True Colors (The Masks #1)(71)

I wanted to reach for him, hold him, but was scared my touch would pull him out of this confession like trance. I held my ground, waiting.

“The only person who’s been true to their word is Gramps...and you.”

He touched my cheek, his expression finally the soft one reserved only for a select few.

“Me?” I frowned in confusion. “But I...I totally let you down.”

“No, you didn’t, Caity.” His thumb caressed my cheekbone. “You called me, just like I asked you to. And if you hadn’t, I never would have searched for Indie’s house and I never would have seen you running for your life along the beach. I couldn’t have been there for you if you hadn’t called.”

I glanced away from his sweet expression, feeling slightly undeserving of it. “I shouldn’t have hung up on you.”

He snickered. “Yeah, nearly broke my phone over that one.” He cleared his throat. “But I understand why you did. I’m sorry I was so pissed yesterday. I was just scared.” His voice nearly broke as he was talking, making me want to cry all over again. The fact that his anger was manifested by a fear of losing me was an overwhelming relief. I drew in a shaky breath as Eric brought his other hand up to rest against my cheek, gently forcing me to look at him.

His smile was sad. “You’ve got this super power and I’m the only one that knows, right?”

I nodded. "You and Micah. Oh, and I guess your friend from college."

He sighed. “So only a trusted few."

I nodded again.

"Well maybe you could just try not using it then.”

Huh, this was a change. Hadn't he been the one telling me not to deny the world my gift? Yesterday really spooked him big time.

I wanted to nod fervently. I wanted to please him.

But I couldn't.

My forehead creased as I tried to form the right words. “It’s not like I want this ability, Eric. I mean, you’ve helped me learn to control it, but...” I pressed my lips together. “I never expected to see the Indie and Liam thing. I wasn’t searching for it at all, but I saw it and I’ll probably see other stuff in the future too. How can I turn away? I can’t...if someone’s hurting, I can’t just turn my back on that, especially if I think I can help.” I could feel my forehead was a wrinkled mess as I begged him to accept what I’d said.

His smile finally softened one degree more as his eyes gleamed with tenderness. He shook his head with a soft snicker. “That homeless guy was right. You’re a good soul, Caity. And damn it, that just makes me love you more.”

My heart jolted, my lips parting in surprise. “You love me?”

“Little bit.” His nose wrinkled.

I couldn’t help a smile. It blossomed on my face like a spring flower opening up to the sunlight. Gripping his wrists, I whispered, “So you didn’t come over to break up with me then...even though we're not officially boyfriend and girlfriend yet?” I blushed.

He tipped his head, a smile hiding on the edges of his serious expression. “As long as you promise to call me every time you get yourself into shit, then no, I’m not breaking up with you...my girlfriend.”

My insides sizzled with giddy excitement.

“Well, as long as you answer your phone, we should be sweet.” My cheeky grin was met with an unamused glare. I winced. “Too soon?”

“Little bit.” His eyebrows rose and I giggled.

“Well maybe we should just cut this conversation short by kissing or something.”

His golden smile appeared, the one I could sink into on a daily basis. He moved towards me and pressed it against my willing lips, filling me with a secure warmth that shunted all my fears aside. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his hands moved around my waist, pulling me close and holding me against him so the world couldn’t touch me.





Epilogue




The sun was hot and luscious as I made my way across the grass and down to the sand. Eric was bobbing on his surfboard out in the water, his torso wet, shiny and delicious. I paused in the sand, watching his strong arms paddle through the water and his lean body jump into position on the board. I couldn’t take my eyes off the way his muscles curved and moved as he carved up the wave.

Damn, he was hot. And he was mine. Still.

It had been two months since the Liam incident. The Donovan boys had disappeared off the face of the earth. As each week passed, I stopped looking over my shoulder a little less. I didn’t know what had become of them and I didn’t know if they would one day resurface, but I think I’d read them right and I couldn’t help pitying them just a little. They were scared little kids who had never had the chance to grow up right. I feared for the people in their future, but it could no longer be my problem.

I couldn’t carry that. Just like I couldn’t carry the world. The whole incident had really put me off people-reading, not that I was that into it in the first place. I still did it without meaning to sometimes, but I had decided that unless I saw something dire, I wasn’t going to act. The world could survive without my meddling for a while.

My senior year at Pali High was drawing to an end and I had made it through unscathed. I couldn’t say the same for everybody. Thankfully with Liam no longer ruling the school, all problems seemed minor. But Stella and I would never be friends again, that much was clear. In fact I lost all my old friends. Chase and Stella made sure I was completely shut out. What they failed to notice was that I didn’t care. Libby had quickly become a close friend and now that Indie was back in town, we were hanging out with her and Micah a bunch, too.