He leaned against the large wooden desk in the corner. “I like your room.”
Her smile was adorable. “I text you from in the closet.” She walked past him and opened the door, revealing a huge walk-in wardrobe. “Just under here.” She pointed to the back corner. “I have to lock the bathroom door in case Ruby waltzes in, but she wouldn’t care. She’s helped me keep you a secret so far.”
“It doesn’t bother her?”
“Well she can hardly talk. She’s practically dated every senior in the school.” Gemma’s nose wrinkled. “Although she’d probably flip if she knew how I felt. She’s always going on about keeping things casual and light. I don’t know if I can do that with you.”
Gemma turned beet red as she suddenly registered the words coming out of her mouth.
He chuckled softly at her mortification and drew her back into the room.
“Come on, there’s one more room I want to show you.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him down the main stairs, through the games room into what looked like a closet. She flicked on the light, revealing a second door with a keypad. She put in the combination and the door clicked open.
They wallked down a narrow staircase and into a huge room that looked to be the same size as the ground floor of his house. To one side was a complete set of gym equipment. In the center of the room was a raised platform with padded flooring. Glass cupboards lined the walls and held every weapon from long swords to rapiers, bows and arrows, through to 18th Century pistols.
“Whoa.” Harrison moved to inspect the contents. “This is amazing! Where’d you get all this stuff?”
Gemma shrugged, grabbing the key and unlocking the cupboard so he could inspect a medieval bow more closely. “Dad’s spent his life hunting it down. Before we were born he used to travel back, find what he needed, and store it somewhere safe so he could dig it up years later.”
“How often do you train?” Harrison gently lifted the bow and pulled the string back.
“Every weekend, unless Mom and Dad are away. We spend the first half of the morning on hand-to-hand combat and the second half on weaponry.”
Harrison shook his head. He couldn’t have found words if he’d tried.
“Anyway.” Gemma took the bow from him and gently replaced it. “I brought you here for practice. Take off your shoes and jump up here.” She slapped the padded platform.
He did as commanded. She then went about working his sorry ass until he was sweating.
Punching.
Kicking.
Blocking.
Repetitive drills.
Corrections.
He braced his hands on his knees and watched droplets form on the ends of his hair as he panted.
“That was good.” Gemma slapped his back. “Let’s do it again.” She stood straight and walked back to her position.
“Let’s not.” He ran toward her and tackled her to the ground. She let out a yelp and began to laugh as she shuffled beneath him. He pinned her arms to the floor.
“Harrison, get off me.”
“In a minute.” He gazed into her eyes for a long moment before kissing her.
The slow fire simmered along his lips then down through his body as he drew her deeper into the kiss. Running his fingers down her body, he tucked them underneath her shirt and ran his hands up her smooth flesh. The fire raced down his arms. Gemma ran her fingers into his hair, grasping a handful as she sank into his kiss. Harrison’s body felt like it was flaming blue as his thoughts jumped to places he wanted to go with this girl. His mind warned him they should stop now or he might not be able to control himself.
Were they ready for this? His body screamed a very firm yes, but…
“Gemma? You’re home early. Where are you sweetheart?”
They jumped apart as if electrocuted.
Gemma’s eyes were as wide as saucers. She roughly shoved Harrison toward the gym equipment. Pushing him onto his stomach behind the treadmill, she ordered him not to move as she threw on a pair of boxing gloves. He tried to slow his breathing as he listened to Gemma pound the bag with venom.
“Gemma?” He heard a female voice followed by the quick clip of heels on stairs.
“Oh, hey, Mom.”
Harrison could hear the nervous twitter in her voice. He hoped her mother didn’t notice it.
Part of him wanted to stand tall and reveal all. He hated the thought of Gemma battling this out on her own, but hated the thought of being screamed from the house even more. Who knew what kind of restrictions her parents may enforce if they knew the truth.
“What are you doing home so early? I thought you were studying with Courtney this afternoon.”
“Yeah. She had to cancel.” Gemma sighed. “I thought I might as well come home. Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
“Yes. I just forgot my phone.”
There was a horrible pause.
Harrison watched a drop of his sweat hit the concrete floor and prayed her mother didn’t have super sonic hearing. He could almost picture Mrs. Hart sniffing the air as her suspicions grew.
Don’t bite your cheek, Gem. Just stay cool.
“Are you okay, Mom?”
“I’m just wondering why you’re down here working out in school clothes instead of upstairs doing your homework.”
“Oh.” Gemma’s laughter sounded forced. “I… I just felt like burning off some energy. Sorry, I know I should have gotten changed first.”
“Yes, well clothes can be washed, but still, Gemma, you know the rules?”
“I know, I know.” Harrison heard the ripping of velcro as Gemma took off her gloves. “I’ll go change.”
“No, it’s okay. Just five more minutes then I want you upstairs, showered and hitting the books.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Another long pause.
“And if you’re home for the night you should park your bike in the garage.”
“Oh, I will, um, I just thought I might go for a ride later…if I finish my homework in time. Is that okay?”
“A workout, homework, and a bike ride? Aren’t you trying to fit a little too much in?”
“I guess.”
“Make sure you’re home for dinner with the twins. I have patient testing then a meeting. I should be home by nine.”
“Okay. Hope it goes well.”
“Me too. Love you, sweetie.”
“Love you, Mom.”
The air went very still as Mrs. Hart clipped up the stairs and shut the door. He stayed lying down for a few moments more then slowly stood up, checking for sounds upstairs.
Gemma was frozen in place, staring at the wall.
“Hey.” Harrison slid his hand down her back, making her jump. “That was close.”
“I shouldn’t have brought you here.”
“Gem?”
“You can’t come here again. Ever. If she caught you…” Gemma shook her head. “There… They can’t know. It’ll be over if they know.”
“I understand.” Harrison kept rubbing her back, trying to ease the waves of nervous tension radiating from her body. The pale face and cheek chewing had him worried. “Gemma, maybe we should just tell them, get this out—”
“I can’t. I can’t do it.” Her body was so taut he thought her muscles might snap.
“I’m sorry to put you in this position. I know you hate lying.”
She let out a big sigh, her shoulders drooping as her eyes studied the floor.
After what seemed an age, she looked up at him with a soft smile. “You’re worth it.”
Her kiss was tender. Harrison held her face and relished the feeling. They had been official for just under a month and it was enough to solidify the welling feeling inside of him. He knew it was ridiculous to fall for someone so quickly. He knew he was playing with fire. But he’d rather get burned with Gemma than freeze without her.
Chapter Seventeen
St. Augustine, Florida - 2011 AD
Gemma stood in
the doorway of the library pondering the new phenomena in her life. One, she had an amazing boyfriend who, after two and a half months, still looked at her as though she were the most precious jewel on earth.
Two, in spite of the news spreading like a bush fire at school, she was managing to keep it all under wraps at home. Her biggest fears were not being met and it was a pleasant surprise. Her mother was so relieved she had a friend that Gemma was able to avoid the third degree whenever she got home late.
The third phenomenon, and the most bizarre in her opinion, was the fact that she had managed to strike up a real friendship with Darren and Courtney, who incidentally started dating after their first Friday night movie.
Courtney had kept up her smiles and small offers of friendship, finally breaking Gemma’s shell. They had lunch together almost every day now in the cafeteria, and they hung out on weekends too. They had been to the movies three times, even once on their own when the boys had both been busy. Gemma had been so nervous about the event she had nearly chickened out a couple of times, but Harrison said he’d be really disappointed if she didn’t go, so she did…and she’d had a totally fun time. Courtney was sweet, occasionally ditzy, and very easy to be around. She was always content with Gemma’s vague answers, which was perfect.
Gemma caught the small hand waving at her as she walked further into the library. A natural grin stretched over her face as she approached the group.
“Hey, guys.” She dumped her books on the table and slid into the seat next to Harrison.
“What took you so long?” He kissed her nose in greeting.
“I had to go to the bathroom.” She shot him a quick wink, letting him know that this time was, in fact, just a normal bathroom break.
Pulling her books toward her, she shuffled through the pages, looking for her notes. Mr. Lomax had landed them with a huge assignment leading up to the end of the semester. Most of the class had groaned; Harrison’s eyes had lit with excitement and Gemma’s stomach had dropped with fear.
The task was to build an intricate family tree, tracing back as far through their personal genealogy as possible and to then choose an interesting ancestor to write a full report on.
Harrison had thrown himself into the task and after much cajoling finally got out of Gemma that she didn’t know much about her family history and was afraid to investigate. The subject was always a little taboo in their house for some reason and with Gemma already treading on eggshells to keep her school life hidden, she didn’t want to make any waves. When she had casually mentioned the assignment to her parents, their faces had blanched and her mother had walked toward the phone chattering on about how she would call Mr. Lomax and get her out of the task. Gemma was mortified and after much discussion they had decided it was safer for her just to make something up, so she was currently compiling a list of people in history that could possibly be related to her.
“I can’t believe my great-great-great-grandfather was a bank robber.” Harrison slumped back in his seat with a sigh.
“Aren’t you more mortified that your great-great-great-grandmother was a saloon girl.” Courtney put it delicately, making Gemma giggle.
Darren rolled his eyes. “I can’t believe you’ve traced your family history back that far. You’re making me look bad, Granger.”
“Well, my mother’s side has been relatively easy to trace. Besides, it’s interesting.”
“Geek,” Darren mumbled.
“Are you going to do your report on…” Gemma leaned over his notes. “Wallace 'Coyote' Granger, wanted dead or alive?”
He shot her a dry look. “I haven’t decided yet.”
“I think he sounds interesting.”
“I think you should do it on your great-great-great-grandmother.” Darren’s eyebrows wiggled up and down.
“I think you should concentrate on your own work.” Courtney gave him a quick slap on the arm.
Gemma choked down her laughter as she watched the interplay. She didn’t realize having friends could be so much fun. She never thought it would be possible, but Harrison made her feel so safe that she never needed to worry about letting her secret slip or being embarrassed about her quick departures. He was always there to cover for her and made it look so innocent and natural that she almost believed him.
A warm hand slid over her knee and rested on her thigh. She felt the sparks fly up her body. She glanced at her boyfriend. With his free hand he continued writing his notes, his eyes flicking from old newspaper clippings he had printed to the assignment sheet from Mr. Lomax.
His incessant need to always be touching her, even in the smallest way, was a huge bonus Gemma hadn’t expected. They still hadn’t slept together and if she was honest Gemma felt relieved, she wasn’t quite ready for that step in spite of the fact she could sometimes devour her boyfriend. They couldn’t seem to get enough of each other.
They had both found excuses to do their homework together at school before heading home at night. Gemma had made dinner at Harrison’s place a weekly event and the weekends were now filled with trips to nearby National Parks and long drives in the Stingray. Harrison was still trying to wrangle the keys to the Ducati, but she hadn’t relented yet. She wasn’t quite ready to see someone else speeding down the highway on her baby. Harrison was playing mean and not letting her drive his car either so they remained at an impasse. She wondered who would break first.
Turning back to her own work, she pulled out her printouts and began skimming the text for information she could use.
Silence descended as they each absorbed themselves in their work and it wasn’t until Gemma glanced up a few minutes later that she felt her insides run cold.
“Courtney, what are you looking at?”
“Oh this?” She lifted her pages with a frown. “My English teacher wants us to look at the history of language.”
“Can I see the symbols on that sheet?” Gemma tried to stop her hand from shaking as she reached over the table. Images of a stone emblem swinging back and forth in the moonlight flashed through her brain.
“Sure.” Courtney handed it over, studying her expression with interest. “It’s the Latin alphabet.”
“Of course it is!” Gemma took the piece of paper and glanced over the images, quickly figuring out the writing on the side of the necklace. “Tita,” she whispered. She felt her face tighten with unrest. Tita was one of the electus.
Surely it’s just a coincidence. Tita was a common name back then, wasn’t it?
“Babe, are you okay?” Harrison squeezed her leg, pulling her back to the present.
“Who’s Tita?” Courtney’s eyes were alight with the thrill of oncoming gossip.
“Um,” Gemma scrambled for something plausible. “I’ve been reading a book at home about this woman. It’s a mystery novel…” She suddenly found inspiration. “And I’ve been trying to figure out who this mystery woman is, but the only clues the author’s given away so far are these symbols.” Gemma waved the page in the air. “But now I know its Tita.”
“Oh bummer. Sorry for giving the ending away.”
“No, it’s fine.” Gemma pasted on a smile. “I don’t mind. I won’t have to be so obsessive about reading it now.”
She glanced at Harrison, keeping her smile intact, but he saw straight through it. Focusing her gaze on his, she let him read her mind and he gave her a slight nod before turning back to his work.
Gemma passed the sheet back to Courtney and tried to keep her heartbeat from drumming so loudly the whole library would hear.
Just last week they had re-distributed another artifact. It had been in a similar area to the Tita necklace. Ruby had gone in for retrieval that time.
I wonder if she knows anything.
Glancing up from her work, Gemma scanned the library patrons and spotted her sister’s perfect hair.
“Back in a sec.” She didn’t look back at the confused exchanges that no doubt followed her.
“Hey, Rubes.” She wrap
ped her arm around her sister.
“Hey, Gemilicious. What’s up?”
Gemma squatted down next to her, leaning her arm against the table and keeping her voice low. “You know the trip we did to Germany last week. What artifact did Dad get you to retrieve?”
Ruby’s eyes darted around her with surprise. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I was just wondering if it was a necklace with a stone emblem shaped like an arrow head.”
Ruby’s mouth dropped open a little. “How did you know that?”
“I collected something similar a while back. Listen, did it have markings on the side that look like the Latin alphabet?”
“That’s what they were.” Ruby shook her head. “I’ve been trying to figure out why they looked so familiar.”
“Can you remember what they look like? Could you draw them for me?”
Her sister’s eyes narrowed. “Why do need to know this, Gem? You know we’re not supposed to talk about a mission after debriefing.”
“Yeah, I know.” Gemma shrugged. “This one just intrigues me. I want to know what these necklaces mean. What if it’s some romantic love story or really cool history that we’re going to read about soon. I don’t want to miss it.”
Surprisingly Ruby bought her lie.
I must be getting better.
“You are such a romantic sap now that you’re dating that Harrison guy. Seriously, Gem. You’re making me ill.” Ruby grabbed up her pen and started drawing.
“Oh come on, you’re just jealous.”
“Not even,” Ruby scoffed. “I got to make out with Brent Matthison last night. You’re just stuck with skinny boy over there. You should really play the field more, Gem.”
“Not a chance.” Gemma stood tall, grabbing the piece of paper from her sister’s hand before planting a kiss on her cheek.
She could feel Ruby’s gaze on her as she returned to her seat. She knew her sister sometimes worried about the fact she was so close to Harrison. She could feel a serious discussion brewing and was mentally preparing for it. She was stocking up her lie pile with everything from, “I’m thinking of dumping him after prom,” through to, “He’s too good a kisser to break up with yet.”
As long as none of her family found out she had no intention of ever letting Harrison go then she shouldn’t have a problem.
Keep dreaming, Gem.
She quelled the frown for the sake of those around her. Every moment with Harrison was becoming more and more precious, she could feel the hands of doom ticking out a countdown, but she wasn’t willing to listen.