Trust the Moon Page 5

  She couldn’t help but laugh. “I’ll remember that.”

  “Good. Besides, I wouldn’t have thought you were a coward.”

  Gena shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe you would’ve thought I was a bitch for standing you up. Doesn’t matter now. I’m here, and you’re here, and that’s good enough for me.”

  “Good enough for me too.” Dylan snagged a chip from the basket and heaped it with chunky salsa. “How long has it been since you’ve ventured into Delta?”

  “Oh, I get in for supplies every once in a while. Or I’ll hit up another town if I don’t feel like being stared at.” She toyed with a large chip, wondering how much she needed to share. Somehow, the urge to talk to him was greater than the desire not to. “Your party was the first time I’ve been around other shifters in about two months.”

  “It doesn’t seem like a big party full of people would exactly be attractive.” He crunched another chip and reached for his water. “Why did you come down?”

  “Truth?” When he nodded, she said, “It looked like fun. I was out running, and I heard the music, and I couldn’t resist. I figured I could find somebody interested in a private party of our own. And I did.”

  “Does it get lonely sometimes?” Dylan asked softly. “You know, without anybody to talk to or dance with.”

  Every word out of his mouth made her throat close a little bit tighter. She wanted to lie. He didn’t know her. He had been a means to an end. But sincerity shone so brightly in his blue eyes that the lies refused to come.

  “Sometimes,” Gena admitted, matching his tone. She tried to twist it into a joke by smiling and adding, “That’s why I like the music loud.”

  But he didn’t bite. His tone remained serious, his gaze contemplative. “I would be really lonely, in your shoes. But I guess you could probably figure that out from my totem animal.”

  It took a moment for her to realize what he was saying. Her eyes widened. “Your totem’s a wolf? But you showed that to me on the night we met.”

  “Yeah?”

  “But…” She was at a loss for words. Totems were precious. Sacred, almost.

  “You’re surprised.”

  An understatement. “It doesn’t bother you to expose yourself like that?”

  “Why should it? All my totem does is help me focus. Find peace when I need to run. And I’m comfortable as a wolf. It’s not what I am, but it’s a part of who I am, like the color of my eyes, or how tall I am. I don’t want to hide myself. I don’t feel like I have to.”

  “Oh.” In all her life, she had never met anyone who had admitted as much. Her father, when he had been alive, had been hugely private about his totem, instilling the same sense of privacy in her. That had only increased when she’d exiled herself from Delta upon his death. “You are a man of many surprises, you know that?”

  “I am? How do you figure?”

  “I was taught totems shouldn’t be shared. It wouldn’t even occur to me to shift into my totem in front of someone else.”

  “Why? What will happen if you do share?”

  Gena was at a loss. She had no answer for him. She didn’t even know what to think now. Totems were private. End of story. What could she add to that?

  Dylan waited a long beat before nodding. “I understand that it’s personal to you. I’m not asking you to show me or do anything. It’s just…something to think about, you know? What’s the worst that could happen if you’re…open with somebody?”

  She didn’t want to talk about totems anymore. “Hey, you got me to go out on a date, didn’t you?” She smiled and slid her foot up higher along his leg until it nosed in his lap and against his crotch. “That’s more open than I’ve been with anyone in a long time.”

  Dylan squirmed slightly in his seat, but didn’t try to get away from the contact. “How long is a long time?”

  “I told you. Five years.”

  He waved his hand. “Sorry, I meant, how long have you been living outside of Delta.”

  “Oh.” Her foot came to rest on his thigh. “Longer than that. Twelve.”

  “So, I guess you’re pretty comfortable in your cave?” Dylan shook his head, more than a little wonderment on his face. “How do you live? Do you hunt?”

  “Sometimes. You probably won’t be surprised to hear I like the chase more.”

  “No. I’m not surprised by that at all. You remind me a bit of a cat.”

  She tried not to let her reaction show. Once again, he seemed to see through to the very heart of her without even looking like he was trying. “Oh? Why’s that?”

  “Cats are loners. They’re independent. They know how to take care of themselves. I’ve had a few pet cats before, and a few times, they’ve escaped to go and do whatever it is that they do. I had one that disappeared for three months, and then he just showed up on my door one day, as healthy as you please.” Dylan leaned forward. “And even though they can seem distant, they can be amazingly affectionate.”

  Gena wasn’t sure how she felt at how accurate his analysis was. On the one hand, knowing he was that aware of her, that astute to begin with especially considering his age, filled her with an unfamiliar sense of warmth that started in the pit of her stomach and radiated outward. She didn’t get close to people, and they certainly didn’t extend more than a cursory interest in her. Dylan was the first person—guy or otherwise—to seem to honestly want to get to know her.

  Which brought the other hand right beside the first. Because Gena didn’t let people get close. She wasn’t used to it. Every instinct inside her screamed to pick up and run as far as possible from this man as she could, because anyone discerning such careful detail had to be dangerous.

  Not for the first time since meeting Dylan, she ignored the louder, more insistent voice that told her to get away from him. Instead, she smiled and leaned forward to match his proximity.

  “Amazing won’t even begin to cover it when I finally get you to myself tonight,” she said, keeping her voice low and intimate. “I’m making that promise here and now.”

  “Oh, I think that goes without saying.” He grinned. “Especially since my bed should be more comfortable than a stream.”

  “Who says we’ll make it to the bed?”

  “We’re going to make it to the bed. Maybe not the first time, but we’re definitely getting there.”

  He seemed so sure of it. Truth be told, Gena hadn’t imagined fucking in a bed at all. It had been so long since she’d spent more than an hour or two in one—and even those incidents were few and far between—that it seemed a little alien now.

  Dylan’s smile wasn’t fading. And the gleam in his eyes perfectly matched the look he’d had at her den, after they’d had sex while they were shifted. He hadn’t complained about trying that, and that had most definitely been new to him. Would it be so bad to give him the same benefit of the doubt?

  On an impulse, she closed the rest of the distance between them and took his lips in a soft, sweet kiss.

  “Sometimes, you scare the shit out of me,” she whispered when she pulled back. “But I think I’m starting to kind of like it.”

  Dylan licked his lips, like he could still taste her against his mouth. “That makes you sound like some kind of adrenaline junky.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “Not at all. You do know how to get the blood pumping.”

  “And you seem to always find a way to keep it pumping.” She kissed him again. He tasted of salsa and made more than her lips tingle. “That second date is looking more and more like a real possibility.”

  Dylan moaned softly, his hooded eyes darkening. “You’ve got to stop kissing me like that, or we might not make it out of the restaurant. Then Luz won’t ever let me come back.”

  She smiled against his mouth, refusing to retreat. “Maybe that’s my diabolical plan. Then you can run away with me.”

  “Oh, I don’t know if you’d like me to run away with you.” He finally broke the contact between them and settled bac
k in his chair. “I’m too soft. I’d miss all my modern comforts too much.”

  It was almost disappointing to hear him admit as much, though it didn’t really surprise her. “You didn’t enjoy it the other night when we were shifted?”

  “I enjoyed when we went running together, because you’re fast enough to keep up. And I did enjoy it when we were shifted in your cave—but that’s because I was happy to be with you.”

  “But you’d miss your laptop. And your running water. And your salsa.” She knew there was a tinge of sadness in her voice; the more she thought about it, the more she wished Dylan liked the wild. She could easily see them spending hours romping under the moon. His grace was a thing of beauty, his company almost as exciting. With a sigh, she leaned back in her seat and plucked a chip from the basket. “Oh well. My loss.”

  Dylan arched his brow. “Were you planning to abscond with me into the desert? I mean, I don’t think we should be talking like we’re never going to see each other after tonight.”

  “I didn’t say never. In fact, I distinctly recall saying a second date looked like more than a possibility.”

  “I guess your tone worried me a bit. Like I gave the wrong answer to your suggestion.”

  “The only wrong answer is a lie. And something tells me that’s not your style.”

  “It’s not. Not even if I think a lie would make my life easier.”

  The waitress returned, flashing a quick smile to Dylan as she unloaded her tray and left several plates on the table.

  “Do you guys need anything else?”

  “No, we’re good, Diana. Thanks.”

  “Just holler if you do.”

  “We will.” Dylan pushed the bowl of mushrooms towards her. “You should try this first. Be careful though, it’s hot.”

  Gena speared one of the smaller mushrooms on her fork, the melted butter dripping off the cap. She popped it into her mouth before any could get onto the table, but the very first explosion of heat—both temperature and spice—made her mouth water.

  “Oh, God,” she moaned, chewing quickly and swallowing. “Promise you’ll bring me here and order these again, and you can have as many dates as you want.”

  Dylan grinned, clearly pleased with himself, and stabbed a mushroom from the dish. A bit of butter clung to his lips as he chewed, and he blinked rapidly, fluttering moisture from his eyes. “God…” He coughed and reached for his water. “I love these things but that damned pepper gets me every time.”

  She laughed and took another one, pleased when he didn’t refrain from digging in as well. Nobody had intrigued her as much as Dylan did in a very long time.

  She almost hoped the sense of wonder he created in her stuck around even longer.

  Chapter Four

  By the time they left the restaurant, the sun had long ago dipped below the horizon, leaving behind the soft glow of lights against the velvety sky and a cool breeze whispering across their skin. Gena curled her fingers through Dylan’s when he took her hand, tilting her head back in order to stare up at the heavens and simply breathe in the scents of the night.

  “I think this is my favorite time of day,” she mused. “Not even being in town can spoil the way it smells.”

  “It’s my favorite too.” They walked slowly, like they didn’t have anywhere to be and all day to get there. Her stomach was pleasantly full, and she still tasted the spicy peppers on the back of her tongue, which was not at all unpleasant. “I think there are a lot of things not spoiled by the town.”

  Though a half dozen refutations popped into her head, she let them all go. She didn’t want to argue with Dylan. Not now. She burned with a too-delectable fire, one she wasn’t willing to let die out just yet. It probably would later, after they’d sated themselves on sex, but for now she would cling to it as long as she could.

  “Have you ever been anywhere else?” Gena asked. “Other than Delta, I mean.”

  “Yes, I’ve been to California. There are a few communities in San Francisco that are friendly to shifters, and my mom wanted to see the ocean.” Dylan smiled. “Well, she wanted to swim in the ocean. Sometimes, I think it bothers her to be stuck in the desert.”

  “Is that where’s she from?”

  “No, she was born here. As were her parents. But she told me she used to dream about the ocean when she was younger. I think she would have liked to move there, but…well, she didn’t want to leave her family.”

  Which was probably where Dylan had gotten the tendency from. He was a pack animal. She’d been silly to forget that earlier when she’d entertained the notion of what it would be like to roam the countryside with him.

  “Every time I come back, Delta seems bigger.” Across the street, a group of teenagers laughed and joked as they hurried along the sidewalk to some unknown destination. Gena regarded them for only a moment before edging closer to Dylan. “I don’t know if that’s just me, or if it really is. If there’s that many more people around.”

  “Delta’s growing,” Dylan said mildly. “Some of it is just natural population growth. There are more kids around here than when I was in school. But the town is expanding because more shifters, like Luz, are moving here. It’s safer here.”

  “What about that teacher who went missing a few years ago?” She’d heard the stories, the whispers around Delta, and she’d run into more than one patrolling shifter along its streets. “How is that safer?”

  Dylan’s face darkened. “Everybody knows that was because of the normal they had living with them. But they moved to California.”

  “So that takes the danger away?” Gena shook her head. “I just don’t know how you don’t get claustrophobic being here. There’s so many people. And you have no idea what they’re like most of the time until it’s too late.”

  “Until it’s too late? What do you mean?”

  She realized immediately she’d said too much. “Nothing. It’s not important.”

  “I think it is.”

  “And I think I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Dylan sighed softly. “Okay. Do you still want to go dancing?”

  She was glad he didn’t press, but suddenly the desire to go lose herself amidst strangers held no appeal. “Maybe we should call it a night.”

  Instead of releasing her hand, he only tightened his grip. “You want to leave me already? The night’s still young.”

  “I don’t really feel like being around people right now.”

  “We don’t have to be around people. We can go back to my place for dessert. Unless, when you say people, you mean me.”

  When she glanced sideways at him, the concern gleaming in Dylan’s eyes was a blow to the gut. She didn’t mean him. If anything, he was the one person she thought she’d want around in any setting.

  “No, I mean other people.” She tried to smile, and when that didn’t work right, squeezed his hand instead. “Dessert sounds great.”

  Dylan’s answering grin was almost dazzling. “Good, because I’ve got some ice cream, a great record collection and a backyard with a high fence. We can still do a little dancing tonight.”

  Gena indulged in leaning her head against his shoulder, taking comfort in his heat and strength. He had wonderful arms. All hard muscle and sinew and long enough to fold around her and make her feel treasured. Riding him had been fun, but when he’d spooned behind her after their night in her den, pulling her flush against his chest so she could feel every heartbeat resonating through his skin, she had experienced a rare sense of peace in the presence of another shifter. It was different from sex. She wasn’t sure how. But then she wasn’t entirely sure why Dylan was different, either.

  They didn’t say another word as he led her back to his house. Their pace remained lazy, each appreciating the stars as they took their time coming out, curling into the other’s body as the temperature slowly dropped. Gena only let him go when they reached his front door, but he scooped his hand back into hers almost immediately after.

  “Yo
u keep doing that, and I’ll think you’re afraid I’m going to run away,” she teased.

  Dylan turned the knob—without bothering to unlock it—and ushered her into the house. “I’m not afraid you’re going to run away. I just can’t believe my good luck.” He swept his arm in a large gesture. “Should I give you the grand tour?”

  “Lead the way.”

  “With pleasure.” He kept their fingers locked and pulled her from the door. “We have the kitchen on the right. There you can find ice cream, beer, cereal and chips at all times. Over here is the guest bathroom. Then these are the stairs.” He stopped at the first step. “Which leads directly up to the bedroom.”

  Gena pressed into his side, their arms trapped between their bodies. She didn’t have to tilt far to skim her lips along his jaw, tasting the salt of his skin as she journeyed along. “What happened to my private dance in the backyard?”

  “We’re still going to dance. I just wanted to point out where the bedroom was, for future reference.” As if to prove her point, he dragged her from the stairs and across the living room. “What music do you want to dance to?”

  “Something slow. Something that makes it impossible not to touch you.”

  “So it sounds like one of the classics might be in order.” He pulled open a drawer beneath his expensive stereo system and began flipping through his surprising vinyl collection—without releasing her hand. “How about the Platters?”

  Her grin was instantaneous. “You really meant records?”

  “Yeah. When I was younger, I used to spend hours going through my grandfather’s record collection. When I graduated, he gave it to me. I mean, he’s got everything you can want to hear…well, I guess I’ve got everything.”

  “Then the Platters are great to start.”

  She crouched down at his side to watch his nimble fingers closely. What she wanted to do more than anything right then was grab his hand and suck his index finger hard into her mouth, tease him with how it might feel elsewhere. Her body throbbed with the idea. Her opportunity passed, though, when he pulled out the record he was looking for and proceeded to fit it on the turntable.