Blown (Elemental Series Book 2) (8 page)

Ignoring Nate’s teasing, Kirk asked, “So, when’s the big date?”

“We set it up for Tuesday,” Nate replied as he slowed the boat. They had already gone out about as far as he usually did when he took the tourists parasailing. “She’s hoping to get the bandage off before the hike,” he added, taking a deep, relaxing breath of the ocean air.

“I suppose that’s understandable,” Kirk allowed with a nod and a grin. “Do you want me to be coincidentally hiking the trail backwards on Tuesday?”

“Uh, no,” Nate replied with a laugh, recalling the time they had pulled exactly that stunt in high school. “This is entirely different from that. I actually
like
Madison. She’s not scary like Kylie was.”

“Maybe I’ll hike it anyway, and just spy on you,” Kirk teased, chuckling. “A good first date could be brilliant blackmail potential.”

Nate turned once the boat was properly stopped and raised a pointed eyebrow at his friend. “Don’t make me blow you out of the boat,” he mock-threatened.

Kirk held his hands up, admitting defeat, and said, “Okay, you win. I won’t take Tuesday off.”

“Thank you,” Nate said with a laugh. He started toward the bow of the boat and added, “Now do me a favor and don’t drive off while I’m gone. I’m gonna fly around for a minute and make sure this is still a good spot.”

“Don’t you think that’s dangerous right now? Considering what’s going on, I mean?” Kirk asked, his laughter gone, as he arched a pointed eyebrow at his friend.

Nate gestured out, to their surroundings, and said, “I don’t see any other boats. And everything we’ve found hasn’t given us reason to believe they can fly.”

Kirk shrugged, shaking his head, and said, “It’s up to you, man. I solemnly vow not to drive off before you return.” The last was said with a teasing grin.

Lifting one recently bared foot to the front bench seat, Nate said, “I appreciate it.” Then he pushed off, not bothering to transform, and propelled himself up, toward the sky. The boat rocked gently with the brief gust of wind, and his discarded sneakers and socks rolled slightly away from the bench.

Nate stopped just below the clouds and took a long, deep breath.
I wish I could do this more often.
He let his eyes close and focused on the feel of the air circling around him. He loved flying, he just didn’t often get to. Flying untransformed was too risky around town. But the sensation was so freeing that, sometimes, he found himself wishing he lived in the middle of nowhere just so he could fly around all the time.

Pushing that distraction from his mind, Nate opened his eyes and looked around. As high up as he was, he could see for miles in every direction. It was a beautiful view, but if he really wanted to check and make sure the view would still be worthwhile for his customers, he was going to have to drop a bit. His lips curved in an automatic grin as he arched down until he was at an appropriate height. There really was nothing better than the feel of the wind in his face.

Chapter Six

It was always hardest to stay grounded after allowing himself an hour or two in the air.

Hours later he was sitting on the edge of the cliff behind his property, legs dangling over the side. In a way, sitting there made him feel like a kid again. In another way it
almost
helped him cling to that feeling of freedom. And it always tempted him to simply rock forward and let himself fall. There was plenty of space between the top of the cliff and the rocky ground below to catch himself. He’d be fine, and he’d get to feel that feeling again. Most days he couldn’t remember why he resisted.

“Please tell me you’re not thinking about jumping,” Madison called as she approached him.

Nate started, so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t felt the gentle stirring of air that heralded her arrival. He turned a lopsided grin toward her and said, “More like falling.”

“Jumping leads to falling,” Madison argued as she carefully settled herself beside him. She swung her legs over fearlessly and turned a curious gaze toward him. “So, what’s got you out here so late at night?”

He held her gaze for a moment before letting his eyes go forward again and quietly admitting, “I like to come out here to think sometimes. Sitting here feels freeing somehow.”

Madison turned her gaze forward as well, her eyes sweeping over their fairly clear view of the rolling ocean beneath them. It occurred to him to wonder if she’d notice that the nightly fog hadn’t actually encroached on
them
, but he didn’t let his mind linger there. He didn’t really care if she asked about it.

“You might be right,” Madison declared after a long second. “It is sort of freeing—and terrifying all at once.”

Nate chuckled, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. “Glad you can see the appeal.” He paused, something else occurring to him, and turned a raised brow toward her as he asked, “What are
you
doing out here?”

Madison grinned and said, “I happened to be looking out my window and noticed that some crazy guy was sitting here, so I thought I’d give it a try.” She winked at him with a laugh as she leaned back and rested her palms against the ground beneath them.

“Huh,” Nate began, looking around curiously, “I haven’t seen any crazy guys. You must’ve been looking out the wrong window.”

Madison laughed lightly, the sound carrying on the late-night breeze. “I must have,” she agreed. They lapsed into comfortable silence for a moment, until she sat up properly and said, “Oh, I almost forgot. I noticed an older BMW parked in front of your house earlier, but the guy never got out or anything. He glared at me when I was walking down the driveway, though.”

BMW?
Nate repeated silently, his eyes widening. He remembered an older BMW, and he had come to assume that the man driving it was Jacob’s father. It had been that man who had dropped an unexpected hail storm on his head back in March. And if he hadn’t been heading to meet Logan he didn’t know how long it might have been before he’d have been found.

“Nate?” Madison asked carefully. She’d clearly noticed the immediate tensing in his muscles, or perhaps that his hands had clenched into fists in his lap. She reached out and dropped a hand on his shoulder. “Is everything okay?”

He took a deep breath and forced his muscles to relax as he turned a half smile to her. “Yeah, sorry.” He paused, briefly debating the wisdom of his next words, and then added, “Would you do me a favor, though? If you ever see that man—or that car—around here again, will you stay away?”

Clearly alarmed at his request, Madison let her hand fall back to her side and asked, “Why? Is he dangerous?”

“He’s… We just don’t get along well, and I can’t honestly say I trust him,” Nate replied slowly. He wanted to just say “Yes, he’s very dangerous,” but he knew she wouldn’t be satisfied without an explanation for that answer. And he could only hope she heeded his advice.

Slowly, Madison nodded. It was obvious that she recognized he wasn’t telling her everything, but she only said, “Okay.”

He smiled, an easy light in his eyes that reflected his appreciation of her answer. Then he took a deep breath and climbed to his feet before holding out a hand toward her. “Come on,” he said, smile shifting into a laughing grin, “I’ll walk you home.”

Madison laughed softly and accepted his hand as she moved carefully to her feet. “Why thank you, that’s so kind of you,” she teased.

They walked quietly to her door with their hands loosely twisted together. Madison easily pushed her door open, just a bit, and then turned a smile up at him.

“Good night, Madison,” Nate said as his hands tucked themselves into his pockets.

Madison’s smile widened for a beat, and then she leaned up and pressed her lips against his. She let the contact linger for a long moment, waiting until his surprise had faded and his lips were pressing back against hers, before pulling away. “Good night, Nate,” she whispered. Then, with one final smile, she quickly ducked into her house and shut the door.

****

It was after midnight now and Madison was wide awake, staring at her bedroom ceiling without seeing it. Her mind was still replaying her kisses with Nate—one of which
she
had initiated. And she couldn’t decide if she was more surprised at herself for that, for how she’d responded to the first one, or for the fact that she didn’t regret either of them.

Since literally throwing her engagement ring into Doug’s face nearly two years prior she had only kissed—or been kissed—twice before now. She hadn’t even been expecting the first one, and she’d been too drunk to think better of (or enjoy) the second one. And each time, without fail, she had gone home and cried herself to sleep.

But this was entirely different. She hadn’t had a drop of alcohol since moving into her current home, so she certainly couldn’t claim impaired judgment. Not that it mattered, because she honestly wasn’t feeling a single ounce of regret. More importantly, though, was that she wasn’t feeling any of the other expected emotions. There was no guilt, no anger, no bitterness, not even grief. For all the times in the past couple of weeks that her mind had forced her to draw comparisons between her former fiancé and the man she was planning a date with, now she found herself having to focus just to realize she wasn’t upset.

A small smile tipped her lips and Madison rolled onto her side. Maybe she and Nate came from two different worlds, but that was becoming less and less of an issue. She was beginning to think that that might even be exactly what she needed.

****

Angela stared at the grocery bags in her basket with a frown curving her lips. She had had her friend drop her off at the store so she could pick up a simple package of cookies to satisfy her craving, but as she’d meandered through the store she’d discovered several other things that sounded good, or that they were low on at home.
And just how am I supposed to carry all these bags home?
She sighed heavily. It would be impossible, which meant she was going to have to call someone for a ride. And she had been really looking forward to the walk.
It’s my own stupid fault.

Biting back another sigh, Angela pulled the cart to the side, out of the way of the entrance, and put her back to the front wall of the store as she dug her cell phone from her purse. It was early afternoon on Monday, which meant Blake was on lifeguard duty, and given her new bout of free time, Brooke was probably at the beach, as well. She knew Logan was likely busy with construction plans, though she also knew he’d be willing to put them aside in order to pick her up. She had too many bags for Nate’s motorcycle, assuming he wasn’t at the beach looking for tourists. And she wasn’t so sure she wanted to call Dean away from whatever he was doing.
But that leaves Mom or Dad.
And they weren’t likely to be happy to learn she had detoured to the store on her own.

“Everything okay?” a vaguely familiar male voice asked from a few feet away.

Angela jumped, startled, and looked up from her phone. She quickly found herself staring into Vaughn’s curious blue eyes, and her tension eased. Lowering the phone, she smiled and gestured to the basket as she said, “I might’ve gone a little overboard, and now I need a ride home. But I don’t know who to call.”

His lips tipped up at the corners just slightly, eyes flickering for a moment to her groceries, and then he jerked his thumb over his shoulder, toward the parking lot. “I could give you a ride,” he offered. “I was on my way home, anyway.” He ruffled the lone plastic bag in his other hand for emphasis.

She hesitated for a beat, pulling her lip between her teeth as she considered his offer. It would save her the effort of having to call for a ride, not to mention the time it took for that ride to show up. And she wouldn’t have to feel guilty for making him go far out of his way. Her house was only a couple of blocks down from his.
Plus, since his family’s new to the area, they can’t be our enemies, so it shouldn’t be dangerous.
That was enough for her, so she tucked her phone away and smiled gratefully. “That would be great,” she said.

“Follow me, then,” Vaughn instructed as she wrapped her hands around the handle of her cart. He turned after a beat and led the way into the parking lot.

Angela’s eyebrows shot up her forehead as they came to a stop in front of a shiny new Audi R8 and Vaughn lifted the trunk for her. “This is yours?” she asked incredulously. It was a beautiful car, but she never expected someone her age to be driving one.

He flashed her a smirk as he began helping her unload the basket, saying, “Graduation present.”

“All I got was a laptop,” Angela complained with a laughing grin. He chuckled as they quickly loaded his trunk space, and then Angela turned the cart around and guided it to the nearest cart-return before rejoining Vaughn. She moved around to the passenger side as he pulled open the driver’s side door, and as she tucked herself into the front seat she smiled again and added, “Thanks for this.”

“Don’t mention it,” Vaughn replied easily. The engine began purring a moment later, and in no time they were in motion.

“How are you liking Darien so far?” Angela asked casually as he pulled out of the parking lot, aimed toward their street.

With an almost imperceptible shrug, he said, “It’s all right. I’m still trying to get used to it, but my parents love it here.”

“I’m sure it’ll grow on you,” Angela assured him. “Are you planning on going to college nearby?”

“Yeah,” he replied. “That’s why we moved here.”

Laughing softly, Angela leaned back into the seat and turned her head toward him as she added, “Well, maybe I’ll see you around campus, then, too.”

The corner of his lips twitched again and he added, “Maybe.”

They settled into silence for a minute, briefly broken by Angela’s direction once they turned onto the street, and then Vaughn was easing into her family’s driveway. He pulled as close to the door as the driveway allowed before putting the car in park and cutting the engine. “You want help unloading?” he asked as he turned toward her.

Angela shook her head and said, “I can wrangle my dad into helping. Thanks again for the ride, Vaughn.” He inclined his head silently and she popped open the door, letting herself out.

****

Tuesday rolled around without incident, and Nate and Madison piled into her car shortly before eleven. He guided her easily through the streets until the town fell away, and after instructing her to turn down a dirt road he navigated her to a large, empty space almost entirely surrounded by trees.

“And you’re sure my car will be okay?” Madison asked skeptically as she pulled the keys from the ignition.

“Of course,” Nate promised. “People park here all the time.”

“Yeah, well, if my car gets towed, I’m giving you the bill,” Madison replied. The upwards tilt of her lips belied her threat, however, and Nate only grinned. They climbed from the car, Madison adjusting her jacket as Nate slipped a backpack over his shoulders

“You ready?” Nate asked when she joined his side.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Madison declared with a nod.

His grin broadened and he said, “Good.” Then he started forward, walking down the dirt drive that they had just turned onto. “The path’s on the other side of the road,” he called over his shoulder.

Madison took a deep breath and moved quickly to catch up to him. She could only hope she was actually prepared for this hike. Her long hair was pulled together in a ponytail, to keep it off her face and neck, and she had a lightweight jacket over a comfortable tee to go with her casual blue jeans and sneakers. It was good hiking attire, but not necessarily the most flattering thing to be wearing on a first date. She was comforted, however, by the fact that Nate was also wearing casual jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt. Though she thought he might be cold, seeing as how he’d donned the backpack instead of a jacket.

“So how far are we hiking?” Madison asked as they crossed the dirt road and almost immediately found themselves walking a slim, barely established trail.

“All the way to the top,” Nate declared casually. He tossed a grin over to her and added, “That is, assuming you think you can handle it.”

Madison barked out a laugh and playfully shoved at his nearest arm. “Ha! I should warn you, Nate Hawke, that I might be damaging your ego a little today. You’ll find I can handle myself quite well.”