bell rang, with an easy smile on his full lips. Conversations practically ceased.
Several of the girls around me even stopped scribbling in on their notebooks.
Daemon had a sort of rock star entrance with that deadly swagger. He had everyone's attention, especially when he shifted his trig textbook from one hand to the other and then ran his fingers through the tousled waves of his thick hair, letting it fall back over his forehead.
His jeans hung low on his hips, so when he lifted his arm, he flashed a row of golden skin that somehow made math all the more interesting.
A girl with reddish hair sighed next to me and said under her breath, "God, what I wouldn't do for a piece of that. A Daemon sandwich should be on the menu." Another girl giggled. "That is terrible."
"Along with the Thompson twins as a side dish," the redhead replied, flushing as he drew close.
"Lesa, you're such a ho-bag," laughed the brunette.
I hastily averted my eyes to my notebook, but I still knew he'd taken the seat directly behind me. The entire length of my back tingled.
A second later, I felt something poke me in my back. Biting down on my lip, I glanced over my shoulder.
His smile was lopsided. "How's the arm, Kittykat?"
Excitement and dread warred inside me. Did he write on my back? I wouldn't be surprised if he had. I felt my cheeks redden at the sparkle in his green eyes. "Good," I said, tucking my hair back. "I get the splint off tomorrow, I think." Daemon tapped his pen off the edge of the desk.
"That should help."
"Help with what?"
He circled the pen in the air, apparently encompassing my fashion sense. "With what you've got going on there."
My eyes narrowed. I didn't even want to know what he was referencing. There was nothing wrong with my jeans or my shirt. I looked like everyone else in the classroom, with the exception of kids who had their shirts tucked into their pants. I hadn't seen a cowboy hat or teased bangs yet. These kids looked like the kids in Florida, just with less potential for skin cancer.
Lesa and her friend had stopped talking, watching Daemon and me with openmouthed stares. I swore to God if Daemon said anything ignorant, I was going to lay him out in class. My splint was heavy enough to do damage.
Leaning forward, his warm breath danced along my cheek when he spoke. "Less people will stare without the splint is all I'm saying." I didn't believe for one second that was all he was talking about. On top of that, with him this close to my face, everyone was staring. And we weren't looking away from each other. We were stuck in the middle of an epic stare-down I refused to lose. Something passed between us, reminiscent of the strange current I'd felt with him before.
A boy on the other side of Daemon gave a low whistle. "Ash is going to kick your ass, Daemon."
Daemon's grin went up a notch. "Nah, she likes my ass too much for that." The boy chuckled.
Eyes still on me, he tipped his desk forward even further. "Guess what?"
"What?"
"I checked out your blog."
Oh. Dear. Baby. Jesus. How did he find it?
Wait. More importantly was the fact that he had found it. Was my blog now Googleable? That was awesomesauce with an extra heaping of sauce. "Stalking me again, I see. Do I need to get a restraining order?"
"In your dreams, Kitten." He smirked. "Oh wait, I'm already starring in those, aren't I?" I rolled my eyes. "Nightmares, Daemon.
Nightmares."
He smiled, his eyes twinkling, and I almost smiled back, but luckily the teacher started calling roll, forcing an end to, well, whatever was going on between us. I turned around in my seat, letting out a slow breath.
Daemon laughed softly.
When the bell rang, signaling the end of class, I couldn't get out of there quick enough. I did so without looking back to see what Daemon was doing. Math was going to suck butt more than it normally did if he sat behind me in class every day.
Out in the hallway, Lesa and her friend fell in step with me. "You're new here," said the brunette. Observant.
Lesa rolled her dark eyes. "That's not obvious, Carissa."
Carissa ignored her friend, pushing her square-framed glasses up her nose as she deftly stepped out of the way of another stupid kid barreling through the crowded hall. "How do you know Daemon Black so well?" Considering the