Ominous Love (7 page)

“No thanks, I can wait. I'll just get a glass
of water.”

“There's homemade lemonade in the fridge,” I
say. “Help yourself. The glasses are in the cupboard near the sink.”

‘Thank you, Miss
Elle, that
sounds good.” He smiles, his lip curving in a wicked teasing way,
then
he pours himself a drink.

Pretending not to notice his mocking, I add
some water to the pot and pop the lid on. While I wait for it to boil, Seal
heads to the back door.

“I'm just putting the toolbox back where I
found it,” he hollers.

“Okay,” I say, refusing to look at him. The
little hairs on the back of my neck prickle and I sense he's still watching me.
Smiling to myself, I set the timer on the stove and wait for the screen door slam,
then I dash into the family room and peek out the window.

Though it's nearly dark, there's a full moon
and I can clearly see the garden, and Seal. As he strides confidently across
the lawn, his jeans stretch snuggly across his firm backside. His sleeves are
pushed up above his elbows, exposing the rippled muscles on his forearms. Oh, why
does he have to be so cute? Or smile in that quirky way? I sigh. I don't know how
I'll cope with him around. Why did
I have
to find him on the beach? I'll surely die if he belongs to some gorgeous girl,
and if he is married with kids … well, it doesn't bare thinking about.

Oh crap
.
He's coming back. If he sees me spying on him, he'll definitely think I'm a
weirdo. I dart behind the curtain and peek out from the darkness. After locking
the shed, he strolls back, but as he gazes up at the stars, he seems to be
talking to himself. Is he praying? Suddenly he turns and stares right at me. Shoot!
I step backwards and away from the window, but I trip, falling full pelt across
the floor and hitting my head on a plant pot. “Ouch.”

Chapter Eight

Gosh that hurt. I run my hand across my
forehead to feel for a bump. Darn it. My fingers are sticky and there's a
distinct metallic smell. I quickly wipe the blood from my face and try to get
up before Seal comes back and sees me sprawled on the floor, but I'm too late. The
back door swings open and he turns the light on. Great, now he'll see what a
klutz I am.

As I scramble to my feet, he rushes towards
me. “What happened? Are you okay?”

I pull my hair over my eye and sit on the
couch. “I'm fine. I just tripped over a stupid plant pot.”

A hint of a smile plays on his lips.
“A stupid
plant pot
?”

Oh, so he thinks
I’m
stupid? I open my mouth to reply to his sarcasm, but I soon
change my mind when a trickle of blood runs down my face. Hoping he doesn’t
notice, I turn the other away.

A concerned scowl on his face, he kneels in
front of me. “Eloise, your head's bleeding.”

I cover the wound with my hand. “It's just a
little cut, nothing to worry about.”

He pulls my arm away and brushes my curls from
my eyes. “Keep still a minute. I need to see if you need stitches.”

As he inspects the wound above my brow, I
quiver at his touch.

“Sorry,” he says. “Did I hurt you?”

I shake my head. “No, but I hope I don't need
stitches. I told you I'm squeamish, and don't like hospitals.”

He gets to his feet. “It's okay. It's only a
small cut, so you won't need stitches. But let's get you a plaster because head
wounds tend to bleed a lot. Do you have a first-aid kit?”

I stand up and head towards the hall. “Yeah,
it's in the bathroom.”

“No, I'll get it,” he says, grabbing my arm.
He pulls a tissue from the box on the cupboard and hands it to me. “Apply
pressure. It'll stop the bleeding.”

“Thanks.” I press it to my forehead, but as
soon as Seal leaves the room, I peek at it. Ewe, why did I look? As always, the
sight of bright red blood makes me nauseous and dizzy. Oh, please don't let me
throw up. Not now. As I begin to shake, I take deep breaths, hoping to stop
myself from fainting. But as Seal comes back, my vision blurs and the room
begins to sway.

He grabs me around the waist. “Are you okay,
Eloise? You're as white as a ghost.”

Before I can answer, the blackness takes over
and I lose consciousness.

*

My head is pounding and the flow of water
echoes in my ears. Am I dreaming? My eyes flutter open to the bright light and
the familiar itchy fabric of our green couch in the sunroom and the beautiful
voices of One Direction singing their hit song, ‘
You Stole My Heart’,
on the radio.

As I look at my clothes, I'm relieved to see
I wasn't sick this time, at least I hope not, but a tap running in the laundry
has me worried that I was. Shoot. Don’t tell me Seal had to clean up my puke?
How embarrassing. As the tap is turned off, I quickly close my eyes and pretend
to be unconscious again.

Seal comes back into the room and sits down
next to me. Gosh, he smells delicious, and it's hard not to sigh. Bending over
me, he pushes my curls off my forehead. Oh, no. My heart is banging against my
ribs and he's leaning on my chest. He must be able to feel it, or hear my heavy
breathing. As he washes the cut above my brow, my heart thumps even louder. I'm
sure I'll have a stroke from pure embarrassment. Then I feel it. Whoa! Seal’s
heart is thundering like a drum right on top of mine.

“Eloise?” he whispers.

Far out.
He just breathed my name. Does he
know I'm awake? My insides are on fire, but I don't want to answer him. I'm
enjoying his attention and don't want it to stop. He dabs something cold on my
wound, and oh boy, does it sting. My eyes pop wide open.
“Awww!”

“Oh, I'm glad you're awake, Miss Elle. You
passed out on me. Sorry about the ointment, but it'll stop an infection.” His
lips twitch with amusement. “Guess it worked like smelling salts.”

My face flushes and I squint at him. He
knew
I was awake. He did that on
purpose. I try to sit up, but he holds me down by my shoulder. “Don't move, just
rest for a while. You've probably got a concussion after hitting your head. So
now, I'll have to get
you
to a
hospital.”

Leaning back on my elbows and stare up at
him. “No, Seal. I don't need to go to a hospital. I'm fine. I told you I faint
at the sight of blood, especially my own. I'm just a wimp. It's so
embarrassing. Anyway, you refused to go to a hospital when I offered to take
you, so you can't force me.”

He frowns. “I don't like seeing you hurt. Now,
I'm not sure what to do.”

“Well, now you know how I felt when I found
you unconscious on the beach.”

“Okay, I give in, but keep still while I put
a plaster on your wound.” As he sticks it on my forehead, I gaze at his soft
full lips. He's so frustratingly close that I'm tempted to kiss him, but I
don't dare. He'll only reject me again,
then
I’ll truly
die of embarrassment.

“All done,” he says, wiping my face with a
cool flannel. The touch of his hand on my cheek sends shivers down my spine.
There he goes again, the big tease. I look away to hide my desire and to stop
the temptation of his beautiful eyes. I used to think that being in love would
be wonderful, but it's not. It sucks. It's like sending a kid to a candy shop
without any money.

He puts his hand on my brow. “Eloise, are you
sure you feel okay? You're burning up.”

Groaning at the mention of my name, I glare at
him. “No, I don't feel okay. You keep saying my name and making me burn up.
You're the biggest tease, ever.”
Uh-oh.
Now, he's
staring at me with a strange fire in his eyes and he's breathing heavy. Crap.
Now what?

He abruptly pulls me into his arms and kisses
me. I’m tingling all over and as his tongue swirls and whirls around mine, I
close my eyes and taste his sweet mouth. Strange muscles are clenching inside
my belly and as I melt into the couch, he runs his hands through my hair, tangling
and tugging my curls. Then he pulls away and groans into my neck. “Oh, baby.”

My heart is pounding, trying to leave my body
and stars are flashing in my head. I've surely died and gone to heaven, or why
would a dreamboat like Seal be interested in me? I love him and so want to tell
him, but I'm afraid he'll laugh. But before I have a chance, he buries his face
in my curls. “Oh, Eloise, what have you done to me?” he murmurs.

Passion burns my soul and I just want to die
in his arms and stay here forever and ever. I’m floating on air in a place I’ve
never been. I’m burning up and about to spontaneously combust. Squeezing my
eyes shut, I gasp as a strange thrill releases in my belly, sending ripples
through every inch of me and making me week at the knees. Jeez, I'm fully
clothed and he didn't even touch me. Breathless, I lean against his shoulder to
hide my face.

When I open my eyes, he’s staring at me with
a knowing smirk on his face. I flush with embarrassment and look away. Surely
he can’t know what just happened to me. Could he?

He hugs me close. “I’m flattered.”

My face grows even hotter. “What?”

He grins.
“Babe.”

Huh? He called me babe. Smiling, I hug him tight.
I’ll love him forever and ever.

“Say it,” he whispers huskily.

Crap. Can he read my mind?

He looks at me through lush black lashes.
“Say it, Eloise.”

I bite my lip. “I love you, Seal …” But before
I get to finish my sentence, the walls start to vibrate and the windows rattle.
Jumping with fright, I wrap my arms around his neck. “What’s happening? Is it
an earthquake?”

He covers my body with his.
“Maybe.
I’m not sure.”

Suddenly a flash of lightning lights up the
room and the loudest thunderbolt I’ve ever heard roars above the house. Large
objects crash onto the tin roof and smash against the door.

“I guess not, it’s just a really bad
thunderstorm,” he says.

I start shaking. “It's so scary. It sounds
like the roof’s going to blow off.”

He looks towards the window. “I'll go outside
and check to see everything is okay. And I better bring some wood in for the
fire.”

I hold his face. “No, Seal, please don't go
out there. The last time there was a bad storm, I saw a strange man in the
garden.”

He goes rigid. “You did?”

I nod. “Yes, he was under a gum tree outside
my bedroom. I don't think I imagined it, but I might've.”

“Show me.” Taking my hand, he pulls me to my
feet and strides towards my room.

As we walk into my bedroom, I point out the
window. “He was under that tree.”

Seal peers into the garden. “What was he
doing?”

I shrug. “Nothing, he was just leaning
against the trunk. I only saw him when a lightning flash lit up the garden,
then I couldn't see him anymore.”

“I don't like the sound of this,” he says.
“You'd better be extra careful.” With a worried look in his eyes, he pulls me
close, trapping my hands against the hard muscles of his chest. “Thank goodness
I'm here to protect you until your parents come back.” He kisses my forehead
above the Band-Aid. “I couldn’t bare it if anything to happen to you, honey.”

As he glances out the window, I snuggle into
his arms. “I feel the same way about you, Seal.”

He holds my head between his hands, forcing
me to look at him. “Listen carefully, Eloise. I'm going to look around outside and
make sure there’s no one sneaking about. Lock the door behind me, but don’t
open it until you’ve checked through the window that it’s me. I’ll knock on the
door when I’m ready to come in, but I’ll collect some wood for the fire first,
okay?”

“All right.”
I hug him around the waist and
rest my head on his chest. “It’s so nice having you here to protect me.”

He sniffs. “I can smell smoke.”

“Oh, crap!”

“What?”

“I've burned dinner.”

Chapter Nine

I bolt out of the bedroom to the kitchen. Holy
Moly, something's definitely burning. What's wrong with me? How could I have
forgotten to check dinner? Chewing my lip, I peek into the pot on the stove. Most
of the liquid has boiled away, but at least I can salvage the mince and vegies.
Sighing, I add more water and leave it on the hotplate to simmer, but when I look
in the oven to check on the garlic bread, a cloud of black smoke billows out,
setting off the smoke alarm. Great, that's all I need. Coughing from the fumes,
I grab an oven-mit and yank the tray out. Shoot! The garlic loaf has turned to
charcoal.

Seal comes up behind me holding a tea towel.
“I'll take it, Eloise, you'll burn yourself.” He lifts it from me and puts it
on the sink.

“I didn't burn myself, but I nearly ruined
dinner.” Scowling, I hand him the broom and point at the ceiling. “Can you hit
the button on the smoke alarm to stop that horrid noise? I’ll try and salvage
what's left of our meal.”