Golden Blood (16 page)

He felt Gemma jerk beside him.

“Ow.” She rubbed her shin and shot her sister
a black look.

“Well, are you going to introduce me to your
friends?”

Gemma cleared her throat and shuffled in her
seat as she made the quick intros.

It was easy to see the presence of these two
popular seniors had everyone a little in awe. Courtney giggled as
Dom commented on the grossness of his chicken sub, yet ate it
anyway. Darren sat goo-goo eyed as he watched Ruby pick at her
salad. Gemma kept nibbling her food, but Harrison could sense she
felt a whiff more confident with her siblings beside her.

The twins rambled on in easy conversation,
trying to draw Gemma out of her shell. She said a few small words,
but remained pretty quiet as he engaged in an animated discussion
about Jackie Chan movies with Dom.

Harrison put his hand under the table and
squeezed Gemma’s knee. Her tight-lipped smile was starting to
relax. He kept his hand in place, hoping to ease the rest of the
tension from her body.

“Oh, there’s Felicity.” Dom straightened his
shoulders.

“Going to make your move, Mr. Stallion?” Ruby
smirked.

“No, I’m just going to ease my way in. A nice
casual hello. I’ll be subtle.”

“Oh please, you’re about as subtle as a
fireworks display.”

Gemma chuckled. It was a sweet sound that
floated across the table and everyone who didn’t know her suddenly
paused to watch. Harrison saw Darren and Courtney both look at each
other and grin. So the freak knew how to smile.

As Dom left the table, with Ruby following in
his wake seconds later, Courtney shuffled down so she was sitting
opposite Gemma. Darren slid his tray along and started mumbling
about the latest action movie to hit the screen. Before Gemma knew
what she was doing, she entered into the conversation and by the
end of the lunch the four of them had agreed to see it on Friday
night.

Harrison leaned back in his seat with a
triumphant grin as Gemma munched her apple to the core. Leaning
forward, he wrapped his arm around her waist and whispered, “Hey,
you’re still alive. Well done.”

She pinched his hand with a grin.

“Think you can do this again sometime?”

She nodded then looked at him. Her eyes shone
with gratitude. She blinked a couple of times then grabbed her lip
with her teeth. Squeezing her middle, he pecked her cheek and stood
as the bell rang. She let him hold her hand all the way to
class.

Chapter Sixteen

St. Augustine, Florida
- 2011AD

Gemma fidgeted with her locker handle as she
inconspicuously studied Courtney’s curls. They bobbed erratically
as she threw her head back and laughed.

Gemma’s lips toyed with a smile. According to
her mother they were really good friends. Gemma wondered if she
should try striking up a friendship in an attempt to make things
just a little more legit. It would definitely help ease the guilt.
The idea of using Courtney felt bad though.

But was she really using her?

The Friday night movie thing seemed to be
real enough. She didn’t even want to think about how nervous she
was. Yesterday’s lunch did prove that nerves could be eased though.
At least Courtney smiled at her.

The small girl was talking to Darren right
now. She smiled up at him as she danced lightly from one foot to
the other. Darren’s hand ran up and down his bag strap. His smile
was crooked as he dipped his head then flicked his hand up with a
casual wave.

Courtney watched him leave then completed two
playful whirls on the spot. She looked to the ceiling then down to
the floor with a blush before heading in Gemma’s direction.
Instantly shy, Gemma hid her head back inside her locker and kept
busy organizing her books for next period.

“Hey Gemma.”

“Oh, hi Courtney.” A nervous smile twittered
over Gemma’s features as she turned to greet the girl.

Courtney stopped at her locker a couple along
and turned the dial. Gemma watched her for a moment trying to think
of something interesting to say. Courtney saved her the
trouble.

“Do you think Darren’s cute?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Darren Kidman. Do you think he’s good
looking?” Courtney leaned against the closed locker next to her and
twirled a strand of her hair.

“Um.” Gemma glanced back to where he had
departed. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“Hmmm.” Courtney’s lips bunched then broke
into a smile. “I think he likes me.” She turned back to her locker
and began shuffling through her books.

This would have been the perfect chance for
Gemma to slip away with a polite nod, but it was also the perfect
opportunity to start something that could potentially make future
discussions with her mother much easier. She took a twitchy step
towards Courtney and paused.

“Really? Why do you say that?”

Completely oblivious to Gemma’s shaking
limbs, Courtney gathered up her books and closed her locker with
her elbow. “Oh. Well yesterday, I dropped my phone when I was
leaving school and I didn’t notice. He found it and drove to my
house to drop it off.”

“Oh.” Gemma nodded with a slight frown.

Courtney nudged Gemma’s shoulder and grinned.
“So, guys don’t go to that effort if they’re not interested,
right?”

“Of course they don’t.” Gemma smiled,
pretending she totally got it.

“I thought he was going to ask me on a date
just before, but I think he chickened out.”

“He did look nervous.” Gemma bit her cheek
then shrugged. “Why don’t you ask him?”

“Call me old fashioned, but I like the guy to
make the first move.”

“He did drive to your house.”

“True.” Courtney nodded with a grin. “I
actually invited him in and showed him around. We sat in my room
talking for nearly an hour.” Her cheeks glowed. “My Dad wasn’t
home. He doesn’t like boys being in our bedrooms, but…” She looked
down the hall to where Darren had been standing. “Some guys are
worth breaking the rules for.”

Her eyes were dreamy. Gemma smiled as she
watched her. She thought of Harrison and the impact of first seeing
him. She’d known within a second that he spelled trouble for her.
All that time she’d spent fighting a battle she knew she would
ultimately lose. Gemma ran her hand down her ponytail. This was
only the beginning. Somehow she knew that she would bend or break
whatever rules she had to if it meant staying with him. The
rebellious thought was terrifying… and thrilling.

“I know what you mean.”

Courtney shot her a wink as she shoved the
last book in her bag and zipped it closed.

“I hope Darren asks you soon.”

“Me too.” Courtney giggled. “Although who
knows what might happen on Friday night.” Her eyes were dancing and
Gemma couldn’t help feeling a small spurt of excitement. “Nice
talking to you, Gem.”

“Oh,” Gemma blushed. “Yeah, you, um… you
too.”

She grinned. “See you around.”

“Bye… see ya, Courtney.”

Gemma watched the girl bounce away and
covered her face in self-loathing. She must come across as such a
blathering idiot. She hated how nervous she got. One simple
conversation and she was ready to go into cardiac arrest. She
didn’t understand how she was capable of fighting off basically any
foe, but couldn’t hold a casual conversation with a high school
student!

“Hey beautiful.” Harrison grabbed her hand as
he walked passed. He sauntered forward with a triumphant grin. She
knew he was loving the whole reveal. “Can I walk you to class?”

She smiled, surprised by how divine it felt
to hold his hand at school. Gemma felt the effects of his presence
immediately. Her nervous jitters were chased away and within
moments she felt lighter.

“Where were you two minutes ago?” she
mumbled.

“Why? What happened?”

“I just spoke to Courtney and I was so
nervous and stupid.”

Harrison grinned. “I’m sure you were fine.
What did you talk about?”

“Darren. I think they like each other. She’s
pretty sure he likes her anyway. He went to her house to drop
something off.”

“He definitely likes her then.” Harrison
nodded. “Guys don’t go the extra mile if they’re not
interested.”

“That’s what she said.”

The couple slowed as they approached Gemma’s
class. She glanced at her watch, feeling bad that Harrison would
probably be late for his class now.

“You’re worth it.” He grinned.

Her insides tingled. Since the hallway was
empty she gave him a quick kiss on the lips. “I’ll see you in
History.”

“I’d like to see your house.”

Harrison’s random comment brought Gemma to a
screeching halt. “What?”

“Your house. I’d like to go there
sometime.”

“Why?”

He reached for her hand and ran his thumb
over her knuckles. “So I can picture you in it.”

The tingling grew to a warm glow. “I guess I
have seen yours.” She grinned then bit her cheek and looked to the
floor. “My Dad’s away and Mom’s working this afternoon. If we leave
straight after school…”

Harrison kissed her.

“You two have thirty seconds to get to class
or I’m issuing detentions.” The stern voice of Mr. Clark pulled
them apart and had them scooting in opposite directions. Gemma
glanced back at Harrison’s quickly retreating form. The idea of
showing him around her place was a little scary, but…

He wants to picture me there!

Holding in her giddy sigh, she glided to her
seat and sat down with a dreamy smile.

* * * *

Harrison parked his car three blocks from
Gemma’s house then jumped on the back of her bike. He wasn’t sure
why he wanted to see her house so badly. It’s not like he was
expecting time spirit memorabilia - if there was such a thing - to
be openly displayed. He was just intrigued. The more he learnt
about Gemma, the more he liked her. The idea of picturing exactly
where she was when she was sneaking him a text message was somewhat
tantalizing.

A few minutes later, they were passing
through two huge gates. Gemma pulled the bike around the circular
driveway and parked alongside the ornate water feature. Harrison
had been expecting nice, but he was almost intimidated gazing up at
the palatial home.

“I know. It’s ridiculous.” Gemma half grinned
as she took Harrison’s hand and pulled him through the stunning
Japanese style gardens around to the back door. She unlocked the
door and paused just inside the garage to listen for any noise.
Harrison noticed the four car garage was empty and figured they
were alone, but Gemma still tread cautiously as they crept through
the internal access door.

They padded down the tiled hall and stopped
in the archway of the modern kitchen. It was twice the size of his
kitchen. The island in the middle was the same size as their dining
room table!

“Do you want a drink?” Gemma shoved her hands
in the back pockets of her jeans and rolled onto the sides of her
feet.

Harrison smiled and shook his head. “Just a
tour’s fine.”

“Okay.” She grinned. “Well, this is the
kitchen and the dining room is through here.” She pointed and led
him through the adjacent archway and into an elegant dining room
with a beautifully carved ten-seater table. Everything looked
expensive. It was a far cry from the mish mash of furniture he had
at his place.

They continued the tour, through the front
entranceway with the chandelier and up the sweeping staircase to
the bedrooms. The first room she showed him housed a mammoth TV and
enough equipment to fulfill every entertainment need. His mouth
dropped open as he eyed the two walls of DVDs.

“Dom, the movie buff.”

Harrison nodded mutely before being dragged
into the biggest bathroom he’d ever seen. As he went from one
astonishment to another, he noticed Gemma’s agitation grow. The
tour became quicker and it wasn’t until he forced her to stop
outside the next door that he found out what she was thinking.

“You think this place is really ostentatious,
don’t you?”

“No.” Harrison rubbed the base of Gemma’s
back. “Just different.”

“They like nice stuff. It’s always got to be
the best, you know?”

He tucked a strand of hair behind her
ear.

“This house is amazing, Gem. I think it’s
great.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t have the same cozy home
feel as your place, does it?”

Harrison swallowed down the resounding yes
and cleared his throat with a grin. “It’s yours and I can picture
you here. Thanks for showing me around.”

Gemma nodded with a nervous smile and pointed
at the next door.

“My room.” She turned the handle and led him
inside.

A slow smile worked across his face as he
studied the finely crafted furniture. The walls were a soft mauve,
her bed cover deep purple. The pictures on the walls were ornately
framed. He inspected the various fun-filled shots of Ruby and Dom
along with the formal family photo. He deduced Gemma must have been
around twelve in the photo. She was beautiful then too. He shone
her a smile, which made her promptly blush.

“Your skin is a lot darker than the rest of
your family.”

“I know, apparently there’s some Navajo in
our history. Managed to skip all of them and land on me.”

Harrison wondered why she sounded
disappointed. She had the look of a super model and she didn’t even
know it.

She watched him slowly peruse her room,
biting her cheek and fidgeting with her fingers. 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.”