding humor in what he saw.
“Dunking my cookie in my milk. Haven’t you ever done that before?”
“No.”
“Then you’re missing out. Want some?” As I wondered if he would maintain his calmness, I took a bite.
“No, thanks. Not right now. I’m not a big fan of milk.” He paused for a second, dragged his hair back with his fingers, and released a short, sharp sigh. “Look. I’m sorry I got angry earlier. It wasn’t toward you. It was toward the situation and Lexy. She shouldn’t have brought you there.”
After I swallowed, I retorted, “Why not? Have you seen the crowd? Why can’t I be there?”
“I can’t believe you’re asking me that question.” His face tilted, angling his brows at me as if I should have known better. “Have I seen the crowd? Have
you
seen the crowd?” He blinked rapidly, rattling off his words, but his piercing, beautiful brown eyes and long lashes were distracting me. “There are gang members, gamblers, drug addicts, not to mention the cops.”
“I didn’t know about the cops, and who put you in charge of me anyway?” I challenged.
“I did.”
“I don’t need you to take care of me because I’m Jimmy’s cousin. I wish everyone would stop doing that.” My tone went up a notch.
“That’s not the reason.”
“Then what is? And I didn’t see any gang members or drug addicts. Although I wouldn’t know what they look like.” I dunked the cookie again and took another bite.
“Exactly. And have you ever been in a jail before?”
“No.” Biting my cookie helped me deal with how he continued to distract me. Something about the way he was being so protective and how he was staring at my mouth, he oozed sex appeal.
“Exactly.”
“Stop saying ‘exactly.’ Have you?”
He didn’t answer. I’d guessed that was a yes. Before he could walk away from me, I pointed at him with the half-eaten cookie in my hand as I asked another question. “How about the other students and your friends? They were all there, too. Am I not good enough to be there?” I don’t know why, but anger boiled inside me.
“No, you’re not!” he stammered, startling me. When he took a step toward me, I backed away and bumped into the cabinet.
His words were like a dagger to my heart. Did he really say that to me, making me feel worthless? How dare he!
With his hands planted on either side of the cabinet just inches away from my face, his body was way too close to mine. I couldn’t help but stare at the tattoo that curved as his muscles flexed. His broad shoulders and his hard, defined chest were too much for me to handle, especially recalling how he looked without a shirt on.
Blistering, heated energy ignited in the space between us. I was drowning into his smell…into him…into that cage he created around us, and I wanted to dive into his arms. Lowering his head and brushing his lips against my ear, accentuating one word at a time, he murmured. “You. Are. Better.” Then he paused. No movement…completely still.
I don’t know how long we stood like that. A second seemed like an eternity. I had no control over what I was feeling just then. After a soft intake of breath, he continued. “I don’t know what I would have done if something were to happen to you.”
His words quickly soothed me, making me melt in awe. I tried not to choke on the cookie still in my mouth. When I felt the warmth of his breath against my neck, I wanted so badly for him to devour me right there. The heated feeling got worse when I saw his lips heading toward mine with a slow hesitation. My heart went into overdrive as the room spun around me. We were now face-to-face as he stared into my eyes with want and need.
Never taking his eyes off me, he rested his hand on my shoulder, and then gingerly slid down my arm, giving me pleasurable tingles…EVERYWHERE. Afraid to move the tiniest of my muscles, I felt locked in place. I was enjoying him far too much. I didn’t want it to end. When he finally reached my hand, he pulled it up to his mouth and made the most pleasurable groan I’ve ever heard.
Looking exhausted and dazed, he shifted his eyes to the cookie in my hand, and mumbled slowly, “I think I’ll have that cookie now.”
Nothing registered until I saw his lips part and my fingers disappeared into his mouth. Oh. My. GOD! My pulse skyrocketed and I whimpered from the warmth of his tongue and the sensation that shot up my arm. My fingers were very wet sliding out of his mouth. I even felt the feather-light graze of his teeth; and I could swear every single muscle in my body became limp.
His jaw worked quickly, chewing. It was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. He made eating a cookie so hot. After he swallowed, he turned the other way, picked up my cup of milk, and chugged down whatever was left.
Looking like he couldn’t believe he just drank milk, he placed the cup down. “Good night, Alex. Don’t ever go racing without me,” he ordered, and then he left.
What just happened? Milk and cookies will never be the same for me…EVER.
AN EXCERPT FROM RAIN CHECK
BY GYPSY RAE CHOSZER
Of every possible
scenario I could have imagined about finally meeting my birth mother, this was nowhere on the list. Walking away, I take one last glance behind me at the wooden sign hanging above Marianna’s shop, The Crystal Moon. She’s standing at the door waving. Her dark hair hangs free, cascading over her shoulders, a feather woven into a braid on one side.
I really need to sit down and figure out exactly what I just got myself into. Luckily the house I am staying at is only a few blocks away. Thanks to the magic of Craigslist and just a few clicks of my mouse, I was able to find a great place to rent by the week. I’ve only been there one week, but I feel right at home. I have my own room upstairs with a private bathroom. Jonah, the owner, is an artist who rents it out to people looking for an alternative to hotels when they visit Portland.
Jonah and I hit it off almost immediately. The first night I stayed at his house he came home after a bad date armed with a pint of double fudge ice cream and a bottle of scotch.
“I’m done dating. I am swearing off men forever!” Jonah walks into the kitchen and plops dramatically into the seat next to me, eyeing the cup of tea I just finished pouring.
“No.” He gestures to the tea. “Nope. That is not happening right now. I have scotch and I refuse to drink it alone.”
“I take it your date didn’t go so well?” I say as I dump my tea into the sink. If he’s offering me the good stuff, who am I to refuse?
“He was one of the most beautiful men I have ever seen, Avery. He was a freaking god until he opened his mouth. After that he was just a dick, and not the good kind either.”
“I wasn’t aware there was a good kind of dick. At least as far as personality goes.” I flash him a little smile.
“It probably only happens on TV,” Jonah sighs and leans his chair backwards, reaching into a drawer to pull out two spoons.
“Ah. The elusive douchebag with a heart of gold,” I giggle.
“Exactly.” He pulls the lid off the ice cream, digs out a spoonful, and hands it to me. “Tell me you like chocolate.”
“It’s pretty much my favorite,” I assure him. “As far as I’m concerned it is a necessary recovery food after every bad date.”
He fills his own spoon and pops it in his mouth while giving me a thoughtful look. “I think I like you, Avery. I don’t share my bad date food with just anyone.”
Several hours later, we had told each other all of our worst date stories and shared our most embarrassing moments. I told him about Marianna and why I was in Portland. He decided to really only swear off men for a week, and together we polished off the whole container of ice cream as well as enough scotch to make us both numb and happy.
And now it’s my turn to tell Jonah about my crappy encounter.
“I’m a crazy person. I have lost my freaking mind,” I announce loudly as I walk into the shared kitchen of the old Victorian styled house.
Jonah looks at me with his eyebrows raised and pats the seat next to him at the table. “So, I’m guessing you finally met her? Come sit down, I’ll pour you some tea and then you’re going to tell me what happened.”
I drop myself down into the seat and bury my head in my arms. “Jonah. It was bad. So
soooo
bad. I don’t know what I was thinking.” I peek up at him as he sets a mug in front of me on the table.
“It’s a new blend I picked up this morning.” He inclines his head towards the mug and nudges it closer to me, waiting while I take a sip. “Now then, did you meet her?”
I sit back in my seat and look up at the ceiling. The events of this afternoon come rushing back at me and for a moment, my heart stutters and I feel slightly off balance. “Yes?” It comes out like a question. I take a deep breath and start again. “Yes, I met her.”
“What did she say?”
“Well. I didn’t exactly tell her.” I wince at the memory of our meeting.
“So, what exactly
did
you tell her then?”
“I really
was
planning to tell her who I am… but when I spoke, instead of saying ‘Hi, my name is Avery, I am the daughter you gave up for adoption twenty-one years ago’, I said something more along the lines of ‘Are you hiring?’” I glance back at Jonah, who meets my eyes with a mixture of amusement and disbelief. “She wants me to come back tomorrow for an interview.”
His shoulders quake in silent laughter as he shakes his head back and forth. “Okay, I agree. You are a crazy person,” he laughs. “But you are the most entertaining crazy person I have ever met, so there’s that.”
“Jonah! This is serious! I don’t think you realize the gravity of the situation. My birth mother wants to interview me for a job tomorrow. But she doesn’t know who I am. And also, she owns a magic shop! Like I know anything about working in a magic shop!”
“It’s not a magic shop. It’s a metaphysical shop; there’s a difference, I think.” He stops for a moment, and then adds, “Yes, there is definitely a difference. Are you going?”
“No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know,” I sigh and take another sip. “It really doesn’t make any sense. I only planned to be in Portland for two,
maybe
three weeks tops. Maybe I should go for the interview and just tell her then.”
“Yeah. You should most definitely tell her who you are.” Jonah scoots his chair closer to mine. “But you could stay longer if you wanted. I kinda like having you around. You’re a lot more fun than the other people who usually want to stay here.” He smiles. “I mean, after you tell her of course.”
I groan. “I can’t believe I did this. I am the only person I know who would do something like this.”
“That’s just another reason you should consider staying. I need excitement in my life and you do not fail to provide. I bet it’s genetic. Your birth mother does tarot readings and stuff with crystals, she sounds entertaining too. I can see this arrangement really working out to my advantage.” I raise my eyebrows at him and he winks. “I’m kidding. Mostly. What was she like?”
I sit back in my chair to think, remembering her face and the way she carried herself. “She’s short, like me. But her hair is dark, almost black. And wild. She was wearing all these beaded bracelets and no shoes. She smelled sweet and earthy, like some kind of incense maybe. I don’t really look like her. Maybe my eyes? Hers are darker though,” I shrug. “She seemed really nice I guess. She was a little intense, but that could’ve been my nerves.”
“What time are you meeting her tomorrow? Do you want to get some coffee after? There’s that place, Rush, right up the block from her shop. Their coffee’s not bad.”
“Sure, sounds good. I’m meeting her at 10, so maybe around 11? I can
entertain
you with more of my misadventures.” I drain the last of my tea and stand. “I’m going upstairs to shower.”
“Okay, I’m heading out later tonight with some friends if you want to come with us. First drinks on me.”
“I don’t know, I’m pretty tired after today.” Just saying it brings out a yawn that I hide behind my hand.
“The cure for what ails you is fun. Fun and booze. Fun, booze, and cheese fries. Just come, I promise we won’t stay out late.” He gives me his best puppy dog eyes.
“Fine. But only because I want cheese fries,” I smirk. “I’ll go shower and get ready.”
I place my mug in the sink and walk around the corner to the stairs that lead up to my room.
My room is at the top of the stairs. It’s large enough for a beautiful queen sized sleigh bed in a dark cherry finish with matching bedside tables and a dresser. There is also a separate area in the room with bookshelves and a desk. To the right of the desk are two doors, one that leads to the bathroom and the other into the closet.
I drop my purse on the desk and walk to the bathroom, one of my favorite parts about staying in Jonah’s house. It is the perfect mixture of old and new. The claw foot tub and pedestal sink fit right in with the era of the house, but the enclosed steam shower gives it just the right touch of modern flair. I let my clothes fall to the floor and press a few buttons on the digital touch screen for the steam shower before I step inside.
As steam begins to fill the space, I sit back on the tiled seat built into the corner of the stall. The heat and moisture build in the air and the tension of the day begins to melt from my muscles. If I were to sit here long enough, I might completely forget all my worries. Almost.
Jonah is probably right, the answer to my problems, at least for tonight is to get out and have a little fun. I can tackle everything with my birth mother, Marianna, tomorrow. Tonight, I will relax and have a good time. Who says that coming to Portland has to be all serious business?
I feel some of my worry lift from my shoulders and sigh with a smile.