Blur (11 page)

I grimaced. “I bet.”

“Funny thing is, they usually tip better,” she said, “because they’re drunk and feeling extra generous. But, to me, it isn’t really worth it.”

Thinking about my mom last night and practically having to babysit her, I agreed. I then took out my tips and started counting it when Susan swore.

“What?” I said, looking up.

It was Ethan, followed by his clan. His eyes met mine and he smiled.

“Hey,” whispered Susan, noticing the exchange. “Do you know him?”

“Um, not really,” I said.

“Looks like they’re in your section tonight, Nikki,” said Rosie, “they usually only order coffee, though, so it should be a piece of cake.”

I took a deep breath and walked up to their table.

“Hello,” I said, handing out menus. “Can I start anyone out with something to drink?”

Ethan put his elbows on the table, clasped his fingers, and rested his chin on there. “Coffee for all of us, please, Nikki.”

Remembering the effect he had on me, I averted my eyes. “And will you want food, or should I take away the menus?”

“Well,” chuckled Ethan. “What I want probably isn’t on the menu.”

Oh, my God.

Our eyes met and I swear I could feel a charge of static electricity between us. It was eerie.

“You look beautiful tonight. As usual,” he said softly.

The carnal promises he held in his smoldering eyes were raw and made my heart race. I took a step backwards, trying to catch my breath, and dropped my pen.

“Everything okay here?” interrupted Rosie, coming towards us.

Ethan looked away and I grabbed the back of an empty chair to steady myself.

“Yeah, Rosie,” smiled Ethan. “Just being friendly with the new waitress.”

She smiled. “Now don’t be giving young Nikki here a hard time. It’s only her second day.”

For some reason, Rosie wasn’t affected by Ethan’s magnetic stare.

“Oh, don’t worry about Nikki, Rosie. She’s in good hands with me.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she chuckled. “So, Nikki, why don’t you go pour some coffee for these boys.”

I cleared my throat. “Okay,”

I grabbed six coffee cups and glanced towards Ethan’s minions. I watched, curiously, as Rosie continued talking to Ethan while the rest of the guys seemed content just listening to the exchange, never actually joining in on the conversation. All were tall, pale, and rivaled any of the male models I’d seen in magazines. None of them compared to Ethan, however. His animal magnetism was enough to make me forget everything else.

“It’s getting late,” said Rosie, coming up to the counter. “Why don’t you let me finish waiting on these guys and you can take off?”

I nodded, not quite trusting myself to talk.

Without another glance towards Ethan, I hurried to the break room, removed my apron, and grabbed my purse. When I turned around, I was staring into Ethan’s sultry eyes.

“Oh,” I gasped.

“Leaving so soon?” he asked me, stepping closer. I moved backwards until my back hit the wall.

“I really have to go,” I squeaked.

He touched my face and his eyes searched mine. “I’ve been searching for so long. I can’t believe that I’ve finally found you.”

My eyes widened. “Excuse me? I don’t understand what you mean.”

“You will.” He closed his eyes and inhaled. “You smell so sweet.”

I was so confused; my head was spinning and my stomach whirled. “I… what’s happening?”

Ethan opened his eyes again and smiled. “You’ll understand… in time.”

Suddenly his mouth was on mine again, and as before, I couldn’t resist his kisses. Our lips moved hungrily together and I moaned in pleasure, wanting him closer. I ran my hands up his back and into his hair, pulling his mouth harder against mine. But then he stopped abruptly and pulled away.

“I… I have to go and take care of something,” he said thickly.

“Your eyes…” I whispered. They were still blue but glowed brightly with something that reminded me of fire.

He backed away from me, breathing heavily. “Leave your balcony door open tonight.”

Then in a flash he was gone and I was left feeling frustrated and more alone then I’d ever felt before.

“Nikki,” said Rosie, stepping into the break room. “Someone named Duncan is waiting for you in the diner.”

“Thanks,” I replied, trying to compose myself.

Her eyes narrowed. “You okay? You look kind of flushed.”

“I’m fine,” I replied, not able to meet her eyes.

“Go home and get a good night’s sleep,” she said. “Working here can take a lot out of you.”

I forced a smile. “I will. Thanks.”

I followed her back out and expected to see Ethan and his friends, but they were all gone.

“Hi,” said Duncan.

He was dressed in a light blue polo shirt that complimented his silvery-gray eyes and low-riding jeans that showed off his tight abs. Because I was still feeling the pheromones from whatever Ethan produced, I had an incredible urge to jump his bones.

“Ready?” I asked, grabbing his hand.

He chuckled as I pulled him out of the diner. “What’s wrong? Had enough of this place already?”

I released a heavy sigh and nodded. “It was a long day.”

We both hopped in to his truck and he turned on the music. He caught me staring at him and smiled.

“You look nice,” he said, grabbing my hand.

His smile was much more boyish than Ethan’s and the tenderness in his eyes was so sweet. Part of me was already falling hard for Duncan, while another part of me screamed out for Ethan. It was frustrating and I decided to try and drive away my lustful thoughts of Ethan, so I told him to pull over to the side of the road.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

I scooted closer to him and pressed my lips against his. Soon we were kissing and my hands were all over him. When I pulled myself onto his lap and looked into his eyes, he let out a shaky sigh. “Nikki,” he groaned, and then his mouth captured mine. 

I ground my hips into his and he moaned with pleasure as I rocked against him. He unbuttoned the top of my uniform and raised my bra, kissing my breasts. Nobody had ever done that before and the sensation made me quiver down below.

“Shit,” he groaned as a squad car pulled up behind us and we were surrounded by bright flashing lights.

I jumped off of him and buttoned my uniform while Duncan tried to compose himself. “Man,” he said, looking at me again. “That was intense.”

There was a tap on the window and we both smiled sheepishly at Sheriff Caleb, who was frowning.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

Duncan’s face looked so guilty it was comical. “Um, we were just talking.”

He smirked. “You certainly fogged up the windows pretty good with all that talking you must have been doing. Next time, open one up.”

We both smiled.

“Listen,” said Caleb. “I’m not stupid, so I know your raging hormones probably got the better of you. Next time you feel like making out, though, don’t do it on the side of the road. It’s pretty dangerous, especially at night. Now, Duncan, bring Nikki home before her mom gets worried.”

“Okay. Thank you, sir,” answered Duncan.

He looked at me. “Say hello to your mother for me.”

“Okay.”

He walked back to his squad car, and we drove to the cabin in an awkward silence. Thankfully, Nathan was waiting on the porch for us when we pulled up because I didn’t want to talk about what had just happened. The truth was, I wasn’t exactly sure myself. That promiscuous girl back there? That wasn’t me. I’d made out with two guys in the last two days and had no real explanation for it.

“Hey, guys,” said Nathan, who was sitting on a gliding bench with a grim smile.

Duncan cleared his throat. “What’s up, Nathan?”

“Read this,” he said, holding out a newspaper.

I grabbed it from him and we both started reading the article he’d circled. There were several pictures of girls who were either missing or dead under the headline: ‘Serial Killer Targeting Similar Victims?’

“They’ve included a picture of the girl who was found in the lake, as well as Amy,” said Nathan, pointing. “See the resemblance there of the two girls?”

“Why is Amy included in this? She killed herself,” I said.

Nathan’s eyes narrowed. “Or maybe it
was
only made to look like she did. The most disturbing thing about this article is the photos of the girls.”

“They look very similar,” said Duncan. Then he turned to me and tensed up. “In fact, they look similar to Nikki, too.”

My brother nodded. “Their hair is different but, if you look closely at the facial features of those girls, there is a definite resemblance to Nikki’s. What really concerns me, are the strange things that have been happening to her. What if it’s somehow related?”

“Seriously, I doubt it has anything to do with what’s happened to all of those girls,” I said.

“Still, we’d better keep a close eye on you,” replied Nathan.

“Fine,” I said, yawning. “Listen, I hate to be a party pooper, but I’m exhausted from being on my feet for the last several hours. I’m going to take a bath and then sleep for days, if mom will let me.”

“Do you need any help getting that bath ready?” asked Duncan, smiling.

“Dude, that’s my sister you’re talking about. Don’t say that stuff loud enough for my ears to pick up,” said Nathan, looking horrified.

Duncan laughed.

“So, Duncan, are you planning on going to the barbeque tomorrow night?” I asked.

“Only if you’re going,” he said, leaning up against the cabin.

I smiled up at him. “Definitely. “

“How about if Nikki and I just meet you there?” interrupted Nathan. “I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon.”

“Sounds good,” he replied.

“Goodnight Dunc,” he said, opening the cabin door. “I’ll give you guys some privacy, in case you want to suck face or something.”

“Funny,” I mumbled.

“Night,” replied Duncan. As soon as Nathan was gone, he stepped closer and stared down into my eyes. “Well, goodnight.”

“Goodnight.

He gave me one of his dimpled smiles and then leaned forward, kissing me tenderly on the lips. This time the kiss was short and sweet.

“Maybe tomorrow I won’t smell like a diner,” I said softly as he stepped back.

“Believe me,” he replied, licking his lips. “I didn’t mind one bit.”

I cleared my throat. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

He reached into his pocket, pulled out his keys, and began twirling them around his finger. “Definitely. Can’t wait.”

“Me, too.

He motioned towards the door. “I’m not leaving until you’re safely inside of the house.”

His concern made me tingle. “Okay. Night.”

“Goodnight.”

I went inside the cabin and locked the door. When I turned around, Nathan stepped out of the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn.

“Where’s mom?”

“Where else? Sleeping,” he said, sitting down on the couch.

“Okay, I’m beat, too. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He nodded and flipped on the television.

I checked on mom and found her sprawled out on the bed, snoring softly. I closed the door and went into my room to get ready for my bath. I took out my hair down and set my cellphone on the charger, my head still spinning from everything that happened tonight. The fact that I’d made out with two guys in less than an hour was almost comical for someone like me; I still wasn’t sure what to make of it. In California, I’d shied away from the opposite sex; here, I was totally acting like a slut.

Maybe it’s the fresh air
? I mused.

With a yawn, I walked into the bathroom and started the water. My cell phone began to ring and I rushed back into the bedroom to answer it. When I saw who it was, I sat down on the edge of my bed and smiled.

“I just wanted to say goodnight, again,” said Duncan, a smile in his voice. “I… um, miss you already.”

I laughed. “You’ll be seeing me soon enough.”

“Believe me, it won’t be.”

My heart melted. He was the sweetest guy and I told him so.

“You must bring it out in me,” he replied. “Because, normally, I’m not like this.”

“Really? That’s hard to believe because you’re a natural. I can just tell.”

“Maybe, but I still think it’s you.” He sighed. “Look, this isn’t easy for me, so I’m just going say it. I… I think I’m falling in love with you. Actually,” he paused. “I know I am.”

“You hardly know me,” I said softly, although his words made me giddy. I’d never heard anyone says those words to me and it gave me tingles of pleasure.

“I know. Kind of weird, huh?”

I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, a wide grin on my face. “No. I, um… actually, I think I’m falling for you, too.”

“Really?”

He was sweet and made my stomach flutter. I’d never been in love before, but I knew one thing, I felt something special for him. I wasn’t sure if it was love, but it sure felt good.

“Yeah, really.”

“Okay, I just wanted you to know that I can’t stop thinking about you, and it’s driving me crazy.”

“Was that before or after I attacked you in the truck?”

He chuckled. “Both.”

I burst out laughing.

“Can I pick you up every night?” he teased. “I figure we’ll be at third base if this keeps up.”

“Oh, my God,” I said. “Just for that, I’m sending you back to first base.”

“I’ll take what I can get. We don’t even have to play the bases; we can just wander the fields.”

I laughed again, and it reminded me of my mother with Caleb.
I was as pathetic as she was with men.

“Man, I love your laugh.”

My face hurt now, I was grinning so wide. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

We sat in silence for a few seconds and then I spoke. “It’s late and I was just about ready to take a bath.”

He sucked in his breath. “I’ll be right over.”

“Duncan! I’m hanging up.”

“Wait, are you naked yet?”

I groaned. “Goodnight, Duncan.”

“Just give me
something
to fantasize about.”

I looked down at the uniform I was still wearing. “Yeah, I’m
totally
naked, except for the nail polish on my feet.”

He groaned. “You’re killing me.”

“Night,” I said. “This time… for real.”

“Night,” he murmured back.

He waited for me to hang up and I smiled again as I ended the call. One thing was for certain, Duncan was definitely the guy making my toes curl. No doubt about it.

I put my phone back in the charger, eyeing the balcony, suspiciously. The moon was bright, and normally I would have thought it was cool, but right now it was only ominous. There was no way that I was going to unlock the door, even if Ethan could somehow make it up here.

Ethan.

I didn’t even know him and the conscious side of me knew that my reaction to the guy made no sense. Sure, I’d basically climbed all over him in our break room and his kisses ignited a raging fire inside of me, but the truth was, he scared the crap out of me, crazy sexy or not.

I checked the lock on the balcony door to make sure it was secure, then went back into the bathroom and got undressed. Seconds later, I had the jet streams going in the tub and my back was getting a much-needed water massage. I closed my eyes and soon began drifting off.

A strange noise jolted me awake, and I looked towards the window, only to find myself alone. 

Must have been dreaming…

Sighing with relief, I checked the time and noticed I’d been in the tub for a half hour. The water was too chilly to enjoy anymore so I decided to get out. I toweled myself dry, put my robe on, and unplugged the bathtub. I then padded into the bedroom where I stopped dead in my tracks. Ethan was on my balcony, leaning against the railing watching me. He reminded me of a predator studying its kill before striking.

Time seemed to stand still as the realization of what Ethan really was sunk in. Obviously, he’d made it up to my balcony all by himself, and yesterday, we’d soared through the night faster than what was humanly possible. There could only be one explanation now, and it chilled me to the bone.