A Second Chance (3 page)

‘I heard
that
you
’
re heading for California
.
’
She hoped
to make him talk so she wouldn’t feel so terribly self
-
conscious.

‘
Yeah
, I
thought I’d
give it a try
.
’
D
ark
eyes veiled, he looked her over with
an attentiveness
that made her skin heat with
anticipation
.
‘You look very lovely, Jade. I don’t think I
’
ve ever seen you wear a dress like that before
.
’

There
was her chance to get on with her plan for the evening, she thought feverishly, her legs shaking
with
sudden weakness.
Somehow,
it
had
all seemed so much easier in the safety of her little bedroom. Being face to face with the object of her affection was another thing entirely
,
especially when he looked at her so thoughtfully, as
though
seeing
her for the first time
.

‘Well, there aren’t
that
many parties to go to, Liam
,
’ she
said, opting
for
a
light joke, her palms sweaty and cold. ‘Do you like it?’

That
was the part
where
she would bat her long lashes and look extremely desirable. Only she
could
n’t
do it
;
her
self-preservation
instinct
scream
ed
that
such a
course of action was
way over her head.

‘I
do
. Very much.
”
H
is dark eyebrow
s
dr
ew
into a straight line. ‘T
hough it is a bit unsettling, I have to admit
.
’

‘Why?’
S
o
much for being sophisticated
.
S
he took a sip of her drink.
Anything to avoid more blunders, she thought as she gulped it down.

‘
Well
, it makes you look older.’ He
smiled,
something in his dark eyes different from the countless occasions they
had
looked at each other before. ‘
Less
girly and more womanly
.
T
hat’s
all
I mean.’

He took a sip from his drink
,
drawing
her eyes to his lips as he put them to the rim of the glass. She
could
almost imagin
e
how
they would taste if she kissed him now. Cool and fruity from the lemonade, she thought dreamily, her cheeks flushing once more.

‘Is that a
problem
?’
S
he
looked at him from under her long lashes.

‘Jade, are you flirting with me?’

H
is
smile dazzled her for a moment
,
and she felt an urge to step back and run away before she made a total mess of things. Still, something in his eyes made her stay
as
a stubborn
little
voice in her head
told
her to keep going. He might joke as much as he liked, but he liked what he saw, she could tell. His
gaze
lingered
just a moment too long
on her breasts and hips to
be
consider
ed
innocent.
She found it
exhilarating and scary at the same time
, and
she searched for the right answer.
She couldn’t get cold feet
so soon.

S
he
lifted
her chin
rebelliously
.
‘Maybe
.
Is th
at
a bad thing?’

‘Very much so
.
’
H
e was still smiling
,
but
a
certain
seriousness
color
ed
his voice as he continued. ‘
For
one
,
you
’re
way too young, and secondly, we
’re
friends, remember?’

‘I remember very well
.
’
S
he
hated how he brought up her age. She was sixteen and a half, old enough to flirt
if
she wanted. The problem was
that
he was the only person
with whom
she felt compelled to do so, her lack of experience not helping in
such
delicate
situ
ations
. ‘
And
who says that friends can’t be more than just buddies, Liam?’

There it was
;
she couldn’t have made it plainer. It was reckless and impulsive
,
but he was leaving in the next couple of days
,
and she had no time to tiptoe around the
issue.
‘I like you
.
’
How
liberating it felt to say it
aloud
!

He watched
her, his dark eyes as enigmatic as ever
.

Just give me a clue of what’s going on in your head
, she
thought almost angrily, her courage to go on born
of desperation
. Instead
,
he stood motionless, his beautifully carved mouth still lifted in a little smile.
He reminded her of a dangerous animal, beautiful yet
treacherous
, totally still right before it decided to strike.

She stepped a bit closer, the
sensuous
glide of the silk
dress
against her skin sending shivers down her spine. She wanted to be beautiful for him so badly, it almost hurt.

‘I like you a lot, Liam
.
’
H
er voice
came out
husky and breathless. ‘I thought that I
would
let you know before you go away
.
’

Finally he moved,
but
only to shake his head.
‘Jade, you have no idea what you’re talking about.’ He saw her open her mouth to protest and silenced her with his raised palm. ‘
You
are very sweet and lovely, but all that liking stuff, it’s just a phase
;
believe me
.
’

He was trying to talk her out of it,
and
stinging tears
gather
ed
in her eyes. She blinked furiously
to make them
go away before she took her humiliation to
a whole
other level.

‘I know what I feel, Liam
.
Don’t
treat me like a crazy teenager,
because
—
’

‘Because what?’ he interrupted, his dark eyes persistent
.
‘
Y
ou are a teenager, Jade, whether you like it or not. Not crazy by any means, but very young and impulsive. If you want to have a boyfriend, you should start with someone your own age. It would definitely work
out
better for you
.
I know what I
’
m talking about.’

‘
Why
?’
S
o
what if
she was being
difficult
, purposefully ignoring his attempts to end
th
e
conversation
graciously
.
At th
at
moment
,
dignity and graciousness were
low
on her list of priorities. He was rejecting her
,
and her beautifully prepared plan was in shambles, nothing working
out the
way she
had
planned.
‘Why do you think I should date some silly teenage guy if I want you, Liam?’

‘Because we
’re
at different point
s
in
life, Jade.’ He talked patiently
,
as if she were a child. ‘Relationships are different when you
’re
older
.
Y
ou
can’t just skip a stage
.
’

‘Do you mean sex?’
S
he
gave him a disparaging shrug
. ‘
I’m sure it’s
not such a big deal
.
’

‘Well, it is to me.’ He
wasn’t buying
her fake cool attitude
.
‘And
I
think it is for you
,
too. I know it is, no matter what you say, Jade.’

‘You just don’t want to give me a chance
.
’
S
he
knew she sounded childish, but
could
n’t
do anything about it anymore. Her fire had
burn
ed
out,
the
few remaining embers
barely
glowing
beneath
the cover of dead greyness.

‘No, I won’t.’
H
e
shook his head decisively, his beautiful eyes softening as he saw the stubborn tears escape down her
cheeks
.
‘Jesus, Jade
,
don’t cry.
I didn’t mean to upset you
;
you know that.
Leave it to me to make a nice entry
.
Five minutes into a party
,
and I mess it up
.
I
’
m sorry.
’

He pulled her to him, his arms going around her slim frame as he hugged her tightly to his
chest. He felt amazing and smelled
even better, she thought as she felt his heartbeat under her cheek. It was steady and reassuring,
and
the small circular movements of his fingers on her back
were
surprisingly
good at
calming her. She could stay like th
at
forever
.
‘I am not crying
,
’ she murmured into his shirt and felt him laugh, his
chest expanding
beneath
her cheek.

‘I know
.
’
H
e
kept her still in the cradle of his arms, his eyes going to her face as she lifted
it
in defiance. ‘
See
, isn’t it good
that
we
’
re friends?
Why mess up something perfect?’

She
nodded, mostly because she could say
nothing
to make him change his mind.
S
he didn’t want to come across as a hysterical, obsessive teen
who
howled in disappointment
when
not given the toy she craved.

‘I guess so
.
’
H
er
smile
felt
shaky
,
and she knew her
mascara
mus
t
be
smudged from all tho
se
stubborn
tears. ‘I must look like a raccoon right now
.
’

H
e laughed and
bent to
kiss her cheek, obviously relieved
. At the same moment, she turned her head
to the side to hide her smudged, tear
-
streaked face
,
and his lips brushed her mouth instead.