Designer Genes - The Boyfriend Cut (50 page)

President Banks grinned at my reaction, "Don't get me wrong, I love my children more than life itself. Jesse's numbers were impressive, but his rebellious tendencies would eventually be his downfall. Jordan has always been our strongest child and I knew it would take a special girl to be his equal.
You
."

He stared at the water. "When he acted so impetuously and all but handed you to Tony Peterson's son, I damn near died. Jesse would have been a better choice."

I reached over and touched his arm. "Why does everyone freak out about Jesse?"

Jordan's father moved to the ground in front of me, taking my foot in his hands. The medical bag clicked open and I winced in anticipation. He sprayed my stitches with some foam, dissolving them. He didn't look at me, but offered an explanation. One that shocked me.

"Marli, if you were, pardon me, intimate with Jesse and a child was conceived with perfect markers, The Program would have no jurisdiction to test the child."

I tried to yank my foot away—a reflex action to his shocking statement.

"
Test
a child?"

He relaxed his grip, but kept hold. "Genetic testing—for cloning."

"Clone a baby? What makes you think Jordan or I would allow it?"

"No, not an infant, and yes you will. It's in your contract."

"So that's the real purpose of The Program? To make a
fake
generation."

"No, to create an 'advanced civilization.' I'm sorry, but I can't discuss it further. I can assure you though, no harm would come to the child and as the parents, you'd become famous."

"I don't want to be famous. I want to be normal."

"My dear, a life with Jordan under any circumstances will never be
normal.
I have a hunch, however, your heart will never be content with anyone else."

"Jordan doesn't like the cloning idea."

"I know, but he's wise and takes commitment seriously. He'll follow through."

He re-bandaged my foot and set it on the cool grass. "I know I've given you a lot to think about, some things you probably don't like. Just keep in mind, Marli, it doesn't matter how you came into Jordan's life. It only matters that you did, and regardless of all the manipulation, Jordan falling in love with you happened naturally—no strings attached. He loves you hopelessly and last night he was prepared to throw away all his dreams to keep the only one he cares about, or wants—
you
."

When he stood, his shadow blocked the sun. "Promise me you'll consider what I've told you in a positive light. The boy upstairs in your bed will perish without you, Marli, and judging by the look in your eyes every time he comes near you, your life will be just as empty without him."

President Banks walked away, leaving me to process the information flooding my brain. I felt more confused than ever. Curling my legs under my chin, I stared at the waves turning over each other.

Could I ever be happy with anyone else living outside of The Program? Knowing Jordan would be living his life with someone else, sharing his lips, his body…giving her
his
kids, sent a frightening chill rippling through me.

But could what his father said about Jordan's willingness to throw away the life he carefully planned to be with me, be true? Could we be happy together
outside
of the government's clutches? No, not from what I overheard yesterday. Jordan would feel guilty about letting his father down.

My decision became clear. I'd stay with Jordan as long as he'd have me, even if my heart ended up broken…inside or outside of The Program.

The gentle touch of fingers stroking the side of my neck had me bend my head toward the sky. A beautiful angel peered down at me, his bronze hair aglow in a halo of sunlight.

"Hi," I whispered.

Jordan kissed me upside down on the lips. "Hi yourself."

He pulled me from the chair and onto the soft grass beside him. I nestled into the side of his neck, my senses swamped with his cologne. I pressed my lips to his warm skin, still damp from a morning shower, and his arms folded tenderly around me.

"I panicked when I woke this morning and you were gone," he said. "I almost called Mike to threaten his life if he didn't bring you back, but when I came downstairs, I saw you through the window sitting out here with Dad. Tell me you're staying, Marli. Please don't leave."

"I'm not leaving. Your father's pretty persuasive." I looked up, meeting Jordan's eyes, the color of rich emeralds in the morning sun, "He already knew."

"What do you mean?" A wrinkle furrowed his brow and I brushed the crease to release the tension. "He knew my story—how I came into The Program. Jordan, did you know he hand-picked me for you?"

Jordan kissed my palm. "He told me he'd found someone special and someday, I'd meet her. At the time, I only cared about finishing high school, not finding a wife. When Mom pulled your portfolio for an interview, I figured my life was over and I'd be assigned some girl my parents believed appropriate. You looked cute, but digital images can be enhanced. Then Jesse sent me that picture of you in Kate's swimsuit and my knees buckled."

"You're such a sucker for girls in bikinis."

"Only for one girl." His fingers wrapped the back of my neck and drew my lips onto his. "So what else did you two discuss? It looked intense."

"Cloning."

Jordan rolled to the side. "Oh." We didn't say anything, just stared at the puffs of white clouds drifting across the cornflower blue sky. Jordan kissed my hand. "Puppies first, no matter what, I promise."

"Okay," I answered, feeling an instant rush of relief.

29

CLOSE CALL

L
eaves showered us in brilliant hues of oranges, blood reds, and neon yellows, each unique in shape, falling silently and turning crunchy under our steps. Autumn snowflakes that blanketed the earthen floor in a carpet of color—a carpet that covered the roots trailing from the base of trees, cording thick along the riverbank and across the trail.

"Ouch!" I stumbled over one such wooden snake, landing on my knees, the palms of my hands smacking the ground hard.

Jordan, who walked the path a few feet ahead of me while I lagged behind taking in the wonders of Fall, ran back and helped me to my feet. He brushed dirt and shredded bark off my kneecaps while I did the same off my hands, finally giving in and swiping my palms down the sides of my jeans. He plucked a golden oak leaf from the top of my head.

"You all right?" he laughed lightly.

"Guess I should pay better attention to where my feet are landing than the autumn leaves overhead. They're just so pretty with the sunlight peeking through."

He cranked his neck skyward as if seeing the explosion of color for the first time. "Wow. You're right. It's rather spectacular."

I linked my arms around his waist through the circles his made with his fists pressing his hips. "Close your eyes and tell me what you hear." He gave me a quizzical look. "Go on. You've spent way too much time inside lately. I want you to become 'one with nature' for a moment."

Jordan's mouth wiggled with a smirk, but he shut his eyes, his long dark lashes feathering in the creases of his laugh lines. "'One with nature,' huh?" he repeated sarcastically. He inhaled deep, his chest pushing against mine. "I hear the river washing over rocks behind us; a couple of birds chirping like they're arguing in the tree branches above; the buzz of a lawnmower because some poor schmuck still thinks you need to mow your lawn in October, and Brittany shrilling up by the falls, probably because a bee buzzed her."

"Or Gabe made a pass at her."

"That too." He pecked the tip of my nose. "Okay, your turn. Shut your eyes and tell me what you smell."

"Hmm, besides my favorite cologne on the skin of some hot guy standing close?" Jordan's laugh rumbled against my chest and a naughty thought flashed, one where we take a side trail into the thicket and never quite make it to Ithaca Falls.

Jordan jiggled me. I swear he read my mind. "Focus, Davis. 'One with nature,' remember?"

One-on-one in nature sounded better.

"Fine. The 'scents of autumn.' Well, I can smell the cut grass, now that you mentioned hearing the lawnmower; damp bark, but that may be from my knees, not the trees; something smoky—burnt wood…no, someone burning leaves." I inhaled another deep breath. "Dirt, but not dusty, more like wet soil; the musty scent moss has, and a spicy fragrance—something between cloves and sage."

Suddenly, an unwelcome scent, pungent and coming closer attacked my nose. "And a—"

"Skunk!" we both shouted. Jordan grabbed my hand. "Dammit! Run!"

By the time we'd raced far enough up the trail to be out of range, we were out of breath and laughing hard enough I worried I'd pee my pants. We hobbled up a small slope to a large rock and sat to catch our breath. The crashing sound of the falls in the background meant we weren't far from our destination.

I hadn't heard Brittany's voice for a while and wondered if Gabe had found a way to quiet her girly shrills, or if she'd fallen in the river and drowned. Knowing Jordan's friend and cloning research partner, Gabe Andrews, had a major crush on Brittany and this hike was an attempt to get her alone, I figured he may have succeeded in getting some personal attention.

"So do you think Gabe and Brit will hit it off?" I asked, reaching in my backpack for the orange slices I'd brought.

"I'd like to see her end up with someone decent. Gabe's a good guy, but he knows he's got to interview someone quick, or they'll make the decision for him."

"The Program can do that?" Jordan shoved an orange quarter in his mouth, smiling back at me with the rind bulging between his lips. "So mature. You look like a monkey." He started scratching under his armpits to prove my point and I slapped his arm. "Enough already!" He pulled me onto his lap, then deposited the eaten orange in my recycle bag.

"He's almost twenty-one and only interviewed two other girls, neither of which he liked. I know you hate when I remind you of the five-diamond thing, but if he thinks Brittany could be 'the one,' he'll probably do something about it before too long. Otherwise, yes, the 'forces that be' will choose his partner—probably another quinate-stoned princess."

"Oooh, I love it when you use big words!" I teased. "Maybe he could get assigned Heather."

Jordan kissed the side of my head. "Let's not go there, Marli. Leave the past buried, please, for both our sakes." Before I could object, he placed two fingers over my eyes and pulled my lids down. "Okay, one more nature challenge. Tell me what you feel."

"Feel?"

"Yes. Describe what Fall feels like."

I leaned against him, turning my face to the afternoon sun and pulled his arms tighter around me. Perched on a rock next to a river only a couple of miles from my new apartment, living independently and hundreds of miles from my worrisome father, wrapped in the arms of the boy I loved with all my heart, I couldn't feel anything but contentment.

My dreams were starting to materialize. Cornell's veterinarian medicine program was top in the nation; my best friend agreed to be my roommate so I didn't get homesick; and Jordan and I were finally at a place in our relationship where our future looked solid—a place I could accept as my forever-after, even if under the scrutinizing eyes of The Program.

"Crisp," I answered. "Cool, frosty, yet warm, mostly because I imagine sitting by a fire sipping hot chocolate. The air feels 'settled.'

"Settled?" Jordan asked, setting his chin on top of my head, his focus also on the river weaving a wrinkled path down the canyon a few feet away.

"Yeah, settled; calmer. Summer is jam-packed with activity and so much energy that when Fall finally comes around and everyone gets back into a routine with school, or whatever, it's like Mother Nature takes a deep breath and cuddles under a blanket to wait for winter."

"Wow, babe, that sounds amazing. You sure you don't want to be a writer instead of a vet?"

"I need money. Authors struggle for a long time before making any money, if ever."

"Marli, you know—"

"Don't, Jordan. We talked about this at the beach house. Like you said, let's not go there."

He heaved a heavy sigh. "Just know the option is there."

A long silence followed his statement, neither of us moving. The sun slipped behind a wandering cloud and the river changed from a sparkly clear ribbon to a dark, mossy one. Brittany and Gabe's voices, along with several other hikers taking advantage of the unseasonably warm October Saturday, echoed through the canyon.

Jordan's lips caressed my ear in a soft whisper. "I love you."

I turned and straddled his hips. "Close your eyes."

He did, but his mouth pushed his dimples deep with a mischievous grin. His hands cupped my butt and held me against him, a familiar stirring evident. "I'm really starting to like this game."

"Shhh. We only have a few minutes left before we're discovered." I kissed his mouth, then each eyelid. "Tell me what Fall
tastes
like." I grazed my teeth along his jaw. I knew Brit and Gabe might reach us shortly and Jordan wouldn't be able to act on any sudden urges, which made my seductive tease all the more fun. I loved moments when I wielded power.