Shadows at Sunset: Sunset Trilogy ~ Book 1 (22 page)

“Yeah. I got a ride. How did it go at the station?”

“As well as can be expected. The boys’ parents weren’t too happy, but they picked them up. I’m just glad those boys didn’t drive home. They really could have hurt someone, including themselves.”

“I know.” A moment of silence hung between us, and I nervously twisted a lock of hair around my finger.

“The real reason I’m calling you is that I need you to come outside.”

“What, now?”

“Yes, now.”

“Okay,” I replied slowly. “Can I ask why?”

“You’ll see.”

“I’m kind of in my pajamas.”

“I don’t care. Throw on some shoes and a jacket and I’ll meet you out front. I’m pulling into your driveway right now.”

With that, he hung up and I jumped off my bed onto the cold hard floor. I rushed over to my mirror, pulling the ponytail holder out of my hair. After smoothing out the messy locks and wiping away the mascara smudges under my eyes, I stared at my navy blue shirt and plaid pajama pants. Sighing, I realized they would just have to do.

As soon as I slipped my feet into a pair of sneakers, I ran down the stairs, through the house, and out the front door without bothering to get a jacket. The door fell shut behind me as I walked along the sidewalk, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. Sure enough, Noah leaned against the side of his car in the driveway, his hair and clothes a bit disheveled. A smile lit up his handsome face when he saw me.

I stopped halfway down the sidewalk as he walked toward me with confident, determined strides. A cool breeze blew right through my pajamas, sending a shiver over me. “What are you doing here?” I asked, confused.

“There’s something I have to do before I can go home.” He stopped inches away from me, cupping my chin in his hands and kissing me.

The world came to a screeching halt as I felt his lips touch mine. I closed my eyes, shutting out the moonlight and savoring his touch. He trailed his fingers along my jaw to the back of my neck, leaving tingling sensations in their wake. His lips parted, gently moving against mine. I responded to his lead, opening my lips slightly and kissing him back.

My arms reached up around his broad shoulders, not only to keep my balance but to draw him closer. His other hand slid down my shoulder blades to the small of my back, touching me just above my waist. I suddenly felt as though we were one beneath the stars and moon, and I wished this moment would never end.

When a cold wind whipped through my hair, I trembled. Noah suddenly pulled away and my eyes flew open to meet his intense gaze. I smiled softly, silently studying him for several moments.

“I’m so sorry about what happened tonight,” he whispered.

“Ssh.” I pressed a finger up to his lips. “It’s not your fault, so stop apologizing. Besides, you just turned this into one of the best nights of my life.”

He swept his hands up along my shoulders and neck before pressing his lips to mine for one last kiss. When he raised his head, he explained, “I’d better go before your dad gets home and sees us making out in your front yard.”

I laughed, knowing he was right. As much as I didn’t want his kisses to end, I would be mortified if my father arrived home to see us kissing in front of the house. “Yeah. That would be just a little embarrassing.”

Noah picked up one of my hands, holding it as he backed up. He only dropped it when he got too far away. “Good night, Laken. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Good night,” I whispered as I watched him hop into the driver’s seat of his car. The lights flipped on as the engine came to life and he backed out of the driveway.

Only once the red tail lights disappeared from sight and I felt the cold air nipping at my hands and face did I turn back to the house, a love-struck smile plastered on my face.

***

The next morning, I put on my black work-out pants as soon as I got up. Then I slipped into a short gray tank top that cut across my abdomen nearly an inch above my waist. It would probably be chilly this morning, but I was bound to break into a sweat hiking up the mountain. Just as I had told Xander to wear layers, I was prepared to do the same. As I pulled my hair up into a ponytail, my phone rang. I grabbed it from my dresser, reading the name that flashed across the screen. Brooke. Good. I was dying to know how Xander had ended up coming to my rescue last night.

“You’re in big trouble,” I said as soon as I picked up the call and sat down on the edge of my bed.

Brooke laughed. “I trust Xander got you home okay last night.”

“Thanks a lot. You could have at least sent me a text to let me know who you roped into coming to get me. I didn’t even know you two were friends.”

“And ruin the surprise? He’s in my Physics class and he asked about you a few days ago. Did I forget to tell you that? Oops, sorry.” I could practically hear the laughter in her teasing voice. “Seriously, though. You left for the night with a hot guy, so I thought it was only fitting for you to come home with one.”

“Well, you know, he’s not my favorite person.”

Brooke groaned. “Maybe you just need to get to know him a little better. Remember how he slammed Marlena a week ago?”

It was my turn to groan. “Whose side are you on, anyway?”

Brooke ignored my question. “Enough about Xander. How did it go with Noah? At least up until he had to leave.”

A smile crept over my face as I remembered Noah’s kiss last night outside under the moon and stars. “Actually, he stopped by here late last night after he finished at the station. So in spite of what happened, it was a perfect ending to the evening.”

“Ooh, I want details.”

“I’m afraid you’re going to have to wait. I’m on my way out the door to go hiking.”

“Hiking? You can’t postpone a hike with Dakota for ten minutes to share the details of last night with your poor friend who spent her night watching
Twilight
for the hundredth time?”

My smile broadened as I imagined her imploring stare. “I’m not heading out with Dakota. In fact, he took off yesterday morning and hasn’t come home since. I agreed to take Xander out on the trails today. He needed a guide because he doesn’t know the area. Since my lunch shift got canceled at work because it’s too slow, I figured what the hell.”

“I really don’t like you right now,” Brooke muttered.

I suddenly heard the rumble of an engine and looked down at my watch. Eight forty-five. He was early. “I think he’s here. I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later.”

“Okay. But you need to start sharing! It’s not fair that you have two hot guys eating out of your hands and I have none.”

“Then don’t send one of them to my rescue. I have to go,” I repeated. “I’ll call you later.”

“Okay. Have fun, but not too much fun.”

“Bye, Brooke,” I said, finally hanging up the phone and jumping up to my feet to steal a quick glance in the mirror.

I still wore the necklace my father had given me for my birthday. It didn’t exactly match my work-out clothes, but I wasn’t ready to take it off. It sparkled against my chest above the neckline of my gray shirt. Mesmerized by the intricate circles and tiny diamonds, I traced the silver circles with my fingertip for a quick moment. Then I tore my eyes away from it as I grabbed the small black backpack off my dresser and tossed my phone into it. Without another look in the mirror, I ran out of my room and down the stairs, the rubber soles of my hiking boots thundering against the hardwood steps.

My mother sat at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal and steaming cup of coffee. Her robe was wrapped over her pajamas as she thumbed through a college brochure. “Good morning, Laken. Care to join me in going through these brochures?”

I glanced at her as I rushed across the kitchen to pour coffee into a silver travel thermos. After adding a healthy dose of hazelnut creamer to it, I twisted the lid into place. “Can’t. I’m going hiking with a guy from school. He’s waiting out in the driveway.” I rushed about the kitchen, grabbing a water bottle from the refrigerator and a few granola bars from the pantry. After piling the loot into my backpack, I retrieved my gray fleece jacket from the coat closet.

“A guy? What happened to Noah?”

I emerged from around the corner, pulling my ponytail out from under the jacket collar. “It’s not like that. He’s new and doesn’t know any of the trails,” I explained as I returned to the counter to grab my coffee thermos.

“Does this boy have a name?” she asked.

“Xander Payne.”

“And how much do you know about him?”

I sighed, rolling my eyes. “Enough.” As much as his mysterious past intrigued me, after last night, something told me I would be safe with him. And that was all I needed to know. At least I tried to convince myself of that. After all, I was using him as an excuse to get out into the woods for a day.

“Okay, but when you get home, we need to go through these college brochures and narrow down your choices. If you don’t get started with your applications soon, you’re going to miss the deadlines.”

“Fine. But I also have to do my homework.”

“I understand that. But, Laken, you can’t avoid the college decision forever. You’re going to have to face it sooner or later.”

“I know. I’m just not ready to think about it yet. If Dakota comes home, can you let him in?”

“Of course. Have a good time and don’t be out too long.”

“I won’t.” I left out the front door, escaping the mention of college again. I knew I couldn’t run from it forever, but at least I got away for today.

The crisp mountain air sent goose bumps racing up from my ankles to where my work-out pants ended just below my knees as I jogged down the sidewalk to the huge black pick-up truck. The windows were rolled up, and loud music thumped inside the cab. Xander sat patiently in the driver’s seat, his eyes hidden by dark sunglasses. As soon as he noticed me, he turned the music off and the doors unlocked with a click. He remained seated as I hurried around to the passenger side.

I opened the door, pausing as I studied the running board. The tall truck was a lot less intimidating in broad daylight when I was wearing hiking boots than it had been last night in the dark. I easily climbed into the roomy leather seat and yanked the heavy door shut. Then I turned to him. “You’re early.”

“You told me not to be late. I wasn’t taking any chances that you’d change your mind. Ready?”

I pulled the seatbelt over my shoulder and fastened it in place. “Yes. Let’s go.” As I retrieved my sunglasses out of my backpack and slid them on, he backed out of the driveway and drove away from the house.

Chapter 13

I sipped my coffee as Xander guided the truck through the mountains. The road wound through forests sprinkled with white birch trees. Towering maple and oak trees hid the rising sun, casting dappled shadows on the pavement. We entered the White Mountain National Forest, and the terrain became steeper as we drove deep into the mountains and away from any semblance of civilization. Splashes of red, orange, and yellow hinted that autumn was on its way. The sky, what little of it could be seen peeking through the dense ceiling of leaves, was a deep blue.

As we turned around a sharp bend, a gravel driveway next to a visitor’s center sign came into view. A log building loomed beyond the trees and empty parking lot. Xander slowed, looking to the side. “Should I turn in here?”

“No. That’s where the tourists go. I know a better place about two miles up ahead.”

He sped up as we passed the entrance. “Really? I didn’t see a single car.”

“It’s still early. If there are any tourists around today, that’s where they’ll go. I prefer the trails off the beaten path. There’s a good chance we won’t see any people where we’re going. Besides, the visitor center trails are short and boring with no good views. You seem like the kind of guy who would want to go straight to the top.”

Xander stole a glance my way from behind his sunglasses. A slight grin formed on his face. “So you’ve thought about the kind of guy I am?”

“I--well, what I mean is--you just look adventurous,” I stammered, staring out the front windshield.

“Hm. I wonder what gave me away.”

I took a deep breath, ignoring his comment. “We also have a better chance of seeing some wildlife.”

“Really? Like what?”

“Oh, you know, lions and tigers and bears,” I teased. He started to slow the truck and I laughed. “I’m only kidding, although we may see a black bear. They’re pretty harmless though. They generally keep their distance from people.” I suddenly spotted the hidden entrance to a small dirt parking lot. Just as I expected, it was empty. “Slow down. The turn off is just ahead. It’s right there,” I said, pointing.

He slowed almost to a stop before cutting the tight right-hand turn. As the truck bounced over the deep ruts, he said, “Now back to what you said about bears. Are you serious? Have you ever seen one while out hiking?”

“Yeah. Lots of times.”

“Great,” he muttered as he eased the truck to a stop inches in front of a huge tree.

“What’s the big deal? Don’t tell me you’re scared of a harmless black bear,” I said with a grin.

He scoffed as he shut off the engine. “We had plenty of reports of black bears getting into garbage cans and breaking into houses up in the mountains back in California. I don’t think I’d want to mess with one.”

I pulled off my sunglasses and turned to look at him. “It’s not too late to change your mind.”

“No way. We’re here, so let’s go.” He smiled confidently before opening his door.

I pushed the heavy passenger door open and climbed out of the truck, leaving my coffee thermos in one of the cup holders and my sunglasses on the seat. I hoisted my backpack over my shoulder as I raised my hand up to the door. Before I could give it a push, Xander approached behind me. He was so close that I felt the heat from his body. His fingers gently grazed mine as he lifted his hand to the door. Familiar yet unsettling shivers raced through me, and I whirled around to face him.

“Here, let me.” He slowly pushed the door shut behind me. “Looks like we both had the same idea.” He held up a backpack. “Let me guess. Water bottle and granola bars?”

I nodded, finally glancing up at him to see that his sunglasses were gone. His blue eyes seemed to look right through me, and I breathed deeply, trying to relax. An unbuttoned, untucked black shirt hung loosely over his tight black tank top and army green cargo pants. His light brown hiking boots were scuffed, evidence that they were worn in. A black rope necklace with a single white tooth pendant rested against his smooth tanned skin, gleaming in the patchy sunlight.

“Want me to put your stuff in mine? It doesn’t make sense to take two half-empty backpacks,” he offered.

“Sure. That would be great,” I replied.

I peeled my eyes off of him, chasing my thoughts away from his broad shoulders. Opening my backpack, I grabbed the water bottle and granola bars and handed them to him. Then I stuffed my phone into the inside pocket of my jacket.

Xander dropped the items into his backpack before sliding his arms through the straps to secure it onto his back. As soon as he tossed my empty backpack in the truck and locked the doors, he stepped back with a gentlemanly gesture. “Lead the way.”

I walked past him, heading for the trail entrance between a metal garbage can and a sign reading
Summit 3.5 miles
. As I started up the path, I glanced over my shoulder to see Xander following closely behind. The trail cut narrowly between the dense trees that rose up from the floor of green ferns and thick underbrush. I paced myself, conserving the energy needed to make the three-and-a-half-mile uphill hike to the top. Memories of my fall the night I set out to find Ryder filled my mind, and I kept my eyes glued to the ground, watching for tree roots that snaked across the dirt path.

“So three and a half miles?” Xander asked.

“That’s right. And it’s all uphill.”

“You still sound like you don’t believe I can make it.”

“I never believe anyone can handle this hike until I see them do it,” I replied over my shoulder.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

I turned and flashed a reassuring smile at him. “If it’s any consolation, I wouldn’t have come if I wasn’t pretty sure you could.” Our eyes met briefly, but I quickly looked back in the direction I was walking to focus on the footing. “So what’s with your necklace? Is that a shark tooth?”

“Yeah. It’s one of the few things I have right now that reminds me of the ocean,” he said wistfully.

“Do you miss it?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe. I must have spent every day for the last ten years out in the surf, until a few weeks ago that is. Sometimes, I only got out for an hour or so after school, but on weekends and during the summers, surfing was my life.”

“Now I know why you’re so tan. I hate to tell you this, but there’s no ocean up here.”

“I figured that out. At least once the slopes open, I’ll be able to snowboard.”

“Ah, you’re on the dark side,” I mused. As I waited for him to answer, the trail angled upward steeply. I scanned the woods on both sides, watching for suspicious shadowy movements. Even with Xander close behind, I hadn’t forgotten that the golden-eyed wolf could be lurking behind any tree.

“Always have been,” Xander responded boastfully. Then he laughed. “I take it you don’t snowboard.”

“Nope.”

“Do you ski?”

“I know how, but I don’t get out on the slopes very often.” The truth was between my school schedule, the cost of a lift ticket, ski rentals, my time, and budget, I couldn’t afford such a luxury.

“Maybe we can hit the slopes together this winter.”

“Maybe,” I said softly.

I couldn’t agree to any future activities with him. Today was an exception because I had missed the outdoors since the other wolf had shown up and because Xander had been really nice last night. But other than that, I had no intentions of making long-term future plans with him.

We hiked in silence for about fifteen minutes. Our footsteps thudded on the dirt path as an occasional breeze rustled through the canopy of leaves overhead. The birds kept up a noisy chirping chatter, and every now and then a woodpecker pounded into a nearby tree. I savored these familiar forest sounds, realizing how much I had missed them, even if it had only been for a week.

As we continued on our way up the mountain, the cool temperatures steadily climbed. When I began to feel hot, I stopped in the middle of the trail, turning back to Xander. He skidded to a halt just before he would have slammed into me, sweat glistening on his tanned skin. After taking my jacket off, I tied the arms around my waist.

“Good idea. It’s starting to get really warm.” Xander slipped the backpack off his shoulders and stripped off his black shirt, revealing his broad shoulders and muscular arms. As he knelt to stuff his shirt into the backpack, I studied the intricate details of his tattoo. The dagger blades were rough and dangerous, but the diamond floating in between the handles added a sense of grace and beauty, as if that was even possible.

“So I’m curious,” I said, desperately trying to distract my thoughts away from his gorgeous arms. “What did your parents think about your tattoo? My parents would probably ground me for life if I came home with a tattoo.”

As he stood up, he stretched his arms through the backpack straps. “First of all, it’s just my dad, and secondly, a tattoo is pretty tame compared to all the other trouble I could get into, believe me.” He finished securing the backpack into place, but neither one of us was eager to continue hiking up the mountain right away.

“Like stealing a car?” I asked as we stood on the trail.

“I was afraid you’d remember that.”

“It’s kind of hard to forget. That’s not exactly something you hear every day.” I wondered how much I could get him to tell me about that. I was still curious to find out why there was no record of it. “Why did you do it?” I blurted out, meeting his gaze.

He shrugged flippantly. “I was bored. So I hot-wired a neighbor’s Porsche and took it for a spin. It was really fun to drive.” He smiled wistfully at the memory.

“But was it worth the risk?”

“Probably not. It wasn’t one of my better judgment calls.”

“What happened when you got caught?”

He looked away with a sigh. “I returned it without a single scratch, so the owner decided not to press charges. But my dad was pretty pissed. It wasn’t exactly a neighborly thing to do. Not that we were great friends with our neighbors to begin with.”

“And then he moved you here. Guess that was a pretty hard lesson to learn. No more surfing.” At least now I had an explanation for the missing police record.

Xander’s eyes whipped back to me, meeting my stare. “It’s not that bad here.”

“It’s not?” I asked incredulously.

He smiled coyly. “No, not as long as I’m with you.”

I blushed, nervously averting my eyes away from his. “Oh, please. Your California charms aren’t going to work on me,” I stated.

“So you think I’m charming?” he teased.

I rolled my eyes. Eager to end this conversation, I gestured up the hill. “We need to keep going. We’ll never make it to the top if we just stand here.”

“Yeah, sure.”

I took the lead as we resumed hiking up the mountain. Xander followed closely, at least I was pretty sure I felt him less than a foot away.

“What happened to your mom?” I asked between deep breaths.

A few seconds passed before I heard his quiet voice. “My mom died in a car accident shortly after I was born.”

I stopped dead in my tracks and spun around. “Xander, I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

“Of course, you didn’t. It’s okay, really. People ask me about her a lot when I first meet them. I’m used to having to explain.”

“How did it happen?”

“Drunk driver. But it was a long time ago and I never knew her. It was a lot harder on my dad than it was on me.”

I nodded, not sure what to say. Xander set off again, passing me as he took the lead. I watched him walk away for a minute, still shocked by his heartbreaking past before realizing I couldn’t let him get too far ahead. I launched into a jog to catch up.