Free My Soul to Keep (The Soul Keeper Series - Young Adult Paranormal Romance) by Melissa Solis Page A

thin neck, she's simply
exquisite. I would love to kiss that small spot on her neck just below her ear.
    “Good evening, sorry to bother you so late but I
wanted to apologize about earlier. I brought you a peace offering. I really am
sorry Brennen.” She eyes the cupcake like it could be laced with strychnine.
Nevertheless, she invites me inside.
    “Thank you Elijah, it looks delicious, so you do bake?”   She asks this like it's something she has
been wondering about.   She takes a fork
from the drawer and tastes my frosting. Her eyes roll back in pleasure. She
moans, and it does something to me. I am thankful I am sitting opposite her
with the shelter of a table over my lap right now.
    “Oh yes Brennen, I bake,” I say coyly and then kick
myself. Ugh, when will I learn to stop giving her these mixed signals? It is
the most difficult order I have ever had to comply with. I have never been in
love with a girl before, these feelings are utterly overwhelming.  
          “Maybe we
could bake together sometime.” The way she says it is evocative and I can't
help but return a wide eyed look of surprise. What am I going to do about this
girl?

 

Chapter 6 ~ Luck

 
    It’s late Friday night and I still feel like I can't
sleep. I slip out the back door and walk down to the beach. The water is still
warm from summer and I walk along the shallow tide. The moon is high and casts
out millions of stars on the water.
    I look over at Elijah's house and notice a light is
on and it draws me closer, like a moth to a flame. Before I know it I am on his
back porch. I see him inside seated at a small desk, writing in a thick leather
bound journal. I see no video feed coming of my house or anything that would
suggest I am under surveillance. I wonder if he has a secret spy room inside.
He looks up for a moment and I think he may have heard my heart hit the floor.
He goes back to writing. I would give my left arm to know what's in that book,
Elijah's innermost thoughts, his dreams, and his true feelings for me perhaps.
I tip-toe down his steps and make a silent escape to my home. When I reach my
porch Elijah is sitting on the bottom step. How did he get here without me seeing
him? Did he know I was at his house? Maybe I tripped some silent alarm.
    “Can’t sleep?” he asks in a dry tone.
    “No, you?”   A gust of frigid wind whips around me,
blowing my hair wildly in its grip. Chills run over my skin like an electric
current. Elijah goes to pull me into his arms. I take a step back away from
him. I can’t let him keep doing this to me. He remains standing but folds his
arms and leans into the railing, his expression never changing.
    “So did you need something?” he says coolly. Great
he saw me at his house. My curiosity will be the death of me.
    “Nothing you can give me.” I brush past him to go
inside.   If I keep feeding his jealousy,
it will only end up with someone hurt, most likely me.
    He grabs my arm and stops me, releasing it, he pins
me without actually touching me. His scent surrounds me. I inhale trying to
place it. My pulse quickens, I can feel it drumming in my head.
    “Brennen.” He caresses my name on his tongue.
    “Hmm,” I murmur, unable to speak, I almost feel
drunk. I try to focus on his eyes to regain my composure but that only deepens
the effect.
    “I don’t think you should let things escalate any
further with Sam.” Urgency clings to his words, his voice harsher than usual. I
am sure he followed Sam and me when we left for lunch today, on our non-date.
    “Why? You don’t want me.” I look up at him only able to move my eyes.
    He puts a finger on my collarbone, tracing it while
he thinks about his answer. The heat from my face enters my chest causing it to
feel like it could combust at any time. My breath comes in slow shallow pulls
like that of a deep sleep.
    “Sam could put you in more danger.”
    “No, he’s sweet.” His aroma was incapacitating me.
“What cologne are you