The Awakening (Entangled Series Book 1)

by Jill Sanders

  “As soon as I find someone who can cook like you, I’ll marry her on the spot.” He knew that would soften her up.

  “Well…” He could hear her smile. “Don’t wait too long, dear. Almost all of the good fish have already left the sea.”

  He chuckled. “All it takes is one.” His mind snapped to Xtina and his eyes moved towards the large windows in his living room. It was too dark out to see if her car sat in the driveway, but he did notice that the house was dark, which meant she was either asleep or not home yet.

  He’d watched her come and go, yesterday, when she’d gone to visit her grandmother. He wondered how the short trip had gone. He also spent a few hours today wondering if he should stop by later tonight, but ended up telling himself that if she wanted to see him, she knew where he lived, too.

  “You aren’t listening to a word I’m saying.” His mother’s tone broke into his thoughts.

  “I’m sorry, Mom. I’ve been working on putting the hardwood floor in for the past few hours.”

  “Oh? How’s that going?”

  “So far, so good. Actually, I should be done sometime tomorrow.”

  “That’s wonderful dear, send us some pictures when you’re done. When are you going to get the kitchen done so I can come down there and cook you a proper meal?”

  “After the floor and the baseboards are in, that’s the next on my list.”

  “Good. Maybe we’ll head your way when Ethan gets back,” she said worriedly.

  “Don’t worry about him too much. He is a big boy.”

  “I worry about you both, all of the time. It’s my job.”

  He smiled and shifted the phone. “Well, at least don’t worry too much. After all, his squad is one of the best around.”

  “Yes, that’s true. I’m so very proud of both of you. How’s your business going?”

  For the next twenty minutes, he filled his mother in on his latest client. When he happened to mention his neighbors dying in a car crash and their sexy, mysterious daughter returning home, his mother flooded him with a million questions.

  What was she like? Was she married or single? What did she do for a living?

  He realized that was something he’d yet to ask her himself. He knew what her profile said online. For the past two years, she’d run a little shop on the outskirts of Idaho Springs as a psychic, where tourists stopped to get pizza and ice cream and have their palms read. Before that, she’d lived in Arizona in what appeared to be a Humanist Society. The community boasted that free thinkers of all types were welcome and that education was given freely by experts in various fields. They discuss the arts, books, social events, politics, technology, religion, and more. The one statement by the leader, William Ray, that had caught his eye was about supernatural beliefs and how the society had a progressive philosophy on the supernatural. The man looked to be a few years older than him and he wondered what gave the man so much knowledge in the area, since he couldn’t find anything more on him.

  He’d researched as much as he could about the society and still questioned what Xtina had been doing there. She didn’t have an online presence tied to them, which meant that she’d broken the ties as soon as she’d moved on. He wondered if she’d found what she needed there or if it had just been some big joke, like he assumed the place was. Still, she’d spent almost an entire year living there.

  Before that, she had moved around so much, he’d lost track of her several times. He knew she’d been in Seattle, L.A., and even Houston. But, everything in between was just a blank.

  He’d planned on asking her more when he saw her next and asking some of the questions his mother had asked him about her.

  After convincing his mother that he would invite Xtina out for dinner soon, he cleaned up and headed into town for a quick burger.

  The little café in town had switched owners late last year and had changed its name to Café 23, in honor of the highway it sat directly on. They’d gone from a greasy dinner to a family friendly joint that had some of the best milk shakes and burgers around.

  After cleaning up a little, he climbed into his truck and headed out. He noticed that Xtina’s car was not in the driveway and wondered where she had gone to all day.

  When he pulled into the busy parking lot of the diner, he smiled when he noticed Jessie and Xtina sitting in a back booth, their heads bent over a large book as they chatted.

  The bell chimed over the door and both of the ladies glanced up at him. Jessie’s smile was quick, but Xtina just bit her bottom lip when she noticed him.

  “Evening, hun,” Clara, one of the waitresses he’d been flirting with for the past year, said. She was easily as old as his mother and as frail as his grandmother, but he didn’t mind. He liked the silver-haired woman. Maybe because she always gave him extra French fries every time he was in there.

  “How are you tonight, Clara?” he asked.

  “Oh, doing fine. Find yourself a seat, sweetie. We’re hopping tonight.”

  “I’m going to join a couple friends.” He nodded towards the booth.

  Clara glanced over, then smiled. “Oh, looks like I’ve got some competition.”

  He chuckled. “You’ll always have my heart…as long as you keep feeding me hamburgers, French fries, and chocolate shakes.”

  “Coming right up,” she said as she glided away.

  When he walked over to the booth, Jessie had moved aside so he could sit next to her. Instead, he sat next to Xtina, pushing her over slightly with his hip.

  “I sat with you last time.” He winked at Jessie. “Now it’s her turn to get me.”

  Jessie laughed. “From what she tells me, sounds like you’ll be choosing her over me all the time now.” She leaned on her elbows and smiled at him.

  He glanced over at Xtina. “Have you been kissing and telling?” He watched her face flush and thought the color added sex appeal to her beauty. He reached under the table and took her hand in his. At first, her fingers were stiff, but after he started chatting with Jessie, he felt her relax.

  “So, you’ve put in the floor?” Jessie asked. “Was that what all that wood was sitting in your living room?”

  “Yes, I have my kitchen cabinets in the garage. I’ll be starting on those next.”

  “I’m not big on remodeling. They fixed up my apartment last year and I was stuck in a hotel for three weeks.”

  He chuckled, then turned to Xtina. “What about you? Don’t you have plans for the big house?”

  “Actually, we were just talking about that.” She turned the book towards him and he noticed a page full of microwaves.

  “I’d really like to heat food up in less than thirty minutes,” she said, causing him to smile.

  “If you need any help, I just purchased all new appliances for my place a few months back. I can show you the best deals and brands.”

  “Really?” She shifted, dropping his hand to flip through the pages.

  “What is this?” He pulled the book from her. “Sears? You shop for appliances using a magazine?”

  “It’s all my parents had.”

  “Don’t you use a computer?”

  Jessie’s burst of laughter caught his attention. When she tried to cover it with a cough, he asked. “What’s funny? Computers are…”

  “Oh, I use a computer, but our girl here, you see, her parents were a little backward thinking.”

  He turned to Xtina. “You don’t own a computer?”

  She shook her head. “Actually, I’ve never even used a computer before.”

  He almost laughed, but then stopped. “What about this?” He picked up her phone, which was sitting on the tabletop.

  “That’s just my phone.”

  He smiled and punched a few buttons, then frowned. “You don’t have data?”

  “Data?”

  “You know?” Upon her blank look, he shook his head. “Okay, seriously?” He turned back to Jessie.

  “Told ya.” She smiled. “I’ve tried, but she just seems so�
� stuck.”

  “I can hear you, you know,” Xtina said. “Besides, I always end up breaking something. I went to the library once to register my business name, and the whole row of computers almost burst into flames.” He felt her cringe.

  “I’m sure that’s an exaggeration,” he said.

  “No, it’s not. The fire department showed up,” she added, causing Jessie to giggle.

  “If you want, come over tomorrow and I’ll help you order everything online.”

  She bit her bottom lip. “I might explode your computer.”

  He smiled. “I think I’ll risk it.”

  She shrugged, just as Clara showed up with his burger, fries, and shake.

  “That looks good,” Jessie said. “I’ll have what he’s having.”

  Xtina shook her head when Clara asked if she wanted the same. “No, I’ll just do the fries and shake.”

  “Light eater?” he asked her after Clara left.

  “I ate before I left the house. Besides, red meat doesn’t sit well with me anymore.”

  “So…” Jessie leaned over and took one of his fries. “Xtina was telling me all the different places she’s been.”

  “Oh?” He turned slightly towards her, reaching once more to take her hand in his. He wanted to get to the point where she didn’t flinch when he touched her.

  “She lived in L.A. for a few months.” Jessie sighed. “I’ve never been to a big city before.”

  “Never? What about Atlanta?”

  “That doesn’t really count.” She snuck another fry from his plate.

  “Want some?” He tipped his plate towards Xtina, who took two and nibbled on them. “So, where else did you travel to?” he asked.

  “Here and there.” She shrugged her shoulders.

  “Colorado.” Jessie ticked off on her fingers. “Washington, Oregon, Utah, Nevada… Oh…” She sat forward, excitement rolling in her gray eyes. “Tell him about winning the car in Vegas.”

  “What?” He turned towards her again. “You won a car?”

  She smiled. “At a blackjack table. My hybrid.”

  “You won that car?” He nodded out the window where her car sat on the street out front.

  “Yes. What they don’t tell you is that you still have to pay the taxes on it. So, I ended up paying a few thousand out of my savings, but when you think about it, a brand new hybrid for a couple thousand isn’t bad.”

  “I’m taking you next time I go to Vegas,” he joked and wondered why Arizona hadn’t been on the list she’d shared with them.

  “I don’t think I’ll ever go back there.” He noticed her shiver and turn her eyes downward. “Too many people.”

  ***

  There were too few times in her life she could look back on and say she’d truly enjoyed herself. This was quickly becoming one of them.

  She couldn’t remember laughing as hard in her entire life as she had in the last half hour. She’d even felt herself relax when Mike reached out and touched her or took her hand in his.

  Sure, she was a little uncomfortable with answering all the questions Mike and Jess had for her, but near the end, Jess had turned it around and had flooded Mike with questions.

  She found out more about him in a normal way, which, she’d quickly found out, wasn’t all that fun after all. She’d wished several times to be able to reach over and find the answers for herself.

  By the time her plate of fries was gone and she’d finished the last of her shake, she was hoping the evening wouldn’t end. But Jess had let out a few yawns and mentioned how she was working the morning shift again tomorrow.

  “I’ll walk you out.” Mike took her hand and helped her out of the booth. She was so comfortable with him touching her that she didn’t even flinch at his touch.

  “You know, I was thinking about something…” Jess started walking out the doorway, but then dropped away and stared straight ahead.

  Xtina looked in the direction and felt her entire body tense. Her hand dropped away from Mike’s as she watched Joe walking casually towards the diner.

  “Well, well,” he said once he got closer to them. Just the sound of the man’s voice caused her skin to crawl. “Look who’s back in town. I’d heard you’d come back.”

  “As opposed to the rat who never left town,” Jess observed, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “Careful, girlie, I haven’t seen any moving vans outside your place.” He didn’t even spare Jess a glance. “Heard about your folks,” Joe added, using his massive shoulders to block the pathway to her car.

  She nodded as she wished the cement would open up and swallow her.

  “I have to say, you’re looking a lot better than I imagined.” His eyes ran up and down her, causing her skin to continue its crawling.

  Now she wished she’d worn an old sweater and jeans instead of the cute outfit she’d chosen just in case she’d run into Mike. Who, to her new horror, she realized was standing right next to her. She felt her entire body begin to shake with fear and anger over the possibility of what was going to happen next.

  “If you decide you’re bored, why don’t you give me a jingle, you know.” His eyes turned to Mike and Joe’s smile grew bigger. “For old times’ sake.” He winked at Xtina, then skirted around them and disappeared into the diner.

  “You know, my first impressions of people are usually dead on,” Mike said, taking her hand in his once more. He turned to her until her eyes met his. “I had him pegged for an ass the first moment I walked into the liquor store.”

  She heard Jess chuckle, but nothing could penetrate her desperate need to escape.

  “Hey,” Mike said as he brushed a finger under her chin and forced her to look at him once more. “Don’t sweat it. I have a few skeletons’ in my closet I prefer to keep there too.”

  “Joe isn’t just a skeleton,” she started.

  “He’s the devil,” Jessica said. “Well, now that all the fun is over, I really do need to get home.” She yawned again, causing Xtina to hold back one herself.

  “See you,” she said and waved to her friend as she walked down the street.

  “Should we walk her home?” Mike asked.

  “No, she’ll be fine.” No matter what she thought of Hidden Creek, it was still the safest town in Georgia. Maybe even all of the South.

  “Well, the least you can do is let me walk you to your car.” He tugged on her arm lightly until she fell into step with him.

  “Actually…” She stopped and leaned against her car. “I was hoping you’d allow me to follow you home.” When his eyebrows rose, she quickly added, “So you could help me order my microwave.”

  He smiled. “Sure. Tired of doing things the old-fashioned way?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’ve no idea.” She groaned.

  Chapter Eight

  Mike felt Xtina’s breath float over his skin and couldn’t stop himself from imagining how it would feel in other places. It had been way too long since he’d enjoyed the feeling of a woman’s breath on his bare skin.

  She leaned closer to him as he surfed the web for the best appliances. They had already picked a microwave and were now looking for a single-cup coffee maker.

  “I have this one.” He tapped the screen. “I like it fine enough.”

  “Hmm.” She frowned. “How is it for tea and hot cocoa?”

  He shrugged. “I’m not a big tea maker, but I have made hot chocolate in it before.” He showed her another screen. “See, it has a setting for it.”

  “Okay.” She bit her bottom lip. “It’s a little more than I wanted to spend.”

  “Well, last time I was in Atlanta, I noticed they were on sale.”

  “No, I’ll just bite the cost. I don’t know when I’ll get back into town and I’m becoming accustomed to enjoying a cup in the morning.”

  “You know; you could always knock on my door. I’d be happy to share a cup with you in the morning.” He turned slightly and smiled at her. “Better yet…” He wiggled his
eyebrows, earning a smile and a chuckle from Xtina.

  “You do make a persuasive argument.” She smiled. “Thanks for the offer.”

  “But?” He ran a finger down her arm.

  “Just like my house, I’m kind of old fashioned.” He watched her eyes turn sad. “Besides, as witnessed earlier, my relationships don’t always turn out the way I’d hoped.”

  He turned his chair towards hers. “So, why did you and douchebag go out?”

  She closed her eyes for a moment. “Believe it or not, there was a time when Joe was one of the nicest kids in town.”

  He whistled. “That is hard to believe.”

  “Yeah, I guess now.” She leaned back. “But, in tenth grade…” She shook her head.

  He sat up slightly. “Was he your first?”

  “First?” She frowned. “No.” She shook her head. “Yes, I mean…” She actually blushed. “He was the first boy I tried to go out with. If that’s what you mean.”

  “Sex,” he said plainly, then chuckled when she made a face.

  “No, I didn’t sleep with Joe.”

  “That’s good to know.”

  “Why?” She tilted her head and frowned slightly.

  “Because when we’re finally together, I’d hate to think of you with him.”

  “Mike—”

  He closed the distance and laid his lips over hers gently.

  It still shocked him when he felt the zing up his body as their skin touched, but this time he’d braced for it, much like he imagined she braced herself each time she touched someone.

  Her hands moved up and gripped his shirt in her fists as he played his tongue over her lips. He allowed his fingers to explore her soft skin and enjoyed feeling goose bumps rise wherever he touched her.

  When she pulled back slightly, he watched her eyes focus.

  “I…” She shook her head and swallowed. “It’s so hard to fight what’s between us.” She leaned her head against his forehead and closed her eyes. “Order me the coffee maker. I better go home now before… before.” She chuckled.