Free The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington Page A

the color of my eyes. Not only that, but comparing the amber to them was just so unbelievably cool. I tried to remain calm so the embarrassing blotches wouldn’t come. I realized my mouth was open but words weren’t coming out. Donovan began to look slightly uncomfortable.
    “Um, yeah,” I blurted out, then immediately wanted to bash my face into the table. Really, Jade? Out of all possible responses, I go with the lamest one. Why not, “Thanks and yours look like blue topaz.” Which they do! Ugh.
    My neck was going to burst into flames.
    “See you at the meeting,” I said, hurrying away. I didn’t even realize until I was outside that I’d stolen the book club’s pen. Hopefully he had another one for the sign-up sheet.
    Why had I freaked out? All he’d done was make an observation. After all, his heart still belonged to a dead girl.
    I stared at the accidentally filched pen in my hand for a few moments, until I felt eyes on me. I cast a glance to the side and caught Kane watching. He turned away quickly, almost scared, and my insides squeezed with guilt. He probably thought I was a psychopath after my behavior in the hallway.
    “Hey,” I said, stepping over to him.
    “Oh, hey.” He pretended to notice me for the first time.
    “Listen, about Friday …” I paused as I tried to find the words to explain my behavior.
    “Yeah, what was that about?” he said shaking his head. “Fresh meat? I don’t understand.”
    I shuffled my feet. “Someone sort of warned me about you.”
    “Warned you?” His brows knit in confusion. “About what?”
    “That you’re this big player and that you’re going to go after me because you’ve already burned through all the girls in school.”
    He snorted. “Let me guess. Faye Bettencourt told you this.”
    My jaw dropped. “How’d you know?”
    “This is going to sound totally conceited, but there’s no other way to put it. Faye and I dated briefly, emphasis on the briefly, a long time ago and she’s still not over it. I try to be friends, but I don’t think that’s enough for her sometimes. She thinks she owns me.”
    “She saw us talking that day in the library,” I said, almost to myself. Everything made more sense now.
    “Yep. That’s probably what caused it.”
    “Wow, I’m really sorry. I should have —”
    “No.” Kane put his hand up to stop me from apologizing. “I don’t blame you for believing her. You’re new here. You don’t know who to trust.”
    “Still, I feel like a jerk. Is there any way I can make it up to you?” I realized, as soon as the words left my mouth, that they could be construed in a more forward way than I’d intended. But I didn’t regret it. This would put Faye’s theory to the test at least.
    “Actually there is something you can do,” Kane said, brightening.
    I waited.
    “Could I have a ride home?” He flashed an easy smile and put his hands together in a begging gesture.
    Only now did I take in the fact that he wasn’t exactly dressed for the open house. He had his lacrosse uniform on, a giant equipment bag on the ground next to him, and beads of sweat along his hairline.
    “You just had a game?” I asked.
    “No, our games are in spring. I was just practicing with some of the team. My mom went to my sister’s field hockey game and I said I’d grab a ride with a friend, but everyone scattered so quickly after that I …”
    “Say no more.” I jangled my keys and waved him forward.
    I popped the trunk for his equipment, then settled into the driver’s seat. He squished into the passenger side, which didn’t have a lot of legroom for his tall frame. As I started to drive, he looked around the car with barely concealed surprise.
    “What?” I said, feeling slightly defensive. “Expecting a shiny little sports car?”
    Kane shrugged. “Yeah, I wasn’t expecting you to drive some old car with a hundred thousand miles on it. But there’s nothing wrong with that. I just assumed, you know … everyone