“Just coffee,” said a broad-shouldered, dark-haired guy, ordering for everyone. He handed her back the menu and our eyes met.
Embarrassed, I looked away quickly and stared outside at the parking lot, watching for Duncan.
Before I could blink, someone slid into my booth and I was suddenly facing the stranger whose eyes I’d just met.
“Um, hi,” I said, sitting up straighter.
“Um, hi, yourself,” he said with a slow, lazy grin.
Oh wow…
“I’m Nikki,” I replied, feeling myself blush at the intense way he was staring at me. I knew it had to be Amy’s ex-boyfriend, and he was undoubtedly gorgeous. He had thick, dark eyebrows with icy blue eyes; his face was perfectly sculpted with high cheekbones and a strong chin. His lips… they were sensual and even fuller than mine.
“You’re new in town?”
“Yes,” I replied, now studying his face more closely. He was definitely a little pale, which reminded me of the fact that Amy had accused him of being vampire. As I stared at him, I reasoned that most girls my age would have swooned at such a good-looking guy, but after everything that had happened the last few nights, I felt a cold shiver run down my spine.
“Welcome to Shore Lake,” he replied, looking into my eyes again.
“Thanks.”
It was weird, but we sat there and stared at each other for a while without talking. Soon, I started feeling a heat somewhere inside of my belly that turned into an overwhelming ache of desire, further south.
“I, ah…” My heart was pounding in my chest and I felt a strong urge to touch him. It was almost overwhelming.
“Nikki,” interrupted Duncan, standing next to our table. “Are you ready to go?”
I looked at Duncan and the spell, or whatever it was, was broken. “Yeah,” I said. “I’m ready.”
“Goodbye, Nikki,” said Ethan, with a small grin. “I’m sure we’ll meet again.”
“Goodbye,” I murmured, looking away. I was confused at the intense rush of desire I’d had for Ethan. He was a total stranger. How did that even happen?
“Who was that?” asked Duncan as he followed me out to his truck.
I don’t know how I knew, but there was no doubt in my mind that Ethan was still staring at me through the window. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. “You might think I’m crazy, but I’m pretty sure he was a vampire.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Excuse me?” he asked, unlocking the truck.
We both slid inside and I looked at him. “Amy was convinced he was a vampire, and there’s something about him that’s totally… unnerving.”
He shook his head and smiled as he started up the truck. “Okay, your imagination is really getting the best of you. It’s bad enough that there might be a ghost haunting your cabin, but a vampire in the local diner?”
I nodded. “I feel the same way, but there was something so strange about him. He made me feel…”
He raised his eyebrows. “He made you feel what?”
I swallowed hard. “Um, weird.”
I wasn’t about to tell Duncan that at one moment, I wanted to jump Ethan’s bones and probably would have, if we’d been alone. It didn’t even make sense to me.
Duncan looked back towards the diner. “If he gives you any problems, let me know.”
I smiled. “Sure.”
We pulled out of the parking lot in silence as I thought about the strange encounter. Duncan glanced at me a couple of times, and I could tell there was something on his mind, as well.
“What’s wrong?” I asked him.
He pulled over to the side of the road.
“What is it, Duncan?”
He tapped the steering wheel a couple of times and then looked at me. There was a funny smile on his face. “When I approached you with Ethan, you almost looked like you were ready to tear his clothes off or something. I don’t know; it just made me feel a little… jealous.”
I’m not even sure how it happened, but the next thing I knew, I was straddling him in the front seat and our mouths were crushed against each other.
“Nikki,” he groaned against my lips.
My heart was pounding madly in my chest and I rocked against him, causing him to suck in his breath. He pulled away and looked into my eyes.
“I don’t think…” he whispered.
“Don’t think,” I said breathlessly, pulling him back towards my lips. There was an intense hunger inside of me, one that I’d never felt before. I wanted to tear off both of our clothing, just so I could feel our skin moving against each other.
His mouth was hot, and soon he was kissing my neck while his hands moved under my shirt. As he was about to slide his fingers under my bra, my cell phone rang, startling us both. He quickly removed his hands and I got off of his lap.