The woman with the braids dove forward, digging the ball out before it hit the sand. She sent it soaring back over to the other side. A few cheers drew his attention to the crowd gathered by the makeshift volleyball court. He searched for the woman, but although her other friend from last night was standing on the sidelines, the one he sought wasn't there.
He was a little thrown off by the odd sense of disappointment he felt. It was a sensation that he didn't like and he almost told Isabelle and Stefan that he would prefer to go somewhere quieter, but Isabelle was already spreading the blanket out and settling onto it. He'd look like an idiot if he said he wanted to leave now, and she might get suspicious as to his reasons. The last thing he needed was Isabelle becoming nosy. She would never let it go if she thought there was a girl he might be interested in, or if she sensed that maybe there was something he wasn't telling her.
His gaze ran over the crowded beach as he placed the cooler down. Grabbing hold of his shirt, he pulled it over his head to let the hot sun beat down on his shoulders. "Whoa Casper, I think you just blinded me," Isabelle said and threw her hands up.
He scowled at her before glancing down at his chest. He spent a fair amount of time outdoors in Oregon, but compared to the deeply tanned bodies surrounding him, he was a little pale. He had no concerns over burning though; his body would heal itself faster than the sun could damage his skin. "Some of us don't spend our days tanning," he retorted.
She laughed as she pulled her white cover-up off and shot a pointed look at Stefan. "Believe me, that's not how I spend my days."
"Ugh," Ethan groaned.
Isabelle laughed as she dropped her cover-up on the blanket and stretched out her legs. "Like you haven't said or heard worse over the years from Ian and Aiden."
"I have," he agreed, he didn't want to hear it from her though.
Ethan stretched his shoulders as he continued to scan the beach. A glimpse of golden brown hair mixed with tendrils of honey blond swirling through it caught his attention. The woman from last night's hair had been that color and she had been shorter than her friends, Ethan recalled, as the head bobbed well below most of the heads of the beachgoers. He strained to see her more clearly, but her face remained hidden by the bodies surrounding her.
The head broke free of the crowd and Ethan's gaze latched onto the face that had intruded upon his dreams last night as she stepped next to her friend. The blond in her hair gleamed in the sunshine, she'd pulled it into a ponytail but the tips of it still hung to the middle of her back. A smile lit up her face and caused her eyes to sparkle as she cheered on the girl with the braids. Even from here, he could see the flecks of jade green and brown that speckled her hazel eyes.
She wasn't beautiful, but there was a cuteness to her round face and pert nose that he found enchanting as she jumped up and down with reckless abandon and pumped her fist in the air. The leggy brunette jogged over to join them after scoring the winning point in the game. She dried herself off with a towel that the petite woman he was watching handed her. They exchanged a few words before the brunette returned to the court.
The African American girl standing next to the woman he was oddly fascinated with touched her arm, said something, and hurried away with a subtle limp that would have gone unnoticed by a human. Ethan didn't know what possessed him but he dropped his t-shirt onto the blanket and stepped off of it. The last thing in the world he ever liked to do was go near humans, but this girl was calling him as relentlessly as a siren called forth the ships. He just hoped he wouldn't end up being crashed against the rocks; or even worse, that she would be the one that ended up shipwrecked.
"I'll be back," he muttered to his sister and Stefan.
Isabelle barely glanced at him as she organized her supplies on the blanket. It was good to see she was still the same neat freak, he thought before his attention was drawn back to the game. He kept his eyes focused on the girl as he circled around the people gathered beside the court. The sand beneath his bare feet was warm and grainy as it shifted under his weight. Turning sideways, he was careful not to touch anyone as he slid past the people and stepped beside her. When she stopped jumping he realized that the top of her head barely made it to the middle of his chest. Though she was small at about five-foot-two or three, there was something entirely alluring and feminine about her hourglass figure. Her handful-sized breasts were emphasized by the fit of her bikini top when she started jumping again.
The smell of her brought to mind honeysuckle in the spring as it tickled his nostrils. Though a smattering of freckles dotted her nose, there were few others on her alabaster skin. He could hear her alluring blood as it pulsed through her veins. The odd thing was that even though he wanted to taste her, he felt strangely calm around her. Even the beat of the other hearts surrounding him didn't arouse his ever-present yearning to kill. It was the first time in his life he'd ever felt truly peaceful and the sensation was even more pleasant than the aroma drifting from her skin.
She clapped her delicate hands together as she cheered for her friend. "It's a good match," he commented.
At first, she didn't seem to notice him as her attention remained riveted upon the game. Then he felt her eyes slide to his chest. Her eyebrows furrowed before her head tilted back so that she could take him in. Ethan's gaze ran over her almost fae-like features as he stared down at her. Her upper lip was thinner than her full bottom lip, a contrast that just added to her cuteness. He was tempted to bend his head and nibble on that bottom lip, but he refrained from terrifying the human by doing so.
Emma's mind spun as she tried to think of some kind of an answer instead of standing there like an idiot. But it was him. She had hoped that she would get the chance to see him again, but she certainly hadn't expected it to be right now, and she hadn't expected him to speak to her first. It didn't matter though; he was still standing there, watching her, and expecting some kind of an answer that proved she wasn't a moron.
"Ah, yes it is." Her hesitant response wasn't the best in the world but at least she had finally gotten a few coherent words out.
"Is the girl with the braids your friend?"
This brought a genuine smile to her face. "She is."
It took him a few seconds to gather his thoughts as he was charmed by her smile and the warmth that radiated from her. "She's good."
"She is. Do you play?"
Ethan glanced at the court but he found he much preferred to see her than the game. "I do."
"You should jump in then."
"Maybe later."
Not even when he'd been sixteen, and fumbling with his first bra, had he felt this awkward and uncertain as he extended a hand to her. "Ethan."
"Emma." Her skin was cool and felt like satin as she took hold of his hand. A jolt of electricity seemed to sizzle from her hand to his, up to his elbow, and through the rest of his body. Her eyes dilated a little as her breathing hitched and her eyes searched his face in astonishment. His hand involuntarily constricted upon hers as he stepped even closer to her. The heat of her body slid over his flesh as her bare arm came into contact with his chest. It took all he had not to pull her into his arms and kiss her, but he'd probably end up being slapped in the face if he did; something he'd well deserve for molesting her on the beach.
Emma's whole body was still vibrating from being in contact with his. She felt as if she'd grabbed onto an electric fence, something she'd done once as a kid while visiting her cousin's horse farm. This time it was an entirely pleasant sensation whereas that one had brought her to tears and sent her running across the yard to her mother's arms.
Fresh jolts of nervous electricity went through her body when his thumb brushed over her skin and he moved a step closer to her. For one crazy second she thought he was going to kiss her as his eyes deepened to a forest green color and he pressed her knuckles against the firm muscles of his flat stomach. She'd known him for all of two minutes but she would welcome that kiss and found herself longing for it.
"Here." He hadn't even
seen the young woman that had been standing with Emma before approaching until she spoke and thrust a pink drink in between them. Emma's hand slid away from his as she fumbled to take the drink. The woman's deep brown eyes were assessing and stony as she scanned him from head to toe. There was no lust within her gaze; she came across more like a mother bear protecting her cub than anything. Ethan held her stare as her assessing eyes came back to his. "Hello."
"Mandy this is Ethan, Ethan this is my friend Mandy," Emma introduced. She grabbed hold of her straw and took a sip of her drink. The sweet scent of strawberries drifted up to him but he didn't detect any alcohol in it.
"Hi," Mandy greeted but she continued to watch him like a hawk. Under other circumstances, he might have found her protective attitude amusing, now he just found it irritating and her interruption annoyed him.
A loud cheer drew his attention back to the game. The brunette with braids was jumping up and down as she high-fived her teammates. She jogged over to them and grabbed her towel from the sand. Words spilled out of her mouth at a million miles an hour as she dried the sweat from her body and grabbed the drink from Emma.
She closed her eyes and made a pleased sound in the back of her throat as she sipped it. "Delicious." Her hand stilled on the towel when she opened her eyes again and finally noticed him standing there. A sly grin curled her lips as she thrust out a hip. "Well hello," she greeted. "And who might you be?"
Emma and Mandy rolled their eyes and Emma grabbed her drink back from her friend. Ethan smiled back at the woman as she dropped her towel on the ground. "Ethan."
"Nice to meet you Ethan, I'm Jill and these are..."
"We've met," Mandy interrupted.
Jill frowned as she glanced between Emma and Mandy and then back at him. "Oh."
"We should probably go; I could stand to get out of this sun for a bit," Mandy said. The disappointment that filled him was a little disturbing but he wasn't in the mood to think about that. "Maybe we'll see you later."
"I'm sure of it." He didn't even look at Mandy but kept his gaze locked on Emma as he spoke. He was as startled by the words as Emma appeared to be, her eyes flickered and she bit her bottom lip.
She smiled at him and Mandy took hold of her arm. Their excited words and laughter floated back to him as he watched them walk away with their heads bent close together. The further away they got the more aware he became of the cluster of people around him and the blood that flowed through their veins. His teeth ground together as his hands fisted. After the stillness that her presence had brought to him, the influx of awareness was like sandpaper on his skin.
Turning away, he walked back to Isabelle and Stefan. They were both watching him with questioning expressions, but it was Isabelle that jumped on him first. "Who was that?" she demanded.
Ethan shrugged as he lowered himself to the blanket beside her. "Just some girl," he muttered,
but he found his gaze drawn back to Emma as she climbed the dunes with her friends.
CHAPTER 4
Emma brushed her hair out and let it fall around her shoulders as she studied herself in the mirror. Turning away, she grabbed the purple and white sundress from the bed and slid it over her head. Jill was adamant that they go to the bar again tonight, Emma thought she might have a bit of a crush on Ethan. That was a thought that didn't sit well with her, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. She didn't blame Jill; he was gorgeous. Just recalling the feel of his large hand encircling hers caused her heart to pound a little faster and her mouth to go dry.
There'd been a rod of strength in him, and he'd radiated an aura that was both formidable and appealing. She should probably stay far away from him, she'd already become entangled with a man that had seemed perfectly normal, and even a little boring when she'd first met him, but over time she'd come to realize that she'd seriously misjudged his character. Her mistake had caused her nothing but betrayal, aggravation, and a nightmare she wasn't certain would ever end.
She hadn't known him for long, but she got the impression that Ethan was anything but boring. Though common sense was telling her to stay away, she found herself intrigued by him and hoping that he would be there again tonight. Even if he was there, that was no guarantee he would talk to her again, today might have been only a fluke. He may have just been watching the game and looking to pass the time with some idle conversation.
Her fingers twitched as she smoothed the front of her dress and tried to get her nerves under control. She felt as jumpy as a cricket, she wasn't sure she could stand still long enough to carry on a conversation with him even if she did see him again. Ugh, she was an idiot, she decided as she brushed her hair over her shoulder and turned away from the mirror. Grabbing her purse from the queen-sized bed, she tossed the strap onto her shoulder. The cheerful yellow of the room calmed her nerves and brightened her mood as she made her way to the door and stepped into the narrow hallway.
Jill and Mandy were already in the kitchen, even over the noise of the blender, she could hear Jill singing Buffalo Soldier at the top of her lungs. All the windows in the house, and the sliding patio door had been opened to allow the ocean breeze to flow inside. It was refreshing as it tickled over her skin and brought with it the smell of the hibiscus growing just outside the doorway. Emma stepped into the small kitchen as Mandy shut the blender off and began to pour the red liquid into three different glasses. Over Mandy's shoulder, she could see the cotton candy pink house next door through the window above the sink.
"What's in it?" she inquired as Mandy handed her a glass of the blended concoction.
"A little bit of everything," Mandy answered.
Emma's nose wrinkled as she sniffed at the drink but the sip she took tasted delicious. "Are you ready to go?" Jill inquired. Her braids clacked as she bounced on her toes and danced around the kitchen. Thankfully, she had stopped butchering Bob Marley but she was beginning to hum some other tune that Emma did not want to hear.
Emma took a big gulp of her drink in order to get rid of it before Jill launched into her newest rendition of an unsuspecting reggae song. One drunken night a guy had told Jill that she should be on The Voice in an attempt to get in her pants. Jill hadn't left with him, but that night had been the closest she and Mandy had ever come to choking Jill when she'd continued to sing, loudly and badly, until three o'clock in the morning. Thankfully, sobriety had brought sanity with it, but Jill still loved to belt out her out of tune songs.
The cold rushing to her head caused Emma to wince. She placed the glass down and rubbed at her temples in an attempt to ease the headache the chill had caused. "Ready," she muttered.
Jill looped her arm through Emma's and took hold of Mandy's. "Let's go then!" she said excitedly.
"We're not going to see the wizard, Jill," Mandy said with a laugh as she extricated her arm from Jill's.
"I think someone has a crush." Emma tried to keep her tone airy and teasing but she knew she failed miserably.
"No, I don't," Jill protested. "I'm just looking to have some fun. Really I don't," she insisted at Emma's pointed look.
Jill smiled even more as she exchanged a look with Mandy. Emma felt a trickle of foreboding slide down her spine as she got the distinct feeling they were plotting against her. The thought drifted away though as they walked down the hill to the small bar on the beach. She tried not to let excitement get the best of her, but she found herself eagerly hoping that he was there.
Her excitement faded when they stepped into the nearly empty building. Jill's face scrunched up, her shoulders slumped as she headed over to a table next to the open windows. The tangy sea breeze picked up strands of her hair as Emma settled next to the window and placed her order.
The waiter had just turned away when the door opened and Ethan stepped inside with the couple she'd seen him with last night. Emma's fingers clenched on the table, she sat straighter in her chair. She didn't want to look in case he caught her staring, but she couldn't tear her gaze away from him. His head turned
toward them, his eyes latched onto hers and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
He was mouthwateringly gorgeous with his tousled hair and that endearing smile. Emma shifted in her chair, heat crept into her cheeks but she knew it wasn't just from her embarrassment over staring, but also from the desire she felt growing within her. She'd never experienced anything like this before but just looking at him made her heart race and caused her palms to sweat. She had to wipe her hands on her dress as she averted her gaze.
Jill and Mandy were both grinning annoyingly at her when she picked up her drink and took a sip. She couldn't stop her gaze from going back to him as the couple he was with settled onto stools at the bar. Ethan crossed his legs, rested his elbow on the bar and leaned against it. She felt it when his eyes came to rest on her but she didn't look in his direction again.
"I think it's you that has the crush," Jill teased.
Emma shot her a look but she didn't say anything as she took another sip of her drink. She was looking for something to cool her off but it wasn't having the effect she'd been hoping for. Taking a deep breath, she placed her glass on the table and focused on the dazzling array of pinks, oranges, and reds that the setting sun cast over the ocean.
His approach was so discreet that she wasn't aware he had left the bar until a chair from the table next to them was settling beside her. "Do you mind?" he asked when her eyes shot to him.
"Not at all," she managed to get out.
He settled his large frame into the chair and stretched his long legs before him. The muscles in his forearms and biceps rippled when he leaned toward her. Heat seemed to radiate from him, she'd thought her palms were sweaty before but they were even worse now as she was drawn toward him like a magnet to metal.
Jill lifted her glass and chugged it down. "I think I'll get another. Want to come with me Mandy?"
"Sure," Mandy said and pushed herself to her feet. "You need anything Emma?"
She reluctantly tore her eyes away from Ethan and shook her head. "No, I'm fine."
Untamed (Vampire Awakenings, Book 3) Page 3