Beautiful Demons

14. For A Girl Like You

By the time I pulled down the driveway twenty minutes later, I was exhausted. I had no idea if Tori and her guy were going to jump in their car and follow me, so I pushed my body to the limit. My lungs burned. Cold tears spilled down my cheeks from the wind in my face. My legs were sore. But I pushed on.

I barely had the energy to pull open the large, stiff wooden door. Inside the barn, I stopped to catch my breath and noticed the pungent smell of cigarette smoke. Suddenly alert, I looked to either side, then saw the red burning end of Jackson Hunt's cigarette.

"Smoking will kill you, you know," I said, certain he'd been watching me.

"So will sneaking out at night." He stood and moved close enough that I could make out his face in the shadows. "Or so I've heard."

"Is this what you do in here, all secret like?"

"This," he said, "and work on my motorcycle." He motioned toward the back of the barn, but I couldn't see much of anything that far back.

"Do you ride?"

"I used to. It's my dad's old bike. A good one too. A Harley."

"Did your parents split? Or what?" I leaned against the wooden wall of the barn and ran my fingers along the smooth wood. Being this close to Jackson, especially in the dark, made me nervous.

"My dad passed away when I was a little boy." He didn't elaborate, and I didn't push. "Want a smoke?"

"No way," I said, sticking out my tongue and screwing up my nose. "It's completely disgusting."

He laughed and threw his cigarette to the ground. "For a girl like you, I might consider quitting."

The tone of his voice turned my body to melted chocolate. I steadied myself against the wall, afraid that if he moved any closer, I really would melt. I felt his nearness in my bones, a vibration of warm, flushed energy.

"You better get inside," he said, checking his watch even though it was probably too dark to see the time. The way he raised his arm and leaned forward brought his chest so close to me, I wanted to run my hand along the rippled muscles I felt certain I would find underneath his black t-shirt. "It's way past your bedtime."

My heart beat so hard in my chest my ears were filled with the loud thumping sound of it. I dipped under his arm and pushed open the barn door, grateful for the refreshing rush of cool, night air.

"I won't tell if you won't," I said."Your secret's safe with me," Jackson said. He drew an X over his heart as I ran toward the house, disappearing into the shadows.