Free The Banshee and the Linebacker (A Paranormal Romance) by P.R. Mason

Chapter One

     

    Liam's full lips brushed mine and a sweet hum of pleasure played along my nerve endings. His kisses made me feel safe. Liam made me feel safe. Some might have thought there was something strange about that, him being the star running back of our high school's football team. Weren't all football players supposed to be rough? But Liam restricted his roughness to the field.

    When he pulled back, one of his hands remained lightly at my waist as he smiled down at me. "You're so pretty, Tara," he said.

    "Hmmm." Hiding my face against his chest, I cuddled close to him. My looks bordered on average, but I was glad Liam saw me differently.

    We were lost in our own world even as we stood on the sidelines of Richard Johnson Academy Stadium. My hands rested on Liam's shoulders. With one finger he swept a long lock of blonde hair from my face and tucked it behind my right ear, being careful not to snag the hoop earring I wore.

    I loved so many things about Liam. But most of all I loved that he wouldn't die until he was a very old age. His death would take place in his own bed where he was surrounded by his children and grandchildren. As a banshee of the O'Neil clan— as my grandmother had been and her grandmother before her—I knew these things. A vision of Liam's fate had hit me with the force of a semi-truck the first time I'd touched him when we were both just ten. His destiny hadn't changed in the seven years since then or I would have known the next time we came into contact. I'd have seen his new death.

    Liam put a hand to my chin and brought my face up so our eyes met. "Let's go across the river to the reserve tonight."

    The wildlife reserve was the local lovers' lane. In the last few weeks, Liam had been subtly pressing to take our relationship to the next stage: a full-fledged hook up. Sex, or even heavy petting, scared me. But I also didn't want to lose Liam. So far he'd been patient about me keeping my virginity, although he did joke that at seventeen I must be the oldest one in the school. How long could he stay faithful to me if I didn't go all the way?

    Even though I was unsure of how I would answer, and put him off yet again, I opened my mouth to speak.

    "Ellsworth," Coach Dixon barked out to Liam, interrupting us from a few feet away. A scowl furrowed his brow. "You planning to practice today? Or shall I consider you off the team?"

    "Practice, Coach." Liam picked up his helmet and tossed me one last smile before he sprinted off toward the field.

    The coach turned his red-faced glare on me as he mopped at his forehead with a handkerchief. "Tara Jones. Shouldn't you be practicing with the other cheerleaders in the gym?"

    A voice spoke beside me: Keagan.

    "Yeah. Don't you have anything better to do than hang with my boring brother? Like, maybe, watch the Astroturf grow?"

    "I'm just going, Coach." I didn't respond to Keagan with even a glance. No need. His teasing smirk radiated from him.

    Unlike his fraternal twin, Keagan didn't make me feel safe. He was going to die young in a motorcycle accident with his head cracked open and his body horribly mangled under the wheels of a car. The vision hadn't told me exactly when, but Keagan had looked about the same age as he was now. How could I warn him? He wouldn't believe me. Nobody believed me about my visions. Nobody but Gran. Even my parents hadn't believed me. If only they had.

    "Come on. Not going to say anything to defend Liam?" he drawled. "That's new. You're usually such a cheerleader." His fingers flicked at the skirt of my uniform, brushing the top of my thigh. That glancing touch sent an involuntary shiver through me and I jumped away from him.

    How could twins be this different? Where Liam was a sunny day, Keagan was a stormy one. Liam had shoulder-length blond hair where Keagan had short brown. Liam was athletic but lanky and Keagan had the physique of a wrestler. Where Liam's eyes were sky blue with a mischievous glint, Keagan's were