Lexia (The Deadwood Hunter Series) (11 page)

“Don’t be silly, that’s what I’m here for. What happened?”

“I’m not sure. I came home and there was a car in the driveway and I just had this feeling... I snuck into the house and listened to them.”

“Who was it?”

“Well, that’s the thing, I don’t know. It was some woman and they were arguing about somebody... I think me. It was me, Alice, they were arguing about me!”

“What! But what were they saying about you?”

“It made no sense, she was telling him that I had to know something but he was talking about leading someone to us. I just I don’t understand anything that’s going on anymore. Everything’s messed up, Alice. How did my life fall apart so fast?”

“Listen to me, Lex, your life is not falling apart, okay! I’m not sure what’s going on with Mike, but that’s not your concern, okay? He probably has some crazy, ex-stalker girlfriend or something. So this is what you’re going to do, Lex. First thing, don’t see Lincoln ag…”

“Al…”

“No, Lex, listen! He’s bad news and you are only going to get your heart broken. Second, if you’re not going to give Dan a chance then stay single, and thirdly, just let Mike sort out his own mess. Stop sneaking about and thinking the worst, got it?”

“I just…” Lexia looked at Alice’s angry face. “Okay I’ll leave Dad alone but I’m not interested in Dan. Maybe you’re right, Lincoln has left town anyway, he should be back tomorrow but he might not come back.”

“At last you listen to me. You realize I’m the wise one out of us, don’t you?”

Lexia burst out laughing.

“Shut it! When’s Mike back?”

“Don’t know. He rushed out and said to order in.”

“Cool. Pizza and girls night it is then.”

Chapter 12

The next morning Lexia stood looking at her wardrobe, she couldn’t decide what to wear for school. She stared at the clothes that were overflowing and wondered why she was even bothering. What was wrong with her? Since when did she stress over clothes because of a boy?
Or man,
she thought. She didn’t even know if he would meet her after school. They hadn’t made plans and he hadn’t even given a definite ‘yes, I will see you again’. Lexia flopped on her bed with a sigh. “I’ve officially lost it! I told Alice I’d leave Lincoln alone and here I am dressing up for him.”

“Lexia, you’re going to be late!”

She stood up and looked at herself in the mirror.
Ok I need to cover up some more skin and show more cleavage!
Lexia pulled her long leather boots over the thin bandage she had on her ankle and put on a grey low-cut jumper and she ran down stairs. Her dad’s eyes widened and he went to protest but she was out the door and running down the drive before he said a single word.

Lexia normally wore jeans or a long skirt to school, she’d never worn a short one for school before and she felt troubled and excited all at the same time. Lincoln had only seen her dressed up in the club and she’d been drunk then. Would he notice?

When she reached school and walked through the halls, she wanted to turn around and go home. What the hell was she thinking? What was Lincoln doing to her? Every boy she walked past stared at her like they were seeing her for the first time and then Alice practically choked on her drink when she joined her for lunch.

“Spill now, Lex. This outfit best not be for Lincoln. And your foot—how did you get those boots on?”

“I just felt like dressing it up and my foot is nearly better. I told you my dad overreacted.”

“You really think I’m going to fall for that?” Alice scowled.

“Look it’s just a skirt; what’s the big deal?”
Why did I wear this?

“The sexy leather boots and the boobs you have on display for every male here.”

“Argh,” Lexia sighed. “Just leave it, okay? Please.”

“For now, Lex.” She smiled sweetly and Lexia knew she’d be following her every move until she found out what she was up to.

The day carried on with everyone staring. She heard a few whispers about her and the hot older guy at the gate.

Lexia couldn’t quite come to grips with her actions lately. Why had she run out the gate like a crazy person? Why was she making an effort and counting down the minutes until the end of school? Lincoln was wrong for her in so many ways and yet she found herself doing crazy, irrational things because of him.

The bell rang and Lexia jumped, startled; the time had flown while she was lost in thought. She gathered her things and hurried out of class with butterflies in her belly and as she got closer to the exit her heart began to race.

She reached the steps and looked out towards the gate to find... nothing. No one stood waiting. Her heart dropped and she scanned the street looking for him.

Nothing.

Lexia had a sudden, overwhelming urge to cry. She wanted to go home, curl up in bed, and sob like the world was ending. Tears welled in her eyes and she swiped at them, angry with herself.
Get a grip, Lexia, he’s just a man
. But he wasn’t just a man, he was exciting and a little wild, he was gorgeous and a badass, but he could be so kind and sweet; he could make her heart race and make her feel so mad she wanted to scream. He was like no one she’d ever known and it didn’t matter how many times she told herself there was something off about him because with one single touch he made her feel alive.

She walked home, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. When her dad got home she told him she wasn’t hungry and went to bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow she let the tears fall. She felt so weak and pathetic and it just made the tears fall faster. She cried until her tears had run dry and she lay staring out at the sky watching the sun set and the moon rise.

At around nine o’clock she heard a soft knock at the door and her dad’s footsteps as he went to answer it. She listened and jumped to her feet when she heard the familiar voice—Lincoln.

“Lexia!” her Dad’s voice growled up the stairs.

“Shit!” Lexia muttered. Leaping off the bed, she ran downstairs completely forgetting the state she was in from hours of crying.

When Lexia reached the front door it was to find her dad red-faced and fuming with anger while Lincoln stood looking as stunning as ever. He was leaning against the porch, carefree and completely oblivious to the fact that her dad was about to blow a gasket.

She smiled at Lincoln then turned to her dad. “Yes?”

“Yes, yes! Lexia, explain to me why a fully-grown man is calling for you,” he said through gritted teeth.

God, seriously, could you be any more embarrassing?

“Well...”
What am I going to say
?

“If I may Mr. Granger, I have been out of town and returned later than expected. I just wanted to let Lexia know I was back.”

Lexia stood speechless. How was Lincoln pulling off sweet and harmless? Her dad seemed just as stunned; he stared at him for a moment, seemingly speechless before he asked, “And why would my daughter need to know that you were back in town?”

“Jesus, Dad! I’m nearly twenty and Lincoln is a friend.” She glared at him suddenly feeling angry. She wasn’t a child and she’d done nothing wrong. What did her dad think—she’d stay single forever?

Lincoln glanced at her, a flash of emotion crossing his face before he returned his attention to her dad. “I can see it’s a bad time. Nice to meet you, Mr. Granger, Lexia.” His eyes locked with hers for a second and with that one intense look, Lexia was hooked; she’d missed him so much and seeing his face just made her want him more. Lexia turned and stomped up the stairs ignoring her dad’s shouting.

“Lexia, come back down here and explain yourself!”

She slammed her door and flopped on the bed. Her dad thundered up the stairs and opened her door. He stood in the doorway, the light from the hall casting him in a silhouette. She couldn’t see his face but she knew he was mad.

“Look, he’s just a friend and I had no idea he was coming over. Just like he said, I expected him back earlier.”

“Lexia, he’s a grown man and they only think of one thing.”

“God, are you serious? Do you really not trust me that much? I’m not stupid, Dad, and I’m not a child anymore but really, he’s just a friend, nothing has happened between us. Now leave me alone, it’s been a long day.”

He stood there for a second longer then turned and left without saying a word. Lexia jumped to her feet switching on her light. She glanced at herself in the mirror. “God did I really go downstairs like this?” she muttered.

Her eyes were bloodshot and the skin around her eyes was red and puffy. Lexia rubbed some cream on her face then applied some foundation hoping it would cover up the blotchy patches. She straightened her clothes, slung on a long coat leaving it undone, and climbed out the window. The moment her feet hit the floor she ran away from the house heading into the darkness of the trees.

Lexia couldn’t see Lincoln in the dark but he couldn’t have gone far. She jogged towards the road careful not to land on the gravel, the last thing she needed was her dad seeing her sneak out.

Lexia stopped, she was sure she’d heard something. Looking into the darkness she couldn’t see anything but then her senses stirred and her stomach dropped when she realized she hadn’t brought her knife.

“Shit!” Two gold eyes flashed in the darkness.

Lexia stood her ground, facing him straight on. She looked right into his eyes. “Where have you been?”

He growled low in return, taking a step forward. “You really do have terrible timing. Could you kill me tomorrow after I’ve chased down this hot guy?” Lexia laughed to herself.
Why the hell am I talking to you?

The panther cocked his head and Lexia held her breath; did he really understand her? As if he could read her mind he growled again then stepped back into the forest. She heard him move a pace then the forest was silent. Lexia shot off, afraid he might come back. She reached the street and looked around but she couldn’t see Lincoln.

“Goddam, panther!” she growled, spinning around and slamming straight into a hard-muscled chest.

Lexia gave a startled yelp. “Shush, it’s just me,” Lincoln whispered.

“Shit, how do you always manage to sneak up on me?”

He laughed. “Who were you goddamming?”

“Oh, err, no one,” she lied.

“So how did you convince your dad to let you out?”

“I didn’t, I climbed out the window,” she smiled.

“Lexia! I’m seeing an all new side of you,” he said with a mischievous smile.

For a second they just stood staring at each other and Lexia wondered what she was doing. She’d not thought about what she would do once she’d found him. She’d just acted on her feelings and so here she was looking into his hypnotizing eyes wondering what her next move was.

“So… want to go for a walk?”

“Err, sure.” Lincoln turned and started to head into the trees, Lexia paused.

“Lincoln?” He turned around with a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

“You scared?” He stretched out his hand to her and Lexia looked at it; was she scared? No. So she place her hand into his, their fingers locking together. Little electric shocks snaked up her arm and she had to suppress a shiver.

“You realize there’re wild animals in this forest?”

“Nothing that’s going to eat you and it’s only a little way up here.”

“What’s a little way up here?”

“You’ll see.” He smiled and her tummy did a flip; how does he affect me with just one smile?

Lexia walked in silence, the further into the forest he led her, the darker it got. She could hardly see a thing and her pace slowed so that she didn’t trip on the unseen obstacles at her feet. She cursed herself for letting him lead her into here; somewhere in this forest was a panther. She looked around trying to spot danger. Lexia could imagine him, slowly stalking them, his lean graceful body not making a sound as he crept nearer and nearer; what would she do if he attacked? She had no weapon and what would Lincoln think if she started to fight a panther with her bare hands?

Something rustled to her right and Lexia picked up her pace which made her stumble. She tightened her grip on Lincoln’s hand and wildly looked around, searching for two gold eyes that were surely following them.

“Lexia, you’re okay; nothing’s going to get ya.”

“I’ve seen things in these forests; this was a bad idea, let’s go back.”

He laughed, “What things? We’re nearly there now. Come on, I’ll protect you.”

Lexia looked at his face. Yes, he could laugh at her all he wanted but he wouldn’t be laughing when a big black panther bit down into his flesh. She moved closer to him and took some deep breaths. “Okay.”

As she followed him, Lexia tried to calm her racing mind; she was no good to him if her imagination was running wild. Relaxing her grip on his hand, Lexia took another deep breath trying to clear her mind and as she did she felt a rush of adrenaline course through her. She suddenly felt calm and powerful, her senses sharpened. She could easily walk through the dark trees and the only danger she could feel was coming from the man’s hand she gripped. Lexia ignored the warning in her mind; she knew Lincoln was dangerous but that’s what made him so exciting, he wasn’t just another boring schoolboy.

Lincoln found it strange that Lexia was so frightened of this forest; she kept glancing around looking for something. She was the enemy, yet right now she was just a frightened girl; maybe this was all just a trick? But the more time he spent with her, the more harmless she seemed.
Well, maybe not harmless,
he laughed to himself. She squeezed his hand tighter as a rabbit dashed off; maybe she was looking for the panther?
You’re holding the panther’s hand,
he thought. He laughed to himself again.

Lincoln felt it the second she calmed down. He told her he’d protect her and as she’d taken a deep breath and loosened her death grip, a wave of energy had rushed through her. His skin tingled where he held her and he tensed waiting for her to make a move but she didn’t, she just quickened her pace and relaxed. His beast rose to the surface. He didn’t trust her, this woman full of trickery and power; how was she making him fall for her, why couldn’t he kill her? He forced the panther back and led Lexia into the little clearing. The moment they passed through the trees she gasped and looked to the sky, a look of delight crossing her face. He smiled at her as she wandered around the moonlit clearing; the sky was clear tonight and lit by a thousand stars shining down on them.