The Twin Moon (The Moon Series) (17 page)

“No, but she won’t say no.
I know it.”
Gavin leaned his elbows on his knees and hung his head
, his sandy colored hair falling over his eyes.

“Just keep in mind that she can say no.
Doesn’t mean she’ll ever find another mate either, but she has that option.”
Ian leaned back in his seat giving Gavin space.
“Rejection will hurt her as much as it will hurt you.
My job is to make sure you are ready for all this
and to look at all possibilities.”
The knowledge that this applied to him as well as Gavin killed him a little inside.
If he couldn’t have Andy he didn’t know what he’d be capable of.
Ian glanced down into his coffee.
Time for a refill and his watch said their time was up.

***

After a
staff meeting Ian headed back to his apartment.
He wished he knew were Andy lived he would love to spend some
time with her tonight.
His ribs were sore and his head ached.
It had been a hell of a day.
He glanced at his phone wishing it would ring.
It was after five already.
Surely Andy would be home by now.
Ian rumbled into the parking
place and turned of
f
his Gran Ta
r
e
neo.
He grabbed his cell phone and locked up his car.
He made his way up the stairs and searched for a key to open the door on his key chain.
Oh right
,
Dillon
had his key
.
He knocked instead.

Dillon opened the door, a gun in his hand.

Ian gazed from his brother to the gun and arched an eyebrow.

Dillon stepped back and let Ian in.

“I’m going to lie
down for a while.
I’ve had a long day.”
Ian brushed past him and headed to the bedroom where he shut the door.

As soon as the door shut he dialed Andy’s number and put the phone to his ear.
As it rang he held his breath and his heart raced.

“Hello?”
Her voice was sweet and musical in his ears.
He wanted to bask in her
rose
smell and lick it from her skin.

“Hey, beautiful.”

“Ian.
It’s so good to hear from you.”
Andy’s voice sounded like a smile, pure warmth radiate from her.

“How was your day?”
Ian heard his voice drop.
He couldn’t help it she brought out the beast in him.

“Busy as hell.
What about you?”
Andy didn’t seem one for talk tonight Ian could hear the tension in her voice.

“Same here.
Would you like to go get some dinner with me?”
Ian wanted to see Andy.
It had been days since he’d last laid eyes on her and he needed to gaze on her beauty again, even if he couldn’t quite touch her yet.
The mating moon was almost here.
He hoped he could convince her to go to bed with him when it hit.

“I so would, but my best friend’s here.”
Andy’s voice saddened.

“That’s okay, my brother’s here.
I’ll bring him, you bring her.
I know this pizza parlor over by the Haven.”
Ian
almost
cross
ed
his fingers, he wanted to see her so badly.

“The community center
you work at
?
Ray’s pizza?
I’ve never been there but I’ve heard of it.
Hold on let me ask Rosie.”
Andy muffled the phone as she spoke to Rosie.

Ian waited patiently as they whisper argued back and forth.
Women were so funny.
Rosie thought they were setting her up with Ian’s brother.
As if Dillon would want anything to do with that little spitfire.
Ian tried not to laugh.
Finally there was silence.

“Sure what time?”
Obviously Andy had won.

“How about half an hour?”
Ian held his breath.

“That works.
See you then.”
Andy hung up.

Ian soared somewhere near the clouds.
His Andy.
He wou
ld see her in less than half an
hour.
Excitement pulsed through his body giving his cock sudden life.
He strode to the door and threw it open.

“Dillon, get dressed
.
W
e’re going out.”

***

Andy hung up the phone and clutched it to her chest.
She was about to see Ian.
Her heart beat a rapid tattoo and she grinned at Rosie.

“You are on
e
sick puppy.”
Rosie put her hands on her hips.

“No
,
I’m not.”
Andy denied it internally as well.
She was so not falling for Ian.
Sure he was hot and had the greatest voice, not to mention he made her panties wet in zero seconds flat, but she was so not falling for him.
“I’m getting dressed.”

“Yip, yip, yip.”
Rosie followed her through the living room.
“That’s you, mommy.
Tripped up and falling fast.
You’re in luuuuv.”

“I so am not and don’t taunt me.
That is so high school
,
Rose Elena.”
Andy brushed her hair back from her forehead as she headed for her closet to grab a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

“You’re so high school
,
Andrea Garrett.
I would tell your mom on you.
Ay d
ios mio, you can’t wear that!”
Rosie grabbed the t-shirt from Andy’s hand and threw it back in the closet.
“We’re trying to lure him in not scare him off.”
Rosie rummage in the closet as Andy stood back.

Andy tugged off her work clothes and put them in the hamper.
Then she pulled on the jeans that fit like a glove.
They were new
and stretchy and Andy liked the
way they molded to her curves.

“Here, wear this one.”
Rosie pulled a green colored stretchy top from the closet.
“It will pick up the flecks of green in your eyes.”

“I don’t have flecks of green in my eyes.”
Andy rolled her eyes at Rosie and snatched the top away.

Rosie grabbed it back and held the top under her chin, then pointed at the mirror.
“Look if you don’t believe me.”

“Fine.”
Andy rolled her eyes and looked.
Her eyes popped with the green top.
“Well I’ll be damned.
I’ve never noticed that.
I thought they were mostly brown.”

“I’m your best friend.
I know these things.
Now put on the shirt or we’re going to be late.”
Rosie winked at her and moved out of the room.

Andy put on the top and found her favorite black shoes, chunky Mary Janes with a four inch heel.
She touched up her makeup.

“Ready.”
Andy grabbed her purse off the dresser and she and Rosie left the house.

As they came out the door, Rich leaned against her car.

“Damn.”
Andy grabbed Rosie’s arm and stopped short on the porch, panic tightened down her chest and suddenly she could barely breath.
“We have to go back inside.”

“Oh
,
no we don’t.”
Rosie unzipped her purse and pulled out a hand gun.
Andy knew it was .25 caliber because it was exactly like the one the gun store owner had tried to sell her.

“Rosie
,
what are you doing?”
Andy stared in horror as her best friend since childhood wielded the gun and headed toward Rich.
She was torn between running back inside and going with
Rosie.
Even though she unsure
,
she went with Rosie.
If her best friend was about to commit murder she would have to stand beside her.
Andy quickly locked the front door.

“You psy
cho pendejo.
Get off the car or
I swear to God I will shot you.”
Rosie aimed at him with a level and steady hand.
Andy wondered if maybe there were things she didn’t know about Rosie.

“Don’t shot.” Rich jumped off the car and backed away.

“Get in the car
,
Andy.”
Rosie stayed leveled on Rich as Andy fumbled with the keys and finally managed to open the door.
Could her heart beat any faster?
Holy hell.

Andy ju
mped in the car and shut and loc
ked the door.
She started the car and knocked on the window to get Rosie moving.
Anxiety made her breath hard as she sat behind the wheel.
Rosie said something to Rich, but Andy couldn’t hear what as she came around the car.
Rosie opened the door and got in.

“Go.
Go.”
Rosie stuffed the gun back in her purse and Andy peeled out of the drive way as Rich ran toward the c
ar.
Andy looked behind her and slammed into the street
tires screeching
as she took off.
Rich screamed all the way down the street.
Rosie started to laugh and Andy glanced at her.

“You have lost your damn mind.”
Andy couldn’t help the grin that split over her face at the sheer look of terror on Rich’s face when Rosie had produced the gun.
Her heart raced in her chest from all the insanity.

“No I haven’t
.
H
e had it coming.
Anyway
,
I never even took the safety off.”
Rosie stared at her.

Andy glanced over and burst into laughter.

Fifteen minutes later
she
pulled into the pizzeria parking lot.
Andy
’s
gut clenched in anticipation, she couldn’t wait to see Ian.
She and Rosie got out of the car and m
ade their way to the door.
The
parking lot looked empty
,
but the pizzeria was full.
They moved thro
ugh the people toward the front.
Ian wave
d
at
her
from a corner booth.

Andy and Rosie trudged
through the sea of tables in the old brick building.
The smell of tomatoes, garlic and melting cheese made Andy’s mouth water.
This was the perfect place for dinner.
Ian stood as Andy and Rosie reached the table.

Ian had a big smile on his face and Andy
immediately
went to hug him as if they’d know each other foreve
r.
As her arms slide around his
shoulder
s
his slid around her waist and the scent of his
,
fresh rain
,
washed over her.
In her heels they were almost the same height.

“It’s so good to see you.”
Andy pulled back and stared into his big brown eyes.

“I’m glad you could make it.”
Ian slipped his hand into hers and turned toward the table.
“This is my brother Dillon.
Dillon this is Andy and this is Rosie.”

Rosie stepped forward and held her hand out to Di
llon.
Andy noticed her stiffen
as he took her hand then leaned over it and kissed the back of her knuckles.
Andy glanced at Rosie and saw her blush.
That was new.

Ian caressed the back of Andy’s hand with his thumb and she didn’t want to let go of him.

“Rosie
,
why don’t you sit next to Dillon.”
Before Rosie could protest Andy slid into the booth and Ian slid in next to her.

Rosie bit her lip, but sat down.
Quiet
,
too, that was also new.

“I ordered some garlic knots with cheese, but wasn’t sure
what you wanted to drink.”
Ian
motioned to the food on the table.
His knee brushed hers under the table then stuck there close to hers.
His hand
found
hers
under the table again and tangled together
,
fingers interlocking.