Shadows at Sunset: Sunset Trilogy ~ Book 1 (17 page)

“You know what I mean. Not just anyone can take care of a wolf.”

I smiled shyly, suddenly wanting to change the subject. “Why are you here? We’ve been talking about Dakota ever since you got here and I haven’t had a chance to ask you that.”

“I ran that background check you asked me to do,” he told me between bites of his sandwich.

I froze, holding my fork with a bite of lettuce and egg on it suspended in mid-air. “Oh. What did you find out?”

“Absolutely nothing. There are no police reports on Alexander Payne.”

“Did you try the name Xander Payne?”

“I tried every name you can imagine. There’s nothing out there on him.”

“But he told me he stole a car. Do you think he lied about that? Why would anyone make up something like that?” I finally ate the bite of salad I had been holding up on my fork.

Noah took a sip of his Sprite. “He either made it up or he really did steal a car, but it never got reported to the cops. In any case, there’s nothing to worry about. No drugs or drinking or anything else. The guy has a clean record.”

I continued eating my salad as I digested this information. I had been convinced that Noah was going to find a long troubled history on Xander. Knowing that he wasn’t some dangerous criminal would make it much harder to stay away from him, which was what I knew I needed to do. Only I couldn’t explain why.

Noah sensed my frustration. “What are you thinking?”

I glanced at him, noting the curious expression in his eyes. “Just that it doesn’t make sense.”

“But now you know your school and your town are safe. At least from him.” He smiled genuinely. “But enough about him. Thanks for the sandwich tonight. This was really nice. I have to give Xander Payne some credit. He gave me an excuse to come over here.”

I felt my cheeks blushing again. Looking down at my salad, I speared a few pieces of lettuce. “You don’t need an excuse to stop by. You’re welcome any time.”

“Thanks. But I had one other reason for coming over.”

I looked up at him. “What’s that?”

“To ask if you’d like to have dinner with me next Saturday.”

I nearly choked on my salad. My heart pounded with excitement as I bit back a glowing smile. He might lose interest if I appeared too eager. I took a sip of my ginger ale before answering him. “Um, yeah, that would be great. But I’ll need to make sure my parents are okay with it first.” As soon as I said it, I wished I could take it back. I sounded like a child who needed parental permission when I was old enough to make my own decisions.

Noah didn’t seem to care. “I think they’ll be okay with it.”

I nodded my head, embarrassed. “You’re right. I’m sure they will be, too,” I said quickly.

“Are you okay with it?” he asked skeptically.

I tried to relax a little. “What? Yes, of course. I’d love to have dinner with you Saturday.”

With a smile, he suddenly changed the subject by asking me about the week ahead. We talked for twenty more minutes while we finished our dinner. Once we were done and I had cleared the dishes away, Noah stood and slipped his denim jacket on over his T-shirt.

“Thank you for the nice dinner and wonderful company tonight,” he said as we walked through the entry hall to the front door.

“It’s the least I could do after Dakota surprised you. I am sorry about that.”

“You don’t have to be sorry. I’m glad I know about him now. And you can trust me. Your secret is still safe.”

“Thanks. That means a lot to me.”

Noah opened the door and stepped outside, but he lingered on the welcome mat. Taking my hand, he met my gaze. “I’m looking forward to next Saturday night.”

I looked down at our hands. His soft fingers curled around mine. “Me, too.”

When I raised my eyes to him, I smiled shyly. It was almost dark outside and the light from inside the house reflected in his brown eyes. He leaned toward me, and I suddenly wondered if he was going to kiss me.

At the last second, he shifted to the side and whispered in my ear, “I’d love to kiss you right now, but I think it’s only appropriate that I wait until our first date.”

His breath blew against my ear, causing goose bumps to break out along my neck under my hair. Despite the damp evening chill winding its way around the door and into the house, heat flushed through me. And yet, I shivered from his nearness.

Noah stepped back, never letting go of my hand. Instead he lifted it to his lips and kissed it. “Good night, Laken. I’ll see you soon.”

After reluctantly releasing my hand, he turned to walk down the sidewalk and disappeared around the front of the house.

“Good night, Noah,” I said softly, even though he probably didn’t hear me. Then I felt a dreamy smile spread across my lips as I gently closed the door. In spite of Dakota’s injury and the gloomy weather, this was the best night I’d had since finding Ryder. The future suddenly looked better than it had in a long time.

Chapter 10

The misty rain lingered for another day, chasing the tourists away. I worked the lunch shift on Monday since school was out for Labor Day, and business practically died. When I returned home from work that afternoon to hit the books, Dakota seemed to be back to his old self. I removed the bandage from his neck, and his puncture wounds looked clean and dry with scabs covering them as they healed. The short stubble of fur prickled my fingers when I grazed them across his skin before my mother helped me reapply the bandage.

Noah wasn’t far from my mind all day long. When I pictured his soft, compelling eyes or his contagious sly smile, my lips curled into a grin. Unfortunately, Xander crept into my thoughts every now and then, too. I seemed to have no control over them. There was something about him that had gotten under my skin. I couldn’t tell if it was his handsome face and mesmerizing blue eyes or if it was the mysterious, dangerous aura that followed him everywhere he went. After all, he was the first guy I had ever known who had a tattoo, not to mention had stolen a car, assuming that was true. Each time his eyes flashed through my thoughts, I shook my head and forced myself to focus on my schoolwork or whatever else I happened to be doing at the moment. Dakota lifted his head every time I thought of Xander, his expression curious. He had to be wondering where these thoughts were coming from. I couldn’t help feeling as though he was scolding me.

As if my unintentional thoughts of Xander weren’t bad enough, I didn’t even make it to homeroom Tuesday morning before I ran into him. I was at my locker, the hallway buzzing with chattering students, when he appeared from out of nowhere.

Thinking I was alone, I stripped off my denim jacket to hang it on my locker hook, revealing the light purple sweater I wore with jeans. My hair was pulled back into a braid, but a few stray strands grazed my cheeks. I studied the books on my locker shelf, looking for my Calculus textbook when I felt chills race up my spine. Before I could turn around, I felt a breeze blow against my neck.

“Good morning, Laken,” Xander whispered softly in my ear.

I whirled around to face him, shocked by how boldly close he was and dizzy from his nearness, his voice, his breath. “What do you want?” I gasped as I pressed my back against my open locker.

It was narrow enough that my shoulders rested along both sides, or I probably would have fallen right in. Despite my trembling, I was able to steady myself. I stared into his blue eyes, demanding an answer.

“For you to say good morning.”

I softened my expression, realizing how harsh my reaction must have sounded. “Good morning. Now can I ask what you want?”

“Just to apologize for questioning your story about the night you found the missing boy.”

“It’s not a story, it’s the truth.”

As flustered as I was, I kept my gaze locked with his. He stood several inches taller than me. Gone were the black clothes he had worn every day last week. In their place was a gray waffle weave shirt and blue jeans, the lighter colors making him seem less dangerous, if that was even possible. His shirt stretched tightly along his broad shoulders, the long sleeves covering the tattoo that had become permanently etched in my mind.

“I’m trying to say I’m sorry, that’s all. The last thing I want is to start off on the wrong foot with you.”

“Why? There are plenty of girls around here who would love to get your attention. You don’t need to waste it on me.”

“It’s not a waste. I’m not interested in any of them. They’re not special, like you.” He stepped closer to me, and I pressed my back against the sides of the locker so hard that it hurt.

I scoffed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. But I’m going to save you some time. Nothing you can say will make me change my mind.” I glared at him, wishing he would leave me alone.

“Change your mind about what?”

“You.”

“Is that so? What do you think about me?”

“Only that you showed up here with a big-city attitude and challenged something you know absolutely nothing about. I don’t take kindly to being accused of lying.”

“I suppose I deserve that. But sometimes first impressions are deceiving. You hardly know me, Laken. Give me another chance.” He leaned toward me, extending his arms out and caging me against the locker.

I couldn’t escape from him if I wanted to, and I definitely wanted to. The other students were a complete blur beyond his intense stare. “I’ll think about it,” I muttered.

He grinned with satisfaction. “That’s more like it. There’s a lot you don’t know about me, but all will be revealed in due time.”

“I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean, but let’s just say I’m not making any promises.”

Xander’s smile faded. He pushed off the locker, dropping his hands to his sides and releasing the barriers around me. I relaxed ever so slightly now that I didn’t feel trapped any longer. “We’ll see,” he said. “It should be an interesting year. See you in homeroom.”

Before I could respond, he turned and disappeared down the hallway into the crowd of students. I wasn’t even sure what else I would have said to him if I’d had the time. Things would probably be better if he had never moved to our town. Everything I knew about him so far seemed to indicate trouble. As much as I tried to deny it, he intrigued me, and my own interest scared me.

Brooke suddenly emerged from the swarming students, but all I saw was her shiny cropped red hair as she looked down the hall in the direction Xander had gone. “What was that all about?” she asked as she turned to me.

I shrugged as I spun around to face my locker and find the Calculus book I had been looking for when Xander had shown up. Finding it between two other textbooks on the shelf, I grabbed it before shutting the door. By the time I returned my attention to Brooke, my books heavy in my arms, she was staring at me. “Nothing,” I finally answered. “He was trying to make up for something he said to me at the party, but I’m not buying it.”

“What? He was at the party Friday night? I never saw him and you never told me about him.”

“Oh yeah, sorry,” I said sheepishly.

Brooke was practically drooling to find out what I had neglected to tell her. “So what happened that’s got you so upset? And by the way, we’ll talk later about the fact that I’m only finding out about this now.”

I rolled my eyes at her, but I knew she was only teasing. “He just said some things about the night I found Ryder that were a little weird.”

“Weird? Like what?”

I sighed, debating how much to tell her. After a moment, I explained, “He pretty much accused me of lying about the dog that found Ryder.”

Brooke raised her eyebrows. “That is weird. How else on earth could you have found him?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” I said, desperately wanting to change the subject and talk about anything other than the night I found Ryder. “He also told me why he moved here. We probably shouldn’t talk about this because I’m not sure if it’s true, but he told me he stole a car back in California and that’s why his dad moved him here. Less distractions and temptations.”

Brooke’s eyes nearly doubled in size. “He stole a car?” she gasped a little too loudly.

“Who stole a car?” Ethan approached as Brooke spoke.

I glared at both of them then glanced around us to make sure no one was listening. Fortunately, the other students who passed by paid us no attention. “Ssh,” I warned them anyway. I looked at Ethan as I continued. “Xander. At least that’s what he told me. But Noah ran a background check on him for me and there’s no record of it. So don’t say anything to anyone.”

“Oh,” Brooke teased. “Now Noah is at your beck and call? You better keep that quiet or you’ll be hiding from Marlena all year.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” I gritted out with a scowl. “Can we please talk about something else now?”

“Yes,” Ethan jumped in. “Your birthday is Friday. What are we doing to celebrate?”

I frowned as I looked at his eager smile. “I already told you both I don’t want anything big. You know I hate being the center of attention.” Pausing, I noticed a mischievous look creeping onto Brooke’s face. “Please tell me you’re not planning something I have to talk you out of,” I added.

“No,” Brooke said. “We wouldn’t do that to you. I was wondering if you’ll be celebrating with Noah. Now that’s something worth turning eighteen for.”

“If you must know, he’s taking me out Saturday night. But don’t go spreading that around, either.”

Brooke clasped her hands together in delight. “Perfect. Then we have Friday night to do something for your birthday.”

“You still haven’t told me what you’re planning.”

“We’re not sure yet,” Brooke said. “But we’ll come up with something. Well, I’ve got to run to homeroom. The bell’s about to ring. Later guys.” With that, she took off down the hall, her long skirt swirling against her booted ankles.

Side by side, Ethan and I wandered through the maze of students to our homeroom. “I’m almost afraid to ask,” I said with a sigh, glancing up at his familiar brown eyes. “What is she planning?”

Ethan grinned knowingly, putting my nerves at ease. “She’s only teasing you. We don’t have anything planned except boring cake and ice cream. We know anything more would be too much for you.”

As we passed through the doorway into homeroom, I immediately spotted Xander in the back row. He sat sideways at his desk as he leaned across the aisle to whisper in a girl’s ear. I recognized the pretty brunette as Carrie Sanders, a popular cheerleader and one of Marlena’s friends. She smiled brilliantly, her face lighting up and her brown eyes focused on whatever he was saying.

My mood suddenly darkened as I stopped dead in my tracks. I took a deep breath, silently scolding myself.
Get a hold of yourself! You just told him not to waste his time on you and find some other girl to turn his attention to. And now you’re jealous? Is this for real? Especially when you have a date with Noah on Saturday night.
My thoughts made perfect sense, yet I couldn’t shake the jealousy sparked by Xander’s flirting with Carrie.

A hand touched my shoulder, and I heard Ethan’s voice behind me. “Laken, you need to keep moving. You’re blocking the doorway.”

I tore my stare away from Xander to look up at Ethan. “Yeah, sorry. I just remembered something I forgot to do this morning, that’s all.”

As I followed Ethan to two empty seats on the opposite side of the room from Xander, I fought the urge to sneak one more glance at him and his new brunette friend.
Who he’s friends with is none of your business. You shouldn’t care who he hangs out with
, I reminded myself as the roll was called.

Interestingly, I ended up repeating that to myself for the rest of the day.

***

Carrie and Xander seemed to be together everywhere I turned after that morning. I noticed every detail about the way they interacted--how he smiled when she touched his arm or shoulder, and how she beamed from his attention like she couldn’t get enough of it. No matter how hard I tried to think about Noah and our upcoming date or the college brochures that were starting to pile up on the kitchen table at home, Xander was never far from my thoughts.

When my eyes fluttered open Friday morning, I smiled sleepily. My birthday. Eighteen was a big year, although not much would change. I would continue living at home, going to school, and avoiding any decisions that involved my future and college. But somehow, it felt like a big milestone.

I rolled over in bed, snuggling against the pillows as I fantasized about my date with Noah Saturday night. For once, my thoughts of him were pure and not tainted with images of Xander.

As I closed my eyes to savor a few more minutes of sleep, I heard Dakota sigh from the floor. As his neck and leg had healed, he’d become restless from staying in the house day and night. I opened my eyes to see him stretch his legs out. They fell off the edge of his bed, his paws lightly scratching the hardwood floor. With a yawn, he rose and walked a few steps to the side of my bed, his nails clicking against the floor in the silent morning. His black nose rested on my comforter inches away from my face and he stared at me, imploring me to get up.