The Hidden (The Hidden Trilogy) (13 page)

He cleared his throat. “No problem.”

I couldn’t get away fast enough and walked along the edge of the quarry, peering down to the water below as I tried to make my way to the shore. I still felt flames of embarrassment licking at me and realized Thomas was probably watching me.

Screw it, I’ll fucking
swim
to the shore.

I dropped my towel and leapt off the edge, diving in headfirst. I heard Thomas’s cries for me to stop too little, too late.

“Emily,
no!
” I dropped the bottle of sunscreen and took off after her, hesitating at the cliff to see where she landed.

A strip of jagged rocks sat along the bottom, under about six feet of shallow water before the bottom opened up to a depth of several hundred feet. There was a
“No Diving” sign that had been knocked down a few weeks ago, but most locals knew not to dive off this particular cliff. Emily wouldn’t have known that, though, and I could kick myself for letting her get away from me.

Christ, what if she’s hurt?

My chest constricted as panic seized me. I had to get to her.
Right the fuck now
.

I saw a break in the water as bubbles floated to the surface, her limp body sinking down into the dark abyss.

Water splashed everywhere as I dove in. My head hit something hard and sharp, the pain immediate and intense. Gasping, I inhaled water as my eyes popped open. The lack of oxygen burned my chest as my body went slack. I sank deeper into the quarry, my eyelids growing heavy as I stared up at the bright watery surface. 

I heard the warbled sound of water breaking before an arm grabbed my waist and pulled me up. We broke through the water’s surface in what seemed like only a second. I immediately coughed, spitting out water as I wheezed. My lungs felt like they were on fire as they breathed in the precious air they’d been denied.

My eyes squeezed shut as I gripped my slick arms around my savior’s neck, resting my head in the hollow of his throat. I knew without even looking that Thomas had been the one to save me. 

He tightened his arms around me, his heart beating frantically against my chest. “You scared the shit out of me,” he breathed. Stroking my hair, he pressed his cheek to my head. “Don’t ever do that again, okay?”

I cracked my eyelids and nodded, trying to steady my breathing. My chest ached and my head throbbed. Our oddly intimate embrace wouldn’t register until later. Right now, I didn’t give a shit how tightly we clung to each other.

He carried me when we hit shallow water, and laid me down once on dry land. Squinting from the sun, I lifted my hand to shield my eyes when he leaned over me, blocking the light. 

Worry tightened his features and his soaked hair clung to his skin. Droplets of water dripped off the tip of his nose, hitting my face. 

“You’re dripping on me.” My voice came out raw and hoarse.

He smiled, easing some of his tension. “Sorry.” He scrubbed his face, wiping away most of the water. “Are you okay?”

I nodded, but quickly stopped at the pounding it caused my head. “I’m fine.”

“Good.” 

He dabbed my forehead with a towel. I winced and pushed him away, seeing a scarlet stain on the cloth.

He scowled. “Didn’t you hear me yell at you?”

I tried to sit up, but he gently forced me back down. It was just as well, since my head hurt even more when I moved. I took the towel from him and lightly pressed it against my head. “I didn’t hear you until it was too late.”

I looked over at the sound of rushing footsteps. “Holy shit, Em, are you okay?” Beth asked, her worried face upside down from the angle I was at. 

I was about to nod, but caught myself. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“We’d better get you home,” Thomas said. “Can you walk?”

“I think so,” I said as he helped me to my feet. I stumbled on my first step and Thomas caught me as I reached out for him. “Well, maybe not.”

He held out his other arm for support. “Here, let me carry you.”

My body heated at the thought of being that close to him again. Jesus, it was bad enough he just saw me take a nosedive into a rock. I wanted what little dignity I could have right now. “I can walk. Just give me a minute.”

Beth wrapped a towel around me and asked Hayley to get our things. Thomas transferred my weight to Beth, who looked like she might buckle at any moment. I leaned on her as we took a few tentative steps.

“You got her?” he asked Beth.

She nodded. “I’m stronger than I look.”

Thomas bit his lip and frowned. “Maybe I should go with you.”

“
No
.” It came out more vehement than I’d meant, but as I watched little rivulets of water drip down his toned chest, I knew that being around him right now–or at all, for that matter–was a bad idea.

“Give her some acetaminophen when you get home, and watch for signs of a concussion,” Thomas said to Beth.

“I’m
fine
,” I insisted. “Really.” Good God, what I wouldn’t give to lick those droplets off him… 

Maybe I
do
have a concussion.

Both of them ignored me. “Got it,” Beth said as she put my arm around her shoulder. “C’mon, Evel Knievel. Let’s get you home.”

Chapter Twenty

Monday, August 31
st

EMILY

Dark gray clouds blanketed the morning sky and the rain poured down in buckets. The air conditioning was on full blast in our sociology class, and I shivered as we walked in. In retrospect, maybe stomping in the puddles and swinging my umbrella around wasn’t such a great idea after all. My clothes and hair weren’t soaked, but damp, and stuck to my skin a little. I rubbed my hands along my arms, trying to warm up.

Beth nudged me. “There’s Thomas.”

He turned at that moment, meeting my eyes, and waved.

Beth smirked. “Looks like he saved you a seat again.”

“Shut it,” I mumbled before walking down the aisle to his row.

“Later,” she called out, the smirk still evident in her tone.

After maneuvering through the narrow row, I finally reached him. “Hey,” I said, dropping my bag on the floor.

He arched an eyebrow. “I don’t have to coerce you into sitting with me today?”

I gave him a tight smile and sat down. “Apparently not.” He
did
kinda save my life, after all. Sitting next to him as a “thank you” seemed like the least I could–

He reached forward and I froze, completely caught off-guard as he brushed my hair back from my forehead. His thumb ghosted over the small bump and cut in the corner. He looked over my bruise, his expression…tender.

Before I could dwell on it, he cleared his throat and removed his hand. “It looks much better.”

I nodded slowly and dug my notebook out of my bag, pretending his touch hadn’t affected me.

Twenty minutes into class, and I still couldn’t stop shivering. Goose bumps covered my arms and legs, and it was a tad
nippy
in here. I crossed my arms, hoping that nobody noticed. I would definitely have to run back to my dorm and get a sweatshirt before my next–

“Here,” Thomas whispered, handing me his black zip-up hoodie.

Why did he keep being so nice? I looked back to the board and continued writing notes. “I’m not cold.”

He rolled his eyes and muttered, “Your teeth are practically chattering. Just put it on.”

Well
fine
, if he insisted. And who was I kidding? I was frickin’ freezing. I took the jacket and wrapped it around me, stuffing my arms into the sleeves. It was huge, but oh-so-comfy. The cotton lining inside it was incredibly soft, and very warming. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

I started writing again, but paused when I got a whiff of those damn cupcakes. I looked around for them, but just like last week, nobody around me had any food.

The smell persisted, growing stronger as the minutes ticked by. It almost smelled like it was coming from… Wait, was that…was that
me
?

I turned away from Thomas, inconspicuously trying to smell his jacket. It smelled…like cupcakes. Sugary, vanilla cupcakes smothered in frosting. Just like the phantom ones I’d smelled since last Monday, only apparently it didn’t come from cupcakes at all. The smell came from Thomas.

We exchanged awkward glances for the remainder of class. I’d sneak a peek at Thomas, only to find him already staring at me. Or I would be the one staring when he looked at me. We’d kind of smile at each other and then look away quickly, pretending we weren’t doing this little dance back and forth.

When class ended, Thomas stood from his desk and stretched. “You’re a freshman, right?” His back arched as his hands reached up towards the ceiling.

His white t-shirt pulled up from the stretch, exposing a sliver of his lower stomach. I caught a glimpse of blond hair and taut skin above the waistband of his boxers, which peeked out from his jeans.

My face burned as I dropped my gaze. I really hoped he hadn’t seen that…

Wait, did he just ask me a question?

Damn it, I
hated
how he had that effect on me. “I’m sorry, what?” I asked as we began walking down the row, towards the classroom’s back doors.

“You’re a freshman, right?”

“Yeah.” He held the door open for me, and I walked past him. “What about you?”

“Junior.”

We quickly made it outside, where the rain droplets hit his face as we walked.

Crap. I forgot I still had his jacket on. “Sorry,” I mumbled, starting to shrug out of it.

He shook his head. “Keep it. You’re just gonna need it for another class anyway.”

He was right, but…no. “I can’t take it,” I said, continuing to shrug it off. I’d just have to find the time to go back to my dorm and pick up a sweatshirt or something.

“Really, it’s okay.” He pulled it back on me. “You can give it back on Wednesday.”

“Are you sure?” I asked as he zipped it up.

He nodded. “Yeah, it’s cool.”

“All right, well…thanks.” I glanced up at him, trying to shield my eyes from the drizzle. “See you around?”

He grinned. “Absolutely.”

Chapter Twenty-One

EMILY

The cold air of the ice rink burned as I inhaled, and my breath fogged as it left. I pulled Thomas’s jacket closer to me, trying to squeeze as much warmth from it as I could. I hadn’t taken it off since this morning. As much as I wanted to deny it, I secretly liked having his scent with me. It was like he was there, even though he wasn’t.

I finished tying up the laces on my skates and hobbled over to an opening in the rink, where Beth waited for me. I grasped the ledge of the wall and gingerly stepped onto the ice.

Beth needed no assistance. She walked onto the ice with ease, gracefully sliding around me in fluid circles. “Aren’t you going to step away from the wall?” she asked, beginning to skate backwards.

Show off.

As I started to feel more confident of my footing, I loosened my grip on the ledge, but never fully let go. “No, I’m fine here.” I would skate around the entire rink holding onto this fucker if I had to.

Beth rolled her eyes and floated towards me. “Come on.” She held out her hand. “It’s not that bad.”

I latched onto Beth’s hand for dear life as we slowly made our way to the center of the rink. People whizzed past us. Hayley smiled as she skated by, holding hands with Andy.

Beth froze, a smirk growing on her face. “Well, look who’s here.”

I followed her eyes to the lobby, where Thomas had just walked in with that Brian guy. Thomas turned his head towards the rink. He stopped when he saw me, his eyes locking onto mine. His gaze was too personal again, like we were the only two people in the room.

I was the first to break eye contact, looking back at Beth like it wasn’t a big deal, like my skin wasn’t on fire and my knees didn’t just go weak. “Are we going to skate, or what?” I tugged on her arm to get her moving.

She looked back at Thomas. “Aren’t you gonna–”

“Come
on
.” I pulled harder, trying to get her to start skating. I didn’t have the balance to go off by myself.