Dangerous (4 page)

A soft breeze blew across the porch, sending the wind chimes into a tinkling rhythm. When Granny had driven out of sight, I went inside, desperate to escape the heat, and texted my two best friends, twin sisters named Crimson and Scarlet Cruze.

Stone

After leaving the book store, I rode my motorcycle along the Black Snake, the most winding, mountainous road in the area, a great place for motorcycle enthusiasts who wanted a challenging ride. It helped clear my head. While I was navigating the Black Snake, it was just me and my bike, nothing else could penetrate my mind. And considering how much shit I had floating around in my head, it was no wonder that I visited the Black Snake often.

To help clear my mind even further and wash some of the tension from my body, I followed my ride up with a steaming hot shower and then made plans to meet Mike Waters at Awesome Sauce, the local teen hangout.

When I entered the building, I saw him sitting in a booth by the window, a mountain of fries in front of him.

I sat across from him, and we bumped fists across the table in greeting. Mike would also be a senior next year at Quail Mountain High, and he was the one person that I had known before I started attending school there.

“What did you do to Jessie?” he asked, right before he crammed two French fries in his mouth.

“Jessie? I didn’t do anything to her. She canceled on
me
tonight. Why?”

“I saw her in here at lunch today. When I asked where you were, I thought she was going to burst into tears. She seemed like she was upset about something. I figured you must’ve done something to make her mad.”

I laughed. “Jessie is not a burst-into-tears kind of girl. She’s the eat-you-up-and-spit-you-out-on-your-ass type. You know that. She probably was pissed off about something, but it didn’t have anything to do with me.”

I motioned for the server to come to our table and ordered a cheeseburger, fries, and a sweet tea. When she left, I glanced back at Mike. “So how’re you going to spend your summer?”

“Chasing skirts,” he said, looking at me with exasperation. “How else would I spend it?”

“I thought you would’ve tired of that by now, since you’re always chasing them, but never actually catching any. They do scientific experiments about guys like you. You know that, right? See how many times you’ll get shocked, even though you never get the cheese.”

He chuckled. “Dang, Stone, you know how to kick a man in the gut, don’t you?”

I ignored his question. “Hey, do you remember that girl that dated Chance Murray?”

“You mean Dara Golding? Of course I remember her. She’s hot.” He pointed a fry at me. “Now there’s a skirt I’d like to catch.”

“Tom hired her.”

The server delivered my tea, and Mike stopped eating and looked at me. “She’s working at Quail Mountain Books?”

“Yeah, today was her first day. I’ve got to say she looked smokin’ hot.”

“I guess I’ll have to come buy something tomorrow.”

Dara Golding. Every time I thought about her, I saw those shimmering pink lips. I couldn’t get them out of my freaking mind.

“I’ve been thinking about asking her out.” The words came out of my mouth before my mind could stop them.

Mike studied my face, his brown eyes assessing me. “She doesn’t seem like your type.”

“My type?
What’s my freakin’ type? She’s gorgeous, and she has a great bod. That is my type.”

“You know what I mean, Stone.”

Why did everyone always assume that I didn’t measure up? “No, I don’t think I do know what you mean. Are you insinuating that she’s too good for me?” I could feel my blood pressure rising.

Mike held his hands up in a conciliatory manner.
“Of course not.
I’m saying that you usually go for the girls who just want a little fun, not the kind of girls that want relationships. And speaking of
relationships,
isn’t she dating Chance?”

“Not anymore.”

“Well, when you ask her out, see if she has any friends that want to double date.”

“So now it’s not enough that I find my own date. I have to find you one, too?”

“I wouldn’t turn it down, if you did,” he said, chuckling. “And she has some hot friends.”

The server delivered my order, and I took a sip of my tea. The conversation turned to other things, but Dara’s sexy mouth was never far from my mind.

***

I slept late the next morning. When I pulled into the parking lot of the store, I saw Dara’s hideous ride parked in the corner of the lot. I whipped around the side of the building to park my bike where I always parked it, under the carport. I removed my helmet and that was when I first noticed her.

She was wearing a pair of skintight blue jeans and a green, fitted shirt that accentuated the color of her eyes. She wore strappy, leather sandals that showed off her freshly-painted, hot pink toenails. Her blond hair hung just past her shoulders, and today it was straight and silky. I decided right then and there that Dara would look good no matter how her hair was fixed and no matter what type of clothing she wore. Hell, she could make Tom’s plaid pants and geeky glasses look sexy.

Apparently, she had made a trip to the dumpster and was on her way back into the store. She walked toward me.

“I saw you riding a wheelie through the parking lot yesterday.”

I looked at her, but didn’t respond. Was that supposed to be news to me?

“You think you’re a real badass on that thing, don’t you?” she asked, coming to a stop just a few feet away.

“You’re wrong.”

“Am I?” she asked, sounding like she didn’t believe me.

“I don’t
think
I’m a badass on this thing. I know I am.”

A change of emotion flickered across her face. I could tell Dara hadn’t experienced anyone quite like me. But then few girls had.

“Conceited and a badass,” she spouted. “Now there’s a combination.”

I shot her the most endearing grin I could muster. “Everybody has something they’re good at. Your heartthrob boyfriend knows his shit when it comes to football. I’m no running back, but this?” I motioned to the bike. “This is
my
shit.”

I placed the helmet on the mirror and got off the bike. I walked toward her, her lips still parted in surprise to my response. The closer I got to her, the wider her green eyes opened. She stood her ground as I approached. I bent close to her, my face just inches away from hers. I could smell her perfume, and it drew me nearer.

Damn, it wouldn’t take much for me to lean down right now and nibble on her lower lip. I could tell that she wanted me to. Her eyes were beautiful, her lids highlighted with shades of pink. Dark eyeliner had been applied under her eyes, starting out as a thin line on the inner part of the eye and widening as it reached the outer corners. Long, dark lashes framed the vibrant green irises. She was watching me closely, silently, unsure of my next move.

I held my position. I wanted to keep her wondering. I wanted her to hope desperately that I would close the gap and touch my lips to her own. I wanted her to be aware that I was watching her as closely as she was watching me, to know that I was taller, stronger. I could see her pulse beating wildly along the slender column of her neck. I wanted her to want me.

Once I was satisfied that I had left her breathless, that when Dara Golding heard my name, her heart would skip a beat and heat would unfurl in her body, I took a step back.

“I’m conceited and a badass,” I said softly. “You’d best not forget it.”

Dara

My heart was beating out of my chest again, thumping so loudly that I wondered if he could actually hear it. Why did he have that effect on me?

Afraid that I would shatter into a thousand pieces if I moved, I stood motionless as I watched him turn away and walk into the building. My chest began rising and falling rapidly and only then did I realize that I had been holding my breath. I inhaled deeply, trying to regain my composure. When he watched me so intently with those wintry eyes, I was mesmerized, his gaze penetrating me to my very core.

He scared me. When he was near, I lost all control, all conscious thought. I was under his spell.

When my breathing finally returned to normal, I reminded myself why I was here. I desperately wanted to save enough money to buy my own car, and if I continued to let Stone distract me, Tom was going to fire me. Speaking of Tom, he was probably wondering what was taking me so long.

I took one more deep breath before I went through the back door in search of Tom.

I found him in his usual spot, slumped over the computer, working on spreadsheets and inventory.

“Tom, all the cardboard boxes have been broken down and put in the dumpster. What should I do now?”

He looked up from the computer screen and pushed his glasses up his nose. “Just watch the cash register. I
gotta
go out for a couple of hours and run some errands. You think you can handle it by yourself?”

I felt the panic swell in my chest. There really wasn’t that much to do, though. The cash register was pretty easy to work. “Sure. I can handle it.”

“Good. If you have any problems, Stone can help you. I’ll let him know that I’m leaving and that you’ve got the cash register covered.”

“Okay.” Stone was in the back of the store somewhere putting out inventory. I didn’t really want to have to ask for him help, terrified that I would have the same reaction that I did a moment ago.

Time ticked away.

With every customer that I checked out, my confidence grew. It felt great to be able to handle business on my own, and I was beginning to understand just how satisfying a job could be.

I hadn’t spoken to Stone since Tom left. I wasn’t sure if he was intentionally avoiding me or if it had just worked out that way. I thought I might actually make it until Tom returned, but then a customer presented me with a ten percent off coupon.

Darn. I hadn’t yet encountered a coupon, and as I stared at the cash register, I realized there was no way that I would be able to complete the sale without assistance from Stone.

I smiled at the middle-aged lady as she looked at me expectantly. “I’m sorry, but I’m new. Let me get someone to help me with this coupon. I’ll be right back.”

She smiled back at me. “That’s fine.”

I held the coupon tightly between my thumb and my index finger and went in search of Stone. I found him at a back endcap, stocking CDs.

“Stone, I hate to bother you, but a customer gave me this coupon. I don’t know how to ring it up.”

He looked at me, and it was all I could do not to physically squirm.

He motioned down the aisle, his biceps visible with the movement.
“After you.”

I walked back to the cash register with him following me. The lady was still waiting patiently as I hurried up the aisle.

“Hey, Mrs. Foster! How’re you today?” Stone asked, greeting the customer. I noticed that he called her by name, and I wondered if she was a regular.

“I’m good, Stone.
You?”

“Couldn’t be better.”

“How are your parents?”

“They’re doing just fine. They should be back in time for the Fourth of July.”

“Oh, good!
I’ll have to drop by and see them.”

“You should definitely do that. They’d love to see you.”

He turned his attention to me then. “Just scan the item, press the coupon button,
then
scan the coupon. It will automatically take off the appropriate amount. After that, all you have to do is hit your total button.”

He was standing directly behind me, watching my every move. I tried not to be self-conscious but failed miserably. I followed his instructions and completed the transaction. When Mrs. Foster left the store, there were no other customers.

Stone crossed his arms and leaned against the counter, grinning at me, his black pullover shirt contrasting with his light blue eyes. “I’m awesome sauce, aren’t I?”

“Because you know how to enter a coupon?”
I asked, slightly annoyed that his conceitedness was showing again.

“Because you, Dara Golding, find me irresistible.”

I stared at him, dumbfounded.

“Admit it. You do.” His angular jawline softened as he grinned.

“I’ll admit no such thing, you pompous rakehell.”

“Rakehell?
Ouch. Now there’s a word you don’t hear every day. You had to dig deep in your vocabulary for that one, didn’t you?”

“Not as deep as you might think. For some reason, I’ve had a lot of words swirling in my head today, like rogue, cad, asshat…you get the picture.”

“You wound me.” He slapped his palm against his muscular chest as if I had shot him with my words.

“Yeah, well, if I’m lucky, you’ll crawl in a corner and die.”

He
laughed,
a genuinely carefree laugh that almost made me want to smile.
Almost.

“If I did that, you’d have nothing to look forward to.” He pushed himself off the counter and walked away.