Jeremy (Broken Angel #4) (7 page)

“
T
hanks
, PJ,” Jeremy said, tucking the speeding ticket into his pocket.

The police officer gave him a blank stare.

“Oh, do you prefer being called James? I thought since this is the third ticket you’ve given me today, we could go on first-name basis. It is James, right?” He gazed at the officer’s name,
P James
, embroidered in yellow over his right front pocket. Over his left pocket, the officer’s badge glinted under the bright sun.

The officer pressed his lips and slapped his black notebook shut.

“Just keep it within the speed limit,” the officer said as he headed back to his patrol car.

“You bet, fifty-five.”

“Forty!”

“Gotcha. Forty.” He smiled. The officer shook his head as he drove away.

Well that wasn’t nice. Flipping up the kickstand, Jeremy released the clutch and got back on the highway. This time he made sure to pay close attention to how fast he was going.

He’d been riding around for hours lost in thought, letting memories filter through his mind like pages in a photo album: watching Lash drive Naomi across Texas, Naomi’s stolen glances at Lash when she thought he wasn’t looking, how he’d driven Naomi’s bike to New Mexico and waited for them, how he’d convinced himself he was doing it to help Lash. He wasn’t. The fact was, he was jealous.

He gritted his teeth, frustrated that he still couldn’t get rid of his feelings for Naomi. Diversions like going to the farmers market or even buying his crocodile boots took his mind off Naomi and Lash only for a while. As soon as it wore off, he was back to thinking about Lash and their fight. He still couldn’t believe he’d punched his brother. And what was worse, he’d wanted to hurt him. He’d wanted Lash to feel the pain he’d been feeling—and still did.

He missed flying. There was nothing like flying to help him clear his head. Since he wanted to stay in his human form, he didn’t want to risk taking to the sky. Flying at night wasn’t an option, either. It was too risky. So he was stuck with driving the motorcycle. This way-too-slow-a-turtle-just-passed-me motorcycle.

What the hell? Was this bike even moving?

He glanced down at the speedometer and groaned. He was going forty. He accelerated a little more, daring to go a mind-blowing forty-five.

This was a new kind of hell for him. He wanted to feel the wind biting his face, hear white noise wash over his ears, and feel his stomach dip as he plummeted down the sky in a freefall.

The drive wasn’t helping anymore, so he decided to pull the motorcycle into a small parking lot near the beach. As he got off the bike, a couple of bikini-clad girls walked by. Their eyes widened as they scanned his body, taking in khaki shorts and fitted white shirt.

He forced a grin, flashing his dimples. He thought a fake-it-till-you-make-it approach would help. It’d been days and he still couldn’t shake the numb feeling. He looked carefully at one of the girls, trying again to make himself feel something for the slender beauty. She moved gracefully, raven hair blowing wildly in the wind. A short yellow skirt was wrapped around her tiny waist, showing off her long tanned legs. The girl paused, her dark eyes holding his. Ruby lips curled into an inviting smile. She was pretty, maybe even prettier than Naomi. Then why couldn’t he feel anything for her? There was nothing there. No attraction. Only emptiness.

He sighed and turned away, walking in the opposite direction. He didn’t mean to encourage her. All he wanted was to be his normal self again, to look at a pretty girl and flirt a little. Was he always going to compare them to Naomi?

He gazed out to the ocean. There were about a dozen surfers riding the frothy waves. He thought about taking up surfing. It didn’t look too difficult.

“Hey, Jeremy!” Sammy called to him, waving from the center of an impressively large sand castle. Next to him was an empty beach chair.

Jeremy looked for Leilani. Was he alone? The taco shack had to be at least a couple of miles from this part of the beach.

“Is Leilani with you?”

“Yeah, she’s out there.” Sammy pointed to the water.

Jeremy stared out into the ocean. His jaw dropped when he spotted a small figure in a turquoise rash guard paddling far out. A large wave rolled to her. He tensed.

What the . . .?

The crazy girl was heading straight to it. He was about to call out to her, when she jumped up on the surfboard. She looked so small as the wall of water came for her. Crouching with arms lifted slightly, she rode the wave.

She’s flying.

He watched Leilani, spellbound. It was like a fire was lit up inside of her as she danced on the water. Her hips swayed gracefully as her legs guided the surfboard. As she soared over the wave, water spraying her pretty face, she let out a squeal of victory. She was amazing.

“Do you surf?” Sammy asked.

“No. Do you?” He gazed down at him.

He frowned. “Leilani says I’m too little. But you’re not little. She can teach you if you want.”

Leilani’s happy squeals turned to cursing and he snapped his head back in her direction.

A boy with long, sandy hair came too close to her. Leilani cursed and swerved out of the way. She lost her balance and fell off her board. Wipeout.

He waited, staring at the spot where she’d fallen, counting the seconds, waiting for her head to bob out of the water.

Where is she? Come on, Leilani.
She was taking too long, wasn’t she? How long could a human hold their breath under water? He looked around the beach. No one seemed to be concerned that she hadn’t come up yet.

“Stay here,” he said to Sammy as he dashed to the edge of the beach. Pulling off his shoes and tossing his shirt aside, he dove into the warm water.

He jetted through the water. Looking for any sign of her. The current pushed against him. It was strong. There was no way Leilani could swim in this. Even with his angelic strength, he was having a difficult time.

Then he saw her struggling as she fought against the current. Using all his strength, he propelled himself forward, his legs moving so fast they were a blur. When he grabbed hold of her arm, she slapped his hand away. Ignoring her continuous slaps and underwater cursing, he managed to pull her to the surface. When they reached the top, he held her for a moment while she gasped for breath.

“You’re okay. I’ve got you,” he said, holding her tight against him.

“Let go of me.” She coughed, slapping his muscled chest. “I’m not Candy Hu, and I don’t have your imaginary watch.”

“Knock it off, Leilani. I’m trying to help you,” he growled impatiently.

She stopped. Her breathing came out in short spurts as she kept her head bowed. Her heart pounded wildly against his. Ever so slowly, she lifted her head. Spiky hair brushed against the bottom of his chin. Through wet lashes, doe eyes gazed at him with a dreamy expression. She was so close he could smell the sweet bubblegum scent on her breath.

“You shouldn’t be out here,” he said.

She jerked back, blinking. The dreamy look disappeared and was replaced with a scowl.

“I shouldn’t be here?
I
shouldn’t be here? Let go, Golden Boy.” She slapped his chest. He let go, relieved the awkward moment passed.

She cursed under her breath as she tugged on a leash attached her ankle, bringing the bobbing surfboard to her. When she climbed on it, he tried to help her. She cursed again, swatting his hand. He couldn’t help chuckling. She looked cute pissed off, trying to throw him crude hand gestures while paddling at the same time.

“Stop following me. I know what I’m doing,” she snapped.

“Are you sure about that? It looked like you were drowning.”

“I was not. And I wouldn’t have wiped out in the first place if that idiot hadn’t stolen my wave. That jerk!”

“Maybe you shouldn’t be this far out. The current is pretty strong.”

“I know what I’m doing.” She trudged through the water. Her wet feet slapped against the hardened sand as she headed back to Sammy. There were a couple of boys with surfboards standing next to Sammy. He was showing them his sandcastle when Leilani walked up.

“That’s just great. They saw the whole thing. I’ll never hear the end of it at school,” she mumbled under her breath.

“Nice wipeout,” one of them said to Leilani.

“Bite me, Chucky!” She snatched the towel off the beach chair.

The boy scowled. “It’s Kai.”

“Chucky.”

“Kai!” He scowled at Leilani, then turned to Sammy. “Tell your dad he can borrow the truck any time he needs it.”

“Okay, see ya later, Kai,” Sammy said as he slapped more sand onto his growing sand castle. He was obviously more interested in building his little kingdom than the teen drama.

“Good riddance,” Leilani mumbled when Kai left. As she sat down on the beach chair, drying herself, her mumbling shifted to Jeremy being a stupid hot tourist thinking she needed saving.

He felt someone jerking on his shorts. He looked down at Sammy, who crooked his finger. He squatted, and Sammy whispered in his ear, “What’s wrong with her?”

“She’s mad at me,” Jeremy whispered back.

“Oh, yeah. The change,” Sammy sighed, and turned his attention back to the sandcastle.

“I’m sorry, Leilani. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I thought you were in trouble,” he said.

She looked up at for a moment and let out a breath. “Fine. Just don’t try to save me again. I wasn’t drowning, you know.”

“I know that now.” He sat in the sand next to her, thankful she wasn’t the type to hold a grudge. He’d hate to lose her friendship. “So why did you call that guy Chucky?”

She laughed. “His mom and my mom are friends. He lives across the street from us. We used to play together when we were little. One night when he stayed over because his mother was working the night shift, we watched a horror movie. He was so scared he upchucked all over Mom’s brand new rug. He’s a total jerk face. He thinks he’s all that because he won the high school surfer competition last year and all the girls drool over him. I gotta keep him real, so I call him Chucky.”

“Jeremy wants to learn how to surf,” Sammy said. “You gonna teach him, Leilani?”

Her eyes gleamed with excitement. Damn. Was she excited to teach someone to surf, or was it because it was him? He had to be careful. She was so young. The problem was he wanted to learn. It looked like fun.

“Uh, I don’t think that’s a good idea, buddy.”

“Why?” Leilani turned to him with the same fire she’d had in her eyes when she’d ridden the wave. “Do you think I can’t teach you?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Okay, then meet me at Kalapaki Beach early tomorrow morning. I’ll bring my soft top.”

S
itting under a palm tree
, Jeremy watched the horizon light on fire. A mixture of yellow and orange painted the sky as the sun peeked from the ocean. Smiling, he took in the scenic beauty surrounding him, from the palm trees swaying in the wind to the lush, rolling hills in the distance. It was like he was experiencing the island for the first time: the way the warm sand hugged his toes as they slid down with each step he took; how the air smelled of salt, sand, and plumeria flowers; the calming white noise as waves rolled into the bay, then splashing as they hit the beach. For the first time in the weeks since he’d arrived, he felt relaxed, peaceful. The moment his head had hit the pillow last night, he’d fallen into a deep sleep. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept so soundly.

He was so eager to start his first surfing lesson that he was out of bed the second the alarm went off. He was out the door and on his bike a minute later. He’d watched the surfers riding the waves as he went on his daily walks. It looked so easy. He was sure he’d be able to pick it up right away. How hard could it be? He was a strong swimmer and had the grace and balance that all angels had.

Popping the last of his granola bar into his mouth, he wondered why Leilani chose this beach for his lessons. The waves seemed small compared to the ones he’d seen her surfing.

There was a high-pitched giggle. A little girl wearing a pink life jacket dashed past him. Her tiny feet slapped the sand as she ran to the water.

“Wait for your father!” a woman yelled after her.

A man scooped the little girl up, making her squeal with laughter.

“Daddy!”

“You forgot something.” he said, placing a blue boogie board on the water. Transparent plastic filled a large hole in the center of the board.

The little girl climbed on the board while her father held it steady for her. As he walked around the shallow end of the bay, she kept her face plastered against the glass.

“Ooh, look, Daddy, soda. I want some.”

Jeremy shook his head as the girl’s father yanked out the bottle from the water.

“Dude, toss it here,” Jeremy said, walking over to them. “I’ll throw it away for you.”

“Thanks.”

Jeremy scanned the beach for a place to dispose the bottle. On the other side of the bay, he spotted a trashcan. Sitting a few yards away from it was Leilani. She stood by a couple of surfboards, her jaw moving steadily, hands on hips as she watched a couple with their two kids surfing.

Smiling, he hurried to her, ready to get out into the water. He chuckled as she blew a pink bubble so large it covered her entire face. After the ice cream incident, he’d be surprised if she didn’t get gum all over her hair.

When he got closer, he noticed there was something different about her today. Maybe it was her hair. It was all spiky and messy with that just-rolled-out-of-bed style, but it looked too perfect.

And what was she wearing?

Normally, he didn’t notice that kind of stuff, but this was way different. Instead of the loose t-shirts he’d seen her wear, this one was formfitting and accentuated her long waist.

And what happened to her knee-length khakis?

He slowed down his pace, placing one foot carefully in front of the other as he focused his eyes on her. He was barely able to believe what he was seeing. The shorts molded tight like a glove to her body, barely covering her . . .

He froze. No. She couldn’t be doing what he thought she was doing with the clothes, and the hair, and the—

Was she wearing makeup?

His mouth went dry when he took in the tint of pink along her cheeks and over her lips. Her lashes were darker, longer, and . . . how did she get them to curl like that?

Aw, shit! She IS wearing makeup.

This was a mistake. He should turn around and leave right now. Yep, that was what he should do, but his stubborn, selfish feet were not moving. He gazed at Leilani’s pretty face, so young, so innocent. Leaving now was the right thing to do.

Sighing, he slowly turned away. It would’ve been nice having friends while he was on the island. He liked being with Leilani and Sammy. There was something about her and Sammy that made him feel like he was back home.

“Yo, Golden Boy! I’m over here. Ready to surf?”

He paused at the sound of her voice. A flurry of thoughts rushed through his head.

Yes! Let’s do this.

No! She has a crush on you, moron.

Damn.

He was so confused. He didn’t know what to do.

“Scared?” she yelled.

Maybe.

He’d been in battles against Lucifer. He’d fought Saleos, arguably one of the most powerful dark angels. He’d never thought a teenage girl would be the one to make his heart feel like it was about to leap out of his chest and run down the beach in terror.

“No.” He grinned, walking to her. He could handle this. All he had to do was keep their interactions in friendship territory. Besides, he was overreacting. There were plenty of boys her age on the beach. Maybe he could subtly steer some her way.

“Well, come on. I don’t have all day. I brought a board for you.” She pointed at a board lying a few feet away.

“Thanks for the offer to teach me. I’d been wanting to learn, but wasn’t sure if—the board’s pink.” He gawked at the surfboard.

She blew a bubble and quickly snapped it back in her mouth. “Yeah.”

“With flowers and butterflies.”

The design screamed chick board. The thing was huge. It was at least a foot taller than him.

“This was
your
board?” She didn’t come across as the girly type.

“Oh, yeah, about that.” She placed her hands behind her back and swayed heel to toe. “I forgot my mom sold my soft top a few years ago. I borrowed this one from a neighbor.”

He swore he saw her lip twitch.

“Okay, so let’s get started.” She clapped her hands. “Strip!”

He choked. “What?”

“Take off your shirt. Duh.”

“Oh, right.” He brought his hands to the edge of his shirt. He hesitated as he felt the weight of eyes watching him. He looked at Leilani. She stared back at him for a moment, furrowing her brow.

This was getting way too uncomfortable. She’d seen him without a shirt on. Why was this bothering him so much?

“Geez, are you, like, all shy now?”

“I’m not shy,” he said, peeling off his shirt and tossing it aside.

“Alright, then. You’re not shy.”

He stood, his heart racing while she walked around him, eyeing him up and down. Was she checking him out?

“Leilani, what are you—Hey!”

There was a loud slap, followed by another as her hands whacked his back.

“Are you hitting me?”

“I’m. Not. Hitting. You.” Her voice strained with each pounding. “I’m trying to push you forward.”

“Why are you trying to push me?”

She let out a frustrated breath and marched around to face him. “I need to see what your natural footing is when you fall forward. That’s the foot you need to use to balance on the board. But pushing you is like trying to move a statue. Are you, like, superhuman or something?”

Brown eyes studied him curiously.

Damn it!
She was suspicious. She was oddly observant for a fifteen-year-old. He was being too lax in his human form. He had to remember to watch his strength.

“I work out a lot,” he said.

“Yeah, I can see that,” she said, taking in his muscular arms and washboard abs. “Let’s try this another way. Pretend you’re falling forward. Okay?”

This was a first for him. Angels didn’t fall. They were too graceful for that. He closed his eyes briefly and imagined he was falling. His right foot came out first.

“There you go. You’re goofy-footed.”

“Who are you calling goofy?”

She rolled her eyes, then bent down and attached a surfboard leash to his left ankle.

“Goofy-footed means you naturally ride the board with your right foot.”

“Oops, sorry.”

“Yeah, yeah. Now, lie on the board.”

“Don’t we need to take this into the water first?”

“Nope. First you need to learn how to stand on it, then you can try it out on the water.”

To his relief, Leilani was all business as she explained what to expect when surfing. How it may look easy just to stand, but with the waves it made balancing difficult. He practiced paddling by motioning his arms and then jumping on the board. She explained a few positions to hold his arms. When she lightly placed her hands on his arms, he looked down at her. She simply gave him a warm smile. He’d been overreacting. She was just being friendly.

“Okay, you’re ready to go out into the water.”

Going over her instructions in his head, he picked up the pink board. He was surprised to feel that it had some weight to it.

“This is heavy. You carried it all the way down here?” He glanced at her arms. They were so puny. He could wrap his hands around them.

“I’m stronger than I look.”

He gazed at the intense scowl on her face. Fire flashed in her brown eyes. He had no doubt she could do anything she set her mind to do.

“Yeah, I can believe that.” He grinned.

“Don’t freak if you wipe out the first time,” she said as they headed into the water.

“I won’t fall off.”

“Everyone wipes out the first time.”

Not angels.
He couldn’t wait to see the shocked expression on her face when he got it right the first time. He looked back at her standing on the edge of the beach. She had her hands on her hips, studying him suspiciously.

On second thought, maybe he should fall off a couple of times. He was about to place the board on the water when she added, “Even golden boys fall.”

The smug tone of her voice was hard to miss.

He paused, turning back to her. She blinked innocently with a wide grin on her face. She couldn’t wait to see him wipe out.

“Wanna bet?”

“Do I look like I have money?”

“Okay, if I win, you owe me a Sammywich.”

“Fine. And when
I
win, you have to write Golden Boy on your forehead and walk around the beach carrying the surfboard.”

“You’re on!” He got on the surfboard chuckling. There was no way he was losing the bet.

As he paddled, Leilani waded into the water shouting instructions. Looking over his shoulder, he paddled faster as the wave headed to him. When it neared, he felt it push the board forward.

“Now! Jeremy, now!” Leilani squealed.

He jumped on his feet, his arms extended, back straight. For the first time in his life, he felt like he was actually going to fall. The board wiggled underneath his feet, threatening to disappear.

“Woo!” he yelled, jutting his fist up in the air. This was way better than swimming.

“Not straight! Crouch!”

Immediately, he crouched, regaining some balance. He was doing it. He was surfing.

He rode the wave as it leveled out, bringing the board to shore. Just as the board was about to touch the sand, he lifted his foot to step off.

“Wait, Jeremy! Don’t—”