161
" She does not even look kind of cute!" Claire stated, her face a mask of mock horror.
They all started at her, not sure what to say.
And then once again, of course, it was Chelsea who broke the stunned silence. "I swear, Claire-bear, I am going to call your mom and tell her you need to start riding the short bus. You really need to start practicing your bitchy comments. What are you gonna do when we're not here to get your back?"
Claire rolled her eyes, too oblivious to be insulted, which was why she was the perfect friend for Chelsea, who was too insulting to be oblivious. "Geez, Chels, I don't even ride the bus."
Jules couldn't help herself; despite her best efforts to hold on to her detached cool, she started laughing. And pretty soon they were all laughing, even Claire, who still didn't realize what they were laughing at.
"You guys are so mean!" Violet charged accusingly. "Can't you just have fun and stop picking everyone apart?"
Chelsea looked disgusted. "You've gone soft, haven't you? Jay has made you soft!"
Violet rolled her eyes, smiling despite her best efforts. "Whatever. Everyone's soft compared to you."
"Ouch!" Chelsea pretended to be wounded. But again, she just couldn't pull it off. "
― Kimberly Derting , The Body Finder (The Body Finder, #1)
162
" She slipped her hands beneath the front of his shirt, slowly running her fingertips over his chest and back down to his waist. He turned in her arms and smiled, but his grin was filled with mocking suspicion. “Are you trying to distract me, Violet Ambrose?”
“I guess you’re smarter than you look,” she teased as he pushed her backward so that they both fell on her bed.
“And you are not as funny as you think you are.” His mouth hovered over hers, his arms tightening, crushing her against him. Violet giggled and tried to squirm free, but Jay wouldn’t let her. He kissed her throat, his lips teasing her until it wasn’t his grip that made it hard for Violet to breathe.
“Oh, and Violet, he whispered against her ear, his breath tickling her cheek, “I’m still your best friend. Don’t ever forget it.” His words were fervent and touching. "
― Kimberly Derting , Desires of the Dead (The Body Finder, #2)
163
" What are you thinking about?” Jay asked as he plopped down next to her.
She blinked, wondering if she was wearing her frustration on her face. “Nothing,” she lied, pushing her salad around her plate.
She wasn’t sure why she didn’t just tell him.
“Doesn’t look like nothing,” Jules interrupted from across the table.
Violet cast a quick glare at her friend for inconveniently pointing out the obvious.
“What?” Jay asked, nudging Violet with his shoulder. “Tell me.”
Violet hesitated, suddenly embarrassed over her new insecurity. Yet, inside her head, she bitterly referred to Mike as “Jay’s boyfriend.”
Ironically, though, it was Mike who saved Violet from having to confess those very thoughts, when he slid into an open space on the other side of the table. “What’d I miss?” His lazy smile reached all the way into his tawny-colored eyes, and even the dimples on his cheek made a fleeting appearance.
Violet could see the draw for Chelsea; he was sort of stunning to look at.
So then what was Jay’s excuse? She jokingly hoped it wasn’t the adorable dimple too. "
― Kimberly Derting , Desires of the Dead (The Body Finder, #2)
165
" What about her? Does she have a name? Not that I care really, but it would be rude to call her ‘new girl’ once Mike and I are dating.”
“I have an idea,” Jay suggested, leaning toward Chelsea from across the table. “Why don’t you put together a list of questions, in order of importance, and I’ll have him fill out the answers? Kind of like new-kid homework.” He smiled innocently. “You don’t have to do it now, of course; just try to get it to me before the end of the day.”
“Ha-ha.” Chelsea made a face. “You’re freakin’ hilarious, Jay.” And then she turned to Violet. “That must be why you like him so much. ‘Cause other than that, I just don’t get it.”
Claire’s brow creased, as though Chelsea’s statement didn’t make sense. She decided to help Violet out. “No, he’s cute too.” And when Jules started laughing, she added, “Well, he is!”
Chelsea was unmoved by Claire’s explanation and, as usual, had to have the last word. “No offense, Violet, but no one’s that cute. That’s all I have to say about it.” And then, in usual Chelsea fashion, she changed the subject before Jay had the chance to remind them all that he was sitting right there. "
― Kimberly Derting , Desires of the Dead (The Body Finder, #2)
167
" She didn't try to stop him when he closed the gap between them, his lips finding hers in a deep—and territorial—kiss.
When he was finished, she couldn't find her voice for a long, breathless moment. "That was for him, wasn't it?"
"The kiss? Nah, that was for you, Vi. Only for you."
She giggled. "I feel like I'm stuck in the middle of some kind of tug-of-war. Only I'm the rope and you two are trying to pull me apart."
"Don't kid yourself, you're not the rope, you're the prize." Jay's lazy grin reached all the way to his eyes. "And, for the record, I've already won. "
― Kimberly Derting , Dead Silence (The Body Finder, #4)
171
" And then, shrugging, she mused, “I was just thinking about us.” She leaned her cheek against her hand as it clutched the chain.
Jay nudged his swing sideways, so it nearly brushed Violet’s. “What about us?”
“I was just thinking how cute we must have been, when we were their age.” She glanced toward the kids, who were racing up the ladder again.
His arm snaked out, capturing her before the momentum of his swing could drag him away again. When the swing did pull, they both moved in that direction. “We’re still cute,” he said, but his voice was low and filled with unspoken longing.
She lifted her chin, their faces just inches apart now, and Jay’s grip around her waist kept them together. “Yeah?” she breathed. “You think so?”
His other hand moved to rest on the side of her face, covering her bruise . . . not concealing it but cradling it. His thumb shifted, stroking the tender path of skin. “I do, Vi. I think we’re perfect. "
― Kimberly Derting , The Last Echo (The Body Finder, #3)
173
" Kiss me again,” he challenged, only half joking.
It was so weird to hear him say that, to hear those words out loud. They had kissed. More than once. More than a lot. They had passed the point of being “just friends” by a long shot.
She leaned down and gave him a dry, sisterly little peck. And then she leaned back up again and smiled at him innocently. She wished she could a halo appear above her head for effect.
Jay made a sound at her that was like a growl, and then he pulled her down . . . hard. He flipped her over so that she was lying on her back and he was poised above her, and taking full advantage of his upper hand, he moved his lips over hers with a feather-light touch, in a way that was anything but innocent. Until she parted her lips and let him kiss her again . . . completely . . . thoroughly. She heard herself moan, and she could feel the throbbing of her own pulse flickering hotly through her veins.
He lifted his head and stared down at her, rubbing his thumb across her lower lip. “That’s what I was talking about. A real kiss.”
― Kimberly Derting, The Body Finder "
― Kimberly Derting , The Body Finder (The Body Finder, #1)
180
" It wasn’t until she was about to press Play, just as she was climbing under her covers, that she noticed it, the envelope tucked beneath the edge of her pillow. She frowned as she reached for it, her fingers lingering for only a moment before pulling it free. The plain white envelope was blank, but she suspected who it was from.
She tore the top apart and unfolded the paper inside, her heart fluttering when she recognized the handwriting.
I miss you like crazy.
Jay
Violet grinned. It was just a note—a single line, really—but even his notes made her pulse race. Ridiculous, she thought as she ran her fingertips over his words, committing them to memory. "
― Kimberly Derting , The Last Echo (The Body Finder, #3)