Arcadia's Gift(69)

“Okay,” he replied and she slipped out the door.
Cane’s mouth hardened into a line and he stepped toward me. As soon as he stepped into my range, my mouth dropped open in shock. His eyes burned with an inner heat that I’d never seen in him before. That heat rolled up and down my bare arms.
Noticing my reaction, Bryan’s eyes darkened and his grip on my hand tightened. Cane either didn’t notice or didn’t care, because he continued to move closer, his hot gaze burning into mine. My heart was speeding, and my body suddenly felt feverish. Bryan rose to a standing position. His suddenly protective stance looked ridiculous in the too-short jogging pants.
“Can we talk?” Cane asked softly, his eyes never straying from mine. “Alone?”
The skin along my forearm and neck prickled as I felt Bryan’s hackles rise. He didn’t need to be an empath to feel the intensity of Cane’s emotions, so plainly written as they were on his face. A cool tendril of jealousy wrapped itself around my waist and snaked up my spine.
I needed a moment of distance from both of them. “Can I have a minute to get dressed?” My voice came out breathless, and I hoped the boys didn’t notice.
Cane dipped his head in a brief nod. “I’ll just be in the hall.”
Bryan didn’t move; he just stood watching Cane leave the room. Without Cane’s heat, my body shivered under Bryan’s possessiveness. Honestly, it made me a little frustrated with him.
“You too,” I said. “Out.”
“Oh. Of course.” He smiled as some of the light returned to his eyes. He placed a quick kiss on my head and headed for the door. He stopped before the door and turned to look at me. “If you don’t want to talk to him alone, I can stay with you.”
I rolled my eyes and sighed. “I’ve known Cane forever. Stop acting all jealous.”
His brows shot up in a combination of surprise and amusement. “Me? Jealous?”
Laughing, I tossed my pillow at him. “Get out!”
He caught the pillow, hugged it to his chest and shut the door behind him as he left.
As drained as I was, I couldn’t tamp down the itchy energy in my limbs. There were things that I needed to work out —starting with my new ability to heal people. And as much as I dreaded it, I knew Cane wanted to talk about that kiss. The warmth in my cheeks at the memory came from deep within me, causing my pulse to gallop. Where are these feelings coming from?#p#分页标题#e#
I whipped my covers back and got out of bed, holding onto my headboard until the room stopped spinning. When I was ready, I crossed to the dresser and began yanking out clothes. My skin beneath the t-shirt was tinged brownish-red and I knew I’d have to shower before going anywhere. I’d slept in my bra and the elastic bit into my skin in angry red welts. Replacing it with a cotton sports bra, I put the t-shirt I’d slept in back on for the time being and pulled on a well-worn pair of jeans. I glanced at myself in the mirror. The pretty curls from the night before were matted and stuck out at random odd angles. I ran a brush through as well as I could before steeling myself to face Cane.
I assumed he wanted to apologize for his behavior the night before, but judging from the scorching vibes he had been throwing off, it would probably be a lie. He didn’t regret that kiss, and truth be told, neither did I. What is wrong with me? I like Bryan Sullivan, not Cane Matthews!
I closed my eyes and took ten deep yoga breaths in an attempt to clear my head. It didn’t work.
“Cane,” I called, knowing he was close by. “You can come in now.”
With my hands folded behind my back, I leaned against my dresser for support. A few seconds later, the door knob turned. Cane stepped inside and shut it behind him again. With tentative steps, he approached me as if I were a wild animal about to bolt. My heart raced under his forceful stare and the hair on my arms stood on end.
“Since you can feel what I’m feeling, I guess there’s no point in hiding it,” he said softly. “Don’t worry, I know where things stand with you and Bryan. He’s a decent guy. Not good enough for you, but…” He shrugged and gave a sad grin.
“Cane —”
He stood in front of me now, so close I could smell the woodsy scent of his soap. He placed the tip of his index finger to my mouth. “Wait. I have something I want to ask you. Do you remember the first time we met?”
Honestly, I didn’t. I know we hadn’t gone to the same junior high school, so it must have been sometime in ninth grade. I shook my head.
The ghost of a smile touched his lips. “I didn’t think so. I’ll have to tell you about it sometime when your boyfriend isn’t pacing outside the door.”