Authors: Starla Silver
CHAPTER EIGHT
Melinda told Riley to slow down and take the next right. It was a sharp turn, and he nearly had to come to a complete stop to do it safely.
“Where’s it lead?”
She just smiled and nodded for him to pay attention.
“Yes, Ma’am,” he replied.
If Melinda hadn’t pointed out the turn, Riley would never have seen it. The trail was unmarked and just wide enough for a small car to fit through. The ground was smoothed over from years of use, so the motorcycle had no trouble even though it was unpaved. The trees and bushes surrounding the sides of the road grew tall, threatening to reclaim the road to its natural wild state.
Soon, they came to a blockade of granite rock about three feet in height, and he parked the bike. A look of awe spread across his face.
“What is this place?”
“It’s where we locals like to get our kicks,” she answered, dismounting the bike and taking off her helmet. He did the same, grabbing hers and hanging them both on the bike.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. Are we still in Maine?” he joked.
“Neat, huh? It’s a quarry, been here since long before I was born. To be completely honest though, I haven’t been here in years, but things don’t really change much on the Isle. C'mon.” She grabbed his hand daringly, dragging him along to the edge. There was no other person in sight.
Melinda shouted into the quarry. Her echo carried to the other side, repeating her shout until the last echo finally faded into the distance.
“Wicked,” Riley chuckled.
“I don’t know why I did that,” she blurted out, her cheeks blushing. “Haven’t screamed into the quarry since I was a kid.” It was a silly childish thing to do.
“I don’t think any less of you,” he responded with a chuckle. “Besides, sometimes screaming can be fun.” The look he wore said he had a much different kind of screaming on his mind.
Melinda cleared her throat, her brain going incoherent for a moment. She swept her gaze away from him, peering back into the quarry. Could he actually think of her like that? Waves of excitement stemmed from her chest down to her thighs, but each stem met with a sharp jab of doubt. He was just being nice. Or flirty. But nothing more.
Why couldn’t being with a guy be as easy as it was in her dreams? In her mind, it always worked out so perfectly. So smoothly. Real life was a lot more work. And was much more awkward.
She refocused on the quarry, missing her visits here. Which seemed stupid seeing as it was just a short drive from her home. She hadn’t been here once in the last four years.
Funny,
she could not help but think. What an odd thing to have such a sudden desire to be outdoors and free, the thought of being stuck inside her house suddenly squeezing her heart and lungs, making it difficult to breathe.
The quarry resembled a steep granite staircase, leading down to open water below. Except that you could only catch glimpses of the water as drifting fog rolled across the surface where the summer heat hit the damp granite, warming it. The warmed air rose up out of the quarry giving the place an almost sauna-esque feel. Off to the right, a river poured into the quarry, creating a long waterfall that splashed far below.
Melinda sat down, kicked off her flip-flops and dangled her feet over the edge of the quarry. Riley joined her, sitting so close he could have easily leaned in and nibbled on her ear. She didn’t know why that picture came into her mind but her cheeks flushed at the thought of him doing so.
She turned to Riley. “So where are you visiting from?”
“Portland… Oregon, not Maine.”
She nodded, letting out a timid breath. She couldn’t think of anything else to say other than, “It’s like a little slice of paradise here. I’d forgotten how beautiful the quarry is in the summer.”
Really! Boring ass small talk… he’s going to ditch you here for being so dull.
“I can’t disagree,” Riley responded. “I think the view is stunning.”
Melinda glanced in his direction and her cheeks turned even rosier when she realized he was looking directly at her when he spoke. Air suddenly seemed impossible to suck into her lungs. She let her bangs hide her face, hoping he could not see her reaction. A flurry of fiery tingles ran all over her skin, causing her to shudder.
“You cold?”
“No. Fine,” she breathed out. “It’s actually kind of… hot… I don’t know why I shivered.”
He grinned, wearing a look that said he knew why.
“This place does have a tropical sort of feel to it.” He leaned onto his back, gazing up into the sky. “A person could come here and completely forget they were stuck on an island off the coast of Maine.”
“Do you feel stuck, being here on the Isle?”
“Thought I did.”
She shoved her bangs behind her ear and twisted her body to peer down and toss him a questioning gaze.
“I just mean, maybe it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.”
“So you’re not just visiting?”
“Nope. Not a tourist. My brother talked me into moving here with him. We just arrived a couple days ago. He’s a few years older than me, been wanting to move here for a couple years now. I wasn’t really into it myself, but now… I think my mind is changing.”
Melinda leaned back, the sun making an appearance again, warming her skin. It was also an excuse to look away from Riley and find her breath. He wasn’t just a tourist. He was sticking around. She hoped her excitement over that fact wasn’t too obvious.
It was just before noon she thought, squinting into the sky. Plenty of time to discover more about motorcycle man.
And long before the moon rises and Charlie
... she stopped herself, pushing the thought deeply into the recesses of her mind.
“How old are you?” she asked him, distracting herself.
“Just turned twenty-two a month ago.”
“Do you and your brother get along?”
“Sure, for the most part. He’s always on me about this and that, and basically getting my act together and growing up and being more serious, like him.”
“Sounds familiar,” she replied dryly.
“You’ve got siblings too then?”
“Couple older brothers.”
Well, maybe tomorrow only one brother that matters,
she thought dreadfully. Another uncertainty she pushed out of her mind.
Riley pulled himself up to his side, facing her. “So… will you bite my head off if I ask how old
you
are, Melinda?”
She turned her head and stared at him as if debating the question. “Nah, I’m too comfortable for biting right now.”
He pouted, waiting for an answer.
“If you must know, I’m a mere baby of twenty-one.”
“That’s hardly a mere baby.” There was a devilish innuendo in his tone.
“Not what my brothers think.” Her thoughts added,
not like I’ve given them reason to think otherwise the last few years…
“Are you seeing anyone?” he blurted it out as if he’d just gotten up the nerve. His voice held a tinge of apprehension.
She didn’t answer right away. Her throat clammed up. It wasn’t a question she’d been expecting. And did bad dates, steamy dreams or off limit vampires count?
No. Definitely not.
“I’m taking that’s a yes,” he said glumly.
“Oh, sorry. Um. No. Actually that’s very big
no
.”
“Am I bringing up a bad subject?”
“Not really. It’s just kind of a loaded question. I’ve had a series of very disastrous dates.” She shook her head, unable to explain further. And did three dates in the last two years even count as a series?
“Well, I’m sorry they went badly.” Riley didn’t sound sorry. “It’s their loss.”
And my gain,
Melinda could practically hear him add.
She leaned down onto her back again, soaking in the sun, glad it had reappeared. She could not think up any response to what he’d said. Only that she really liked everything he said. Almost as if he knew every perfect thing to say to her. Everything she wanted to hear.
Hell.
He probably says the same thing to every girl.
Then why am I soaking it up like a sponge? Am I this desperate for male attention? Shit. Maybe I am… but he can’t be any worse than jerkwad.
Oh. My. God. Shut the fuck up!
This guy… Riley, is nothing like jerkwad.
Frustration mounted. Between still be worked up over the William dreams, she was falling way too easy for a complete stranger.
She sucked in a restorative breath, letting her cares go with her exhale.
You’re hanging out with a hot guy, lying in the sun… just shut up and enjoy it!
Mists from the quarry lifted, leaving a moist layer on her face and neck. She let out a low, satisfied groan. “I miss the feel of the sun on my skin. I can’t remember the last time I did this.”
“It’s been a sunny summer so far. You have fair skin though. You probably prefer the shade, huh?”
“I actually really don’t.” She rolled onto her side to face him again. “I just haven’t seen much sun recently.”
“You’re an odd girl,” he said, inching closer to her. “I don’t mean in a bad way,” he added quickly. “The way you talk, though, it’s like you just got out of prison or something.”
She laughed. She couldn't help it.
“Oh, shit. Did you? I didn’t mean…” she put her hand over his mouth.
“I’ve never been in prison, Riley.”
Maybe a prison of my own design…
He grabbed her hand before she could pull it away and held it in his own hand, stroking her fingers. She was glad right then that he was human and not a vampire like William. Although, as hard as her heart was pounding, she didn’t think he’d need extraordinary hearing to hear, see or feel the thudding against her chest.
“I didn’t think you looked like the
been in prison
type. But I’d like to know all your secrets, Melinda, even if you were in prison.”
She thought about that for a minute. Would he really want to know
all
her secrets? Being a witch came with a lot of responsibility. It also came with a lot of danger. She looked into Riley’s molasses eyes. She did not think he would mind a little danger.
“What are you thinking right now?” he asked. “You just got this reckless sparkle in your eyes.”
“Has anyone ever told you that you read people really well?”
“Actually, I’ve been told that more than once. And more than once it’s gotten me into a bit of trouble.”
“Really? Like what?”
“Well, I’ve never been in prison, either, if that’s what you mean,” he raised his eyebrows humorously, allowing her hand to slide back to her side.
She bit her lip, trying to contain herself. Her previous bad dates, or jerkwad, could not hold a candle to Riley. Not in looks or charm. Even if he was just filling her with bullshit. At least he was giving it some effort.
It took everything she had not to reach out and stroke Riley’s face, or neck, or chest... Melinda let out an exasperated groan and jumped up onto her feet. He might be good to look at and charming, but he was still a total stranger, no matter how comfortable she felt around him.
“There’s something else I haven’t done in a really long time,” she told him, a warning tone shooting at him.
“And what would that be?” he asked, rolling onto his back, gazing up at her.
Her body blocked the sun from stinging his eyes. It left a golden halo around her head.
Fitting,
he thought.
An angel…
How is it she’s not taken?
Something dawned on him.
Bad dates… some guy must have been a total ass to her.
How would this even be possible? Every part of her being shouted at him,
would it be too much to ask if someone just loved me, for me?
And for reasons he did not understand, this was all he wanted to do.
She stared down at him, a vexing twinkle in her eyes.
“Do you trust me?” There was menace in her tone. She stepped closer to the edge of the quarry.
“Trust you? Hmm…” He got to his feet, facing her as if trying to read her thoughts. “I guess this means I do.” His voice inflected maybe, maybe not, but I’m game either way.
“You’re probably going to want to take your clothes off then.” Melinda proceeded to peel off a sweater and lift her tank top over her head.
“What are you doing?” he breathed out through puckered cheeks.
Oh, wow!
So perfectly curvy in all the right places…
he wanted to reach out and slide his arms around her. Had to stop himself from acting on that desire.
Melinda shot him a look that said undress already.
“Okay, okay. Your wish, my command,” he surrendered hastily.
A nervous pit expanded in her chest.
What the heck am I doing?
Standing half-naked next to a perfect stranger...
yeah, this isn’t the stupidest fucking thing you’ve ever done.
She unbuttoned her jean
shorts, slinking out of them, allowing them to slither down her legs to the ground. She swore she heard a hungry groan from Riley’s direction but didn’t dare look his way. If she did, she’d lose her nerve.