A Rose in Bloom

“Uhmm… Jaxon? You can let me go now.” She whispered the words, her knees buckling as her vision narrowed.

“I thought about it, and I decided against it.”

Regaining her footing, she pushed with all her might against his chest, but his iron hold didn’t budge. She could feel his heart thundering under her fingers. His lips were so close to hers. She didn’t dare to breathe.

*****

Jaxon was in no hurry to release Elyssa now that he finally had her in his arms. He firmed his hold. He was enjoying their little battle of semantics. He could tell he’d rattled her composed resistance. She was off-balance. Vulnerable. Her walls were down. He would finally have an opportunity to explain his feelings, and she might actually believe him.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kiss you. Just one legitimate reason, and I’ll let you go.”

She closed her eyes. No argument. He had his answer.

He closed the short distance between their mouths, gently touching his lips against hers. Her parted lips were warm and soft, just as he’d remembered. Unable to hold back, his mouth surged against hers, claiming her as his own.

She didn’t resist.

She didn’t respond.

She wilted in his arms, passed out cold.

Part 34: I’ll Take Him

“HEY, WHAT’D YOU do to my sister?”

Jaxon looked up from where he knelt on the ground beside Elyssa to find Scotty peering over his shoulder.

“Nothing. I didn’t do anything. Well… I kissed her, but I don’t think that did it.”

A crowd gathered around them. “What happened?” “Did someone call nine-one-one?” “Is she dead?”

“She’s not dead.” Scotty’s infectious laugh rose over the gathering throng. “She just passed out. She does this sometimes.”

“What do you mean, ‘she does this’? She passes out? Does it happen all the time? What if she was climbing stairs? What if she was driving a car?” Jaxon thought of all the ways he could lose her, and his stomach tightened.

“No, it only happens every once in a while when she eats something really sweet. Her blood sugar goes up really fast, and then it drops like a rock. She usually avoids eating a lot of sugar. Don’t worry, she’ll wake up in a few minutes.”

“Are you sure?” Jaxon brushed her hair from her face, searching for a sign she was regaining consciousness.

“Pretty sure.” Scotty joined him on the ground as the crowd dissipated.

“Is your movie over already? Weren’t you watching Racing for Time?”

“Yeah, I just got to see the last forty-five minutes. But it was my second time, anyway. Great movie, though. Lots

of fantastic chase scenes. How was the chick flick?”

“We got kicked out before the end, so she wasn’t too happy with me.”

“You made her miss the end of it? She’s gonna kill you.”

“It wasn’t my fault. She grabbed the popcorn. All I did was let go.”

“That’s awesome!” Scotty fell back on the ground, rolling with laughter, and Jaxon couldn’t help joining in.

“It turns out the rest of the audience didn’t find it very funny.”

“Yikes! She’s coming to. I’m outta here.” Scotty was up in a flash. “I’m going to A Rose in Bloom and using my key to get inside and snatch those cookies before she gets back. Good luck, buddy!”