Page 10 (1/2)

Quiet didn’t even cover it A mouse sneezed in these halls and it echoed She shoved the book in her bag Then it hit her "What are you doing in the hall?"

A lazy grin appeared "Going to lunch"

"Wait Don’t you have class now?"

He leaned in, breathing the sarin did funny things to her They’d gone to the diner again on Tuesday, parting ithout a kiss--a real kiss But when his forehead touched hers, she really believed he was going to kiss her, right in the hall

Bethany was totally okay with that

"I have study hall," he said, tilting his head just a little to the side, lining up their mouths "And I charmed my way out of class I wanted to see you"

"You charmed your way?" Her eyes drifted shut "How’d you do that?"

"I’ll never tell my secrets You know better than that" Dawson pulled back, capturing her free hand Feeling like what she wanted--needed--had just been taken frorin spread "I wanted to have lunch with you"

More than flattered, she let him pull her down the hall…away fro?"

"It’s a surprise" He pulled her to his side, draping a heavy arainst hers like it was oing to get in trouble?"

He stopped, turning her in his arms They were almost chest to chest, his arm still around her shoulders "Questions, questions, Bethany Trust et in trouble with me"

She arched a brow "Because of your charrinned

Dawson continued on and she ith hiht and the school called her Mandatory pregnancy tests were in her future She glanced at Dawson and decided it orth it

As they went out the back doors, she expected an alar at breakneck speed When that didn’t happen and their feet hit paveo of her hand, picking up the pace as he dug his keys out of his pocket "Where I want to take you is two blocks down We can drive if you want" He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes starting at the top of her head and drifting all the way to her toes

Geez, when he looked at her like that, did he expect her to be able to communicate? She was her, as if he knehat he was doing to her "It’s kind of too cold for you"

"What about you?"

He faced the front, flipping those keys around "I’h"

She smiled at his back "It is kind of co--" Her words ended in a startled shriek as her foot hit a thick patch of ice that hadn’t thawed Before she knew it, her aroing to happen

In those teeny, tiny seconds, she’d resigned herself to cracking her skull wide open in front of Dawson An ambulance would need to be called Morounded, with a concussion Or worse

War her a half second before she went splat And there she re the slick asphalt Dawson’s face was inches frorim

Bethany couldn’t even speak around her shock Dawson had been several feet ahead For hi

Breathless, she stared up at him and sed hard "Okay You have the reflexes of a cat on steroids"

"Yeah," he said, sounding al her lips, she nodded and then realized he couldn’t see that "Yes, I’, he had her back on her feet before he released her His eyes opened, and Bethany couldn’t believe what she was seeing The irises were still a beautiful green, but the pupils…the pupils hite

Without realizing it, she took a step forward "Dawson…"

He blinked and his eyes were nor her head, she didn’t know if herwith her or what Pupils couldn’t be white And he was fast--like Olyhost on a weight loss progra balls…

Chapter 8

Over the nextout as le his way out of fourth period on a consistent basis amazed her Charm? Hell, he needed to bottle that stuff

On the days they shared lunch, he took her to the Mom and Pop diner down the street There hadn’t been anylot and no lowy pupils It sounded crazy now and even she wanted to laugh, but every time they touched, there was an electrical shock that passed between them Lately, it was e faded, it felt like his skin…hu back and forth, she earing a path in the floor Ordinarily, she was never this wrapped up in a boy But there was sohts