An Irresistible Mate

(A/N: This chapter is not edited!)

Chapter Twenty 

Emalie's P.O.V 

Ten minutes later, I sat rigidly in the passenger seat, my backpack clutched in my lap, my teeth feeling like they would burst through my bottom lip. On top of that, I was horribly aware of how shitty I looked this morning, because I'd had barely any time to clean myself up. I had rushed around my room, throwing on the first things I could find, which in this case were a pair of plain skinny jeans and navy hoodie that ballooned around my slender figure and turned any curves into a shapeless jumble. I had made a spur-of-the-moment decision and decided not to touch up on my hair, hoping that maybe if I air-dried it, it would get the loose waves it usually did. But then again, that was only on days when it decided it wanted to behave. I hadn't bothered putting on any makeup either, as usual. 

But this morning, I felt particularly self-conscious, for some reason. When I had finally emerged from the apartment and climbed into his car, I hadn't missed the way his eyes had run over me, not once, but twice. And from the way he checked me out so deliberately, it was obvious he hadn't meant for the maneuver to be subtle. 

"Looking beautiful as always babe," he'd drawled before pulling out. 

I hadn't said a single word to him, only stared out the windshield with my lips pursed together stubbornly. Not that it mattered, because he hadn't tried starting any conversations with me. Which I was grateful for, because regardless of the situation, I was never good at giving anyone the silent treatment, and I always felt guilty after. No matter who I was giving the cold shoulder too. 

Every once and awhile, I steeled a few glanced at Jasper from the corner of my eye, praying he wouldn't notice. I was trying to decipher him, wondering what he could possibly be thinking. I kind of had a clue... ever since I had met him, there was like this sixth sense that allowed me to get a little insight on what he was feeling, mostly just by vibes. Yeah, it was strange-but jeez, what wasn't strange about my life now? I focused on it, trying to get the tenor of it as I stared at his face-but, as always, it revealed nothing; he was better at hiding his thoughts than me sometimes. 

The result was confusing. I felt a jumble of emotions, so merged together I couldn't figure them out. I thought I felt aggravation, exasperation, maybe a little... sadness? Hell, I couldn't tell. All I could tell was that there was definitely something going on beneath his cool façade, something he was trying hard to hide. 

Suddenly, he laughed out loud. I jumped, startled. "What the hell are you laughing at?" I spluttered, forgetting my previous oath of silence. 

"Sorry," he said, still chuckling, but the sound was darker. His glanced from the road to me. "You're just so hilarious when you're trying to figure me out," he told me. 

It took me a moment for that to sink in. And then confusion quickly turned to irritation. "What are you talking about?" I snapped, though I knew exactly what he was talking about. Apparently I hadn't been as subtle as I thought. 

"You do realize you've been staring at me for the past five minutes, right?" he asked teasingly, but I could tell he had to work hard to make it that way. His emotions were still turmoil as he fought an inner battle. "It was really starting to creep me out." 

I immediately blushed, realizing he had been right. I turned away from him so he wouldn't see it. "I wasn't staring," I muttered under my breath to the window, and he laughed again. 

"I could feel it too, you know," he said after a moment. We were close to the school now; I could see it in the distance. "Feel everything that went on in your life. 

I let the silence stretch for a long moment, and then sighed. "What are you talking about?" 

"I can hear what you're thinking, Emalie. Or, almost, anyway." 

My eyes snapped up to his. "What?" 

So now he was a mind reader, too? 

He chuckled at my expression. "Don't look so surprised, Emalie. I know you've noticed too." 

He let that sink in for a long moment. I let out a deep sigh. "I guess I'm not surprised," I grumbled. "It's not like I'm not used to strange yet."