Sweetwater: The Kihn (The Sweet Series) (17 page)

“Your friend saw him for the same amount of time as you. She can barely recollect anything while you remember details as if you’ve seen him dozens of times.” His eyes narrow. “How do you explain that?”

“Total recall,” I retort. I always resort to anger when I can’t handle a situation. I pull my hands from his and stand. He stands too, towering over me. No way can I tell him. After too many years of keeping secrets, learning to hide my fear from the nightmares, only to find out I have some weird connection with the Kihn? No, I’m not playing Show and Tell. “I’m tired, and I have to get up in the morning for work. Jake will be here soon, so y’all can leave. Thanks so much for—”

“We’re not leaving you here alone,” Lucas states, his voice hard.

“Jake will be here soon—”

“I don’t give a damn if he’s around the corner.” He bites the words out, his eyes flashing silver.

“Fine!” I say, gritting my teeth. We glare at each other for several moments.
Damn, he’s hot! Even when he’s mad.
“Taylor, will you stay with me, please?”

He glances quickly at Lucas. “Of course, Sofie.”

“There! I’m not alone,” I snap at Lucas.

He grabs my arm and hauls me up against him. I gasp sharply, my eyes wide with alarm. He tilts his head toward me and his voice is low and seductive in my ear. “Go ahead, hide behind Taylor, but that won’t keep you safe from me.”

I stare at his angry face, watching the muscle jerk along his jaw line and the blaze of heat in his eyes. He releases me abruptly and stalks to the door. “Call if you need us,” he tells Taylor. With a quick look my way, he and Max are gone.

I’m in bed when Jake gets home. I’m still awake but pretend to be asleep. I don’t feel I can go over everything again. Taylor can fill him in. I’m doing my best not to think about what happened tonight, but I keep thinking of what Lucas wants to know. And what did he mean when he told me,
I wouldn’t be safe from him?

I drift to sleep, seeing his stormy, silver eyes.

Fridays are now my regular day off sin
c
e Murphy decided to have a Friday burger special. Diane and I have a late breakfast with Emma Rae. Emma Rae’s chattering about going to Eli’s party the next night, and being single again hits me. Emma Rae and Diane both have dates, and I’ll be on my own. It won’t be too awkward since the party is at a relative’s house, and considering I’m the maid of honor, it would be rude not to show.

After breakfast, Diane and I head to Lebanon for some shopping. We drive the old Route 66, and on the outskirts of Lebanon, we pass the bar Emma Rae went to with Andy and Taylor. Only four cars parked in front, but as we drive by, I see a black Hummer near the back. Of course, Lucas’ Hummer isn’t the only one out there, but I’m sure it’s his.

When we drive home later, I check and the Hummer is gone. At my house, I find Wolf lying on my front porch. I pet him for a few minutes before going inside. No amount of coaxing can get him to come in where it’s warm. Has Lucas told Wolf to stay here? Can one train a wolf to stay, to guard? I bet if it’s possible, Lucas can do it. He’s a wolf himself.

That idea makes me stop in my tracks. Is Lucas a supernatural? Neither Nick nor Taylor has ever hinted that Santiago
or
his men are supernatural. Maybe
that’s
what bothers me about him.
Something
makes my alarm bells go off. Of course, it might just be the fact the man is sex on a stick. I feel so out of my league around him. I make a cup of coffee and sit at the kitchen table.

Nick told me all the monsters and magical creatures we grew up hearing stories of are real. What about werewolves? I glance around the now dark, shadowy room with a certain amount of alarm. Could Lucas Santiago be a werewolf?

The sudden pounding on the back door comes near to giving me a heart attack. Sawyer’s arrived on a mission. Aunt Pat sent him over to fetch me for supper, and since he and Sam are about to starve, he hustles me out the door. My cousins have been painting their mother’s kitchen for the last two days, and we haven’t had a chance to discuss what happened Wednesday after he dropped me off.

“I called, but you didn’t answer,” I tell him once we get on the road.

“Son of a bitch!” he exclaims. “I told Arilla I needed my phone with me.”

I look at him with my mouth open, and I’m sure the rest of my face exudes surprise. Sawyer glances over and wiggles his eyebrows. “Shut up!” I practically yell.

“She called. She was the hot date.” He wiggles his eyebrows again.

“Shut up!”

Sawyer laughs his contagious laugh. Arilla Kane and Sawyer have a tumultuous history. She’s been living in Texas for the past year, but I guess she’s back.

I look at him from the corner of my eye. “I’m surprised you’d want to get that going again.”

“Hmmm.” He pulls into his driveway and parks the Jeep. He turns toward me. “Sofie, why does it seem as if the Kihn are trying to get to you?”

The amusement falls from my face and a hard, cold lump settles in my stomach. I don’t tell him that Lucas asked me pretty much the same question. I chew my bottom lip, unsure of what to say.

“You’ve got to start coming to training and no more staying home alone,” he says.

I don’t say anything. We both hear someone yell and see Sam at the back door, waving for us to come in.

“We’d better go in before Sam wastes away,” I murmur.

My Aunt Pat fusses over me as we settle at the table. She continues to set food out, refusing my offer of help.

“I’m so hungry I could eat a horse,” Sam confesses.

Sawyer leans in toward the table and whispers, “I’m so hungry I could eat the balls off a low-flyin’ goose.”

His mother smacks him on the head. “Sawyer Wayne! I heard that.” I cover my giggle with my napkin. “Don’t be talkin’ nasty at my table.”

My Aunt Pat is an awesome cook, and by the time we finish with dessert, I’m ready to roll out of there. We mosey on down to the Shotgun Shack to set up for the poker game. Of course, Sawyer brings up Wednesday night again and Sam asks me questions.

“Why didn’t you call me?” he asks.

“I knew you were out with Rose, and right after I called Sawyer, Jake called.”

Sawyer hands us each a beer. “I told Sofie she needs to start training. It doesn’t matter if Jake agrees or not.”

“Absolutely,” Sam agrees.

“Aw, Sawyer!” I smile as a favorite song comes across the music system.

“I knew you’d remember this one. I’ll load it on your iPod,” he offers.

Sam stands and holds his hand out to me. “May I have this dance?” We’re dancing when Emma Rae glides in, still in her Murphy’s T-shirt. When the song ends, I sit beside her, and she hands me my emptied beer bottle.

I tip the bottle upside down. “Gee, thanks.” She laughs and gets up to get us another one. “How was work today?”

“Not too bad.” She tips her beer up. “Chip Davis came in.”

“Look out!” Sawyer jokes.

“That boy is as dumb as a sack of hair,” she says with no humor.

I grin at her. “He’s so besotted with you, Emma Rae, he just can’t think straight.”

“He can’t see straight neither. You ever notice he’s kinda cross-eyed?”

“All the better to see you with,” I giggle.

“Yeah, both of you,” Sam adds.

A wry smile curves her lips. “He wouldn’t be able to handle one of me.”

“Emma Rae,
no one
can handle one of you,” Sawyer teases. He leans over and whispers something in her ear. She laughs and swats his arm.

I glance over at Sam, who winks at me. Both Sam and I think Sawyer and Emma Rae would be perfect together. They share the same temperament and point of view on most things. But, not until they’re both ready to settle down a bit.

One of Sawyer’s favorite songs comes on. He grabs my hand, pulling me out of my chair. I love to dance, but I don’t in front of most people. Occasionally I get over my shyness, but not often.

The door opens. Terry Joe Wooten and Logan Rivers amble in right at the end of the song. “Looks like the party’s startin’ early,” Terry Joe hollers.

Logan pulls his chair over by me when I sit back down. “Sofie.”

“Logan,” I say right back, copying his tone.

He gives me a cute little grin. “You owe me a dance.”

“Oh, I do, do I?” I laugh.

He leans in closer. “You do. Pretty, pretty please?”

He is so
dang cute!
How can I resist him? When the next song blasts over the speakers, I grab his hand. Boy, give this girl a couple of beers, and she loses all inhibition. “Let’s go.” I know he wants a slow dance, but that’s something he’ll have to earn. I have to feel much more at ease with him first.

He mostly shuffles his feet, uncomfortable with the song. I, on the other hand, bounce around, laughing at his expressions and attempts to grab me. The song ends, and we’re both breathless and laughing. We start back to the table, and I stumble as I notice Lucas at the bar with Sam, watching me. Logan reaches for my elbow to steady me as Lucas’ eyes meet mine. His lips give me a slow, admiring smile.

Lucas is dressed in black again: black tee, jeans, and black leather jacket. He looks positively dangerous. My heart rate is up from dancing, but after noticing him, it won’t be slowing down anytime soon. I sit by Emma Rae, trying to forget about Lucas standing a few feet away.

More people show up, and since Lucas doesn’t immediately sit in on a hand of cards, I decide I will. Bad decision. I can’t concentrate with him in the room. I keep stealing glimpses at the bar wh
ere he’s talking to Taylor and Andy, who has his arm around Emma Rae.

I throw in my cards and head for the bathroom. After washing my hands, I step out to Miranda Lambert singing about gettin’ her shotgun. Right away, I notice Lucas isn’t at the bar any longer. He’s standing by the outside door talking to Teresa Ryder, who has on the shortest skirt I’ve ever seen. That is, until I see the girl hanging on his arm.

Linda Stewart is wearing a hot pink tube top.
Just
a hot pink tube top. Stretched, it barely covers her top or her bottom. Lucas looks as if he’s enjoying them hanging all over him.

I wish I could get
my
shotgun and chase off those two. Instead, I lean up against the bar by Taylor.

“Sofie,” he acknowledges.

“Hey.”

“No more problems?”

“You should know,” I say, giving him a pointed look. I saw him last night outside my house at about three in the morning. On a trip to the bathroom, I looked out the window as he walked by the security light. I’d been startled until I realized it was Taylor.

He smiles. “We figured it was a good idea after what happened the other night.” Did I mention that when Taylor smiles, it kind of catches a girl off guard and leaves her bedazzled?

“Uh... yeah, Jake told me.” I’m surprised they’ve posted a watch on the house. It does make me feel safer, but also uneasy. “I didn’t see you when I got home at midnight.” I’d gone over to Lucy and Ben’s about nine.

“I was there. I’m just sneaky.” He dazzles me with another smile. “Save my spot, I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” I say, giggling softly. My body tenses when I sense Lucas at my back.

I can physically feel his presence. He leans his hip against the bar beside me. “Sofie,” he says by way of greeting.

I barely glance at him, thinking it’s a good thing he can’t hear my heart race. I’d be so embarrassed if he knew the way he affected me.

“How are you tonight?” he asks, in his smooth-as-silk voice.

“Fine.” I glance at him. He regards me with a sly look. “What?” I demand softly.

“I had no idea you could dance so well.”

“That’s because... you don’t know anything about me.”

“Oh, you’d be amazed what I know about you, Sofia,” he murmurs with a smile.

I stare at him and I can feel myself start to get tense. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Why is he so good looking and why do I have this overwhelming desire to lean into him and nuzzle his neck?
Geez!
I’m losing it here.

He ignores my question, slips his jacket off, and hangs it on the back of the bar stool nearest him. My mouth drops open, and I promptly shut it. He has on a sleeveless black T-shirt stretched just right across his chest and stomach. His arms are the right amount of muscular. He looks good. I glance about the room. Every female is looking at him, practically drooling.

He turns back to me, and I see the humor tugging at the corner of his mouth. I think he’s aware of his effect on women
. How could he not be? I’m sure they flock to him. I wrap my arms around my middle.

“Dance with me.” His voice is low, causing a vibration to play along my spine. A slow song is playing, and my stomach tightens when I think about dancing with him—being in his arms.

Gazing into his compelling eyes, I want to fall right in and never find my way out. I scrape my teeth across my bottom lip. The pain I inflict helps me get a grip, and I shake my head. “No, thank you, but I’m sure someone else here would love to dance with you.” Why does he want to dance with me when he clearly enjoyed being with Linda and Teresa. And why the hell does that bother me?

“I don’t want to dance with anyone but you,” he says, slow and deliberate. I watch his mouth as he speaks. He has beautifully shaped lips. When I glance up, the look in his eyes makes things flutter in my stomach. I swallow and turn away. His laugh is dark, sensual. “I have every intention of getting what I want,” he assures me.

What?
What
does
he want? Ignoring him, I spin around to look for Taylor.

“What did you do last night?”

I face him. “I don’t think that’s any of your business.” My voice sounds soft, breathless.

“Hot date?” I’m pretty sure he is reminding me of the other night when he agreed with Sawyer that
hot dates
are the best.

In as haughty a voice as I can muster, I retort, “I don’t
do
hot dates.”

“Too bad.” I hear the humor in his voice. I wonder if he finds everything amusing.

“I don’t think so.” I turn to leave, but he grabs my arm and pulls me close. “Let go of me!” I hiss. My heart slams against my chest at his touch.

“Maybe you
need
to do a hot date.” His breath flows across my face, and I fight the urge to lean into him.

I make an exasperated sound. “If you’re referring to yourself as a hot date, I’m sure I’m not missing much.”
Oh, what a liar I can be
.

He laughs. “Harsh.” He loosens his grip, and I pull away.

“Why don’t you go peddle your… charms to someone else?” I snap. My best defense is anger.

He regards me with a hard look in his eyes. He blinks, and I see his eyes soften and become amused. “You enjoy baiting me, don’t you?” he asks. I look away, ignoring his question. He leans a little closer, pulling my gaze back to his as he inhales deeply. “Hmmm—careful, you m
ight discover you’re playing with fire.” He grins and walks away, leaving me bewildered.

What does he mean by that? I’m trying my best
not
to play with him at all. I instinctively know I’ll go up in flames. I try to be sneaky, looking to see where he’s gone. When Taylor comes back, I’m able to turn and get a good look while masking my true intent. Lucas sits at one of the poker tables with Teresa behind him. Linda is at the same table, trying to sit on Sawyer’s knee.

“What?” Taylor asks, seeing the look on my face.

“If Deputies Porter or Graves come by tonight, they’ll have something to go on.” I gesture toward the guys playing poker. Just the week befo
re, the deputies dropped in on a friendly, unofficial visit. So they claimed. “That little gal sitting on Sawyer’s lap is only sixteen.”

Taylor chokes on his beer and whips out his cell phone. “Call him. Remind him of that.”

Sawyer answers on the fourth ring. With Linda on his lap, he has to juggle her around to get to his phone. “Yo!”