“Yeah, thanks,” I said. Just because I didn’t like the way she’d seemed so chummy with Alec didn’t mean I was going to go out of my way to be mean to her. Especially not in front of him.
“And what do you want on it?” Lilly asked as she scribbled my order down with jerky movements. She didn’t want to talk to me. I could sense it. Did she have a thing for Alec? Of course she did. Why else would she have been flirting with him the way she had when I walked in?
“Everything except mayo and onion.”
“Anything to drink?”
I wanted the milkshake Alec had mentioned, but figured I’d better go with water instead. It would make my meal cheaper. I’d buy myself a milkshake before I left tonight, though.
“Water, please.”
“And what about you? Can I get you anything?” Lilly asked Alec. Her entire demeanor had changed now that she was speaking to him.
“I’ll take some fries and a refill on my sweet tea,” Alec said, oblivious to her cutesy smile.
“You got it.” Lilly grinned wider as she gripped his cup and then turned to place our order.
“Sorry I’m late,” I said as soon as she’d disappeared. “My Gran needed to talk to me about some family stuff.” It wasn’t a total lie.
Alec leaned closer. His knee brushed against mine, and I swore the area of my skin had never been more alive than it was right now.
“Everything okay?” he asked. Genuine concern flared through his brown eyes.
“Yeah, everything’s fine.” I leaned against the counter, careful not to move my legs so his knee would remain pressed against mine. “So, how long have you been sitting here chatting with Lilly?” I hated the way jealousy dripped from my words, but I couldn’t control it. I hadn’t enjoyed seeing him talking with her, and the smiles on both of their faces had killed me.
“Not long, and you don’t have anything to worry about,” he said as he placed a hand on my thigh. My heart kicked into overdrive at the unexpected movement. “I came here to see you, not her.”
While his words were reassuring, the image of the two of them laughing would forever be burned into my memory. Normally, I’d say I wasn’t the jealous type, but the situation rubbed me the wrong way. Or maybe it was the approaching full moon and what it might mean that had me looking for things to unleash my frustration and fears on.
Lilly came back with my water and Alec’s sweet tea refill. She set our glasses in front of us and then shifted her attention to me. “I forgot to ask if you wanted lemon, and you didn’t specify. I can get you one if you want, though.”
I plastered a smile on my face just as fake as the one on hers. “No, I’m fine.”
There was no way I’d ask for a lemon now. The chances of it coming from the floor were pretty high based off the look on her face. Apparently, she’d noticed Alec’s hand on my thigh.
Good. She needed to know whom he belonged to.
“Your food will be out soon.”
“Thanks,” Alec said as she walked away. “I’m getting the impression you two don’t get along.”
“Your impression wouldn’t be wrong,” I said as I took a sip of my water, holding his gaze. His smile dimmed, and I felt myself deflate. Maybe I shouldn’t have said that. “Honestly, I don’t know her so I can’t say for sure if I like her. What I can tell you is she doesn’t like me.”
“I’m sure that’s not true. Lilly is really a sweet girl if you give her a chance,” Alec insisted. His words seemed defensive of her in a way that made me uncomfortable. “I’ve known her since we were little kids. The edge of their land butts against my backyard. I used to fish out of their pond every summer and play with their animals.”
He had a soft spot for her. Great. “I didn’t realize you were neighbors.” My words were sharp and harsh.
“Yeah, but I guess that’s not helping how you feel about her, is it?” he asked as a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. Had he been trying to get a reaction out of me? Something in his eyes made me think he might have been.
“No.”
Alec leaned in closer, so close I could feel his warm breath tickle my face. “That’s okay. Have I ever told you I like your feisty side?”
A throaty laugh burst past my lips. He had been trying to get a reaction out of me. “Really? Well, let’s just say you haven’t seen my true feisty side yet.”
No matter what I tossed him, he still stuck around for more. Yep, Alec Thomas was definitely a keeper.
“Alec. Hey, what’s up?” a guy everyone referred to as Benji said as he reached for Alec’s hand and did the weird shoulder bump thing guys always did. “We still on for Sunday?”
“Heck yeah. Right after church, meet me at my house. You can help me strap the four-wheelers to my dad’s trailer and then ride to the track with me.”
“He’s letting you take the trailer, then? Cool,” Benji said with a grin. There were remnants of something black stuck in his teeth. When he reached for a circle canister from his back pocket, I knew it was dip.
Yuck.
“It took a little convincing and some extra chores, but he eventually agreed. I just have to be careful, or he’ll never let me use it again.”
“That would be a bummer. It’s so much easier to get them off a trailer than out of the back of a truck.” Benji glanced at me, as though he’d only now noticed me. “I’ll let you get back to whatever you two were doing. See you at church, man.”
“See ya.” Alec took a swig of his sweet tea.
“Four-wheeling?” I knew Alec was a rugged southern boy, but I didn’t realize he had a four-wheeler. I’d always wanted to ride one.
“Nothing better than slinging up some dirt after praising the almighty for a few hours.”
“Um. Doesn’t that contradict what you do in church?”
“Why would it?”
I took a small sip of water, thinking about what I was trying to say before I actually did. People in this town easily became offended when someone downplayed the importance of going to church. Maybe that was another reason they thought I was odd. My family didn’t go to church. No one in the park did.
It wasn’t that we didn’t believe in God; it was that we worshiped him in a different way. Nature was our church. We didn’t need fancy clothes or to be perfectly groomed to give our thanks. All we needed was a connection with the Earth.
“Well, because you’re basically going to church to worship all of God’s creation and thank him for it, then you leave and hop on your four-wheeler to tear it all up. It seems a bit contradictory to me,” I said, watching his face, waiting for his reaction.
A lopsided grin formed. “Never thought of it that way,”
Lilly came with our food. She couldn’t have picked a better time. The conversation we were having wasn’t one I wanted to continue. It had the potential to veer off into something too philosophical and deep than I cared to discuss.
“Here you go. One burger, minus the onion and mayo, plus fries and another side order of fries, extra-large because that’s the only way to go,” Lilly said to Alec. She acted as though she’d done him a huge favor by giving him more fries than she’d charged for.
“Wow, that’s a lot of fries,” Alec said as he eyed the plate she’d placed in front of him.
“Oh, let me get you some ketchup. I’ll be right back.” She dashed toward the kitchen again.
“There’s no way I can eat all of these,” Alec muttered the second she was out of sight.
“I don’t think many could. It looks like something from a food-eating contest. I keep waiting for her to pop-up with a timer to see if you can beat the record.” I chuckled.
“I know, right? Not only that, but I ate earlier. My mom made pot roast, my favorite, and I had seconds. I feel bad she gave me so much. I know she was only trying to be nice, but I’m not that hungry.”
“Then don’t eat them.” Seemed to be the obvious answer.
Alec leaned back, taking his hand from my thigh and moving his
knee away from mine in the process. Both areas felt as though they were slowly dying from the sudden loss of contact with him. Had my words seemed too harsh? I hadn’t meant them to be.
“I know, but I don’t want to seem rude,” he said.
Lilly came back with a bottle of ketchup. It looked brand-new. “Here you go. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thanks, Lilly,” Alec said as he picked up the bottle.
I watched her as she walked away. Her hips swayed more than they should naturally. Alec didn’t seem to notice. He was still focused on the massive number of fries she’d given him.
“Hey, man,” another guy from school said as he slapped Alec on the shoulder in passing. “We still on for Sunday? Going to kick a little mud around?”
“You know it,” Alec said around a mouthful of fries. “Meet at my place. We can all head out to the property together.”
“Sounds good,” the guy said as he continued toward the exit. His eyes drifted to me, and I swore I saw something dark reflected there. It was gone before I could name it. My gaze shifted to the tiny girl tucked into his side. She had short brown hair and doe-like eyes. She flashed me a smile, but I caught on right away it was more of a nervous gesture than something tossed out for friendship purposes.
“How many people are going four-wheeling with you on Sunday?” I asked once they were out of earshot.
“There’s usually about seven of us, but a couple of the guys couldn’t make it this weekend. Looks like it’ll be Benji, Shane, and his girlfriend, Becca.” He crammed another couple of fries into his mouth before speaking again. “Which is pretty much the usual group. Why, you want to come?”
My heart stalled. I hadn’t been expecting him to invite me, but I couldn’t deny how excited I was that he had. “I don’t know, maybe,” I said, playing it off cool. “Where are you riding them?” It didn’t matter, but I felt it was a good question to ask.
“My uncle owns a little stretch of land near the lake he lets us ride on.”
As long as it wasn’t on Lilly’s family property, I was fine with it. “Okay, sure. I’ll come.”
“You’re serious?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes I have a hard time distinguishing when you’re being serious and when you’re screwing with me.”
“Well, I’m definitely not screwing with you. I want to come. I’ve never ridden a four-wheeler before, but I’ve always wanted to,” I admitted and then took a large bite of my burger.
“Awesome, you’re going to love it. I can pick you up on my way home from church Sunday, or you can meet me at my place. Whichever is easier for you.”
There was no way I wanted him to pick me up on his way home from church. He’d be dressed to impress, and everyone in the trailer park would be saying the same crap Gran was. I didn’t need to hear it from anyone else that I was wasting my time with Alec, especially not when I wasn’t sure I’d ever be Moon Kissed like the rest of them. I didn’t have many full moons left for it to happen.
“I’ll meet you at your place.”
“Sounds good.”
I ate the rest of my burger as Alec ate a good portion of his fries. Afterward, we ordered milkshakes to go. It wasn’t until we were headed to the exit that I noticed three of Eli’s brothers at a table in the corner, staring at me. I wondered how long they’d been there and why I hadn’t felt their gaze before. I should have. When I was with Alec, though, nothing else mattered.
I glanced at the three of them. What were they doing here? Watching me? Their trays were empty, so maybe they’d been eating. How long had they been sitting there, though? Two of the brothers were missing from the group. There were five Vargas boys. While I was positive Eli was still at Eddie’s finishing his shift, I wondered where the youngest Vargas boy was. Then again, maybe he was too young to be out and about. After all, he was only nine. Why were Tate, Cooper, and Mika here, though? This wasn’t a place they frequented.
I waved at them as I passed their table with Alec at my side. Cooper and Mika acknowledged my presence with a tiny nod, but Tate flat-out ignored me. Out of these three, he was the one who reminded me of Eli most. There was something dark and serious about him the others didn’t harbor.
“I know those guys are your neighbors, but they give me the creeps. That whole family does,” Alec muttered once we’d stepped outside.
An uncontrollable flush of heat swept through me. Had he ever felt that way about me?
“A lot of people think that.” I tasted my milkshake, trying to hide the tendrils of insecurity flickering through me.
“Do you have to be home soon?”
“No.” I didn’t have a curfew. Gran trusted me enough to never enforce one.
“Would you want to see the track? I know it doesn’t sound cool, but it’s right on the lake and I know you like the lake.”
I eyed him. “How do you know that?”
“I know a lot more about you than you would think, Mina Ryan.” He winked.
His words should have put me on guard. They would have if they’d come from anyone besides him. Instead, they caused delicious shivers to slip up and down my spine and my heart to beat tenfold.
Had he been watching me? Was he really that interested in me?
“Like what?” Curiosity got the best of me. There was no way Alec had watched me the way I watched him. I’d been like a hunter stalking her prey.
“You prefer to be alone rather than surrounded by people. You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for because of the way you take care of your family. You don’t take crap from anyone. You love the lake and the moon. And you happen to like vanilla milkshakes.” He nodded to the shake in my hand as a boyish look swept across his face.
When had he learned so much about me? What made him want to?
“Have you been stalking me?” Jesus, that was the second time tonight those words had come from my mouth. However, it was the first time I’d meant them.
The only way Alec would know I liked hanging out at the lake and a few of the other things he’d mentioned was if he followed me around. A lot.
The tiny hairs on the back of my neck lifted on end.
“Not really, no,” he said as he averted his gaze from mine. A pink tint splashed across his cheeks, and I knew I’d embarrassed him by putting him on the spot. “The piece of land my uncle owns connects to the lake. The section is kind of close to the trailer park where you live. Sometimes I go out there to camp, hunt, or be alone with nature. It’s pretty much my favorite place in the world, and that was before I learned it was close to yours.”
“Close to my what?” I wasn’t following.
“Your favorite place in the world, the lake.” His mouth sounded dry. He took a sip from his milkshake and then licked his lips. “I’ve seen you out there at night. You stare at the moon and dip your toes in the water. Sometimes it looks like you’re praying or meditating or something. You look peaceful there.”
My breath hitched. I hadn’t realized someone had been watching me. Usually, I was in tune with my surroundings, but not lately. The last few months I’d been preoccupied. Not having been Moon Kissed yet was starting to get to me.
Generally, a person harboring the wolf gene would be Moon Kissed between their sixteenth and nineteenth birthday. I was eighteen and it hadn’t happened yet. My time was running short.
“I know I sound like some sort of a creeper. I’m not, I swear,” he said as he held up a hand in surrender.
“I don’t think you’re a creeper. I just didn’t know you’d been watching me.” What else had he seen? Had he seen when I skinny-dipped a few weeks ago? Had he witnessed others things in the woods he shouldn’t?
“Good, I’m glad. The last thing I ever want to do is scare you away.”
“You could never scare me away,” I scoffed.
If anything, I would scare him away. In fact, I wasn’t sure how I hadn’t yet. Who did he see when he looked at me
? It couldn’t be the same girl everyone else saw. The one from the trailer park. The one who was different in a way that was unexplainable. Heck, it might not even be the same girl I saw when I looked in a mirror. Maybe Alec saw someone else entirely.
I was okay with that.
3
A portion of my favorite piece of the lake happened to be on Alec’s uncle’s property. Apparently, I’d trespassed numerous times without realizing. This explained how he knew I enjoyed looking at the moon and visiting the lake.
The moral of the story: I needed to pay more attention to my surroundings.
We finished our milkshakes as we walked the property, heading toward the lake. Once we reached it, Alec sat and I followed suit. The night sounds surrounded us, and all the tension I’d been feeling from our lack of conversation disappeared as contentment washed over me. This lake was home.
Alec’s knee brushed against mine as he better situated himself beside me. It was intentional, I could tell, but I was okay with it because I wanted to feel him too. I licked my lips and shifted to glance at him. He was staring at me with an intensity in his eyes I found surprising.
“You really love this place, don’t you?” he asked.
“Yeah.” The word came out as a breathy whisper.
“Everything about you seemed to relax the second we sat down.”
He was so observant. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. “Tell me something about you. I feel like you already know so much about me, but I know virtually nothing about you.”
It wasn’t the entire truth. He hadn’t been the only one watching.
I’d picked up on some things about him. I knew he had an older brother who still lived in town. His dad was a carpenter, and his mom worked at the local grocery store as a cashier. I knew his entire family had been born and raised here. He went to church every Sunday. He was a lover of sweet tea and all things barbecue, and as of tonight, I knew he enjoyed four-wheeling.
Mirror Lake Wolves 01 - Moon Kissed Page 3