Fated Under the Moon Read online

  "Yes, you're right." I reluctantly got up from the couch and sleepily went to my room to change. I took off my shirt and noticed my ruby was back to its bright red self. Was I imagining it being black?

  I doubted myself, threw on some loose shorts and a tank, then, for some unknown reason, I went back to the couch and cuddled in next to Ryker. I must not have been thinking clearly, but it felt natural, and it wasn't long until my eyes grew heavy.

  "HEY, DOC. THANKS FOR coming. She's been sleeping like the dead."

  I had? Looking at my alarm clock, I saw it was one fifteen, and the sun was bright in the sky. I must've slept most of the day away.

  "Not a problem at all. Let's see if we can wake sleeping beauty," I heard Doc reply.

  A second later, both Ryker and Doc were standing in my bedroom. I briefly wondered how I'd gotten here because the last thing I remembered was snuggling up to Ryker on the couch.

  "There she is," Doc said.

  "Morning," Ryker greeted, "How're you feeling?"

  I sat up, then stretched. I noticed Ryker's eyes on my chest as I did so. Damn, now why did him looking make my nips perk up?

  I pulled the sheet higher to hide my titty hard-on, then answered, "I feel good. I can't believe I slept so long."

  "Can you tell me about what happened last night?" Doc asked while examining me.

  I went over my lunch and how I ate all this weird stuff, then ran to the toilet and got sick, then passed out.

  "Hmm. I'd say it sounds like an allergic reaction or food poisoning. However, since you passed out the other night, I want you to take it easy. I don't think you should go to work for the next few days."

  I nodded my head in understanding. I probably should have already called into the estate today to let them know I wasn't coming in. However, since they found me passed out, I'm sure they knew why I wasn't there.

  "I don't think she should be alone," Ryker said.

  "I'd have to say that I agree with you. Given the fact that you've lost consciousness twice this week, I really would insist that you take it easy and that you're not alone."

  "I feel fine, though."

  "It's either that, or I insist that we admit you to the closest hospital for testing. It's over an hour's drive from here, so I'd rather not."

  I definitely didn't want to go to a hospital, that was for sure. "I understand," I agreed with Doc. It would be much better to not go to a hospital.

  "Good. I'm going to stop back tomorrow to check on you."

  I wanted to protest, but Ryker was shaking Doc's hand and shuffling him out the door. I heard the front door shut and decided to use the bathroom. When I finished, Ryker was leaning with his back against the counter in the kitchen with one foot bent at the knee. Damn, he was something nice to look at. Then, I noticed his eyes traveling over my body, and before I could give my body a chance to react, I darted into my bedroom to change into something less revealing.

  The problem was it was hot. Pretty much most clothes on a ninety-degree day would be revealing, and I had to admit to myself that I liked the way it felt having his attention.

  Grrr! He was making me crazy. One minute he was flirty, and the next, he was prickly.

  Oh-so-fuck-it. I dressed in a flowy sundress that came to just above my knees. It was hot, and although I was still showing some skin, it wasn't form-fitting. I came out a minute later then went back into the bathroom to tame my hair and brush my teeth.

  Ryker was still in the same spot and was staring at me in a new and still fascinated way.

  "So," I started.

  "So," he parroted.

  I glared. "A few things. First, thank you for taking care of me again. Also, do you mind if I use your phone to call into work to tell them I'm not coming in?"

  He looked unhappy at the mention of work. "First, you don't have to thank me for taking care of you. I don't mind."

  The way he said he didn't mind was all kinds of sexy. That deep raspy timbre of his could make any woman's knees go weak.

  "Second, before you call them, how about you tell me why if it was just a bad reaction to some food, you looked like you'd seen a ghost last night. Did they do something to you? Did something happen?"

  It was then I noticed the way his hand gripped the counter. His whole body was tense.

  "Honestly, Lillian kind of weirds me out. For a quick second, when I first met her, I thought she seemed familiar, but then the way she speaks to me kind of freaks me out."

  "How does she speak to you?"

  "It's hard to describe."

  "Try."

  "It's like she talks to me like she's older than I am and sort of scolded me when I didn't want to eat. Then I got sick. I guess I sort of wondered if she was the reason I got sick. It doesn't even make sense. She wasn't threatening or anything. I woke up in a strange place, and... this is going to sound so crazy. You're going to think I'm nuts." I was apprehensive about talking about the ring, but maybe if I told him, he would understand.

  "Go on," he prodded.

  "My ring turned black. At least I thought it did. That doesn't make sense, though."

  "It makes perfect sense. I told you those Valderes are no good. Your ring knows it. Your intuition knows it. You've just refused to trust that we know a little something about this."

  I didn't know what to say to that, so I turned my back on him and poured myself a cup of coffee, which I only then realized was still warm. He must've made this recently for me.

  I moved to the fridge and got some creamer, then with my back to him, asked, "After I call into work, do you want to get something to eat?"

  I heard him sigh. He was letting the Valdere thing go. "Yeah, but first, I need to change."

  I looked at him more closely. "Is that what you had on last night?"

  "I only left you for a few seconds to call Doc. I didn't want to leave you."

  My insides felt all gooey.

  We left my apartment and walked across the hall to his.

  I stood in the living room while he went to freshen up. Spotting the phone, I quickly dialed the Valdere estate, Alfonzo answered. "Miss Katz, dear, are you well? We've been quite worried about you."

  "Sorry about not calling sooner. I'm okay, but the doctor wants me to take it easy for the next few days. So, I know I just started and all, but could you let Bronson know that I won't be in tomorrow either?"

  "But tomorrow is Friday. That means you won't be back until Monday."

  "I know. I'm really sorry. I'm not sure, but perhaps the fish or something else I ate was bad?" I wasn't sure if it was the food or not, and I hated to possibly throw Bethany under the bus when she'd been so kind to me. However, I wasn't entirely sure that my missing work on my first week signaled good things.

  "I can send a car for you. You can stay at the estate. We can nurse you back to health here. What do you say?"

  He asked me a question. I know he did, but I found myself unable to respond because Ryker walked out of the bathroom shirtless. And holy-shitoli, his body was utter perfection. All that muscle and those rippled abs.

  "Tell him you have people to look after you," Ryker said.

  I immediately picked up my jaw. I was totally busted checking him out that it didn't occur to me to ask how he knew what Alfonzo had asked. Ryker nodded his head towards the phone, indicating that I should respond since I was still on it.

  "Oh, right. Thanks for the offer, Alfonzo, but I have people." I hung up before he could try and convince me, and I watched Ryker as he continued into his room. Damn, his ass looked good in those jeans. Seriously, I needed to get a grip.

  Even though Doc told me to take it easy, we went to Erma's for lunch. It was good. I got another steak and cheese while Ryker got a burger. He told me his were better, and I wondered why he didn't bring me to his bar. We sat in a booth, and he insisted I put my feet up.

  After we ate, I made a few stops with him around town. He insisted I stay inside the car while he ran in, worried that it would be too much for me. Even though it was hotter than hell, I rolled down the window and watched how everyone interacted with him. I realized that practically everyone stopped to say hello to him. It was weird, like he was famous or something. I get that it was a small town and all, but surely that had to get old quick. I mean, how did you accomplish anything having to stop and chat every few minutes? Maybe it was a small-town thing. I'd get used to it, I was sure.

  Once we were back home, Mindy came and hung out with me. We watched a few movies, and I figured Ryker just went to work. Sometime around the part where Baby says the famous "I carried a watermelon" line, I dozed off. I sleepily woke up to murmured voices between Ryker and Mindy. Then, Ryker lifted me in his arms and carried me off to bed. We'd had such a lovely night that it was on the tip of my tongue to ask him to stay. Truthfully, I found it harder to ignore that I was becoming more and more attracted to him.

  He laid me down in my bed. My room was coated in darkness except for the moonlight shining in through the parted curtains.

  He started to leave. I grabbed hold of his arm, wanting him to stay. I hoped my eyes said it all. I licked my lips, hoping he'd take the bait and kiss me. I even pushed out my boobs a little. There'd been enough sexual tension between us that I thought for sure he would go for it.

  Ryker pulled back. "Christ, I can't. Not with you."

  Then, he left, and I stayed up far later wondering what the hell that meant. Not with you. I felt like he'd struck me. Apparently, I'd either misread him, or he liked playing this back and forth game with no real intention of taking us there. I was ticked and decided that Ryker was back to being Motorcycle Dick.

  Chapter Nine

  Mindy was moseying around my apartment when I made my way out of bed. I was glad Ryker wasn't there. The sting of
rejection was too fresh.

  "Reece is dropping off Prestie's. He's going to hang out with you while I do some running around."

  "I feel like I'm being babysat."

  She laughed sheepishly, "You kind of are. He's got us on a schedule."

  I groaned, then reached for the coffee pot. One good thing was my babysitters always had a fresh pot ready.

  There was a light tap on the door, and it slowly opened, revealing Reece holding a Prestie's bag.

  Mindy walked over and grabbed the bag from him. "This smells delicious."

  "Morning to you too, Sis. 'Sup Elle."

  "Morning," I mumbled in between coffee sips. "Looks like you're on 'Operation make sure Elle is okay' today."

  "That I am. So, what should we do today?

  Mindy fished an apple fritter out of the bag, held it up, smelled it, closed her eyes like she was in heaven, and said, "Thanks for breakfast. Gotta run." Then she was gone.

  I took a fritter and sat down with a small plate.

  "Well?" Reece prompted.

  "Well, what?"

  "Pretty sure Doc is going to stop by."

  As if on cue, a knock sounded at my door.

  "Wow, that's impressive," Reece said, answering the door.

  Doc came in with his old-fashioned, black doctor bag, "Good Morning, Elle. I hope it's not too early for you."

  "Just waking up."

  "How did you sleep?"

  "Come to think of it, I slept like the dead."

  Reece and Doc shared a look that I hadn't had enough coffee to process.

  "Mind if I listen to your lungs and heart?"

  "Have at it."

  Doc listened and asked me questions about my diet.

  "You appear healthy. I'd like to do some blood work to make sure there isn't anything I'm missing. Would you be okay with that?"

  I stuck out my arm. Giving blood never bothered me much. He put the rubber tourniquet on my arm and was about to stick the needle in my arm when Ryker opened the door with such force, I wondered if it put a hole in the drywall behind it.

  "Stop," he ordered.

  Doc looked up at him curiously, "This won't hurt her. It's standard."

  He gave a curt shake of his head.

  What the fuck was his problem?

  I didn't get a chance to ask because no sooner did he storm in to bark an order was he right back out the door.

  "Seriously, what was that? If you think we should run labs, run 'em."

  Doc undid the tunicate and sighed. "We'll just continue to monitor you. Take it easy today, and if you feel fine tomorrow, you're welcome to resume normal activity."

  "Thanks for coming by. It's nice of you to make house calls."

  "It's my pleasure, dear. Please don't be afraid to reach out if anything else happens."

  Doc left, and I looked to Reece for answers. "What the heck is up with your brother?"

  "Ryker means well. Don't take it personally. He's got a lot of people he looks after, and it looks like you've found your way onto his list."

  "I'm not sure I want to be on his list. He gets so damn moody."

  Reece chuckled, "That he does."

  I wanted to tell him about last night and what he said to me, but maybe I'd wait and ask Mindy. I was just frustrated with his back and forth, then blatant rejection. And what in the what was that about my blood?

  Reece hung out in my apartment for a while. We watched another DVD. I don't remember the last time I watched so many movies. After a while, Micah came to hang out. Grey brought us food and watched one of Micah's movies with us. I wasn't a Will Ferrell gal. The company was nice and all, but I started to just wish for some alone time.

  I was not used to being around people twenty-four-seven.

  Mindy came back and chilled on my couch. She brought a few books with her that she quietly sat and read. Maybe she needed some quiet too.

  I decided to make it an early night tonight. "I'm going to go to bed early tonight."

  "Why? Is everything okay? Are you feeling all right?"

  "I'm fine. Just wouldn't mind a bit of alone time. No offense."

  "Have at it. Oh, Elle, I wanted to ask you, since you couldn't make it to the swimming hole last week, do you want to come tomorrow? I'm babysitting, so I need to grab Ashton, but it's so much fun. And I'd bet that sitting in this hot apartment all day with a bunch of smelly guys isn't your idea of a good time."

  "Sure, that sounds like fun." I wanted to ask her if Ryker was going to be there tomorrow. I hated how it felt like he was avoiding me again. But I didn't ask. He'd either be there, or he wouldn't.

  "Awesome. Get some shut-eye. I'll see you in the morning."

  "WHERE EXACTLY ARE WE going?"

  "We're going to my cousin's to pick up her son, Ashton. She is hella pregnant, and Doc just put her on bed rest. Then after that, we're going to the swimming hole. It should be pretty crowded today. I bet you'll get to know so many people."

  "How many people are we talking?"

  She didn't answer but smiled at me mischievously. I cocked an eyebrow back then continued driving, following Mindy's step-by-step directions. I was surprised when we drove out of the small town. The houses grew further and further apart, then she had me make a left down a dirt road. It felt like we drove for nearly a mile. I was sure I'd need a car wash after today!

  Modest farmhouses appeared and several large barns. I quickly counted, and there were five houses on each side of the road. There were another two small streets off of this one that also had a few farmhouses. Those houses weren't as big as the houses on the main road. Trees lined the roads, and at a quick glance, I saw that there were fields upon fields of different crops.

  "You're farmers?"

  "We self-sustain. Grey lives here with Reece and Micah. Ryker has a house but only stays in it when he's needed. I lived here but moved into town. I like being near my brother, plus we're sort of like the watchers."

  That wasn't weird at all!

  I began asking her what she meant by that when she signaled for me to park. I pulled next to a moderately new RV. I was surprised when the screen door on a house opened, and a little boy barreled past a pregnant woman.

  "Ashton. Get back here. You need a towel." His mom admonished.

  I turned off my car, and Mindy and I got out.

  "Hey, Caroline! This is Elle. She's new around here." Caroline was tall, nearly as tall as me. Her dark hair was in a messy bun, and besides being pregnant, she was also quite curvy.

  Caroline sized me up, and she didn't hide it. "Has Ryk seen her yet? She screams Ryk's type." I did?

  My cheeks tinged pink in embarrassment.

  "She's our new tenant, and Ryker is coming swimming with us today!" That was news to me.

  "He is?" Her eyes got big.

  "Yep!" she said, popping her P.

  "I wish I could come. This sounds like it's going to be fun!"

  "By the way, aren't you supposed to be lying down?" Mindy asked.

  "It's hard laying down all day. Especially when Andy's been so busy, and to top that off, one of our mares is about to deliver."

  She moved into the house, and we followed. Her home was cozy at a quick glance. As soon as we walked in, there was a mudroom with various shoes, coats, and clothes on hooks. It was a little cluttered, but such is life with kids, right? Once we walked through the mudroom, there was a stairway on our left and a living room. I could tell that was where Caroline had been laying down, based on the pillows on the sofa and fan that was pointed directly towards it.

  "All right, you. Lay down. We'll check on the mare before we go."

  "You will?" she asked.

  "Sure."

  "Ashton will have to wait a little longer, but he'll live."

  "Awe, man!" Ashton said from the doorway, holding his towel.

  Caroline yawned and sat down on the couch. "Ash, why don't you show Mindy and Elle which mare is pregnant?"

  Ashton grabbed my hand, shocking me. "Come on!" He began to drag me towards the door we came in through. I quickly told Caroline it was nice meeting her, although, in all honesty, she barely spoke to me.

  Mindy followed behind us. "Slow down, Ashton."

  There was no slowing Ashton. I could tell he thought that the sooner he showed us the mare, the sooner we could go swimming. I didn't blame him. It was hot!