Riley's Secret (A Moon's Glow Novel # 1) (18 page)

His words made my stomach tighten. “You know that
you’re kind of a mystery at school. Now that I’ve been seen with you, everyone
asks me what you’re really like.”

A slight smile crossed his face. “I know. I’ve heard
the whispers. They’d be very disappointed if they really knew me. There’s not
much to wonder about. I’m just an average guy.”

I grinned at him. “I don’t know about that.”

He sat up. “What do you mean?”

“Just that you’re kind, giving and you really care
about the people that walk through the doors of the shelter. I don’t know
anyone like you.” He blushed slightly at my compliments. “And you’re also kind
of sexy.”

He laughed, surprised at my last compliment. He took
my hand and pulled me up to a sitting position and then softly kissed my cheek.
He drew back and moved over to my other one, touching my skin so softly with
his lips. He hovered for a few beats, his hot breath tickling my face. “You’re
not so bad yourself,” he whispered before touching his lips to mine.

A squeal erupted, startling us. We jumped apart as a
group of people darted by in another speedboat, shooting through the water like
a bullet. Within minutes they disappeared around a small island, leaving only
their waves crashing against us.

As our boat rocked up and down over the other boats
waves, Nate sighed and took my hand, gently kissing each knuckle. “We should
get going, it’s getting late.” He stood up and started the boat.

Charlie

He didn’t take us back to the marina. Instead, he
pulled the boat up to the small dock near his home.

“Do you want to watch a movie?” he asked, tying the
boat to the dock.

“Sure.” I hopped off the tiny wooden dock. It bounced,
slapping against the water. I made it to the door first and tried the knob. It
wasn’t locked. Somehow I knew it wouldn’t be. No one even knew this cottage was
here, so he probably wasn’t worried about burglars. The drive wasn’t visible
from the main road. You had to go through the Rileys’ driveway and then about
twenty feet to the right was a gravel road that took you to his cottage.

I was lying back on the sofa when he came in. “You
look comfortable,” he said with a grin, a dimple popping out on his left cheek.
“Would you like a soda?”

When I nodded, he brought two over. After sifting
through a pile of DVD’s, he put one on and we snuggled up onto the couch to
watch.

When the movie was over it was late and he made no
move to take me home. I could tell he was reluctant to be away from me. I hoped
so, anyway, because that was how I felt. I never wanted to leave his side. It
was shocking how quickly I had become attached to him. But there was just
something about him that I couldn’t explain. I felt drawn to him in a way I had
never before felt. And although it scared me, I chose to embrace it.

After he turned the movie off, he grew quiet.

“Um…do you want to take me home? Or do you want me to
stay?” I asked quietly, the fear of his rejection still somewhere inside me.

He grinned. “Do you want to stay?”

“I do.”

“It’s settled then. I really didn’t want to be without
you, but I couldn’t assume you’d want to stay.”

“I’ll just text Mona. My parents won’t even notice.” I
took my phone out while he went through a door that must have been his bedroom.
I heard shuffling inside. I pictured him shoving clothes into drawers and under
the bed.

When I stepped into the room a few minutes later, I
watched as he shoved clothes into a dresser. I laughed softly, tempted to look
under the bed. The room was about the same size as mine. A four-poster bed sat
in the center with a blue blanket and matching pillows.

The beige walls were basically bare except a gigantic
photo of an aerial forest view. When he opened his eyes in the morning, it
would be the first thing he saw. If he was lying on his side facing the front
of the house, he’d have a clear view of the lake. There were patio doors that
led to the front deck and the lake beyond it. Now I knew what he meant when he
said he woke up to the waves crashing against the rocks.

There was a shelf above a dresser with a ton of books;
some looked like antiques. But there were no personal pictures of his family on
the shelves. I didn’t see any in the room. Maybe the reminder was too painful
for him.

“Do you have a big T-shirt I could wear?”

He turned around, took a shirt out of the third drawer
and tossed it to me. “There’s a bathroom right there you can change in.” He
pointed to a door directly across from the bed.

When I came out dressed in his shirt, the light was
off. Even with the dim light, I could see from the moonlight shining in through
the window that he was lying under the covers, arms up above his head. His
chest was bare, exposing his smooth, sculpted, upper body. I climbed in on the
side by the patio doors. He snuggled up behind me draping his arm around my
waist. “Good night, Megan,” he said, his voice sleepy and content.

“Goodnight.” At first I was nervous to be in bed with
his body so close to mine. But after I lay on my side with his arm around me
for a while, I could feel his warmth seep into me. I wanted to sleep like this
every night.

I was a little disoriented when I woke the next
morning. I could hear a swooshing noise and the whirring sound of the wind
blowing. Not exactly sure where I was, I opened my eyes and looked out the
screened patio door. The waves crashed against the rocks and the wind blew
wildly through the maple and oak trees. Nate was right. It wasn’t a bad way to
wake up.

I heard snoring behind me. I turned over and jumped,
startled to see the large blue dolphin lying between Nate and me. He must have
placed it there in the middle of the night. I laughed softly as I grabbed it,
tossing it to the floor and watched Nate as he noisily breathed in and out. He
was so gorgeous. I took the time to study his face. His skin was flawless,
except for a tiny scar that was visible only up close, right above his left
eyebrow. Blond stubble was just peeking through his skin along his jaw. And his
breath smelled oddly of toothpaste instead of morning breath.

His eyes moved under his eyelids. I backed away, not
sure if he would want to wake up to see me hovering and scrutinizing him so
closely. But they stayed closed; he must have been dreaming. He looked so
peaceful that I decided to let him sleep. When I climbed out of bed, I stepped
on the stuffed toy. I smiled as an idea formed; he could use some company. I
placed the dolphin under the covers beside Nate and snuck out, tiptoeing into
the kitchen.

I really hoped he had something in his fridge that
would kill my morning breath. I must remember to pack a toothbrush in my bag,
just in case. The fridge was loaded with food. I took out orange juice and
guzzled it right from the jug. No one was around to see; what was the harm?
Behind the milk and butter I noticed bacon and eggs. I pulled them out with the
thought of surprising him with breakfast in bed.

Although I really wasn’t sure what to do, I had
watched Mona many times. There were a variety of pots and pans hanging from a
rack above the island. Not knowing which was best, I pulled down a medium-sized
black one. Then I had to choose which temperature to turn the burner on once I
placed the pan on top of the stove. Again, I guessed, medium. It was a safe
temperature, not too cold or too hot. As soon as I was able to find the
scissors and open the package, I set the bacon in the now hot pan; it sizzled
and popped. While I waited for it to cook, I thought I might take a look
around.

I wandered over to the window to watch the birds dive
into the water.

I was standing beside the fireplace when I noticed a
line in the dust, as if a picture had been there. I looked around and saw a few
more of those spots.

I opened a drawer of an end table and saw a pile of
framed pictures.
Why would he put all his pictures away
? I just looked
at the top one, not feeling comfortable going through his things. The picture
was an old black-and-white photo of a girl, maybe sixteen, another girl about
nine and a two-year-old boy. They were standing in front of a white
colonial-style house that looked a bit like the Rileys’, but a lot smaller.
They were dressed in clothes from another generation. The picture was so cool.
It must have come with the house. The smell of bacon reminded me that I was
cooking breakfast.

I shut the drawer and rushed over to flip the bacon
before it burned. I cooked the whole package, knowing Nate’s appetite. When it
was done, I made a bunch of scrambled eggs. On my first try that was the best I
could do.

I took out a tray I found in a cupboard above the
dishwasher and loaded it with a plate of food and a mug of coffee that I had
also made. Nate was just waking up as I walked into his room with the food.
“You made breakfast?” He sat up and leaned against the headboard, rubbing the
sleep out of his eyes.

“Don’t get too excited. The bacon is crispy in some
places, raw in others. And the toast is a little burnt, but the eggs are fine.
I hope you like scrambled.” I placed the tray on his lap.

He just stared at me in awe. “Thank you so much. I
can’t believe you did this.”

“Well, you looked peaceful. I don’t know how, though,
you snore really loud.”

He smiled sheepishly. “I’ll have to get you ear plugs
for the next time you stay.”

“There’s going to be a next time?” I asked, taking a
bite of the bacon I stole from his plate.

“I hope so. I love having you here.”

“Me too.”

He took a bite of his eggs while I went back in the
kitchen for mine.

I was heading back when he blocked me, coming out of
the bedroom. “Let’s eat out on the deck.”

I followed him outside and sat down at the patio
table. I munched on my food while I watched the water. I had to admit my cooking
wasn’t as bad as I thought, although it might have had something to do with the
atmosphere. Anything would taste good sitting outside in paradise, alone with
the mysterious hottie.

It was a little brisk sitting next to the lake. The
wind that was coming off of the water was chilly and I was still only wearing
Nate’s T-shirt. My legs were covered in goose bumps.

“Are you coming to Riley House with me today?”

“Yep. I have hours to fill.”

“You know the judge dropped all the charges and wiped
your record when the guys confessed. That means you don’t have to fill the
hours.”

I nodded, swallowing the eggs in my mouth. “I know,
but I want to help whenever I can. I might not be there as much as you, but
maybe weekends and a couple of nights?”

“Sounds good.” He took a bite of his toast. “I might
cut back my hours if I can, so we can spend time alone together. Maybe I could
take you out to dinner sometime?”

“I like the sound of that.”

When I finished eating, I decided to change. The
oversized T-shirt he gave me fell just a little below my butt. Feeling
self-conscious, I held the bottom of the shirt as I walked into the house. I
heard a soft chuckle behind me.

I changed back into my clothes in the bathroom and
brushed my hair. I’d have to make him take me home so I could shower, change
and put some makeup on. And a toothbrush would be nice.

He came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my
waist, while I was trying to brush my teeth with my finger. “I do have extra
toothbrushes, if you’d like.” His voice was soft in my ear. His breath sent a
chill through my body.

I spun around. “
Now
you tell me. Where are
they?” I opened the medicine cabinet but didn’t see what I was looking for. He
pointed to a drawer under the sink. I reached in and found one in the back.

After we finished getting ready we hopped back on the
boat. Driving in the daylight was completely different. Everything was bright
and shiny. The sun glimmered off of the water, creating a glare. I dug inside
my bag for my sunglasses, which also helped block the water from spraying in my
eyes. When we made it to the marina, we hopped into Nate’s car before heading
to my house.

I left him in the car in my driveway while I had a
shower and changed.

As I was putting makeup on in my en-suite bathroom,
Mona came in with a smirk on her face.

“Nothing happened,” I mumbled, not looking away from
the mirror.

“
Oh really
. You just got in and nothing
happened?” She wiggled her eyebrows, suggesting that I was holding something
back.

“No, don’t worry. You can trust me. Did my parents
even notice?”

Her smile disappeared as she looked down at her feet,
avoiding my eyes. It was always hard for her when my parents neglected me. “I
didn’t see them. They got home late and they haven’t woken up yet.”

“Oh well, I probably won’t be home tonight either.” I
zipped up my makeup bag and tossed it onto the pile of clothes I had gathered
to take to Nate’s. After I had everything I wanted, I shoved it into my
overnight bag, gave Mona a quick kiss on the cheek and headed out to meet Nate
in the car.