After being ushered through airport check-in and security, we were boarded in first class. Anna seemed both relaxed and happy to be away from the house and her parents. I had a feeling that it was difficult for her there with them, knowing they wanted the old Anna rather than this new version.
Once the plane was in the air, and the seatbelt signs went off, she stood and pulled down her inflight bag, rummaging through it. A smile crossed her face as she pulled out a rectangular box that had been wrapped in a sheet of her sketch pad. She grinned and held it out to me. “I got you something.”
I frowned, a little taken aback. “You did? What is it?”
She grinned, pulling out a book from her bag before plopping herself back down in her seat and tossing the little hard box into my lap. “Open it and see.”
I frowned and picked up the package. It was hard and about the size of my palm. As I unfastened the tape and pulled the paper off, my eyes widened in shock. It was a wicked-looking iPod. “Seriously?” I asked, looking at her face for signs of trickery.
She nodded in confirmation, smiling smugly, obviously pleased with herself. “I didn’t think you had one, and I had a spare, so I figured you could have it to help keep you occupied during the boring lessons. It’s a college must have.”
I looked at her in awe. Her thoughtfulness and caring attitude amazed me; I’d never known anyone like her.
“Again with that face?” she teased, rolling her eyes. She reached out and took it from my hand, opening it and connecting the headphones before turning it on. “I didn’t know what kind of music you liked, so I just put all of my stuff on here for you for now so you’ve got something to be getting on with,” she rambled, flicking through a list of albums.
I gulped, unsure what to say. Could this girl actually be real?
“You’ll have to set up your own iTunes account, but you can share mine for now,” she continued, shrugging casually. I didn’t think she had any idea how thoughtful and incredible she was.
I ran a hand through my hair, still struggling to come to terms with how crazy about her I was. “Thank you. You didn’t need to do that, that’s really sweet of you.”
She smiled wickedly, handing the device back to me again. “Next week when I’m being all bitchy to you, just remember that I was nice to you… once.”
Before I could stop myself, I’d leant in and pressed my lips to hers. She moaned in the back of her throat and kissed me back. My mind was racing a mile a minute. After her threat at the cemetery, I didn’t think this would happen again. The feel of her soft lips on mine made the hair on my arms stand up on end. Her hand moved up, gripping the back of my head as her lips pressed against mine harder.
Although it only lasted a few seconds, the kiss was sizzling hot, yet, at the same time, chaste and sweet. She pulled away, blinking a couple of times before squirming in her seat uncomfortably.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that.” I winced apologetically, waiting for her to lash out and tell me to keep my hands off her.
She cleared her throat, turning away and picking up her book. “It’s okay. Glad you like it.”
“I love it, thank you.” My heart was killing me, I wanted her so badly, but her happiness was more important to me than mine and she didn’t want to betray Jack. Maybe if we carried on being friends, she’d allow herself to fall in love with me. I hoped that was true. My stomach was churning as I watched her open her book to the right page. I was falling in love with her, I could practically feel it happening – another week or two and I’d be a goner.
During the two hour flight, she just sat there reading, munching on peanut M&Ms, and I sat there playing with my new gadget. As I scrolled through the music, I was pleasantly surprised by how similar our tastes were. It was easily the best present anyone had ever given me. I’d wanted to get one when I was training, but I’d never had enough money at the time. After a little while, she lifted the arm rest between our seats and shifted in her seat, leaning against me, getting more comfortable.
The flight ended way too soon for my liking. I was enjoying the casual closeness a lot more than I should.
Peter Burnet, the night time far guard, met us with a little sign at the baggage collection point. He was younger than I expected, probably only mid-twenties. Clearly he liked to work out, that was evident by his broad shoulders and thick neck. He smiled nervously when we stopped at his side; his eyes scanned the group quickly before coming to a rest on Anna.
After a brief round of introductions, he led us out the front where a sleek, silver Jaguar XF sat waiting for us. My eye twitched at the beauty of it, and my hands were already itching to touch it. A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. If my best friend Nate could see me now, he’d probably scream like a little girl. Dean and Peter didn’t get a flash car like ours though, much to Dean’s obvious disappointment.
The drive to our new apartment wasn’t that long. I tried to memorise the streets as I let the GPS lead me to the college campus. When we arrived, I pulled into an underground parking lot and cut the engine, surveying the area before walking around to her side and opening the door for her.
Peter and Dean had arrived by then too, so we all made our way to the elevator with Peter telling us about the security on the building. Other than the fire escapes that only opened from the inside, there was one way in and out, which would be advantageous for surveillance. You could only gain entrance to the building with a tag card, and then you also needed a pass code to use the elevator or stairs. The building itself had obviously been chosen carefully.
When we got to the second floor, I left Anna outside with Dean and Peter while I went into our apartment to check it was safe before I let her just wander in. My eyes widened in appreciation as I took in the expensive-looking hardwood floors, the perfect paint jobs and the enormous flat screen TVs that hung in each room. The fully-equipped, high-gloss, white kitchen was pure luxury. The apartment was huge and stunning.
After checking out all of the rooms and deeming them safe, I went back to get her and let her get her first look at our home for the next eight months. Peter went down to get the luggage from the car.
“Wow, this place is gorgeous,” Anna enthused, walking in and opening all the doors that she came across, looking in them. When we got to the bedrooms, she turned and winced. “There’s no sofa bed. We’re gonna have to order one.”
I frowned, flicking my eyes around seeing that she was right. I’d requested one, but perhaps the request had been overlooked. I’d have to make a couple of calls later. “Looks like it’s the floor for me again then,” I joked, trying not to wince, because sleeping on the floor made me feel like an old man.
She turned back to the bed and frowned. “You can just share with me if you want. I don’t like you keep sleeping on the floor,” she mumbled.
I waved my hand dismissively. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Shall we unpack then?” I suggested, dreading unpacking all of her stuff again.
She shook her head adamantly. “Nope. Something much more critical needs to be done before that,” she answered, raising one eyebrow knowingly.
Hmm, what can be more important than unpacking? “What’s that then, Baby Girl?” I asked curiously. Damn, Ashton, again with the pet name? Stop it, dipshit!
She smirked at me. “We need to go collect menus from all the takeout places that deliver because I’m not cooking for your pretty ass every night.”
I burst out laughing. “Hey, I’ll cook some nights,” I protested.
She scrunched her nose up in distaste. “Tuna melt baked potatoes can get boring pretty quick.” I smiled because she’d obviously listened to me carefully before; she seemed to remember everything I told her, no matter how insignificant it was.
“Tell me about it. Come on then, I’ll call Dean and let him know we’re going for a walk,” I agreed, pulling out my cell and dialling his number.
“Tell him we’re going for a drink after too.”
I raised one eyebrow. College clearly had an effect on her – or maybe it was the freedom of being away from her parents. Whatever it was, she was smiling and it made my insides tingle with happiness.
Chapter Fourteen
~ Anna ~
After about an hour of wandering around picking up menus for the local takeout places, I decided we had enough. I really needed a drink. My eyes landed on a bar across the street, and I guided Ashton in that direction. I ignored the peeling paint on the sign and the broken glass panel on one side. They served alcohol, and that was all I cared about. I looked up at Ashton hopefully.
He frowned, his eyes flicking between me and the crappy bar. “You wanna go in here?” he asked, looking at it distastefully.
I laughed at his expression. “Snob.”
“Anna, this doesn’t look like a nice bar,” he protested, narrowing his eyes at the door.
“Please?” I whined, pouting.
He sighed in defeat and pulled out his cell phone, calling Dean to tell him because he was standing at the end of the street, waiting for us. “Come on then, but stay with me, no bathroom breaks,” he said sternly.
I nodded excitedly. I hadn’t been to a bar for ages. I went through a stage when I first got away from Carter of sneaking out and going to bars and getting drunk, but that had been well over two years ago now. Lately, I’d pretty much been a recluse.
The bar was an absolute dive, but the drinks were cheap. There was a load of people that looked like students, so they were probably from my college because the campus was only a couple of minutes’ walk from here. The owner obviously didn’t think twice about serving underage people.
“So, what do you drink?” Ashton asked, dragging me to the bar.
“Whatever’s on offer.”
“Orange juice?” he suggested.
I laughed and shook my head. “I want a real drink.”
A disapproving frown settled on his forehead. “You’re not old enough,” he whispered, tracing his hand down my back. “I could get into trouble for buying you alcohol.”