Pivotal Moments (In Time #1) (5 page)

“Aislinn Margaret, what is going on with you this morning?”

The sharp tone of her voice, paired with the dangerous combination of my first and middle names, pulled me out of my zone-out, and I focused on her. “Sorry, Mom. Um…Connor was being a douche nozzle and Teagan called him out on it, and…”

Mom rolled her eyes and went back to breakfast prep. “Well, if anyone can knock some sense into that boy, it’ll be Teagan.” She handed Penny the platter of food and Pen headed for the table. A cold nose bumped my dangling hand. Zver huffed and nudged me again, so I gave him a scratch behind the ear. A strange gurgling rumbled, and Zver gave a little whine.

“What’s wrong, pooch? You hungry?” He rose up on all fours and pranced. Snickering, I said, “Mom, do you know where Teagan put Zver’s food?”

“It’s in the fridge.”

I found a gallon sized zip-lock bag full of what looked like chili. Zver was written on the front in black marker. I opened it and sniffed. It smelled better than canned dog food. “Do you know how much of this he gets?”

“Half of that baggie, I think. Teagan pulls a new one out of the freezer when he uses half of one.”

I turned from the fridge and let the door slam shut. Zver was doing that dog dance again, and I giggled. “Are you hungry, ZiZi?” I walked over to his dish and he froze, staring at it. What was that word Teagan used to tell Zver to sit? Oh yeah. “Zver, sidet.” He looked up at me with a quizzical expression and then sat. A little thrill went through me; he’d listened.

I bent down and dumped half of the bag of doggie chili into his bowl, then stepped back. Zver’s eyes were still on me, but he was trying to see his food at the same time. “Go ahead, Zver.” He shivered and seemed to pout, but didn’t move. I crouched down and picked up his bowl, placing it just under his chin. “I thought you were hungry. Don’t you want to eat, boy?” I said, shamelessly using a baby voice with the monster dog. Why wouldn’t he eat? Someone gasped, and turning my focus from the dog, I frowned.

Connor’s eyes were as big as plates, and he seemed to have tripped over nothing as he entered the kitchen. Teagan was staring at me, his face pale. It was Teagan’s expression that seemed the more important of the two.

I froze. It seemed like the thing to do.

Teagan took a slow, cautious step toward me. “Aislinn…what do you think you’re doing?”

Wasn’t it obvious? “I’m feeding Zver.” Duh.

He took another step toward me, his eyes shifting between the bowl in my hand and the dog eyeing it with intense concentration. “Aislinn, please. Slowly put the dog bowl down.” He clenched one hand into a fist, as he held his other out to me.

Frowning, I did as he said. Zver’s eyes followed the movement and then looked back up to me. I could see he was waiting for something. Was the bowl too far away? I reached back to move it closer.

“No!” Teagan shouted. I jumped. Zver’s muscles tensed. “Please,” Teagan said in a quieter voice, “just leave the bowl alone, okay?” His tone was practically pleading. Something akin to fear, and a great deal of anxiety, radiated from Teagan’s eyes. I pulled my hand back. What was going on? “Slowly stand up and step back, okay?”

I nodded and did as he instructed. Zver continued to sit and stare at me. I met Teagan’s uptight gaze. “What does he want? Why won’t he eat?” I took a step toward where Teagan was standing. Just as I edged within reach, he leaned forward and jerked me back behind him. I squeaked. His broad shoulders rose and fell quickly, his back tense.

He glanced back and caught my gaze for a moment, then turned around to face me fully. His hand wrapped around my upper arm, pulling me a little closer. His gray eyes had darkened to pewter, and he was flushed. I bit my lip as he glanced up and down my body, searching for something. Satisfied that all was well, he met my gaze.

“Never mess with his food bowl, Aislinn.” He took a deep breath, closing his eyes momentarily before opening them again and gazing into mine with intensity. “I should have explained last night—Zver’s very protective of his food. We’re lucky this time, but I can’t guarantee it’ll happen again. Please, if you feed him, just put it in the bowl and back away, okay?”

I nodded with a new measure of respect for Zver and Teagan both. Then I remembered the dog wouldn’t eat. “I told him to sit, and then I put the food in his bowl,” I said. “But he wouldn’t take it. That’s why I picked it up.” Teagan lifted a shaky hand and scrubbed it over his face. He still hadn’t let me go, and the warmth was getting distracting. I made myself focus. “Why wouldn’t he start eating?”

“He has to be told that he can. But if he isn’t given permission, he could get frustrated—he might attack for it.” He looked over his shoulder. “Zver!” The dog’s ears perked. “Yest!” At that, Zver all but pounced on his food bowl and began devouring his chili.

“I’m sorry, Teagan. I didn’t know.”

His hand slowly slid down my arm until he got to my wrist. I shivered slightly, blushing. He sighed, shaking his head. “It’s my fault. I should have said something last night.” He paused, then grinned. “You told him to sit, huh?”

I nodded, basking under his smile. “Yeah. I actually remembered the word.”

Teagan chuckled. “Good job. I’m just surprised he listened to you—he won’t do a damn thing Connor says.” He glanced over my shoulder and grinned at my brother.

I turned to comment, only to find Connor wasn’t paying any attention to our exchange. Instead, he was staring at Penny. She was frozen, watching the scene that had just unfolded between me, Teagan, and Zver. She looked at me and swallowed hard.

“Oh-kay,” she said slowly. “So…that was intense. Yet another reason I don’t want a dog.” Shaking herself out of her state, she turned her attention to Connor. A wide grin spread over her face. “Hey, Connor!”

Connor opened his mouth to speak, closed it, and then repeated the process. This was interesting. He’d never had a problem talking to Penny before. Actually, to be honest, he’d never had a problem taunting the ever loving shit out of her—there was no talking involved. But then, Penny had changed a lot over the past two years since he’d last seen her. It made one wonder.

A squeeze on my arm pulled me out of my thoughts. Teagan was watching me. I bit my lip and fought the inevitable blush. I really needed to get a handle on this. I was getting tired of blushing every time I came within twenty feet of this guy. I raised an eyebrow.

He leaned down and whispered in my ear, “I thought they didn’t get along?”

Dear sweet mother in heaven, it took everything I possessed not to let out a groan when his warm breath washed over my neck. Sweat was still glistening on his shoulders; neither of them had showered yet. Frankly, Teagan could have smelled like ten day old gym socks and I wouldn’t have noticed. I did, however, force myself to pay attention to the conversation.

“They don’t.” I frowned; I wasn’t sure what was going on. Teagan smirked, and I demanded, “What?”

He just shook his head and pointed to the table. “I guess that’s a new way of showing it, then.”

My jaw dropped. Penny and Connor were sitting next to each other, laughing. They weren’t fighting. They weren’t calling each other names. They were talking. Connor was smiling, and Penny was blushing.

What. The. Hell?

“I’m going to go on and take a shower,” Teagan said. “Let Connor know I’ll be down in a few, okay?” Teagan gave my arm another squeeze.

I nodded, struck mute by thoughts of a naked Teagan, water running over golden skin and muscles. Cue the blush. Teagan must’ve known something was up, because he gave me a grin before leaving the kitchen.

***

I sighed quietly and watched the trees pass by as we drove down the highway. We were almost to the lake. The past two hours had been a lesson in patience, and I was very nearly out of it. Every time she got a chance, Penny would lean over to me in the backseat and whisper about how gorgeous “your Teeg” was. The count so far was up to sixteen, and I’d shoved her away every time with an eye roll and a blush. I’d add an elbow if she tried again.

After tormenting me, my best friend would then push herself between the two front seats and flirt outrageously with Connor. My brother, in turn, teased her mercilessly. About an hour into the trip, I came to a realization I wasn’t sure how to process yet. He wasn’t being mean to her; he was genuinely flirting this time. He liked her. So that’s what had happened in the kitchen this morning.

Feeling eyes on me, I glanced up. Teagan was looking at me in the rearview mirror. He flashed me a grin and turned back to the road. Hot, moist breath flowed over my neck, and I glanced at Zver panting as he hung his head over the seat. The bulk of his body nearly filled the cargo area of the SUV.

“Is he bothering you, Aislinn?” Teagan was glancing over his shoulder at me. I smiled at him and reached back to pat the dog. Zver let out a happy whine, and Teagan flashed another grin. “I take that as a no, then?”

I nodded. “He’s fine. We’ve come to an agreement, I think.” I rubbed behind Zver’s ears, and he licked his chops before continuing to pant. “We’re good.”

He nodded. “Okay. I think I should teach you his commands, though.” He paused, glancing over at Connor. Then he shrugged and continued. “I have a feeling he’ll listen to you.”

Before I could respond, the sign for the lake turnoff came up. My heart gave a sick stutter. Around Connor’s friends and their girlfriends…this was going to be a day of hell and torture. Penny sat back and peered at me, then reached over and took my hand, her eyes full of encouragement. I took a deep breath. I could do this. It wasn’t like I’d never been faced with a hard situation before.

As Teagan pulled into the dirt parking lot, I decided there was a fair chance that everyone Connor had ever met in his life was at the lake. There were three picnic pavilions taken over, and people milled around all over the place. Steeling myself, I climbed out of the SUV, grabbed my bag, and slung it over my shoulder. Connor suddenly swore, and meeting his gaze, I said, “What?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Well, Holden is here.” He glanced at Penny, who frowned in confusion.

“Okay. I’m not seeing the problem here.”

“It looks like he brought his little brother with him.”

Penny met my miserable glance, and we began scanning the area, dread building in my stomach. Brody Holden never traveled alone. Ever.

“Aw, shit!” Penny burst out. She jerked her chin in the direction of the dock. I jumped back a step, crashing into Teagan.

He grabbed me by the shoulders and leaned down, mouth close to my ear. “What’s wrong?” The words were spoken low, his hot breath sending shivers flooding through me. I took a deep breath and turned my head to look him in the eye. My cheek brushed his, and sparks raced from the spot to the rest of my body.

“Tracey Banco is here.” 

Chapter 5

Teagan stiffened behind me, his fingers tightening on my shoulders. Connor rubbed the back of his neck, his expression unsure as he turned and faced me. “Ash…I’m sorry. I had no idea she would be here.” He glanced between me and the dock with a worried frown.

My heart stuttered and anger swept over me. Did people think I had to be coddled because we hadn’t reviewed the guest list? Had I become that pathetic? It was about time to sit down and take a look at my situation here soon. Aislinn Munroe was not so pitiful that she would run at the first sign of trouble.

Something nudged my hand. Zver stood next to me, though he must’ve climbed over the back seat—no one had let him out yet. I smiled at the dog and sank my fingers in the thick ruff of fur around his neck. Zver leaned against my leg with a happy sigh. If Teagan hadn’t still been holding my shoulders, I would have probably fallen over the dog was so heavy.

Teagan gave a low chuckle and leaned down to murmur, “I think I’m going to have to share my dog with you.”

I shrugged, trying to hide the shiver at Teagan’s nearness. “I guess he thinks I need a guard dog.” I rubbed my hand over his neck, loving the feel of his fur between my fingers. Zver enjoyed it too, given the heavy thump of his tail on the ground.

Teagan gave my shoulders a final squeeze before stepping away. Then he hooked his fingers around the strap of my bag. He pulled it away, slung it over his shoulder, and turned back to help unload the truck. The two guys grabbed the bags and the cooler, and started off toward the group at the dock. The moment Teagan’s back was turned, Penny gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up. I nodded and squared my shoulders, and together, we headed for the dock. Zver followed closely at my heels. Having him around gave me a bit more confidence. I could do this.

***

Everyone’s eyes bored into me as I approached, and my palms broke out into a clammy sweat. I recognized several people milling around, mostly Connor’s friends who had hung out at the house years ago.

“Little Ash Munroe! You’ve grown up!” It was Jace Danver, Connor’s best friend from high school.

I’d always liked Jace. While he teased the crap out of me like the others, he didn’t cross certain lines while doing it. He never teased me about my looks or lack of friends. He’d changed since I’d seen him last; he’d been tall, dark, and handsome before, but he’d filled out. Now he had a confident air about him, rather than cocky. His arm was slung around the shoulders of a cute brunette. I grinned at him and he just shrugged, tipping his beer to me. He’d always been one to have a gorgeous girl on his arm—that, at least, hadn’t changed.

I located Penny, laying out on her beach towel and basking in the sunshine. She hadn’t stripped down to her swimsuit yet, but she was already getting glances from the nearby male species. As usual, she seemed completely oblivious. Worse, the oblivion was genuine. Several of Connor’s friends were ogling her, and I frowned at them. They quickly turned their attention elsewhere.

Connor ran with the bad boys, the players of the school, and we’d had plenty of fights over the way he treated the girls in his class. His friends were no better. Which was a major reason why I wasn’t keen on the development between him and my best friend. To be honest, I didn’t know if Connor had changed at all, and I didn’t want him to break Pen’s heart.

I sat down next to Penny and tried to appear casual, scoping out for Teagan—and for Tracey. There was Teagan, and…I sucked in a breath.

Penny turned her head to look at me, frowning, then followed my gaze and gasped. She sat up, pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head. Together, we watched Teagan chat it up with Tracey Banco. She put her hand on his arm and I cringed. Of course she’d put the moves on him.

“I do not fucking think so,” Penny growled. “She’d better not be doing what it looks like!”

I smoothed my features into an expressionless mask as my nemesis from hell tried to hook up with Teagan. No matter that her boyfriend was here. Nope, Tracey was all about getting hers. I didn’t understand how Brody could tolerate it.

I gritted my teeth, ready to force myself to look away—when Teagan caught my gaze and nodded, flashing me a breathtaking smile. Books always talk about a belly full of butterflies, but these weren’t butterflies. I had a whole flock of pigeons flying around inside.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about,” Penny said approvingly. “Nothing to be worried about.”

I frowned at her. “Huh?”

She jutted her chin at where they were standing. “He just totally dissed her. She was flirting—which is seriously messed up, seeing how she’s here with Brody—and Teeg just blew her off.” She smirked. “I think I like your boy toy.” She settled herself back onto her towel, pulling her sunglasses into place.

“I don’t see how that’s dissing her.”

Penny pursed her lips for a moment. “Ash, a guy like Teeg knows women. He knows what their motives are, and he knows what their angles are going to be.” She paused and moistened her lips. “You also said he has two younger sisters, so he has experience dealing with women subtly. He’d spot Tracey from a mile away. And it’s also a safe bet he’d know why she was talking to him.” She looked at me expectantly, waiting for a response.

I shrugged. “Not seeing where you’re going here. Sorry.”

Penny groaned. “Ash, you’re killing me!” She sighed. “The dude is stating that he sees you! He’s letting you and everyone else know that he checked you out and likes what he sees.”

She was full of crap. I opened my mouth to tell her, but quickly snapped it shut when the subject of our conversation came walking over, two soda bottles in one hand and a beer in the other. Reaching our spot, he leaned down and handed us each one of the sodas. Then he shifted and sat next to me with a grunt.

Penny sat up and unscrewed the cap of the bottle, then glanced back toward the spot Teagan had just vacated. I followed her line of sight. Tracey stood frozen in anger, shooting daggers with her glare. My best friend showed her true self, raising the bottle in a toast at the pissed off cheerleader. I couldn’t help it; I laughed. I laughed even harder when Tracey turned and stormed off.

Teagan shook his head. “I feel sorry for that kid who’s dating her.”

“Brody?” He nodded, and I said, “Yeah, you should. He’s actually a pretty nice guy. I think he bought into the cliché a bit too much, though—the football star dating the head cheerleader thing.”

“That’s the friggin’ truth,” Penny muttered, then turned her attention back to me. I squirmed. Please, don’t say something stupid!

“Hey, Teeg,” she said. “I have a question for you.”

“Okay, fire away.”

“Your name—it’s kind of unusual. Where are you from?” Curiosity was written all over Penny’s face. I was grateful for the question; I wanted to learn more about him as well.

Teagan grinned. “Unusual, huh?”

“I think it’s an awesome name,” I injected shyly. He tossed me a small smile, and I went warm all over.

“Yeah, I think it’s badass myself,” he said, chest puffing out, and we all chuckled. “But in answer to your question, I’m from Seattle. Teagan is a family name from my mom’s side. She’s from Australia.”

Penny nodded. “That’s cool.” She turned to me. “Hey, Ash, did you find out if you got accepted to your first-choice college yet?” she asked.

I stared at her in surprise, then nodded. “Yeah, I was accepted. I found out Thursday—but you were out of town on your college tour.” I took a deep breath and then burst out, “I also got the scholarship!” I bounced a little where I was sitting on the ground. Penny let out a loud squeal, and I cringed as she gave me her signature strangle-hug. Teagan was grinning as well.

Once Penny let me go, Teagan said, “What’s your first choice, Aislinn?”

I grinned. “University of Florida. My scholarship covers everything but housing and books.” With a shrug, I said, “I planned on getting enough to cover that, but I got accepted into work study instead.”

“So you’re going to be there with Con and me, huh?” He grinned and leaned over, gently tugging on a loose lock of my hair. My lungs forgot to function, and my heart froze mid-beat. Those gorgeous gray eyes…Zver could have thrown up on me and I wouldn’t have noticed.

“Ash? You gonna answer the guy?” Penny cattle-prodded my thoughts back into order.

My face heated up. “Oh! Um…yeah, I start in the fall. I just need to find a way to get the money for books and expenses. I’ve also gotta get on the school’s bulletin board and start looking for roommates, since I’m not going to be in the dorms. And I need to contact the supervisor to get my preferences in for the work study program. Plus, there’s all the shopping I need to get done.” I knew I was babbling, but I couldn’t stop.

Penny leaned over and gave me a small pinch, stopping my tirade. Thank God. My blush flared hotter at the smirk on Teagan’s face. He knew he made me extremely nervous. I drew my legs up and wrapped my arms around them, attempting to pull myself together. Desperate to keep the conversation going, but on a different topic, I said, “So…what’s your major, Teagan?”

He gave me a wry glance. “Well, I’m majoring in Aerospace Engineering, but I have enough credits that I’m minoring in Mechanical Engineering. Eventually, I’d like to design propulsion systems for future spacecraft.”

I sat back and blinked. Uh, yeah. Teagan Aldridge was the total package. Gorgeous, plus the bad boy tattoo and scar, funny, smart, and seemingly kind—caring even. Put it all together, the man was one complete—and incredibly sexy—package. There had to be something wrong with him. No one could be this perfect.

He glanced over my shoulder, and his smile dropped to a deep frown. In a single moment, he went from outgoing and friendly to tense and distant. I twisted to see what caused such a change, and saw nothing important—only Connor walking toward us. I straightened, and Teagan had his gaze locked on the water, his frown firmly in place.

I glanced at Penny, and she was glancing between the two, apparently just as confused as I was. Meeting my gaze, she shrugged. Connor arrived at our spot, his frown matching Teagan’s. He glanced at Penny for a quick moment before shooting an insider’s look at Teagan.

“Food’s ready,” Connor announced.

Teagan nodded and stood up. After flashing me a quick smile, he headed off toward the pavilion. I waited until he was out of hearing range, and then turned to Connor, who was actively lost in thought. I cleared my throat. This whole talking-without-words thing was going to end now. Connor must’ve had some premonition—he spun on his heel, gathering himself to bolt. Being pretty damn quick on my feet, I leapt forward and snagged his shirt.

“No, you don’t,” I snapped. “No way.” I yanked him back toward me.

“Dammit, Ash, this is my favorite shirt!” He tried to pry my hands loose, but I’d had years of practice hanging onto something while my lovely brother tried to take it from me. He wasn’t going anywhere.

He attempted to worm a finger under one of mine to lever it up, then threw his hands up in defeat.

“Fine, you win!” He tried to loosen my grip once again, but I wasn’t going to let him go that easily.

“What’s going on?”

“What’re you talking about?” Innocence saturated his voice.

I didn’t buy it. Raising an eyebrow, I said, “You know exactly what I’m talking about.” When he held his hands out, palms up, I rolled my eyes. “You don’t really think I’m going to fall for that, do you?”

He pushed his hand through his hair, taking a deep breath then releasing it. “Look, sis…just drop it, okay?”

I narrowed my eyes, then decided to take council from Penny. Catching her attention, I tipped my head to the side.

“I don’t know, Ash.” She shrugged. “Maybe we shouldn’t get involved. Isn’t it time to eat?”

My mouth dropped open. If anything, Penny was nosier than me. The world had just tilted.

Connor cleared his throat and glanced pointedly at my death grip. I was about to demand an answer when he interrupted me. “Just stop, okay?” He held up a hand. “This is between Teeg and me.” His tone was almost parental. “Stay out of it.”

I opened my hand, releasing his shirt, and gave him a forceful push. I hated when he used that tone on me. And I had a feeling that whatever was going on, it was important. “Whatever.” My tone might have been a little on the petulant side.

“Don’t be like that, sis.” At my stony glare, he added, “If it’s any consolation, it mainly deals with me and not anything else.” With that, he gave me a look that clearly said the conversation was over. It had reached the end of Connor sharing time.

“Fine,” I groused. “You win.”

He slung an arm around my shoulders, and as much as I hated him right now, I couldn’t help but remember why I occasionally adored the jackass so much. He squeezed me into his side and murmured, “Let’s get some food.”

“Thank God!” Penny burst out. “I’m starving.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, okay. Point taken.” Not waiting for either of them, I spun and dashed for the pavilion.