“Anyone want something to drink?” asked Nathan, standing up.
“I’ll take some water,” I said.
“Me, too,” answered Duncan.
When Nathan left us alone, I stole a glance towards Duncan, who I found was staring at me.
“What?” I asked.
He smiled. “I was just thinking how beautiful you looked in the moonlight. I know that sounds like a line, but it’s true.”
I returned his smile. “Thanks, Duncan.”
He clasped his fingers and rested his chin on them. “Did you leave a broken heart back in California?”
I snorted. “No. In fact, I guess you could say I haven’t had many boyfriends.”
“I find that hard to believe. The guys there must be blind and stupid.”
I blushed. “It’s not like I didn’t get asked out. I just wasn’t interested, I guess.”
“So, would you be interested now?”
I nodded.
He smiled.
“Duncan,” said Nathan, as he stepped onto the balcony. “I almost forgot, could you take a look at my Mustang? I think it’s the battery I’m having problems with, but I want to make sure.”
“Do you have a battery tester?” he asked.
“Actually, there might be one in the garage, I never even looked.”
Duncan got up. “Let’s go and check it out.”
Nathan nodded. “Thanks. Nikki, you can keep watch from up here and let us know if you see anything. I brought you the BB gun,” he said, handing it to me. “You still know how to use it?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. Holler if you see anything,” he said.
They left me and I gripped the gun firmly in my hands, feeling uneasy because I was now alone and they were going to be in the garage.
Nathan’s laughter echoed through the darkness. I watched as the guys stepped away from the cabin and headed over to the garage.
“Nothing to be afraid of,” I murmured to myself, staring towards the dark woods.
An owl hooted and I was reminded of some of the scary movies I’d watched with Nathan. An owl hoots and then something sinister usually happens in the next scene. I knew it was just cinema, but I felt a chill in my veins just the same.
My eyes darted quickly from one side of the yard to the other, and my breath caught in my throat as I saw a shadow move across the grass. I looked up into the sky, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.
“Nikki,” whispered a deep masculine voice behind me.
I turned around, but found myself alone. I stood up and backed away from the table, frightened beyond belief. Hot breath brushed against the back of my neck and I whirled around again, this time seeing a blurry haze of movement.
“Oh, my God… Nathan!” I screamed, running into my bedroom. I ran downstairs and threw the front door open. “Nathan!” I yelled, again.
Nathan and Duncan rushed out of the garage towards me.
“What’s wrong?” called Nathan.
“Someone… was… on the balcony,” I gasped, out of breath.
He looked behind me. “Who?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I heard my name and then I felt someone breathing against the back of my neck.”
“Someone’s in the cabin?” Nathan swore, and then rushed past me and towards the house.
Duncan could tell I was pretty shook up and put his arms around me. He stared down into my eyes. “Are you okay?”
I nodded and leaned into him, closing my eyes.
Suddenly, he was ripped from my arms and thrown backwards.
“Duncan!” I screamed as he landed on the ground.
“I’m fine,” he answered with an incredulous look on his face. He got up and began walking back towards me.
There was a flash of movement and he went flying through the air again, much farther this time. As I rushed towards him, I felt something pick me up, and then we were moving like the wind.
“Help!” I screamed in terror. We were going so fast that my head was spinning. The next thing I knew I was lying on the ground and a pair of steely blue eyes held mine.
“We meet again,” whispered Ethan, trailing a cool finger down my cheek.
I was paralyzed as his eyes burned into mine. A familiar yearning spread through my veins and suddenly I wanted him fiercely.
“Sweet Nikki,” he whispered with a small smile. He then licked his lips and lowered them to mine. Suddenly, we were kissing and I felt an urgent need to wrap my legs around him; to surrender myself to whatever he demanded.
“Oh,” I breathed when he removed his mouth and began a hot trail down my neck with his tongue. My entire body was trembling with desire. “Oh, God.”
He chuckled softly against my skin. “Not quite.”
Someone shouted my name, startling me back to my senses and I tensed up.