Heart Waves (25 page)

Mike sucked in a large breath of air, and let it out slowly before following her out of the room. That phrase definitely did not denote good things to come. 

“Looks like it’s just you and me,” Reece grinned wickedly as he leaned his body against mine, his lips seeking my own for one delicious kiss after another, while gently pushing me down on my back. At first he seemed playful, his eyes bright and full of fun, but like a light switch had been flicked, in an instant, everything changed.

His body pressed against mine, and I was all too aware this was the first time we could get carried away and give in to the ache of desire. His kisses, his touch, pulled my mind from any thought other than how good his hands felt running the length of my body, in my hair, on my skin. The throbbing of blood through my veins, up to my head, down to my toes, sounding in my ears had me convinced my heart would explode.

Each touch, each kiss, grew in length and intensity, like being given water after years in the desert, there was no satisfying this thirst. His hands moved over my body, causing cataclysmic eruptions inside me. Feeling his legs move against mine, his fingers brush my bare skin, the moment of combustion was fast approaching.

I swallowed hard with anticipation, wanting to lose myself in the moment, in Reece, in how much I loved him. And then I flinched. The train picked up speed, was running out of track, and these moments would be among the last.

I wanted to bottle this experience up and lock it away, savoring it long after he was gone. I tried to push the thought from my mind and get caught up in the moment again, but he sensed a change.    

Reece pulled back breathing hard, and looked at me through narrowed eyes, “Am I making you nervous?”

“Not at all.”

“Good,” he whispered with a wicked smile, just before bringing his lips to my neck, his hand to my breast.   
             

I felt my face flush
embarrassed,
and self-conscious about my lack of experience, hoping I wouldn’t disappoint him.

“Hey, Reece,” a deep voice I didn’t recognize boomed.
“You here?”

Reece shot up to a sitting position. He looked like someone inserted a steel rod into his body from the crown of his head, down his torso. The image of a deer caught in headlights popped into my mind as he looked from the door to me and back again.
             

Feeling as if we’d just been caught robbing a jewelry store, I followed his lead and jumped up to a sitting position on the bed. After a moment, with reality setting in, I caught my breath, and glanced at him, wondering why he seemed so spooked.

I reached up and placed a hand on the face I so loved.
“Reece?”

“Shit!” He snapped out of his stupor and looked at me, distress deep in his eyes. His brows furrowed, his lips drew into a thin, tight frown.

“What’s wrong?” I asked seeing how tense out of sorts he seemed.

“C’mon Reece, I know you’re here,” the voice was coming closer. “I just saw Mike, he told
me .
  .  .
oh
.”

I felt a weak throbbing begin behind my right eye and ear. My gut warned me of trouble and a migraine brewing.
             

“What do you want?” Reece snapped at the dark haired figure standing in the doorway.

The unnamed guy folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the door jam. I didn’t recognize him. Everything about him seemed dark.
His green eyes, his longish wavy hair, his energy.
Yet, in a dangerous, bad boy way, he was extremely good looking. A disturbing chill ran up my spine. I rubbed my arms in an attempt to generate heat and keep my teeth from chattering.   

“I didn’t know you were busy in here,” the mystery guy sneered. “You should’ve at least shut the door.”

“What. Do.
You.
Want?” Reece demanded, his eyes small and narrowed, his jaw set tight.

“So this is her?” The creepy guy made his way to Reece’s desk, pulled out the chair, and sat down backwards on it, facing us. He looked me over as if he were trying to appraise my value. “The girl I haven’t heard about.”

Reece looked at me, moved closer, and sat straighter with his chest puffed out.  

“So you’re not going to introduce me?” Reece’s dark acquaintance grinned maliciously.  

“Why don’t you tell me what you want and get out of here?” Reece answered.

“Since my buddy here is so rude, I’ll introduce myself.” He tried to look past Reece at me. “I’m Tyler.”

Tyler. I recognized the name immediately, Reece’s suffering friend. That would explain the dark energy. I remembered how Reece described the anguish and passing of his mother, but seeing Tyler, being in the same room as he, I couldn’t find anything sympathetic about him. What I found even more surprising than the drab foggy aura around Tyler, was Reece’s strange behavior.

According to Reece, the boys had a falling out. Tyler was angry with him, but it didn’t at all appear that way. It looked much more like Reece was the one baring a grudge. As if he found Tyler a threat in some way.

“Hi,” I answered back, wanting to keep peace, “I’m Jenna.”

“Don’t talk to him!” Reece instructed. His eyes never wavered from his adversary.

“Ignore him,” Tyler shook off Reece. “He’s just afraid I’ll steal you away,” he sneered.

“As if that could ever happen,” the words slipped off my lips.

I snuck a peek at Reece hoping he calmed down a bit. He shot me a sideward glance, anger blazing in his eyes. I made the situation worse. I issued a challenge to Tyler. The same challenge I accused Reece of taking up a couple of months ago. My nerves were twisting in my stomach. I wanted to double over to get rid of the pain. I couldn’t. I had to deal with it.

“I know it’s hard, but do you think you could leave her alone for a few minutes,” Tyler asked in a condescending manner. “We need to talk.”

“I’ve got nothing to say,” Reece answered.

“I do. And it’s important.” Tyler looked serious.

“You could say it in front of Jenna.”

“C’mon Reece, I’m trying to help you.”

Reece shook his head. “Whatever you’re trying to sell, I’m not interested. And
you,
are the last person I need help from.”

Tyler’s eyes looked even meaner than they had when he walked in. “You keep snowballing your mistakes. It’s too bad,” he said getting to his feet, “we used to be able to count on each other.”

“I’m not the one who changed that,” Reece stood now, too.

I watched in silence as they stared each other down, anger sculpted on both faces. Reece’s left eyelid twitched.  

I jumped up and moved next to Reece, entwining my arms around one of his and taking hold of his hand. I wanted my presence to help him in some way.
Reassure him? Shield him?
It didn’t make sense, but I needed to show I stood with him. He needed something to help absorb the anger and darkness emanating from Tyler.

I felt fairly certain now, I lost my mind. I was no shield. I could barely tolerate the pounding in my head and cramping of my stomach. I had no knowledge or skill on affecting or protecting against negative energy. And no direct threat had been issued. But I didn’t like the deep rising and falling of Tyler’s chest. That felt to me at least, like an intimidation tactic.

“Do you have any Advil?
Anything for a headache?”
I asked Reece, drawing his attention from his adversary.

Reece looked almost annoyed I asked him, but after a moment he stepped around Tyler, out of the room and into the bathroom down the hall on the right. Tyler and I stared at each other. He looked at me with a perverse hunger before I followed Reece out of the room, glad to be out of the confined space.

Tyler didn’t say a word to either one of us. He turned and walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

Finally, I could breathe again.

“
If I wanted you to talk to him I would’ve introduced you.” Reece scolded, moving across the common room and falling onto the couch.

“Are you saying I need your permission to speak?” I was taken back.

“When it comes to Tyler, yes!”

“What!” I couldn’t believe my ears. “Have you completely lost your mind?”

Reece balled his hands into fists and pounded them into the couch, “With Tyler, things are complicated,” he growled.

“Then maybe you should explain.”

He shook his head, “I made it clear I didn’t want you to talk to him, you should’ve respected my wishes and kept quiet.”

“Since when do you tell me what to do?” I snapped. “And what makes you think I’d listen? I’m not some brainless twit you picked up.”

He closed his eyes, his breaths increasing in length and depth, until once again calm and composed. “I know. And I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I just I don’t trust Tyler.”

“I got this really weird feeling from him,” I explained, taking a seat next to Reece. “It’s not from anything he said or did, but I feel like he wants to hurt you.” I had Reece’s attention. “I mean not physically hurt you, but hurt you, like destroy you emotionally.”

“The only way he can do that is through you. And you gave him the opening he wanted.”

“First of all, you know that would never happen. Second, if you guys were as close as you say, he knows lots of other ways to hurt you.”

“Promise me something, Jenna?” The somber tone of his voice and
sombre
look in his eye made my stomach queasy.

I nodded.

“Promise you’ll stay away from him.”

Maybe I didn’t lose my mind, maybe Reece lost his. I had nothing to do with Tyler. I didn’t know him. I didn’t like him. I had no reason to be in Tyler’s vicinity, unless I was with Reece.

“In what circumstance do you envision Tyler and
I
hanging out?”

Reece continued, “I know I must be coming off like a controlling, possessive jerk. Who knows? Maybe I am. I just need to know you’ll never be with Tyler. I mean never.
Ever.”
 

Before I could answer, the door leading from the hall into the suite exploded open. Mike looked at us, and then stalked off into his room slamming the door behind him.

I wondered what happened and where Grace could be. I jumped up and ran to the door calling out into the hall for my friend. No answer. I looked out of the window in the common room overlooking the entrance to the building. No sign of Grace.

“I wonder what happened.” I said to myself. Reece already disappeared into the bedroom to check on Mike.

A few minutes later, Reece returned. “Looks like I’ll be driving you home.

I wondered what would drive Grace to just up and leave without even a word to me. Mike must’ve really let his true colors shine through. It didn’t surprise me.

“What happened?” I asked.

Reece shrugged. “All I know is she broke up with him.”

My eyes grew five times larger than normal. “She did? That doesn’t make any sense. She’s been crazy about him for years.”

“Sometimes people change.”

I didn’t miss the shift of his eyes or the sad tone of his voice. Nor did I challenge him on either. Sometimes it’s better to just leave things alone.

“Poor Grace,” I said.

“Poor Grace?” he snapped, “Did you see Mike? She broke up with him. He’s the one devastated.”

“Devastated? Mike?
Really?”

“C’mon,” Reece opened the door leading out to the hall, “He wants to be alone, and I’m sure you’re the last person he wants to see.”

Ouch. If I didn’t know better, I’d think he meant for his words to sting.

Silence hung between us as we walked to his car. I still couldn’t get past the niggling feeling that Mike did something stupid. After all, Grace did worship him, and she did flip out after finding something incriminating in his desk drawer.

He probably had another girl’s phone number, or maybe a love letter to or from someone else. While I wouldn’t admit it to either Reece or Grace, I still had a hard time believing Mike had a heart and feelings like the rest of us.

Reece didn’t say much on the ride home. I couldn’t tell which situation had him in such a foul mood, Tyler or Mike.

“I thought Tyler was mad at you?” I’d been thinking it and really had no intention of saying it out loud.

“He is.” Reece kept his answer to the point. He didn’t want to get in to it, didn’t want to elaborate. Like everything else, he let me know the
basics,
the rest would come in time. Still, I could try to put my foot on the accelerator.

“Then why are you so angry? Why does he have you so worried?”