Fated Under the Moon Read online

  I left and drove to the grocery store. It was the smallest grocery store I'd ever been in. There was plenty of produce, though, and they had a butcher on staff. I just wished that I wasn't such a shitty cook. I sighed as I walked past the meat counter, knowing I'd only do it a disservice trying to cook it.

  I bought my groceries and piled everything in my car. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and I got the strangest sensation that I was being watched. I looked around and didn't see anyone, so I quickly got into the car and examined my surroundings. There was nothing out of sorts, so I shrugged it off and drove back home.

  Once there, I hauled my groceries inside, holding way too many plastic bags on my arms at one time. I couldn't even believe they were still allowed to use plastic bags. I mean, didn't they know that those were horrible for the planet? There weren't even cloth bags I could buy either, so I prioritized purchasing some through Amazon if I ever got online again.

  Somehow I managed to open the front door while balancing the bags and put the key into my door when I heard voices on the other side.

  I was momentarily frozen. After feeling like someone was watching me, to hearing people in my apartment, I was freaked.

  I put my ear to the door to see what I could hear. Mindy walked down the stairs while my ear was to the door. "What are you doing?" she giggled.

  "Shh. Someone's in there."

  "It's just the guys!" she said laughing, then walked past me and into my apartment, opening it while I was still crouched with my ear to the wood. I quickly stood and cautiously entered my apartment.

  With the door open, I heard them more clearly. "Right there," Ryker's gravelly voice ordered.

  "You guys scared the crap out of Elle," Mindy said, walking toward my room. I followed her and my jaw completely went slack as I saw what was happening. Micah and Reece were putting a dresser against a wall, and Ryker and Grey tightened ends to a bed frame.

  "What's this?" I asked, confused.

  "What's it look like, silly?" Mindy said, bumping me with her shoulder.

  "I had a set in the barn. It's just been sitting there, and I thought you could use it," Ryker explained.

  "Wow, I don't know what to say. It's beautiful." I ran my hand over the hand-carved wood. It was easily one of the prettiest bed frames I'd ever seen. There was a moon and stars carved into the backboard. When I looked closer, I saw a tree with a lone wolf howling up at the moon.

  "I noticed you don't have a box spring, so I'm going to modify it and make a platform for your mattress to rest on," Ryker said.

  I scrutinized him, "Did you make this? The coffee table? The door?" I asked, my gut telling me that Ryker was the carpenter. Heck, Mindy had pretty much already confirmed that. Still, it was so remarkable. It was art.

  "Yeah, I'm all right at it," he said and continued putting it together like it was no big deal. I couldn't believe I thought he was a jerk yesterday!

  "All right at it? Ha!" Mindy said, "Everyone knows he's the best at it. Do you know how much his pieces sell for?"

  Ryker shot her a look that said to zip it, and she did.

  "Get anything good at the grocery store? I'm starved," Micah asked.

  "Shit. I better put my groceries away. I have some stuff for sandwiches."

  "You don't need to feed him. He'll eat you out of house and home. We'll get food on the way to the swimming hole."

  I sighed, "I couldn't find a swimsuit at the second-hand store."

  "Let's get your groceries put away, then you can come and search my closet to see if anything works for you."

  She gave me a gentle tug on my wrist to go with her, but I couldn't leave just yet. "Thank you. This is beyond beautiful and thoughtful." I felt the burn in the back of my throat, and I suddenly wanted to cry. No one had been this nice to me since my dad was alive. I swallowed back tears and left the room before anyone saw me.

  "I'm just going to use the bathroom. I'll be right there."

  Mindy studied me and saw the emotion on my face, then let me go and moved toward the kitchen. I quickly got a hold of myself in the bathroom, trying not to cry because that was so incredibly nice.

  I got myself together and walked back out to find Mindy putting away my groceries.

  "You don't have to do that. I can do it."

  She waved me off. "I'm sure you can, but it will go much quicker with me helping."

  Even though it was hard for me to accept all of this kindness, I smiled, then helped her put away my groceries.

  I COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING upstairs, and if I was honest with myself, I didn't really want to go any longer. My nerves and emotions felt all over the place, and I couldn't really pinpoint why.

  "Your place is cute," I said to Mindy as she rifled through her closet, pulling piece after piece out that I was sure would never cover even half an ass cheek.

  Her walls were all painted different shades that complimented each other. There were fabrics with interesting details hanging on the walls. If I were in any other college kid's room, I would've thought that it looked young, but Mindy had this eclectic style that really worked for her. She had a beautiful platform bed that I was certain Ryker made. Under that was a sizeable colorful plush rug that looked comfortable enough to sleep on. Large purple, orange, and turquoise pillows were positioned near the window, and I pictured Mindy meditating on them. There were candles everywhere as well as various gems strewn about. I kind of loved it for her.

  Mindy shrugged, "Thanks, I've been at it for a while."

  "I can tell. You have an eye for color."

  She flung a top at me, "How about this one?"

  I held up the small yellow fabric. "I don't think it's going to work."

  "That's all I have," she looked a little defeated.

  "It's all right."

  We walked back downstairs, and the guys were just finishing up.

  I caught Ryker's eyes as he made it to the kitchen area carrying a small toolbox. "You're good to go."

  "Really? Thank you."

  "The other guys just left to get ready. Do you want to check it out?"

  I followed Ryker down the hall and was surprised at how put together my room was. They even made my bed. The furniture fit in here like it was made for this room.

  My heart warmed, and I looked to Ryker, thinking he seemed like an entirely different man than the man I met yesterday.

  I yawned, and it caught me off guard. "Sorry about that. I guess looking at that beautiful bed is making me realize I'm more tired than I realized."

  "Don't feel like you have to come today. We go all the time."

  "Are you sure? I think Mindy has her heart set on me going, but if I'm honest, I'm kind of tired, and I want to feel settled."

  "She means well. I think she is just excited for another girl to be around."

  "I don't want to disappoint her."

  "Hey, Mins," Ryker called. "Ariel is going to take a rain check on swimming today. After last night she's whooped, and I think it's probably a good idea that she takes it easy."

  "Oh, okay," she called, walking toward the room.

  She smiled when she saw it all fixed up. "Looks good, bro." Then she bopped me with her hip, only I was much taller than her, so it hit my thigh. "You should've said something."

  "I wanted to go, I did, but this bed made me realize how tired I was."

  "Well, I better get going then. I need to catch Grey before he heads out."

  "Thank you for everything." She smiled and shrugged it off, then hurried after Grey.

  "I think I'm going to skip the swimming hole too, so I'll be around if you need anything." He brushed the hair off my shoulder, and it was intimate in a way that I felt myself blush. I met his eyes for a brief second then he was walking away. "Bye, Ariel."

  It was on the tip of my tongue to correct him, but he was gone.

  I WOKE UP AND NOTICED the sun was starting to set outside. I couldn't believe I slept that long. I moseyed about the apartment and into the kitchen, grabbing a frozen burrito to stick in the microwave. It dinged. I ate a few bites, and it was like gnawing on cardboard.

  Yuck. Tossing it in the trash, I opened the fridge again to try something else.

  There was a knock on the door, so I slammed the fridge shut and answered it. I probably should've had a drink after that nasty food. As I answered the door, I was about to say hey, but I stopped because I swear I had a glob of refried beans stuck in my teeth.

  Ryker stood there, laughing at me. "What are you doing?"

  My tongue tried to clean my teeth, and I put my hand over my mouth, "Stop laughing at me. I just ate the worst frozen burrito of my life." I kept the door open and walked to the kitchen, sticking my head under the sink to wash the disgusting taste from my mouth.

  "Good thing I'm here then," Ryker said, holding up a brown paper bag.

  "Whatcha got there?" I asked.

  "Thought you'd be hungry. I was grabbing myself a steak and cheese from Erma's and thought I'd grab you one too."

  "What's Erma's?" I had to learn the food spots, and pronto!

  "It's the bar next to mine."

  "Well, thanks, I'd say you didn't have to do that, but I think I would've withered away and died from this garbage," I said, grabbing the bag of frozen burritos and tossing them in the trash.

  We sat on the couch and ate. "This is way better than the food I bought."

  "That didn't even smell like food."

  "Thank you again. For the furniture. The food. All of it. You didn't need to do any of the things you've done for me, but I really appreciate it."

  "It's no problem. I couldn't in good conscience let you starve any more than I could let you sleep on the floor."

  I laughed, "I had a mattress, and I wouldn't have starved."

/>   Ryker raised his eyebrow at me, and I thought what a contrast his behavior was from the man I met only yesterday.

  "Did you not have a lot of things before you moved here?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean, you barely brought anything. Surely you had a life you left behind."

  "My..." I gulped, finding it hard to talk about him. "My dad had a houseful of stuff. I have it in storage. I had stuff, but none of it was all that valuable. I had a roommate, and I kind of sprung it on him at the last minute that I was moving."

  "Him?" I swore I heard a low growl as he asked.

  "Yeah, his name was Jeffrey. Geeky kid, but he wasn't half bad. I was already moving out on him, I didn't want to take the sofa or anything, so it worked out that this place was pre-furnished."

  "That was nice of you."

  "What can I say? I'm nice like that. Was Mindy upset that I didn't go with her?" I asked, changing the subject.

  "No, it was fine, but I think she'll be upset if you don't go eventually."

  I nodded my head. That was the impression I got too. "She's sweet."

  "That she is, but don't let her fool you. She can be hell on wheels if she gets a wild hair."

  "Somehow, I don't doubt that."

  We had a few moments of silence while we continued eating, then Ryker asked, "Did you sleep okay? Did anything else happen?"

  So maybe him bringing me dinner was out of concern. "I slept well."

  "That's good."

  "Were you worried about me?" I teased.

  "I was."

  He just put it out there, all simple-like.

  I took another bite of my steak and cheese, unsure of what to say or do next. I didn't have to think about it for long because Ryker stood and started sorting through my small DVD collection. "Got any comedies? I could use some laughs."

  "Mallrats or Chasing Amy are a few of my favorites."

  "Never heard of them."

  "Come on! You never heard of Jay and Silent Bob? Clerks?"

  He looked at me like I had two heads.

  "Kevin Smith is one of the best filmmakers. I think he is highly underrated. Prepare for an experience." I grabbed Mallrats and held it up. "This is comedy gold."

  He grabbed it from my hands, "You feel that strongly about it, huh? Guess we'll give this one a shot." He moved to put it in the DVD player. Whoa, I thought he wanted to borrow something, not that we were going to sit here and binge my favorite comedies on my TV.

  "What are you doing?"

  "Putting in the DVD. What's it look like I'm doing?"

  "Here?" I gulped, somehow suddenly feeling like the two of us watching a movie was creating an intimacy.

  "Do you think I own a DVD player?" he responded.

  "You don't?"

  He shot me a look that said, 'Do you think I'd own a TV?' then put the movie on and settled back on the couch next to me.

  I couldn't help the grin that was plastered on my face as Jason Lee made his debut. Ryker nudged me with his thigh. "You really love this, don't you?" Suddenly, I was all too aware of Ryker's proximity.

  I gulped, then nodded to the screen while something hilarious happened. Occasionally I'd glance at Ryker to see if he thought it was funny. I'd get a couple of head shakes, but I could tell he was amused. Mallrats ended, then Ryker stood and put in Chasing Amy.

  I had no idea that when he knocked at my door that we'd be sitting and having a movie marathon. When the next movie began, I saw his lips quirk more than a few times, and I was delighted when I heard him chuckle. Eventually, I felt my eyes start to get heavy, and I blinked them, trying to stay awake, but it was no use.

  I opened my eyes and felt hard muscles beneath me. The last thing I remembered was Banky in Chasing Amy screaming, "Your mother's a tracer!" The credits were rolling on the screen. "Sorry," I said. My head was on Ryker's thigh. I sat up and realized I grabbed his thigh to push myself up. Wow, those were some muscular thighs. The feel of his thigh beneath my palm made my nipples immediately harden. I quickly moved my hand off his leg and muttered another, "Sorry."

  "You fell asleep, no worries. The movies were pretty funny. Thanks. I needed some laughs."

  I yawned. "Good, you liked it."

  "You're tired. I better go." He brushed my hair out of my face and stood, "Night, Ariel."

  "Elle," I mumbled, then laid there for a moment thinking about those thighs and imagining what the rest of his muscled body might feel like and eventually fell back to sleep.

  Chapter Five

  The Sunday morning church bells rang out and seemingly bounced off the homes. It was a stark reminder that I wasn't in my tiny apartment in Seattle. I was sitting on the sofa drinking coffee with the windows in the living room open, hoping for any type of breeze to flow through. I slept last night without any dreams, and I wondered if the cleansing Mindy did actually held merit. What was I even thinking? I didn't believe in that.

  I thought about the last two days and how there was so much more to this place than I imagined. The entire thing with the Valderes was disconcerting, but I knew in my core that there were always two sides to every story. Ryker and his friends were a little too hush-hush about theirs.

  The sound of a power tool caught my attention. I looked out my window to see what the noise was and saw Ryker with a large floor sander walking back and forth on the porch.

  Jeez, did he look good doing physical labor!

  Saliva pooled in my mouth, and I couldn't help but ogle this fine specimen of a man. He wore dark jeans and a black tank top. Shit. He was turning. I'd be busted in about point-two seconds if I didn't move quickly. I flew from the window and dashed back to the sofa.

  Luckily, he didn't turn off his machine; he just kept walking past. I felt heat rush through my body with thoughts of Ryker.

  He was a jerk, remember! I tried to remind myself, but it was no use. He stopped being a jerk about ten minutes after we met. I thought about his thigh and last night and how damn hot it was when he pretty much did anything. He wasn't my type. He was older than me. He had to be in his late thirties, maybe early forties. I usually dated hipsters who were my age or sometimes younger. I never dated over thirty-five. I wasn't sure why exactly, but I knew I wanted to be a mom one day, and if the man was over thirty-five, he either already had been married and had kids, or he wasn't going to want them. Still, looking at Ryker as he passed by the window, my younger-than-thirty-five rule went entirely out the window. There was something incredibly enticing about that man.

  I had to get a grip. My body was reacting in a way I wasn't used to, and before I knew it, I was at the window again for another look. He turned and spotted me. I had to think fast, so I stuck my head out the window. "Hey," I called out.

  He hit a switch on the sander and approached me at the window. His nose flared as he got closer, and I swear it seemed like he was smelling the air. "Sorry, that didn't wake you, did it?"

  "No, I've been up. I had a much better sleep, thanks."

  "Good, that means Mindy's stones worked."

  I wasn't so sure about that, but hey, who was I to argue? "What are you working on out there?" I asked a self-explanatory question.

  "Sanding the porch and replacing a few boards. This should've been done ages ago. I just ended up having so many things on my plate, I guess I got side-tracked. I wanted this done before you got here, but...."

  "I get it," I waved my hand, "Life."

  He nodded. "It might be loud and dusty. I'd recommend closing your window, so it doesn't make a mess in there. Also, that door at the end of the hall leads to a back stairwell. You can exit out of there when I stain it."

  "Thanks." There were a few seconds where we just stared at each other, and my nips hardened under his gaze. Not good.

  Abort. Abort.

  "Right, well, if you need anything, let me know."

  His eyes dropped to my chest, and even though I had a bra on, I thought for sure he knew what my girls were doing under my shirt. His tongue darted out and licked his lips, and I struggled to hold myself back.

  "All right, see you," I squeaked out, then closed the window. I took a minute to collect myself then decided a shower was what I needed. My only problem was, once I was naked and under the spray, instead of cooling me off, my mind immediately drifted to Ryker, and I had no choice but to take care of the burning ache he caused.