Free Trust by Francine Pascal

realizing it, she made a low, feral sound deep in her throat. So much for following Loki’s orders. She had to take matters into her own hands. Fate, for whatever reason, had brought her here — and that cruel fate had showed her what needed to be done. Gaia’s very hours were numbered now. The girl had to be wiped clean from existence. And soon.

That Freak Gaia Moore
    WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT? Heather murmured.
    Ed wasn’t sure how to reply. Here they were, lying on the bed . . . just waiting to take the next step. The inevitable step. The step they had taken together two years ago — back in a different lifetime, out by Heather’s beach house in the Hamptons. Only now Ed knew that it could never be the same. And he wasn’t thinking about the emotional side of it, either. No, physically it couldn’t be the same.
    â€œEd?” she whispered, brushing her rumpled hair out of her face. She was leaning over him now, half covering his body with hers. Her face was flushed, sweaty.
    â€œI was thinking how it was before the accident,” he admitted quietly.
    Heather took a deep breath, then sat up straight, disentangling herself from his embrace.
    Oh, shit , he thought. Had he ruined any chance they might have had?
    â€œThis is good right now,” she said finally.
    â€œI know, I know,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound too eager to keep going. “It’s just that it’s hard for me.” He swallowed, unsure of how clearly he wanted to express himself. “This whole thing. You know?”
    She gazed down at him, her eyes softening. “Ever notice how people in really touchy situations always talk in really vague terms?”
    â€œYeah,” he said thickly, trying to laugh. But he couldn’t. He could feel his throat tightening, his insides churning. What the hell was his problem? Why was he screwing this up? He was in bed with a beautiful girl — the girl of his dreams , practically. How many sleepless nights had he spent fantasizing about this exact moment? Actually, he didn’t want to go there. His desperation filled him with shame. “I just . . . don’t want to let you down. And I don’t want . . .” He couldn’t finish.
    â€œYou don’t want what?” she prodded gently, her face creased with concern.
    He bit his lip, then turned away from her, staring at the wall. “I don’t want you to let me down, either,” he whispered.
    â€œWhat do you mean?” she asked. Her voice took on a harder edge.
    Ed forced himself to meet her gaze again. “I don’t want this to be a onetime thing,” he said. “I mean, I don’t want you to ditch me the second you patch things up with Sam and —”
    â€œThis has nothing to do with Sam!” she snapped. All of a sudden her eyes started welling with tears. She jumped off the bed and snatched up her sweatshirt, pulling it over her body in quick, jerky motions.
    â€œHeather, wait,” Ed whispered, struggling to sit up straight. A terrible, wrenching sensation tore at his gut. He didn’t want to hurt Heather — but at the same time he had to protect himself. He couldn’t endure the pain of her rejection again.
    It had nearly killed him the first time. She had to understand that. “I didn’t mean —”
    â€œWhy did you have to bring up Sam?” she interrupted, glaring at him. She stood over the bed, her eyes smoldering.
    Ed swallowed. “Maybe because you’re still going out with him,” he murmured.
    Heather’s eyes narrowed into slits. “That’s low,” she hissed. “I mean — that’s really low. I didn’t bring up the fact that you have a major crush on that freakazoid Gaia Moore, did I? No. Because I didn’t want to spoil the moment.”
    The pain in Ed’s stomach began to spread in waves throughout his entire body. He shook his head. “Heather, look,