Reckless Kiss - Tia Louise Page 0,1
your eyes closed.” His brow relaxes, and when he smiles, my heart skips faster.
His voice is like ripples in velvet, and he’s wearing a navy blazer with a golden patch on the pocket. It’s a fancy emblem, like he’s royalty or something.
Pointing to his jacket, I find my voice. “What’s that?”
He looks down, confused, then his brow relaxes. “It’s my school uniform. Phillips Academy.”
We start to walk slowly, side by side. I feel his eyes on me, and when I glance up, the way he looks at me reignites the heat in my veins.
“Are you lost?” He’s so different from the people in my new neighborhood.
“I’m going to my cousin’s house.”
More steps in silence. I don’t know why he’s walking with me. “Why were your eyes closed?”
I’m embarrassed, but for whatever reason, I tell him the truth. “I was thinking about my mother.”
He studies my expression, the slump of my shoulders.
“Is she sick?”
My lips press together, and I swallow the knot in my throat. “She died.”
Again, he’s quiet, thinking. “Mine too. A while back.”
A connection, a shared injury pulling us closer, a scarlet thread tied from his finger to mine.
“Wanna hear a joke?”
Not really, but I shrug. “Okay.”
“A skeleton walks into a bar. He orders a beer and a mop.”
I don’t laugh, and he tries again. “A horse walks into a bar. Bartender says, ‘Why the long face?’”
My nose wrinkles, and he keeps going. “A hamburger walks into a bar. Bartender says, ‘We don’t serve food here.’”
I stop walking and squint my eyes at this beautiful boy, shining like the sun, doing his best to make me smile.
His head tilts to the side, and he gives it one last try. “The sign outside our service station says, ‘Eat here and get gas.’”
Two heartbeats.
A flutter in my tummy, and my lips curl up at the corners.
His jokes aren’t funny, but everything about him has me fizzy and alive. I want him to keep talking. I want to hear what he has to say.
He points a finger at me, winking. “Gotcha. I knew I could do it.”
“What’s your name?”
“Deacon. What’s yours?”
“Angelica.” I leave off the rest.
“You got a boyfriend, Angel?”
“No.” I only have one friend, but he doesn’t need to know that.
Full lips part with a smile. White teeth, and a satisfied look. “Good.” Lifting my hand, he holds it carefully in his.
The warmth of his touch, the pressure of his grip echoes in my bones. I’ve never been reckless in my life, and yet…
I take a step closer. Our eyes lock, and we’re engulfed in a magnetic field, drawn together. He takes a step forward, causing me to lift my chin. As his face lowers, heat rises in my stomach.
Warm breath ghosts my cheek, mingling with my rapid breathing. Am I going to do this?
Blinking my eyes closed, my heart says Yes…
My head grows light as warm lips cover mine. My fingers curl on the rich material of his blazer. His fingers tighten, holding my arm.
Our lips part, and I feel the lightest touch of his tongue against mine, so delicate. Energy surges in my belly, and a bird is caught there, fluttering and beating its wings.
He lifts his head, and his blue eyes hold mine. A real smile lifts my cheeks, echoed on his face. We both exhale a little laugh at this powerful thing we just shared, so simple, yet so overwhelming.
His voice is low, as he makes me a promise. “I’ll see you again.”
Then he turns and leaves me, walking backwards a few steps before waving, confident and graceful.
I’m still watching, my head spinning, my heart flying, when my cousin Valeria’s voice breaks the spell. “What did he want?”
He’s gone, and I turn to face her. “Nothing.”
But my heart says different. My heart says, Everything. He asked without saying a word, and I said Yes.
“Carmie.” Her voice is sharp, and she grips my arm, giving me a little shake. I meet her eyes, and she’s blinking fast. “You are never to speak to that boy again. You understand?”
No. “Why?”
“Because he’s bad.” She looks up the way he left. “Promise me.”
“Promise you why?” Defiance is in my tone.
Her jaw tightens. “That boy is our enemy.”
“Our enemy?” I actually laugh. “What does that mean?”
“That boy’s grandfather cheated ours. He stole all his land, he sent our grandfather, Papa Luis to prison. He left us beggars in the street.”
She’s right. I don’t understand. “But we’re okay now?”
“You didn’t grow up here, Carmie. You don’t understand these things.”
Valeria is ten years older