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Gemma, you’re such a loser!

  She ran her hand under the spray to check the temperature and went to take off her smelly clothes.

  Harrison spoke to you today.

  She frowned.

  He seemed interested.

  Her frown deepened and she shut off the water. Drying her hand on her towel, she hung it over the rail and knocked on Ruby’s door.

  Her sister was standing in her closet debating various shoe options.

  “Can we talk?” Gemma squeezed past her and perched on the edge of her bed.

  “What’s up, stinky?”

  “I just had one question.” Gemma picked up one of the many teddy bears and stroked its soft ear. “When you’re with… well, if you were kissing a guy or maybe holding his hand. Did… does it…”

  “Does it what?”

  “Does it ever feel like your skin’s on fire?”

  Ruby looked up from her shoe collection and thought for a minute. “I guess if it gets kind of intense my skin feels hot.”

  “I mean—”

  “But then you have to ease back. Never have sex, Gem. That’s one of the golden rules. You can mess around, but you need to keep the relationship casual and breakable. If you start falling for a guy, you want to tell him things.”

  Gemma’s mouth went dry as Ruby’s expression lost all its playfulness.

  “Why are you asking?”

  “No reason, I—”

  Ruby’s right brow arched and her eyes narrowed. Gemma blushed and looked down.

  A sharp knock on the door saved her life. Before Ruby could respond, Penelope Hart breezed into the room. Even in casual wear the woman looked like a high-class lady. Her black hair was pulled into a precise ponytail at the nape of her neck. Her penetrating blue eyes, highlighted with perfectly applied makeup, missed nothing.

  “Gemma, you really shouldn’t be sitting on Ruby’s bed when you smell that bad.”

  Gemma gave her a meek smile and stood. She took her time returning the teddy bear to its rightful place, praying her mother couldn’t read minds. One whiff of Harrison Granger and her parents would come down on her with the wrath of Hades.

  Well, that’s what she thought anyway.

  “My, my, Ruby Hart. Don’t you look a treat.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Ruby grinned as she pushed her foot into a high-heeled sandal.

  “Where are you off to?”

  “Just out with the girls. I think Dom’s trailing along too.”

  “Hmmm. Make sure he keeps those hands to himself. You know what he’s like around girls.”

  “Oh, Mom. You know he’d never break the rules.” Ruby kissed her mother’s cheek and squeezed her arm.

  Gemma knew she shouldn’t be surprised by her sister’s award-winning performance; the twins had been doing it for years. She just didn’t understand how her parents bought it so easily. The one time she’d lied to her parents about drinking a can of Coke they had read her in a snap and made her write a two-page essay on the evil liquid. She was totally grossed out, so the punishment worked, plus she’d never tried to bend the rules again. The look of disappointment on her father’s face had been crushing.

  “Gemma, what are you up to sweetheart?”

  “I’m going to the movies.”

  “With friends?” Penelope looked hopeful.

  “Uhh…” Gemma sighed and shook her head.

  “Gemma. When we moved up to Ponte Vedra Beach last year you begged us not to pull you out of St. Augustine High. Remember?”

  She nodded.

  “You said you found it hard enough to make friends and you didn’t want to be the new kid again.”

  “It wasn’t just for me. Dom and Ruby didn’t want to leave either.”

  “Yes, but you were the only one who convinced your father to buy you that wretched bike to commute with.”

  Gemma blushed. Her one triumph. She still couldn’t believe her father had said yes.

  “The point is, you’ve been at the same school for nearly three years now and your status remains the same.” Penelope placed a delicate hand on her shoulder. “You stand out when you’re friendless. People think you’re weird.”

  “I’ll go to one of those end-of-the-run arty movies tonight. No one else will even be in the theater.”

  Her mother shook her head. “All I’m asking is that you make a few casual acquaintances. Isn’t there anyone you can call?”

  Gemma’s brow wrinkled as she shook her head. A look of sympathy flickered over Penelope’s face as she reached for her daughter’s chin.

  “You don’t need to be afraid. We’ve raised you to trust your instincts. You can lie as well as the rest of us. We know you won’t break the oath.”

  “That’s not what happened last time.”

  Her mother smiled. “We put out those fires.”

  “We moved to the other side of the country and I was grounded for two months.”

  “Which I still think was way harsh, it’s not like she told on purpose.” Ruby examined her complete effect in the full-length mirror.

  Penelope frowned, but let the comment slide. “Gemma, that was three years ago. You’ve matured a lot since then. Now stop punishing yourself.”

  “I’m not punishing myself, I just don’t want to screw up again.”

  “You won’t. If anything, you’re screwing up by not making any friends. Unless you have aspirations of becoming a hermit, you need to start engaging in human interactions now.”

  Gemma frowned.

  “We trust you.”

  “I don’t want to lie to my friends.”

  “Well, you don’t have any, so that’s okay.”

  “Ruby! Shhh.” Her mother’s stern expression dropped away as she turned back to face Gemma.

  “Please, Mom, I’m happier this way.”

  “Your father and I are not. We want to see a little more effort. You’re not doing us any favors by being the school freak. People just gossip about you and then they get curious.”

  “I hardly think anyone’s going to guess the truth.”

  “That’s not the point, Ruby. If the truth gets out, it puts our family in a very dangerous position. Now, Gemma, next time you head off to the movies, I want you to be going with a friend.”

  “Yes ma’am.” She pasted on that good girl smile that always made her mother nod with satisfaction. It worked.

  Chapter Four

  St. Augustine, Florida - 2011 AD

  It was seven o’clock when Harrison entered the mall. Most of the stores were closed for the night, except for the eateries. He walked past Antonio’s and sniffed, wishing he’d stopped there instead of grabbing a cheeseburger and Coke at Burger King. A thick slice of Italian pizza with the works would have gone down nicely.

  Next time.

  Stepping onto the escalator, he rode it to the top, enjoying the art of people watching. Behind him, there was a young couple with their hands in each other’s back pockets, giggling over a shared milkshake. There was a frazzled father with three exuberant children in front of him. They were all talking at once and squabbling over which movie to see. Harrison didn’t bother hiding his grin as he stepped past the man and headed to the ticket counter.

  As usual, he had beaten Darren and the girls. He decided to go ahead and buy everyone’s tickets so they could at least get good seats. Stepping into line, he scanned the times and titles. Death’s Doorway was playing hourly over the weekend. Checking his watch, he decided to go for the seven-thirty session; everyone should have arrived by then.

  He pulled out his wallet and grabbed some cash, then glanced up and felt his insides jolt. Two ahead of him in the line was the girl he’d been thinking about all day. He subconsciously rubbed his fingers together as he watched her.

  Gemma smoothed back her hair and ran a hand down her long, braided ponytail. It swung down her back like a pendulum. Clearing her throat, she stepped up to the ticket counter and spoke too softly for Harrison to hear.

  Please
be Death’s Doorway.

  She gave the teller a shy smile then took her bottled water and headed towards the theaters. Harrison strained to see which way she was heading, annoyed that she disappeared out of sight before his turn.

  Changing his mind, he bought just one ticket and raced toward the theaters. There were six doorways to choose from. He’d check every one if he had to. Harrison opened the first door to a loud scream and squeal of tires. Racing up the ramp, he checked the screen to make sure it wasn’t a preview and was happy to eliminate the movie so quickly.

  He got lucky in the second theater as well, although glimpsed the end of Death’s Doorway. Darren would not be impressed. He had already predicted the ending and he was totally wrong.

  Harrison paused outside the third theater and saw it was some foreign film. He nearly skipped over it, but it would only take a second to check.

  Racing up the ramp, he saw the opening titles were just beginning so he popped his head around the corner. Gemma was sitting near the back, her slender legs perched on the seat in front of her. She had the theater to herself.

  Harrison ran his hands through his hair and smiled. Taking a breath, he thought casual and sauntered up the steps. She spotted him immediately. Her eyes narrowed with suspicion then popped wide with recognition.

  “Hey.” He sidled down the row and plopped down beside her.

  She jerked away when he leaned against their shared armrest.

  “Are you… Are you stalking me?”

  His laughter was rich as he lifted his hands. “Hey, I like…” he gazed at the screen and squinted. “Rice… dis… him… him…”

  “Risse des Himmels. It means Tears of Heaven.”

  “Of course it does.” He adjusted his jacket and shuffled down in his seat, stretching his legs out like Gemma’s.

  She brought her legs down and sat up straight. He responded to her sidelong frown with a broad smile.

  Her lips twitched. “I never pegged you for the foreign film type.”

  “We’ve spoken less than fifty words to each other, you have no idea what my type is.”

  She looked skeptical then took a long swig from her water bottle, no doubt trying to hide her expression.

  “Okay, fine.” Harrison sat up and leaned towards her. “Truth is, I was supposed to be seeing Death’s Doorway, but when I saw you ahead of me in the line I realized I’d rather hang with you.”

  Her skepticism morphed to torment.

  “Not a line, I swear.” He shuffled around in his chair again, striving for casualness. “So why are you in here?”

  “Because I like depressing German love stories.”

  He shot her a dry look.

  She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Because it’s two hours in a dark room where no one is looking at me or expecting anything from me. It’s uninterrupted peace.”

  His bottom lip popped out in thoughtfulness as he nodded. “I get that.”

  “Really?”

  “Having the movie theater to yourself must help.”

  “Yeah, it usually does.”

  He chuckled at her derisive expression then turned back to the screen. He wasn’t sure why it felt so good to be near her. Maybe it was the fact she smelled like Apple Blossom shampoo. Or maybe it was the fact he could see how perfect her skin was or pick up on the way her nose twitched and her eyes blinked when she was trying to concentrate but failing.

  She turned to speak to him a couple of times, but chickened out. He tried not to laugh. Her awkwardness was endearing. For reasons he didn’t understand, he remained quiet and focused on reading the subtitles.

  The movie could be easily classed as tedious. The dialogue was lengthy and the action sparse. From what he could tell the blonde chick was in love with a tall Jewish man, but World War II was imminent. Would their love survive against these impossible odds? He cringed. If Gemma didn’t talk soon, this was going to be the longest two hours of his life.

  The blonde was stealing a forbidden kiss when the brunette beside him finally spoke up.

  “So, I see you managed to make it safely back to your car this morning.”

  “Yeah, I saw you speeding away.”

  “Jordan and his apes went the opposite direction to the parking lot. Lucky for you.”

  Harrison smiled.

  “Why was he after you?”

  “Ugh! He thinks I like his sister.”

  “Dana? You do hang out with her a lot.”

  “Only because she won’t leave me alone.”

  The screen lit with a sunshine shot, letting Harrison glimpse Gemma’s brief smile.

  “Well, unless she does, Jordan’s going to keep coming after you. He won’t do it at school. He can’t afford to get into any more fights, but if you see him out in public again, walk the other way.”

  “Or…” Harrison sat up straight. “You could show me some moves.”

  Gemma laughed at his comical expression. The melodic sound was swallowed down when she caught herself. She cleared her throat and looked back to the screen.

  “Come on, please.” Harrison tugged on her sleeve. “Nothing much, just enough to slow him down.”

  Gemma nibbled on her lip, smoothed back her hair then stood and inched passed him.

  “Oh come on, don’t go.”

  “I’m not.” She turned back with a frown. Shuffling out to the aisle, she descended the stairs and stood in the open floor space in front of the screen. “Are you coming?”

  He jumped from his seat and trotted down to meet her. She took off her hoodie and stood before him, feet apart, stance strong.

  Taking off his jacket, he threw it on the floor and tried not to stare at how divine she looked in her tight jeans and fitted black tee.

  “Okay, what do you know?” She lifted her chin at him.

  “What do you mean?”

  Her eyebrow arched and she tipped her head as if to say, “Are you stupid?”

  “Oh. Um…” Harrison shook out his arms, then bunched his fists and raised them up like a boxer. “I know I have to protect my upper body.”

  “Your face.” Gemma pushed his elbows up so his hands hovered in front of his face. “Now punch me.”

  “What?” Harrison dropped his hands and shook his head.

  “You won’t hurt me. I’ll block you.” She pulled his hands back up to his face. Her eyes flickered as the fire feeling no doubt raced through her digits as well.

  Bunching his fists, he winced a little then drove his right hand toward her.

  She flicked it away with a pitying frown. “Would you try, please. Come on.” She slapped him hard on the arm then raised her own fists. “Hit me.”

  He took a short breath and punched hard. She grabbed his fist in a vice grip and pushed his hand away.

  “Harder. Bring the force through your body.” She ran her hand up his torso and down the length of his arm to demonstrate.

  Narrowing his eyes, he tried again. She blocked the right hand blow with her forearm, twisting it around to lock his hand by her side. He was totally exposed. He tried to pull away, but she held him fast.

  “Now I have a few options here.” Her eyes sparked with amusement. “I could either pull you towards me and head butt you, which is effective, but a little brutal. And if you get it wrong it hurts like hell.”

  He grinned.

  “I could also punch you in the face or throat. Or I could grab your shoulder and pull you forward to knee you in the groin. But most likely, I’d go for your gut. It’s soft, my hand stays unharmed, and you get winded.” She demonstrated the move in slow motion. Their breath mingled as they turned to look at each other.

  She jerked back, releasing him.

  Clearing her throat, she took a step away and swung her long braid over her shoulder to cover her collarbone. “It’s your best option with Jordan, because of his height and build. Once he’s bent over holding his gut, you can bring your knee up to his face. That’ll daze him enough for you to get away.”

&nbs
p; “And if his buddies are with him?”

  Her eyes went wide. “Don’t you dare try this if his buddies are with him! You run like you did this morning. I’m not teaching you this stuff so you can be a hero. The best option is to run. These basics will just give you a chance to do that.”

  “Okay, okay.” He raised his hands and smiled.

  The theater was pretty dark, but he was sure he spotted a faint blush as she bent her head.

  “So, I don’t suppose you mind running through that again, do you?”

  She looked up at the screen, nibbled on her lip as if fighting a smile then gave a small shrug. “Arms up, soldier.”

  He did as commanded. They practiced and laughed their way through the passionate love scene, the tearful argument, and the screaming separation of the characters on screen.

  Gemma corrected Harrison’s technique with each hit, forcing the best from him. He could sense she was holding back. By the ease in which she taught him and the fluid movement of her body, it was clear she was an expert fighter. He wondered how long she had been doing this kind of thing.

  The image of a pint-sized Gemma dressed in karate gear at the age of five made him smile and nearly scored him a fist in the face.

  “Sorry!” Gemma pulled back. “Crap, Harrison, you need to concentrate or I’m going to damage you.”

  His smile was coy as he ran a hand through his blond hair. “I think it’s safe to assume that even if I was concentrating, you could damage me.” He didn’t want to admit how much of a turn on that was.

  They both blushed.

  “You’re fast.” He smiled. She frowned. “Your Dad must be a really good teacher.”

  Her chuckle twittered with nerves. “He loves this stuff.”

  A loud scream from the screen made Gemma look up. The heroine was running across a field toward a bleeding body. Dropping to her knees, she lifted his head into her lap and stroked his graying skin.

  “You really know how to pick ‘em, don’t you, Hart? Talk about your feel-gooder.”

  A giggle exploded from her lips. The smile spread over her face, turning it to sunshine. “That’s just what Dom would say.” She shook her head.

  “Your brother. He a movie fan?”

  “Oh yeah. Last night he made me sit through a four-hour Jackie Chan fest.”

  “I love Jackie Chan!” Harrison jumped up on his toes and started dancing around like a martial arts idiot.

  Gemma laughed. “You’re ridiculous.”

  He aimed a high kick at her waist. She caught his ankle and tugged. He thumped to the floor with a groan. “You are cruel.”