Seraphim: Chapter III

Nathan was waiting by the fountain that stood justbeyond the front door of the girls' dorms, sitting on the side and running his fingers through the water. I caught my breath, as I did every time I saw him. He was wearing dark jeans and a black pin-stripe button-up with a red tie that matched my dress. He'd probably been hoping I would wear it, and the thought made me smile.
His shaggy brown hair hung around his face, just past his ears, bangs falling into his eyes as they always did. I noted with a sense of smugness all the hot looks the girls who passed him gave him, turning to each other to whisper and trying to catch his eye to smile at him. My smugness only increased when he didn't look up once. Shelby McLean, the local slut, left her friends to go over to him, tapping his shoulder and leaning over to be face to face with him. She leaned a little too far, I noticed, undoubtedly in the hope that Nathan would glance down her low-cut shirt.
No such luck. Nathan looked up lazily and smiled his breath-taking smile, but a different smile than the one he gave me. "Can I help you?" he asked.
"I was just wondering if I could interest you in going to get a drink?" Shelby flipped her curly blond hair in a way that made me want to treat her as I had Jared in the ring. She wasthesame age as Nathan, both under thedrinking age, but normal rules didn't apply here.I saw Nathan's eyes flicker away and see me, watching from a safe distance, and his smile turned into a smirk.
He turned to face Shelby and clasped his hands. "I was thinking more along the lines of a date. I've heard Bella Notte is fantastic, and I was actually hoping to take a beautiful girl there tonight."
Shelby looked thrilled, the idiot,straightening and placing her hands on her hips. "I was actually just wondering how that resturant was."
"Yeah?" Nathan stood up, and I made my way over. "Well, I'll be sure tolet you know when we get back." He winked, then pulled me to him by my waist. I smiled sweetly at Shelby, relishing the shocked and angry look on her face. "Have a nice night, Shelby." Nathan said, and we walked off.
"That was amazing." I laughed, wrapping my arms around his middle, feeling the muscles beneath his shirt. "Bella Notte can't possibly be better than that."
Nathan laughed. "Well, there go my hopes of impressing you with a fancy dinner."
I smiled and leaned against him, feeling his hand run up and down my side, smooth the silk material of the dress with his fingers. "Though I don't suppose I can change our plans when you went to the trouble to wear this."
"Ah, and see, I thought you hadn't noticed." I intertwined his fingers with mine.
We got to his car, a sleek black BMW, and hesuddenlypulled me around to face him, leaning against me so my back pressed against the side of his car. "Have I said hello yet?" he murmured, and my heart fluttered at his closeness.
"I don't believe so," I whispered.
"Well, then," His arms wrapped around my waist. "Good evening, Miss Collier."
I closed my eyes as he kissed me, but all too soon I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and not from the pleasure of Nathan's lips. I ignored it, but the instinctive sense of urgency only increased. I pulled back abruptly, pushingNathan back witha hand on his chest and spinning around to look behind me, over the hood of the car.
Nathan just laughed, thinking I was playing, his hands pulling at me again. "What?"
I narrowed my eyes, muscles tensing the way they did when I was in the ring, waiting for my opponent to attack. At first I saw nothing, then--there it was. A flicker of black disappearing into the woods. It was probably nothing, just a couple students sneaking off together to break a few dozen rules. But still, I couldn't slow my racing heart, and chill bumps ran all down mybody, despite the September warmth.
Nathan noticed. "You cold?"
I put ona fake smile as I turned back to him. "No, I'm fine." I said, "Let's just go."