Lustful Hearts
Prologue

There was an inside joke in my family that regardless of wherever I was, the chances my nose would be lodged firmly between the pages of a book were always pretty high. It was true, books were my world. I would spend endless hours becoming lost in each and every story. It was my favourite place to be. My mother always said it would be my downfall, not concentrating on what was in front of me, and I guess on this occasion she happened to be right.

I really hated when that happened.

"Hey, are you okay? I watched you fall and hit the ground pretty hard."

Oh god.

I suppose it was inevitable for someone to be around to witness my not so ladylike moment. I cringed at the thought that he'd actually watched me face plant the pavement because I'd been too engrossed in the book I was reading.

A flush hit my face, and I cursed under my breath as my cheeks instantly highlighted the fact. Could this be anymore embarrassing?

"Do you need a hand?" he asked, the concern laced in his voice causing them to flush even deeper.

I didn't want a hand. I just wanted him to go away, but that wasn't happening any time soon.

I blinked several times to compose myself, almost hesitant to look up in case the visual was as enticing as the silky, soft tones of his voice.

His feet shuffled forward, distracting me from my busy thoughts. "It's okay, I just want to help." His voice was soothing, but I was still reluctant to do so, instead I gazed down at the red Converse that showed the obvious signs of being well worn. I smiled at the fact they were exactly like my own.

The seconds ticked by, and I knew I couldn't prolong the torture any longer. Shielding my eyes from the sun, I turned slightly and peered up into his face. It took a few seconds for my eyes to slowly adjust to the brightness before they quickly widened in surprise.

Now I definitely couldn't breathe.

He was breathtaking. His beauty was overpowering, almost intoxicating. My body instantly reacted in a way that totally surprised me. I had never experienced anything like this before, and it scared me. I felt a rush of heat sweep through me, filling every pore as I stared in awe at the vision before me. My mind was a complete blur. I could barely process a thought right now.

Oh god.

Did he just ask me a question?

I had to concentrate. I could do this despite the fact my body was telling me something very different. I swallowed slowly to catch my breath. "Yeah, I really shouldn't read while walking, I'm kind of clumsy. I should just stick to one thing at a time," I replied, cringing slightly at my overly breezy voice.

But despite my overwhelming embarrassment, my eyes refused to look away, becoming transfixed, just losing myself in his beautiful blue. No words could describe the colour. They were the purest sapphire I had ever seen. They sparkled as he spoke, hypnotising me even more. I was pretty sure I could have stared at him forever.

The awkward silence grew between us, but I was too pre-occupied to even care. He smiled and looked slightly amused by my odd behaviour before bending down. I looked on in horror when his face began to move increasingly closer to mine.

Oh no.

All the air left my lungs at his close proximity. Our faces were barely inches apart, and my eyes dropped down to his full perfect lips. They twitched with amusement. The familiar flush hit my cheeks once again. Oh god.

I really hoped he couldn't read my thoughts right now, but by the colour of my cheeks it was pretty evident where my mind was wandering.

His soft, warm hands brushed up against my skin, and I shuddered slightly when he gently placed both hands in mine. He slowly eased me up off the ground, and I groaned with the pain, stumbling a little, gripping both biceps to steady myself.

Wow, those things were impressive.

The muscles twitched beneath my fingers, and I quickly released them both as the awkwardness of where my hands had been began to set in.

I blushed again feeling his eyes upon me surveying my injuries. But it was all too much, I really needed to get out of here.

Right now.

I pushed away from him and grabbed my heavy bag, quickly retrieving my book from the ground. I muttered a quick thank you over my shoulder, walking away as nonchalantly as I possibly could. Footsteps quickly approached me from behind. He had to be jogging along to keep up with my fast pace. But I continued taking long, lean strides. I needed to escape this beautiful stranger for my own sake. My reaction towards him had awakened something inside. And that was scaring the hell out of me. But it was all pretty futile in the end as he managed to catch up to me within seconds.

The weight shifted from my body, and he instantly groaned. "What the hell are you carrying in here? Bricks?"

I laughed at his remark. "Books. I've just been to the library."

He shook his head in a jokey disapproving way, throwing one of his arms over my shoulder, pulling me into him protectively.

My eyes bulged at his proximity. Oh god, he was touching me. But deep down I knew I was enjoying it way too much than I cared to like, and that thought alone worried me.

"You do know it's the school holidays and that you should be having fun, not sitting in the library reading all day."

I blushed at his remark. I was a twelve-year-old nerd and reading books were my form of escapism. I didn't lead an exciting life, but I guessed he probably did. He had the kind of perfect looks and body that screamed popularity. But I'd never seen him at school before, as I clearly would have remembered a face like that. He looked like he would be more at home modelling on the catwalks for Calvin Klein. God, he was jaw-dropping. It should be illegal to look that good.

"I'm Joel, by the way," he said smiling. His eyes pierced deep into mine, and I lost myself for a moment, hesitating before I spoke. "Errm Izzy." I blushed wildly.

Great!

I was fast becoming a bigger idiot by the second. Trust me to go all dumb in front of the one hot guy I meet. I seriously couldn't be cool if I tried.

"Well, errm Izzy, I wished we'd met under different circumstances. Your face is going to be pretty swollen tomorrow. Thankfully it's the holidays so you'll have time to recover." His eyes rested for several moments on my swollen lip, and I gulped, swallowing the large lump down. His tongue flicked over his bottom lip, and my eyes zeroed in on that perfect pout. I suddenly felt the urge to press my lips against his.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I shook my head in a vain attempt to snap myself out of thinking anymore inappropriate thoughts.

Yeah, like that was really going to help.

"Hmm yeah, I don't want to go to school with a trout pout." There were enough of those already. We both laughed together, though mine was slightly more awkward. I watched as the smile slowly slipped from his face as he abruptly stopped, turning me to fully face him.

His thumb gently skimmed over my swollen lip, and I winced with the pain. But then instantly regretted it when his hand dropped from my face.

"Sorry," he whispered as I stared deep into his warm eyes that were full of concern. He chuckled at my blank, open-mouthed stare, but I seriously didn't care. He soon pulled me back around, and we began walking again.

Every few steps I hesitantly took a sneak peek to check if he was in fact real. Each time he just got better. It was as though his beauty was growing deeper in front of me. On the last time he caught me looking, and his sexy half grin told me I hadn't been as discreet as I thought.

Dammit!

But I couldn't help myself though.

He was perfect, too perfect.

He would no doubt have girls lining up to date him. I snorted when a stupid thought entered my head. It was ridiculous, and I quickly brushed it away. I was just some twelve-year-old nerd that he happened to feel sorry for. He was just passing by in my hour of need, only doing his gentlemanly duty in helping me home.

Nothing more.

I inwardly chastised myself for being an idiot and getting carried away. I was too deep in my thoughts to realise we were outside my house. His arm still remained around me as he guided me up the driveway. I raised an eyebrow silently questioning how he knew where I lived.

He chuckled at the confused expression crossing my face. "I'm friends with your brother. I just moved here a week ago. We met through football practice."

My brother Mike was three years older than I was. He was overly protective in an annoying way, spending most of the time teasing me mercilessly. He was like me in appearance. We both had the same large, chocolate brown eyes and rich dark brown hair. Where mine was long and fell all the way down my back, his was short and spiky. He was good-looking and athletic, playing a lot of sports. But he was not in Joel's league when it came to god-like looks.

Unlike me, he was well known throughout school, forever dating different girls that barely held a brain cell between them. There was always someone new hanging off him, desperately vying for his attention. He would certainly enjoy being friends with Joel as that would improve his pulling status tenfold.

The thought of Joel flirting with other women made me frown. My heart sunk at the prospect of someone else staring deep into those beautiful eyes.

What the hell was wrong with me?

How the hell had I developed feelings when I'd barely known him five minutes?

But then I was pulled out of my thoughts by a nagging question. "How did you know who I was though?" I asked, stopping abruptly, turning to face him. I had never laid eyes on him until a few minutes before, so how did he recognise me?

A broad grin spread across his face. "I saw your school photo when I came in your house the other day."

I groaned loudly in disgust.

I hated that bloody photograph!

I made a mental note to hide it where no one else would ever replace it. Ever again.

He laughed, sensing my annoyance. "It's a good photo."

"Yeah whatever," I said dryly. He squeezed my shoulder, waiting patiently for me to look back to that gorgeous face of his.

"Hey, you should see some of my photos, they are awful."

Yeah, like he could ever take a bad photo. Ever.

He smiled at my annoyed face, pushing the door open and guided me inside. I felt bereft the moment his arm slipped off my shoulder. I wanted his arm around me forever. I was already mourning its loss when Joel brought me back again to the present.

"You'll be okay, Iz," he whispered gently in my ear.

My heart beat faster at the way he had shortened my name. I loved the way it sounded rolling off his lips.

He lifted up the bottom of his shirt, gently wiping the dripping blood from my lip. Not even caring he'd probably ruined it. I just stared in sheer disbelief.

He smiled, and his fingers softly stroked my face, looking deep into my eyes. I gasped as his sweet, soft lips gently brushed against my forehead. It only lasted for a few moments, but it was enough to spark something inside, to make me lose complete control.

His touch made me dizzy, and my knees buckled in reaction. It was only thanks to the doorframe I was maintaining an upright position.

I motioned to open my mouth to thank him, but the words never left my lips. I just stood there in stunned silence, watching him walk away.

I closed my eyes remembering his kind, sweet words, the image of his face becoming so clear. Brushing my thumb along my swollen lip, I recalled his warm, gentle touch only moments before. I knew within that short space of time he had changed everything. He had ruined me for any other man that came along. I would always be drawn to him regardless of whether he wanted me or not.