She suddenly wished she could talk to her mom about him. The idea squeezed her heart tight in a fist grip. She’d always talked to her mom about Daniel. It had been her mom who had made her realize that breaking up with him was for the best. She rubbed her hands together, trying to imitate the feel of her mother’s slender grip on hers. The squeeze of her heart continued until she thought it would stop beating altogether.
Her gaze traveled to her emergency phone, the one her parents would call if they were still alive. It hadn’t shown any signs of life since she’d activated it. She pushed the on button to make sure it still worked. The familiar panic from her first days of being in California hugged her like an old friend and whispered in her ear. What if they’d lost the number?
What if they’d called her old phone by mistake?
She grabbed the old cell and put the battery back in, replaced the cover and waited. Staring at the phone, she bit her thumbnail and prayed that when it booted up there would be a message.
Her pink phone buzzed on her bed, startling her. She dropped her old phone to the dresser and picked up her new phone. She didn’t recognize the number. She swallowed hard and pressed the accept button.
“Hell…hello?”
“Hey, beautiful.”
She racked her brain. “Clint?”
“Of course.” He laughed.
She hadn’t given him her phone number. “How did you get this number?”
“Uh…well…when you left your bag I found your phone and called my number from it since I didn’t have a chance to ask you earlier.”
“Oh.” The tension left Natasha’s shoulders only to roll back over her a second later. “Wait, you went through my bag?” She scanned the contents she’d dumped on her bed.
“Sorry. Was that bad?”
She spread everything out to make sure it was all still there. “Yes, it is. You had no right to go through my things.” She didn’t need another stalker like Daniel.
He was silent for a minute. “I apologize. Really, I meant no harm.” His sincerity rang through. “I called to see if you wanted to come to a study group tonight.”
Natasha sighed, picked up all of her belongings and shoved them back inside. “I don’t think so.”
There was a long air of silence. “I said I was sorry.”
“It’s…not that.”
“It’s Liam, right? He warned you about me.”
Natasha scrunched her face up and pinched the bridge of her nose. She wasn’t going to lie. “Sort of.”
“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you come to the party at the end of the week? There’ll be lots of people there. And you can decide if you want to get to know me better or if you agree with Liam.”
Natasha didn’t want to say no. The full moon was coming, and she needed to get out of the enclosed condo and move. She rubbed her wrist. The absence of her bracelet reminded her that she needed somewhere safe to turn and people to turn with. “Wait, the study group for tonight was just going to be you and me?”
“Two’s not a group?” He chuckled. “Come on Friday. It’s at the beach. Everyone swims and we can go for a run.”
A whine escaped her lips, and she slapped her palm over her mouth.
“Yeah, I thought that might get you. So that’s a yes, then?”
The one thing being at school had done for her today was to tell her she needed to get out. She was starting to go crazy being cooped up.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Well I’m going to ask you in class on Wednesday and if you don’t say yes, I’m gonna ask you Friday too.”
“You think bugging me is going to change my mind?”
“I prefer persistence.” He laughed. “I better run, but I shoved a flyer with the beach info in your bag, in the front pocket. Think it over.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“See ya, beautiful.”
Natasha hung up. The prospect of going out actually lifted her spirits. She’d spent most of the last months cooped up. First with her parents, who’d been afraid of her being kidnapped and hadn’t let her leave the house for weeks preceding her birthday, and now being here. Standing in her room, she could almost smell the salty ocean air.
* * * * *
She met Liam the next day in the campus bookstore. His usual outfit of low-slung jeans and leather coat sent a familiar tingle trickling over her nerves. His wavy, dark hair had been slicked back off his face and she noticed how finely chiseled his features were. His ear sported a hoop in the top corner that tempted her to nibble on it.
She coughed as her cheeks flushed. Damn. She needed to stop thinking like that.
He crouched, scanning a rack of used CDs, and looked over. He smiled, turning up the corners of his deep green eyes. Butterflies dive-bombed her belly.
“Hey,” she managed. “Whatcha lookin’ at?”
“Oh.” He glanced down at the CD. “It’s a local band. They’re pretty good.”
She peeked at the black album cover. “What kind of music?”
“Uh…actually it’s country. The lead singer’s voice is amazing. You can really tell he feels what he sings.”
“I love country.”
His eyes narrowed. “Really?”
“Yup. My dad raised me on Alabama and the Oakridge Boys and Juice Newton.”
He gave her a funny expression. “Are you screwing with me?”
“Why would I screw with you?”
“Because I’m about the only person I know in California who likes country music.”
“I’m not from California.”
He shook his head and put the CD back.
“What?”
“You’re an enigma.”
“Because I like good, soulful music with a storyline?”
“Among other things.”
She bit her lip. “Do they play in town?”
“There’s a club called Pinky’s down the street. They play there every few months.”
“Maybe we could go.” She pushed her hair behind her ear and dropped her gaze. She’d overstepped.
“Yeah. Maybe.” He picked up his bike helmet. “Let’s get your books.”
They walked around for an hour chatting and finding the cheapest used books. She also bought a laptop and printer, a calculator and several other things she needed. By the time she was done, Liam had to help her carry her stuff out to the car.
“I appreciate you doing that for me. I didn’t realize how long a trek it was to the car.”
He closed her trunk and pointed to her driver’s side. “You should get that window fixed.”
She looked at the car. “Yeah, I should.”
He scratched his head. “I could do it.”
“Really?”
Liam rolled the ring on his thumb. “Sure. I can order the part this week. Probably put it in on Monday or Tuesday.”
“Great.” She reached into her bag and took out cash. “How much do you need?”
His eyes narrowed and hardened. “I don’t want your money, Asha.”
“I just thought—” She stopped and swallowed. He’d been paid to look after her, what was the difference? “Look, I don’t want you to have to do it for me. I’d have to pay someone else, so I can pay you.”
Liam shifted his helmet to his other hand and stepped back. “It’s a favor.”
“Part of your job?” She held her breath. She wanted to know how much of what he did was him being nice and how much was him having to help her. She needed her fluttering heart and the butterflies fluttering in her stomach to understand that there was nothing between them. He’d been paid to look after her, and that’s what he was doing. That’s why he came to check on her and made her shower. And why he took her for tacos and walked her to class and offered to help her get her books tonight and fix her window
. It was nothing personal.
He stared at her a moment and then turned. “I’ll see ya later.” He walked down the ramp toward the bike parking.
“What did I say?”
He stormed back. “Why do you keep throwing the fact that I was given money to relocate you in my face?”
She blinked several times. “I’m not throwing it in your face.”
“Have you ever been poor, Asha? Really poor? So poor that you’d do just about anything to eat?”
“Liam, I didn’t mean—”
“I was paid two hundred bucks to relocate you. Two hundred. Not be nice to you or pull you out of bed or to carry crap to your car like a chauffer, but to find you a place to stay. Why can’t you just accept the fact that I’m nice to you because I want to be?”
He shoved his helmet on and stormed off. Asha gripped the keys in her hand so tight the small jagged teeth bit into her palm. The desire to go after him washed over her as he disappeared around the corner. She should apologize again, but she didn’t have the guts.
* * * * *
The following night, Cara walked with Natasha to the library. Natasha had a test coming up in her American Government class, and she’d heard there might be a study group. Though government wasn’t a subject she loved, if she wanted to get into a good nursing school she needed to get a good grade.
She opened the heavy glass doors, and peace washed over her. The smell of books enveloped her like an old friend and made her feel at home. Her mom had loved used bookstores. There’d been one in Virginia they’d gone to monthly as a mother-daughter date. The Parchment Place. They’d go in for hours and browse the books, then pick a few and sit in the comfy brown corduroy couches and read while sipping tea.
Her gut clenched. All that had stopped when she’d had to hide in her large colonial house, away from school, away from friends, away from Daniel until her dad and Daniel’s could come to terms for the packs.
That was when her dad had given her the bracelet to keep her from changing at the moon.
“Do you know what room they’re supposed to be in?” Cara asked.
She looked around, trying to gather her thoughts. “Nope. Sorry.” She scanned the entire first floor of books, her fingertips itching to touch and feel and turn pages.
“Well, the study areas are up on the second floor. Let’s walk by and see if you recognize anyone up there.”
Natasha nodded. “Thanks for helping me out, Cara.”
Cara tucked a brown curl behind her ear. “That’s what roomies are for.”
They passed the large wooden front desk and headed for the grand staircase at the back of the room. Up on the second floor, there was glass room after glass room of groups of students talking, studying or goofing off.
When they reached the last room, she sighed. “Guess I missed it.”
“Missed what?”
She spun around to find Liam at the table behind them. Her cheeks heated at memories of their last encounter. He stared at Cara.
“I was supposed to meet a study group for my American Government class,” Natasha said.
“They cleared out about ten minutes ago.” Liam tapped a pencil on a large book in front of him, still looking at Cara. His long, muscular legs stretched out under the table. A chain trailed from his waistband to his pocket. His leather jacket hung off his chair. His broad chest strained a white thermal, silhouetting his bulging arms. A small circle puckered the left side of Liam’s shirt. A nipple ring?
She ran her tongue over the roof of her mouth, imagining the feel of his nipple and the ring in her mouth. Flustered, she couldn’t get her voice to work.
“I’m off to my study group in ten,” said Cara. “Do you want me to walk you to your car first?”
“Uh…” She tried to form a coherent sentence. “I can get there by myself.”
“I’ll walk you. I’m done anyway.” Liam gathered up his stuff and shoved it in his bag.
Heat flushed her cheeks. “You don’t need to do that.”
His gaze connected with hers for the first time, and his eyes shifted to Alpha golden. “I insist.”
Her mind went as fuzzy as a wet wool blanket trying to figure out what was happening. She finally turned to Cara. “Do you need a ride home?” she asked.
“I’ll get a ride.”
Liam walked up next to Cara and slung his arm over her shoulders. “I’ll come back and get you in an hour.”
“Liam—”
“I’ll be back in an hour.”
Cara smiled and nodded. “Thanks.” She waved as she headed off toward a room at the end of the row.
“Come on. I’ll get you to your car.” He headed for the stairs without another word.
Her mouth stuck closed like it was filled with taffy. She wanted to apologize. To make things right between them.
“Do you mind if I look for a book first?” she blurted.
He stopped and looked at her. “What kind?”
“Fiction section?”
“Downstairs.”
The vibrations from being around so many books calmed her unease.
“Do you like to read?” she asked.
“Sometimes. I’m pretty busy with all I have going on.”
“I’m partial to horror. Stephen King, Michaelbrent Collings, Dean Koontz.”
He stopped and cocked an eyebrow. A sight so purely masculine that her palms grew slick.
“You don’t seem the type.” He kept walking.
“What type is that?” She raced to catch up.
“The blood-and-guts kind.” He hopped down the last two steps and turned.
She met him on the ground floor. “What? Women can’t like that stuff but men can?”
He chuckled, and the tension that had bunched his muscles and snapped his spine straight unwound a bit. “That’s not what I meant. I just took you for more of a romance girl, is all. Happy endings and everything.”
He turned to the left.
“I’m all for happy endings. I just know that that’s not always what life has in store for people. What about you? You don’t like horror?”
“Not my thing.”
“Does it make you squeamish?”
“Something like that.”
“How can it possibly? After what we go through? Less than half a percent of the humans here will ever feel in their entire lives the kind of pain we go through on a monthly basis. The first time I saw my mother turn I threw up. Nothing else ever compared after that.”
“I’ve seen enough horror of what people can do to each other. I don’t need to read about it too.”
Her step faltered and her tongue twitched, wanting to ask what he’d seen. But some things were too personal to talk about. She understood that all too well.
“Then what do you like to read?” She made her voice cheerful and light, though memories darkened her thoughts.
He stopped and pointed to the shelves in front of them. “Fantasy.”
“Really?” She scanned the shelves of books with jewel-toned covers and giant titles most of which she couldn’t even begin to pronounce.
He picked up an emerald-colored book that matched his eyes. “What, you’ve never met a guy who liked fantasy?”
“Uh…not really. Except the geeks in high school who played Warcraft.”
He pointed the book at her. “That is an awesome game.”
“Yeah, okay, Gandalf.”
“And that was an even more awesome series of books.”
“The movies were pretty good.”
He shook his head and put the book back on the shelf. “Come on, let’s find you something with blood and guts.”
She spent the next thirty minutes looking for books while Liam teased her about every single one. By the end, the tension from the previous night’s fiasco
was no more. They stood in front of her car again.
“I’m really sorry about last night,” she said.
He rotated the bracelets on his wrist. “Forget it.”
“No. You’ve been nothing but nice to me and I’m sorry I treated you that way. It’s just—” She swallowed hard and looked at the parking lot floor and then up again. “My ex used to pay people off all the time. He bought them things to make them comply, and if they didn’t, he used his fists.”
“I’m not like those guys. I was once, but not anymore.”
“I know. You’re nothing like Daniel, or his friends.” Thoughts too painful threatened to surface and swallow her sanity. “Anyway, I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted.”
They stared at each other for a long moment.
“They really only pay you two hundred dollars?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I don’t do it to make a living. Most times the people I help relocate come with nothing. I usually give them the money.”
Her mouth fell open slightly. “Could you be any more noble?”
He snorted and looked at his boots. “Well, I don’t have a white steed yet.”
“White steeds are for wusses. You have the most amazing bike on the planet. I’d take a guy in leather on a Harley over a white knight on a horse any day.”
His cheeks reddened a bit and hers heated at the same moment. Had she really just said that out loud?
“I better go,” she said.
“So you gonna let me replace that window?” he asked.
She smiled.
Chapter Seven
The next morning Natasha found a worn copy of Dragon Lance on her doorstep and a note.
Asha,
This may not contain the kind of gruesome scenes you’re used to, but give it a shot. I think you’ll enjoy it. If you don’t, give it back. The only thing that’ll be hurt is my pride.
Liam
She smiled and shoved the book in her messenger bag before heading off.
Over the next two days, she neither heard from nor saw Liam. But when she had a few moments here and there, she looked at the book. Surprisingly, she enjoyed it.
Promised at the Moon: Shifter Rising, Book 1 Page 5