kiss, a fiery one that made my knees weak. Shaking off the image, I was flustered by how much I wanted that kiss to happen, exactly as I'd seen it, passion and all.
As if he could read my thoughts, his eyes dropped to my mouth and stayed there for a nerve-racking minute before they rose once more to meet mine.
"Let me get your bag," he said, leaning past me to reach inside the car.
His body brushed mine and gooseflesh broke out all along my arms and legs. I held my breath and closed my eyes against the onslaught of sensation that followed the simple contact. But closing my eyes was not the wisest choice.
On the backdrop of my lids, I had no trouble imagining where a kiss like that could lead - his endless eyes staring down into mine, his bare skin pressed to mine, desire rising hot and wild between us. It was so clear, this scene, that I might've seen it before in reality. Only I hadn't.
Embarrassed, I forced my eyes open and shifted to the side so he could pass without touching me. When he straightened, duffel in hand, he was grinning.
He tipped his head and said, "Come on."
When I turned back to the car and hit the lock button on my remote, I caught sight of my reflection in the driver's side glass. For the first time since I-don't-know-when, I didn't see the too-pointy chin or the too-thick hair. Instead, I saw something else, I saw someone else. I saw what Bo saw, like a curtain had been drawn back and she'd been magically revealed to me.
My sable hair had fallen from its confines and hung in wisps around my face. My lips were partially open, full and trembling. I looked like I'd been kissed already.
"You coming?"
Bo's voice startled me into action. I closed my car door and we set out across the parking lot.
"Aren't you afraid to run around by yourself at night like this? I mean, Southmoore's not that far away," I said, referring to the Southmoore Slayer.
"I like the night."
I resisted the urge to comment on his answer, which was not an answer at all. Instead, we walked in silence for a ways before the need to speak overwhelmed me.
"So, how are you liking Harker?"
Bo looked over at me before he responded, his eyes scanning my face. "Much better than I thought I would."
I felt my cheeks heat and I was glad that he couldn't see my reaction in the darkness.
"What brings you here?"
He shrugged. "It's a long story."
Though we obviously had plenty of time, I figured that was his way of saying he didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't press.
He fell quiet again.
"You don't talk much, do you?"
He shrugged again. "Don't have much to say."
We walked in silence the rest of the way to my house. As much as I normally hated the quiet, ours wasn't the torturous silence that I'd detested for so long. No, it was quite the opposite. Our silence was highly charged, full and alive, though not with words. It crackled with electricity and hinted at dark and dangerous things, secret things. Passionate things.
I could never remember wanting to reach out and touch someone so badly in all my life. My fingertips literally tingled with the desire to run them through his hair and test the muscles of his thick chest.
With his wide shoulders and trim waist, he looked like an athlete and I wanted to ask him about his time at Southmoore, whether or not he played sports, but I'd apparently have to wait until he was more inclined toward loquaciousness, if ever there was such a state for him.
I was disappointed to see my house come into view and even more so to see my mom's car in the driveway.
"This is me," I said, turning to step up onto the walkway that led to the front door.
He nodded and stopped on the sidewalk.
"Well, um, thanks for walking me home," I said, suddenly feeling nervous.
"No problem."
I felt silly waiting, but I was hesitant to leave his quiet company. I was hoping he'd have something else to say, anything that might prolong the night.
"Ok, so, um, I guess I'll see you at school," I said, taking a slow step backward.
Again, he nodded.
I nodded, too, turning to walk to the house.