Free FALLING: The Negative Ion Series by Ryanne Anthony Page B

again. His eyes became hooded and filled with want as he slowly dragged his tongue across his lip. I shuddered as I watched that completely erotic move and desperately wondered what he was thinking.
    “I want you,” he whispered. “I want you more than oxygen.”
    “Then show me,” I said as I stood in front of him. He snaked his free arm around me and yanked me to his body making my legs surround his right leg. I’m pretty sure he felt the heat between my legs on his thigh. His lips came to mine then and he kissed me, slow and deep, right in front of my mother’s house. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him right back, not caring one iota where we were or who saw us.
    Jaxen pulled back and caressed my bottom.
    “Are you sure you want to do this with me?”
    “I’d do almost anything with you,” I breathe.
    “Yeah? What won’t you do?” he smiled.
    “Kill. Rob. Steal… drugs.”
    “I’ve never done those things anyway. Well, most of them,” he grins.
    I look down and finger the zipper on his jacket.
    “You’re still smoking marijuana?” I whisper.
    He tilts my chin up and looks in my eyes.
    “Not since the day we became us.”
    I stare at him. “Really?”
    “I told you, baby: b eing with you is my satisfaction. I didn’t really need it before but sometimes it’s hard to relax. That’s what marijuana does for me. Or did. Now, you do that.”
    I smile at him then grin big. “I think you’re so sweet. Such a contrast to what you show everyone else. Is this the real you or that other persona?”
    “ I have always been me; the ‘me’ I thought I wanted to be but now I want to be the real me, the ‘me’ I can be with you,” Jaxen murmured as he thumbed my cheek.
    I frowned. I heard that before… where? Think, Itsy! Where the hell have I… wait! I know! Holy…
    “You sang that… that’s lyrics to that song, the song you sang the night we got together.”
    He nods. “Ren and I wrote that, the night I finally accepted I was in love with you.”
    I stepped back stared at him. In love with me? Is he serious? I could not believe he just said that to me. I hurriedly took off my helmet and thrusted it at him. I glared at him as I snatched my backpack from in front of him and ran to my house, trying but failing to hold back my tears. Those betraying suckers flowed freely down my cheeks.
    I got to my front door and was fumbling with my keys when Jaxen ran up to me and turned me to him.
    “No! Leave me alone and go away! I never want to lay eyes on you again, Jaxen! God, I cannot believe how stupid I am!”
    Jaxen gave me a frightened look then pushed me against my door.
    “Why? What happened? What did I do?”
    “You know what the fuck you did!” I shout. “I’m so glad--” I hurriedly lowered my voice, remembering I was outside. “I am so glad I never gave myself to you, you big fucking liar!” I gritted. “I mean it! Go away and never, ever even look at me again while you’re breathing!”
    I turned then finally found the right key. I quickly went in and slammed the door. I startled when I saw my mother standing outside the guest bath under the stairs, staring at a white stick like it was about to turn into a snake at any minute. I hurriedly wiped my face but too late; Mom looked up at me and frowned harder.
    “Honey, I thought you were gone. What happened?”
    I walked to the window and saw Jaxen pacing at his bike, gesturing wildly as he spoke fast and heatedly into his phone. He gave a defeated look then hurled the phone in the street, which got run over right away, smashing it into pieces. Good, I thought. At least he won’t be calling and bugging me with his fucking lies all night.
    Finally, he climbed on his bike and left. I knew that asshole was lying. Love me? Right. Total and utter bullshit. Jaxen William Malloy loves no one. Nothing. Even he said so himself several times over the years I’ve known him.
    I turned back to my mother and started crying again as I