struck me as he took another pull on the joint. “Is that why you do this? The drugs, I mean. To forget?”
He thought about it for a minute and shrugged loosely. “That’s part of it, I guess.”
“Can I try?” Nerves danced the Mamba in my stomach, but I held to Elijah’s words. And right then, I wanted to try.
“Weed?”
“To forget.”
Chapter Fourteen
Elijah studied me for a minute, trying to decide if I was saying what he thought I was saying. Then, he carefully passed me the joint.
“Be careful not to burn your fingers. Just pinch it, here.” He eased my fingers around the edge of the damp paper.
For a long moment I just looked at it sitting there in my hand. The desire to try something new warred with the old, unquenchable need to consider what my parents would think. In the end, that’s what decided it for me. I needed to stop thinking about them so damn much, which meant I needed to stop thinking so much, period.
“How do I . . .?” I peeked sheepishly up at Elijah.
“Bring it to your lips.” His gaze dropped to my mouth, which suddenly went inexplicably dry.
I did as he instructed and his eyes came back to mine.
“Don’t hold it too tight.”
I loosened the death grip I had on the thing.
“And inhale. Hold it as long as you can and then let it go.”
I took one last, long look in his molten eyes, feeling oddly like I stood on the precipice of something. Then I inhaled. And immediately burst into an unattractive coughing fit.
Elijah broke out in laughter, removing the joint from my hand before I hurt myself.
“Jesus.” I rubbed my chest as the fit came to an end and I collapsed back onto the bed.
“That happens to everyone the first time,” Elijah assured me.
I glared up at him. “A little warning might have been nice.”
“It’ll be easier the next time. Here, try again.”
I eyed the small, white, deceptively benign looking thing in his hand and considered how big of an ass I’d make of myself if I did that again. Probably not as big as if I didn’t even try.
With a deep breath of fresh air to calm my burning lungs, I took the joint back and tried again. This time I was able to hold on a little longer before the coughing started.
Elijah took a draw himself and then offered it back again. “You want more?”
“What do they say about practice?” I grinned at him and accepted his offering. Before long I was giving Elijah a run for his money, and damn proud of myself for it.
“Damn.” He broke out into coughing laughter after a particularly long head-to-head challenge that I’d won.
“I obviously have the better lung power in the room.”
“Not for long you keep smoking like that.” When the joint was burned almost to the nub, Elijah tapped it out on an ashtray hidden in his nightstand drawer. “How are you feeling? Not gonna puke on me again, are you?”
I took a deep breath and considered my stomach. It felt strangely fine. “Nope. I feel great, actually.”
“I bet.”
“Shut up. What time is it?”
“After six. Why, you have to get home?”
“Nope. No curfew.”
“No curfew?”
“It’s hard to give someone a curfew when they’re storming out of the house. I even packed a bag just in case they kicked me out.”
Oh, the drugs were definitely working. Somewhere inside my far too sharing-is-caring brain, I knew I never would have revealed that I’d packed for an overnight stay otherwise. I just couldn’t figure out why not or why I should care. That’s when I realized I didn’t. I didn’t care. About anything. And it was the most amazing freedom I’d ever experienced.
“They didn’t, did they?”
“Huh?” What were we talking about?
“Your parents. They didn’t kick you out, did they? For coming here?”
“No. No one told me not to come back, so I don’t think so anyway. Not that I’m in any hurry to go back. But I am hungry!”
Elijah chuckled and tucked some loose hairs behind my ear. He did that a
He thought about it for a minute and shrugged loosely. “That’s part of it, I guess.”
“Can I try?” Nerves danced the Mamba in my stomach, but I held to Elijah’s words. And right then, I wanted to try.
“Weed?”
“To forget.”
Chapter Fourteen
Elijah studied me for a minute, trying to decide if I was saying what he thought I was saying. Then, he carefully passed me the joint.
“Be careful not to burn your fingers. Just pinch it, here.” He eased my fingers around the edge of the damp paper.
For a long moment I just looked at it sitting there in my hand. The desire to try something new warred with the old, unquenchable need to consider what my parents would think. In the end, that’s what decided it for me. I needed to stop thinking about them so damn much, which meant I needed to stop thinking so much, period.
“How do I . . .?” I peeked sheepishly up at Elijah.
“Bring it to your lips.” His gaze dropped to my mouth, which suddenly went inexplicably dry.
I did as he instructed and his eyes came back to mine.
“Don’t hold it too tight.”
I loosened the death grip I had on the thing.
“And inhale. Hold it as long as you can and then let it go.”
I took one last, long look in his molten eyes, feeling oddly like I stood on the precipice of something. Then I inhaled. And immediately burst into an unattractive coughing fit.
Elijah broke out in laughter, removing the joint from my hand before I hurt myself.
“Jesus.” I rubbed my chest as the fit came to an end and I collapsed back onto the bed.
“That happens to everyone the first time,” Elijah assured me.
I glared up at him. “A little warning might have been nice.”
“It’ll be easier the next time. Here, try again.”
I eyed the small, white, deceptively benign looking thing in his hand and considered how big of an ass I’d make of myself if I did that again. Probably not as big as if I didn’t even try.
With a deep breath of fresh air to calm my burning lungs, I took the joint back and tried again. This time I was able to hold on a little longer before the coughing started.
Elijah took a draw himself and then offered it back again. “You want more?”
“What do they say about practice?” I grinned at him and accepted his offering. Before long I was giving Elijah a run for his money, and damn proud of myself for it.
“Damn.” He broke out into coughing laughter after a particularly long head-to-head challenge that I’d won.
“I obviously have the better lung power in the room.”
“Not for long you keep smoking like that.” When the joint was burned almost to the nub, Elijah tapped it out on an ashtray hidden in his nightstand drawer. “How are you feeling? Not gonna puke on me again, are you?”
I took a deep breath and considered my stomach. It felt strangely fine. “Nope. I feel great, actually.”
“I bet.”
“Shut up. What time is it?”
“After six. Why, you have to get home?”
“Nope. No curfew.”
“No curfew?”
“It’s hard to give someone a curfew when they’re storming out of the house. I even packed a bag just in case they kicked me out.”
Oh, the drugs were definitely working. Somewhere inside my far too sharing-is-caring brain, I knew I never would have revealed that I’d packed for an overnight stay otherwise. I just couldn’t figure out why not or why I should care. That’s when I realized I didn’t. I didn’t care. About anything. And it was the most amazing freedom I’d ever experienced.
“They didn’t, did they?”
“Huh?” What were we talking about?
“Your parents. They didn’t kick you out, did they? For coming here?”
“No. No one told me not to come back, so I don’t think so anyway. Not that I’m in any hurry to go back. But I am hungry!”
Elijah chuckled and tucked some loose hairs behind my ear. He did that a
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