Full Moon (27 page)

Shivers shot down my spine as he returned
to the sweet spot on my neck. When he kissed me there again, I
thought I might actually collapse because my legs turned to
rubber.
All
I have to do is turn around and claim his mouth in a mind-blowing
kiss,
I thought.
It’d be that easy,
that simple.
My heart
pounded even harder when Jesse gave me slow, wet kisses all over my
neck, then nibbled my ear with even lighter ones. When he blew hot
air on my ear, I could hardly contain myself.

I spun around and turned to face him. He was
wearing a sexy, naughty smile and staring hungrily at my lips. I’d
never felt so desirable. I softly traced his lips, the mouth I
could have spent an eternity kissing without ever tiring of it.

“I’m home!” a woman announced, jolting me
from my fantastic thoughts.

I stepped away from Jesse and straightened
my shirt.

The woman cleared her throat and looked at
us suspiciously. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything,” she
said.

She was beautiful, with her slim figure
dressed in a blue pantsuit and her silky black hair twisted into an
elaborate bun. In addition to having the same hair, she also had
the almost translucent light blue eyes that her son did.

“No, not at all,” I responded.

“I’m Shelia, Jesse’s mom.”

I held out my hand. “It’s so nice to meet
you. I’m Taylor.”

She smiled as she shook my hand. “It’s nice
to finally meet you too. Jesse has told me all about you, so I’ve
been looking forward to making your acquaintance.”

“Well, here she is!” Jesse said.

Shelia sat down on the porch with us, and we
all chitchatted for about an hour before I had to get back home. I
was sure I’d made a good impression; she seemed to like me and was
just as warm as Jesse, not at all the oddball Jeanie had made me
think she was. I had hoped to meet his brother and sister, but they
weren’t home. In any case, things were going well for me and Jesse,
and I’d met his mom, which made me feel even closer to him.

* * *

On Friday night, my mom and dad had left me
home alone while they went to an out-of-state book signing for the
weekend. I felt a little safer this time, because my dad had
installed a security system. When nighttime came, though, I did
start to get the creeps, and I obsessively stared out the window to
watch for ski-masked or furry would-be intruders.

Feeling lonely and a bit frightened, I
texted Jesse, “I can’t stop thinking of you.”

A few minutes later, he texted back, “If I
had a rose for every time I thought of you, I’d be walking through
my beautiful garden forever.”

I gushed.
Aw,
I thought.
He’s just the sweetest.

I texted back, “I love when you text me
sweet nothings, so here’s one for you. If I had a star for every
time you brightened my day, I’d have a galaxy in my hand.”

He replied, “Love it! If snowflakes were
kisses, I’d send you a blizzard.”

A little while later, Max was sitting on the
couch with me as I watched television. When I heard knocking coming
from upstairs, my body froze, but I was ready to bolt out of the
house again if I had to, and this time I was fully dressed. When
the knocking finally subsided, I exhaled a long-held breath.

I stood shakily to my feet. “Max, let’s go
upstairs and check it out, boy.”

I refused to go unarmed, so I grabbed a
butcher knife and let my dog lead the way. Again, I had to wonder
if I was losing my mind, considering it wasn’t the first time I’d
been creeping around my house, brandishing a sharp kitchen utensil.
Still, I needed to confront my fears. Inhaling and exhaling deeply,
I took a bold step up the stairs, the wood creaking with every step
I took.

When I reached the top of the stairs, I
heard the knocking sound again, coming from my room. My heart
thundered, and I held the knife in a white-knuckled grasp. I walked
to my room, reached around to flick on the switch, and then took a
look around. When I realized tree branches were banging against the
window, I could finally breathe again, and the staccato rhythm of
my heart settled down.

When my cell phone rang, I jumped. I reached
into my pocket, grabbed it, and quickly answered, “Yeah?”

“Taylor? What’s wrong?” Jesse asked.

“I’m freaking out again.”

“You shouldn’t be alone.”

“Right. Are you busy?” I asked.

“I’m going night-fishing with my brother and
sister on the boat. Wanna come?”

“I’d love to!”

“Okay. I’ll be there soon.”

* * *

I couldn’t wait to meet Sam and Kierra, and
I hoped they would accept me as easily as their brother had.

We pulled in and parked.

As we walked to the dock, a thin girl with
long, black hair and light blue eyes greeted me with a smile. “I’m
Kierra,” she said, “Jesse’s big sister.” She was gorgeous in a red
wrap dress that just reached the top of her knees, and the color
accentuated her sun-kissed complexion.

“Taylor,” I said, shaking her hand. “It’s so
nice to finally meet you.”

“Likewise. I’ve heard many good things about
you.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Sam, she’s here!” she yelled,
then smiled back at me.

“Coming!” a voice called from the boat.

The guy who emerged was attractive, also
with black hair. He looked at Jesse with his pale blue eyes and
said, “I thought you wanted to look good for your date.”

“I look fine,” Jesse said.

“Hmm. Looks to me like you stopped at the
zoo and stole the gorilla’s face,” Sam teased.

“Ha-ha,” Jesse said, then shot me a look.
“See what I have to put up with?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at their brotherly
banter.

“Thank God I inherited the intelligent
genes,” Kierra said.

Sam spun to face her. “Right. Since you
joined the family tree, I’ve been dying to cut it down.”

“Whatever,” she said.

“You’re just trying to embarrass me, Sam,”
Jesse said.

“And is it working?” he retorted.

“Yes, so cut the crap. You promised to be on
your best behavior.”

Sam playfully slugged Jesse right in the
tattoo. “Just kidding, li’l bro’.”

“This is Taylor,” Jesse said.

“She is just as hot as you described her,”
Sam said.

Jesse playfully slugged him back, and Sam
nudged him in the ribs.

“Nice to meet you, Taylor,” Sam said. “In
case you haven’t guessed, I’m Sam, the coolest of our little
trifecta.”

I smiled, then looked from Sam to Kierra.
“It’s nice to meet you both.”

Sam winked. “The pleasure’s all mine.”

“You all have the same pretty blue
eyes.”

“It’s a curse,” Sam said.

I laughed. “A nice one then. I’ve never seen
blue eyes that light.”

“
It’s not a
nice
curse at all, but I do enjoy getting the ladies’ attention
with my weird peepers,” Sam said. “Can you fish?”

I smiled as a cool breeze blew through my
long hair. “I’m gonna bring in the big one.”

“Hmm. Well, that’s going to be hard with me
on your boat,” Sam said. “I’m a regular Captain Ahab.”

“Yeah…and with cereal for brains like
Captain Crunch,” Jesse teased.

“Just ignore Sam, Taylor,” Kierra said. “He
didn’t get enough oxygen during birth.”

“Never a dull moment with my family,” Jesse
whispered in my ear. “If he starts repeating everything she says
like some cockamamie parrot, we’re outta here.”

I smiled. “We’ll jump ship if we have
to.”

We walked down the long dock, and Jesse
helped me aboard. Kierra started the boat, and we sped off to the
perfect fishing spot. Jesse handed me a fishing pole, then started
sorting through the colorful lures in the tackle box. I listened
carefully as Sam gave me some fishing tips, even though I didn’t
really need them.

The boat stopped and wavered slightly in the
water. “We’re here,” Kierra said.

Jesse hooked my lure up for me, and I wasted
no time in raising the rod tip. In one swooping motion, I threw out
my line.

Jesse stood next to me. “I love to fish at
night. It’s nice to get away and just hang out.”

I lifted my head and looked up at the black
velvet sky, speckled with twinkling stars. “Yeah, it’s so beautiful
out here on Big Bear Lake.”

We all chatted for a while. I could tell
they were a close-knit family like my own, and I loved being around
them. In spite of Fred’s speculation that they were witches, I felt
completely comfortable in their presence.

Suddenly, my pole jerked, and I gave it a
quick tug. “I got a bite!” I said. The fishing line screamed out of
the aluminum casting reel as a giant fish stole the hook, line, and
almost me. Luckily, I caught my balance. I hauled back on my
fishing pole, bending it in such a sharp arc that it nearly
snapped. I stole a glance at Jesse, shooting him a triumphant
smile. “I told you I’d bring in a big one.”

“And you delivered!” he said. “I never
doubted you for a minute.”

Sam jumped off the chrome rail. “Are you
sure you didn’t snag a submarine?”

“Feels like it.” As I reeled in the line,
the crank handle spun and clicked like crazy. The tug-of-war went
on for a while, and my muscles began to ache from the strain. “I
swear this thing’s fighting harder than Mike Tyson!”

Powerful deck lights mounted high above me
illuminated the surface of the water. Big Bear Lake pitched and
churned like a pan of boiling water. The fish broke the surface in
a clatter of spray, thrashed its head, and danced on its tail.

When I caught sight of its black-striped
body, my eyes widened. “Look at that!”

Sam whistled and cheered. “Bravo!”

Kierra clapped. “It’s a largemouth bass,”
Kierra said.

“She’s a real beauty,” Jesse said. “I knew
coming out here at night would pay off.” He then helped me haul the
exhausted, two-foot fish up over the rail of the sailboat.

With a
thud
, the metallic-scaled bass hit the deck.
The fish had a big mouth, and its
upper jaw extended past its
eyes.
The bass was dark green,
with greenish-yellow sides and a dark stripe running down the side
of its body.
Its fins
shimmered in the silver moonlight. Applause erupted as everyone
hopped and twisted to avoid the thrashing monster.

Kierra sprang from her chair and cheered me
on. “The only thing bigger than that fish is the smile on your
face—oh, and Sam’s ego.”

I laughed. Night-fishing under a sky full of
shining stars would be on my list of favorite things from that day
forward. Catching a giant fish was just an added bonus.

The fish wriggled its fins and smacked its
body against the deck, and I jumped back as its forked tail slapped
across my legs. I wiped the water off my face with my tank-top.
“How much do you think it weighs?”

Droplets glimmered in Sam’s black hair. “At
least twenty pounds.” His finger touched the slimy fish.

I brushed off my cutoff shorts and
straightened my tank-top. I then pulled out my camera and handed it
to Kierra. “Can you get a picture of me and Jesse with the
fish?”

Kierra laughed. “No way! This is
your
moment in the limelight. Don’t
let Jesse steal your thunder.”

I smiled. Even though I wanted a picture of
Jesse and me together, I couldn’t argue with her logic. “All right.
Just me then.” I held the fish and felt my lips stretch into a wide
grin. I couldn’t wait to send it to everybody across the entire
planet by morning. My biggest regret was that Jesse wouldn’t be in
it, which would have been a nice touch for the ex.

“Okay. On the count of three.
One…two…three!” With that, Kierra snapped the photo.

The bright flash blinded me, and white spots
danced in my vision. I sighed and straightened up, then glanced at
the LCD screen. “It’s perfect! Thanks.”

“So…do we keep it for dinner or let it go?”
Sam asked.

“We should throw it back. I just wanted a
picture with it.”

Sam threw the bass back into the water
with a loud
splash,
and I
was happy to see it swim off. Jesse, Sam, and Kierra caught lots of
fish, but we didn’t keep any of them, and none of them were as big
as my first catch of the night.

“Let’s try a different spot, sis,” Sam
said.

Kierra started up the boat, and we sped
across the lake.

Jesse put an arm around me as the wind blew
my hair around over and over again. I looked at him, and he smiled
the most delicious movie star smile I’d ever seen. The moonlight
made his winter-blue eyes sparkle even more than usual, rivaling
the stars above us.

The boat stopped, and Kierra smiled. “This
is a great spot. I’ve had lots of luck here.”

This time, Jesse and I didn’t fish. We just
gazed into each other’s eyes and talked while Kierra and Sam tried
to outdo my catch, to no avail.

When I looked off into the woods, a flash of
white caught my attention. I peered closer and saw another flash of
white. Something moved in the bushes, and I smiled at the outline
of an animal. It took a few more steps out of the greenery and
started to sip the water. As my eyes focused, I realized it was a
buck, white as snow and stunningly majestic.

“What are you looking at?” Jesse asked.

“Don’t you see it?”

“See what?”

“That deer over there, a white buck sipping
water.”

He squinted. “No.”

“Huh? I’m looking right at it.”

“Taylor, I have excellent eyesight, better
than most, and I don’t see anything.”

“Look! It lifted its head.”

“Kierra!” Jesse called. “C’mere!”