Seclusion (21 page)

“I have eyes, friend. He
invited you over, and that’s all I need to know.”

“Well, just so you know, it
wasn’t his choice. We have business to take care of,” I said.

“Girlie, you know as well
as I do that if a boy doesn’t want to see you, there is no business to be
found.” She gave me a hug.

“So, where do I get this
Italian food?”

“Oh, I have a friend that
works in the caf,” Elsie said and winked.

“Of course you do.” I
focused on the phone and sent it to E.

“Whoa, when did you learn
to do that?” she asked.

“One of Damen’s tricks he’s
been teaching me.”

“Nice!” she said. “What
else has he been teaching you?”

“Prediction stuff. Channel
eleven news, channel seven eclipse commercial, CW
Nikita
repeat,” I
said.

Elsie started cracking up.
“Wow, can you do anything else?”

“I don’t know,” I said.

“Well, try! What’s my
Connor doing right now?” she asked.

I closed my eyes. “Playing
an RPG game. He’s pissed 'cause he’s losing and debating if he should cheat.”

Elsie snorted and giggled.
“Chase?”

“Practicing his
powers…whoa, no way! He just jumped to the top of the parking garage. Holy
crap! I didn’t realize I could use my prediction type powers to see what is
going on with other people.”

“DAMEN?” Elsie asked.

I focused. It was hard to
get a feel for him, but I saw him shirtless and shaving. He was wearing his
holey jeans. “Shirtless and shaving,” I said with a sigh.

“That’s a good sign,” Elsie
said.

“It is? Because I think he
usually shaves,” I said.

“Yes, but doesn’t he
usually shave in the morning?”

I smiled happily. She
winked. E. therapy was exactly what I needed.

Elsie ordered a few
different noodle dishes, salad, and bread and had it delivered to our room.

“Why did you have it
delivered here?”

“I find guys are more
appreciative when they think you’ve made it,” she said.

“E., say you’ll always be
my bestie! I want you with me forever.”

She laughed. “The moment I
met you, I knew we were destined to be together.” She winked. “Now, put that
strapless shirt on and those skinny jeans with the sexy holes. And don’t forget
your pjs,” she said, pointing to a clingy black nightie that was so thin it was
almost see-through. “Pull your hair back into a ponytail so he thinks you’re
not dressing up for him, and before dinner pull the rubber band out and run
your hands through your hair.”

I laughed. “How did you
learn the art of seduction? Connor adores you. Why would you need these
tactics?”

“Silly girl. Why do you
think he adores me so?” she said.

“Well, maybe because you’re
great!” I replied.

I grabbed my things and the
food that Elsie had put into Tupperware to make it look homemade. “You don’t
think homemade food is trying too hard?” I asked.

“Just say you were craving
home-cooked food. They always fall for that.”

“Wow, you are good! Girl
time has been great! Wish me luck!”

“See you later, friend. You
don’t need luck!” she said as I gave her a hug.

I made sure to put up the
strongest wall I could muster. I didn’t want Damen to know the trouble I had
gone to getting ready for him. Elsie had made me realize how useful my
prediction power was. I checked what Damen was doing before I left my suite. I
could tell he was wearing a sweater with his jeans. He was tidying up his
apartment, which seemed typical to me.

I walked to his room, and
of course the door was open. I walked in and used my power to shut the door.

“Nice,” I heard Damen say.
I blushed.

He walked over to help me
with the food. “You didn’t have to cook,” he said.

“I was craving my aunt’s
home-cooked food.”

“Awww,” he said. “How’d you
take a shower and get dressed and cook so quickly?”

“Who said I showered?”

Damen just laughed. “If we
were 21, I’d say I had wine. Sorry…”

He started setting the
table and lighting the candles. I could feel my stomach doing flips.

“Raegan, I don’t want you
to get the wrong impression. I do like you, might always, but we are just
friends. I think it's best that way,” he said as he opened the Tupperware and
began heating the contents. “You outdid yourself. I’m lucky you came here with
a craving.” Damen winked.

I was heartbroken and
flattered by his comments all at the same time. I flipped off my sandals and
began helping him. He didn’t even look up.

“Aren’t you cold? I mean,
you look hot and all, but if you’re cold, you can borrow a sweatshirt,” he
said.

After that comment, I
didn’t care how cold I was. I was going to make him regret his decision to end
things.

When everything was on the
table, Damen lifted me up and set me down on the counter as he stared into my
eyes. “Raegan.”

My stomach fluttered at the
sound of his voice saying my name and the feel of his hands on my waist.

“I already know you’re
everything a guy could want. In fact, you’re almost perfect. But I’m not going
to have you freeze if I can help it.”

He pulled his sweater over
his broad shoulders, his muscles on display before me. I was in what one might
call a stupor as he began dressing me with his sweater. Apparently, someone had
taught him the art of seduction as well. His scent surrounded me, and all I
wanted to do was cry.

“You are aggravating!” I
said.

“What? Why?”

“Because I have no defenses
against you. You know my motives, and you know my reasoning, and you still use
it against me.”

He laughed and kissed me on
the head. “Well, you’re aggravating too! I try to stay away, and you keep
needing me. And every time you show up, you look hotter and sexier. Yet there’s
always some reason you can’t be with me,” he said.

“What do you mean? I
can
be with you!”

I wrapped my arms around
his neck, and when I saw my chance I took it. I kissed him with all the passion
I had been suppressing the last few days. He returned my kiss with a long, deep
kiss, and then he pulled away, which broke my heart.

He kissed my forehead. “I’m
sorry,” he said.

I didn’t know how much more
rejection I’d be able to take in one night.

We ate, but dinner was not
my focus. I was wishing I was linked with E. I knew she’d have some plot of
seduction I could use. I realized my hair was still up, so I strategically
pulled my hair band out and slyly pulled the sweater down so the neck hung off
one shoulder.

“I’m a little concerned
about tonight,” Damen said. “I think I’ll be a child during the dream, and you
will most likely stay your age. It might be weird.”

“It’s okay. I’ll be there
for you!” I said.

He looked at me with his
deep green eyes that had me mesmerized.

“We should wait and do your
dream tomorrow night,” he said.

Perfect! Two sleepovers
, I thought.

Dinner was delish, thanks
to the caf. Damen praised my cooking, which I thought was funny.
My walls
must be working.

After we ate, we watched TV
in our usual position on the couch, with my head in his lap. After we did the
dishes, I slipped into the nightie that E. suggested I wear. I grabbed a
blanket so it wasn’t totally obvious that I was trying to show off my sexiness.
My cleavage was showing a lot, which I was hoping Damen would notice. He
stroked my hair as we watched a rerun of
The Vampire Diaries
. His love
of vampire stories, though he’d never admit it, was one of the things I loved
about him.

“So do you do this with all
your girlfriends?” I asked.

“Have you talked to Chloe?”

“Stop, Raegan. I don’t want
to talk about us, I just want to enjoy this,” he said as he pulled me onto his
lap and wrapped his arms around me.

“We can be friends, right?”
he said as he nuzzled his chin into my neck.

I turned a little in his
lap and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“I’m not sure what
you
do with friends, but I’m positive I wouldn’t be doing this.”

Damen got quiet and didn’t
say anything, so I took advantage of the moment and kissed him again. His hands
began roaming my body urgently, like if he removed them, I’d disappear. He
slowly laid me down on my back, one hand yanking the blanket out between us,
kissing me gently and coaxing me to participate.

“I don’t do this with
friends,” he whispered in my ear, “but I can’t keep my hands off you. I never
could.”

Damen groaned. I thought
this might be the last time he’d let me be with him, and I didn’t want to stop.
I loved him, and I didn’t care if he believed we were only friends. He’d always
have my heart.

He lifted himself above me
so he could rub his hands over my body. His eyes raked over me, and for a
second I could swear this friendship thing was bullshit. His hands rubbed up my
thighs as he lay between my legs and placed teasing kisses against my lips. I
moaned, closing my eyes. I tried to focus. I began to get a little nervous.
Can
I give up my virginity, not knowing for sure if he thinks of me only as a
friend?
I searched his mind, and all I could see was his passion for me.

“Stop, Stop!”

Damen sat up quickly. “I
can’t.” He saw the pain in my eyes. “I’m sorry.” He caressed my hair and my
cheek, and then he squeezed my hands.

“I think I should go to
bed,” I said.

“I’m the one that’s sorry.”

Damen gave me one last
gentle kiss. There were tears running down my cheek.

I went to my room in his
suite.
I just don’t get it
, I thought. I brushed my teeth and combed my
hair and washed my face.
Screw him
, I thought. I knew we were more than
friends.

After I was positive he was
asleep, I went to his room and found the door locked. But thanks to him, I knew
how to unlock it. I concentrated on the lock, and sure enough, it popped open.
I snuck into his room, slipped under the covers, and wrapped myself around him.
He was, as usual, only in boxers. He turned around and faced me, wrapping his
body against mine. I vaguely remembered worrying about how he would feel in the
morning as I fell asleep against his warm body.

*
* *

The dream began on the
tropical island. We were in the sand, embracing each other. Damen smiled. “Are
you in my bed, you little devil?”

“What do you mean?” I asked
innocently.

“You know exactly what I
mean.”

“Well, aren’t we supposed
to be on an island in Canada?”

He kissed me, and suddenly
we were in a house, which I assumed was on the island. Damen was holding my
hand. He looked up at me. He was the most adorable little boy with beautiful,
innocent eyes. I couldn’t help but wonder what a child with Damen would look
like.

“Rrr…aegan? Are you here to
help me? You are beautiful. Like an angel! I won’t let the bad man get you. I
promise,” he said, standing up as straight as possible and fighting his tears
away. He was so young. My heart went out to him.

“I‘ll help you, Damen. Hold
on to my hand, and don’t let go.”

“Okay,” he said and
squeezed tighter.

We looked around the house
together. It was thrashed, like someone had been there searching for something.

“Mom? Dad? What’s going
on?” I heard Damen say. He was holding on to my hand for dear life.

I stroked his head and
squeezed his hand. I could clearly see his mother – he had her eyes. “We have
to leave. We have to find a way off this place. Dr. Z is coming. We only have
tonight,” she said.

Damen was crying and asking
if he could bring his puppy. Damen’s dad answered. “Look at me, son. I’m sorry,
but you have to be strong. You can have a new puppy. Do you hear Dr. Z? What is
he saying, Damen?”

Damen started screaming,
“He’s coming! He found the boat!” Damen’s little body trembled with fear.

“Take Damen. I’ll distract
Dr. Z. You two get on the boat. I’ll catch up. GO NOW!” his dad yelled.

“Come, Damen. Listen to
your father,” his mother said as she grabbed Damen from me. I didn’t want to
let go, but I needed the dream to continue.

“I’m with you, Damen!” I
yelled, chasing after him with tears streaming down my face.

Damen was watching me with
confusion. I saw the silhouette of a dark-haired man fighting with Damen’s
father, and then I saw Damen’s mother put her son into the boat and hand him a
compass.

“Row south, and continue
till you can’t row anymore. Then row more. I will be behind you. Look for your
grandfather,” she said as she pushed him out to sea.

Tears were flowing from
everyone. Damen’s mom ran back to the house. I couldn’t hear everything. I only
heard them arguing about the boy.

“His power is too strong!
Where is he?” a man shouted.

Suddenly, I woke up and
heard Damen yelling. “Mother, NOOO! Mother, NOOO!”

“Wake up, wake up! It’s
okay,” I said.

Finally, after minutes of
stroking him and trying to wake him up, he startled awake.

“Raegan? Where are we? Are
you okay?” His hands were running over my body, ensuring my safety.

I flipped the bathroom
light on with my power. “It’s okay. We are safe, and I’m okay.” I used my power
to get him a glass of water.

“Wow, you’re getting better
at that,” he said.

“I had a good teacher,” I
commented and kissed his forehead.

“Do you remember the dream?
It’s a blur to me,” he said.

“Yes, I remember it all.
I’ll tell you in the morning,” I said.

“I knew you snuck in here.
Thank you.”

“Of course. I’ll always be
here for you.” We held each other and fell asleep.

I dreamt I was in the
meadow-graveyard that Damen had taken me to so long ago. Damen grabbed me from
behind and planted kisses on my neck and cheek, and then he pushed me down onto
a blanket.

“You make me so happy.
Thank you,” he said.

I laughed. I was riding the
emotions of the dream. Sometimes, in a dream state, things were hazy. It almost
seemed as if I was drunk or there just weren’t any inhibitions. In that moment,
everything was completely perfect.

“Why isn’t real life this
perfect?” Damen asked.

“I have no idea. I think we
choose to make our lives the way they are…”

Damen looked at me,
confused.

“Raegan, I’ve told you so
many times what you mean to me…I’ve always been here.”

“It’s not that simple,
Damen. You aren’t thinking clearly here.”

“Let’s not ruin this dream,”
he said and started twirling me in the air and tickling me.

“Damen, can’t you be
serious?”

“No! You just saved me from
a horrible nightmare. Let me thank you in my way.”

I didn’t know how to
respond to that, so we spent the rest of the night chatting in the meadow.
Damen was being flirty, which was really confusing.

“I’m sorry to put a damper
on this perfect dream, but I’m confused. Why aren’t we together?”

Damen closed my eyes with
kisses. “I’m sorry. This dream state has me confused, too. I know we broke up,
but we need to wait and discuss this when we are awake. Whatever our decision
is in the morning, though, you mean a lot to me,” he said sincerely.

Suddenly, the annoying
alarm went off. “Shut it off!” I whined.

Damen rolled onto his back
and used his talent to silence the alarm. He sighed as he threw his arms behind
his head and stared at the ceiling.

“I appreciate last night
and know we need to discuss what happened in the dream. But the stuff that
happened last night between us was just…lust. There still can’t be an us,” he
said as he continued staring at the ceiling.