Silas (Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance) (Desired by a Dragon Book 1) (3 page)

“What? No. Not really.” I shook my head. Camille’s red lips twisted into a full on grin. “Maybe just a little, but it’s hard not to notice a guy like that when he’s your neighbor.”

Her brows lifted to her hairline. “Neighbor? You moved into the house beside him?”

“Yeah.” I nodded, wondering if that was a bad thing. She sounded as though it might be.

“Lucky duck.” She toyed with her straw. Maybe I’d misjudged her tone. “And the girl you’ve seen is his little sister, Scarlet.”

“Oh.” Little sister. I guess that made sense. Sort of. I tried to think of all the reasons why Silas would allow his sister to live with him. She seemed young, but not young enough to be unable to live on her own. Maybe she was in college. She could be visiting for summer break.

“Don’t get too comfortable in that chair.” Camille nudged my knee with hers. “You’ve got someone’s hair to cut still.”

I shifted the mint around in my mouth as I stood up, and wiped my hands on my capris. As I started toward Silas I scolded myself for not wearing something more presentable. Then I remembered I didn’t have anything presentable. My entire wardrobe consisted of yoga pants, cotton capris, drawstring shorts, and tank tops. I didn’t wear dresses and I didn’t wear skirts. However, my favorite pair of jeans and a top that didn’t have colorful pineapples printed on it would have been nice right about now.

“Hey, sorry to have kept you waiting.” My voice sounded too mousy, so I cleared my throat before I said anything more. “What would you like done today?”

He glanced up from his cell and fixated his bronze-colored eyes on me. “You didn’t, and just a trim would be fine.”

“Clarify your definition of the word trim, because once I take it off I can’t put it back on.” A nervous laugh slipped past my lips and I felt my cheeks warm.

He grinned at my feeble attempt at humor, and then ran his fingers through his hair in order to show me the desired amount he wanted snipped off. “About a quarter of an inch will do.”

I adjusted his chair lower so that I could reach the crown of his head, which consequently put his eyes level with my breasts. His gaze never dipped though, which both surprised and disappointed me. Men always glanced at my breasts, no matter their age, when I lowered their chair. Obviously, this man was different. Maybe he just wasn’t interested in me. I shouldn’t care, but I did.

I reached for my scissors and comb without meeting his eyes through the mirror again and instantly got started on his hair. His locks were silkier than I thought they would be, and I found myself running my fingers through his hair more times than necessary because of it.

I
jogged
around the marsh twice before finally gathering enough nerve to stop by Violet’s. A week had passed since I’d walked into Camille’s salon with the hopes of being able to feel Violet’s fingers slip through my hair. Of course, I’d seen her and shared hellos with her during that time, but it still wasn’t enough. I wanted more than just a few scraps of time pieced together over the course of a week with her. I wanted hours, uninterrupted hours, and I’d made up my mind I would be getting it.

It was late in the afternoon on Friday and I knew she would be home any second. I’d memorized her daily schedule like a stalker.

She woke at six every morning and drank the largest mug of coffee I’d ever seen while sitting on her back porch, staring into the moss-covered trees lining the woods. Her days off this week had been Sunday and Monday, and she hadn't done a thing besides rearrange her living room repeatedly both days. I wasn’t sure if she was indecisive about things, or if there was something about her stuff that bothered her.

When my feet met with the asphalt of our street, I picked up my pace until her house became visible. The second I noticed her SUV wasn’t in the driveway, irritation burned its way through my veins and I let out a low growl. I glanced at my watch. It was nearly five. Where was she?

I continued toward my house in a slow jog as I tossed around ideas of where she could be. Irrational thoughts built in my mind, but I forced them away. Instead, I struggled to replace them with rational ones like her stopping to get something to eat before heading home. Or her swinging by the grocery store for dinner supplies. My mind tossed in a wrench by adding the possibility of someone asking her out after work and my blood boiled beneath my skin, but I wasn’t sure why. I hadn’t claimed her. She wasn’t mine.

Yet,
a voice inside me said.

The sound of a vehicle approaching made its way to my ears. I knew it was her even before I glanced over my shoulder to see. I could feel her somehow. She sat behind the wheel of her SUV with her hands gripping the steering wheel as though she were freakishly new to the whole driving thing. Her hair was twisted on top of her head, and even through the distance, I could see the green shamrocks printed across her tank top.

I shifted my gaze forward again and came to a stop near my porch. Her engine cut off and I licked my lips, preparing to dazzle her with a charming smile. The second she stepped out of her vehicle, I glanced at her and released it.

“Hey.” My feet moved toward her as if I was being pulled by a magnet. When she slammed her vehicle door shut and started toward me, a thrill jolted through my insides.

“Hi. How are you?” A sweet smile spread across her face.

My eyes dipped to the plastic bag in her hands and the tension in my shoulders released as I realized no one had asked her out. She’d only made a detour to the store to pick up a few things before heading home.

“I’m good. Especially now that I’ve gotten my afternoon jog in.” A gentle breeze blew, sending the scent of coconut from her to my nose. The desire to find out where it stemmed from, her hair or her skin, pulsed through me.

What I would give to taste her.

“I don’t know how you can run so late in the afternoon. It’s too hot.” She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and I was suddenly reminded of what it felt like to have her fingers caressing my hair as she cut it. I felt myself harden from the memory.

God, I’d enjoyed the way her fingers felt gliding through my hair. It had been too long since a woman’s simple touch had aroused me. This was enough confirmation for me to know without a doubt I was staring at my future. I could feel it. There was something about this woman I wouldn’t be able to walk away from.

“It is, but I love the heat.”

“I enjoy heat just like the next person, but I think I’d die of the heatstroke if I tried to run in this.” She waved her free hand around. I knew she was gesturing to the humidity in the air, but I couldn’t get over how cute she looked while doing so. “It’s been sweltering this week.”

My eyes dipped to the swell of her breasts accentuated by her tight-fitting tank top. The skin glistened with tiny beads of sweat. Thoughts of trailing my tongue along that patch of skin filled my mind.

“It’s one of those things you get used to after being here a while.”

“How long have you been here?” She shifted on her feet and I was reminded of the way she’d rolled her ankle the first time I saw her. I wondered if it was still tender. I hadn’t thought to ask when I’d asked her to cut my hair.

My mind crafted ways of how I could use her ankle to get her inside. A sudden need to take care of her burned through me. She was so tiny and petite I imagined I wasn’t the first to think such a thing. “A few months. Would you like to come inside?”

“Oh, no.” She fumbled with the bag in her hand. “I have groceries. I should probably get going. Thanks for the offer, though.”

“Are you sure? I could make some coffee if you like?” I was grasping at straws and I knew it, but I wanted to spend more time with her. I wanted her panting beneath me or her legs wrapped around my waist while I buried myself deep inside her. I wanted our limbs tangled together in the sheets of my bed. I wanted her, all of her.

She bit her bottom lip, causing my attention to fixate on her mouth. Images of seeing her soft lips wrapped around my shaft flashed through my mind and I felt my blood simmer with desire.

I needed her. Badly.

“I really should head inside. I’ve had a long day.” She smiled as she turned to leave, but I followed after her unintentionally.

“You’re right. I’m sorry for keeping you. I’m sure you probably want to get off your feet after standing all day. I meant to ask you the other day, how is your ankle?”

“It’s better. Thanks for asking.” Her cheeks tinted to a shade of pink that I found adorable. I loved a woman who blushed easily. I’d always found it intriguing to see how many shades I could make them turn while in between the sheets of my bed.

“Good. I’m glad.” I watched her as she fumbled with her keys. She dropped them and bent at the waist to scoop them up, giving me a view of her backside. My eyes skimmed over her ass and settled on the smooth skin of her legs. Visons of them wrapped around my waist saturated my thoughts again.

A cold shower might be in my foreseeable future.

“Yeah.” She smiled as she unlocked the door. I noticed her eyes trail across my bare chest. She was having sensual thoughts of me as well. I wondered what it would take for her to act on them.

There was something reserved about her, something guarded. I could sense it. It weighed down her gestures and kept too many emotions from entering her eyes, making me think she’d been hurt in the past. The desire to find out how and by whom festered through me. The man deserved to be punished for whatever torment and heartache he’d caused her.

A car came barreling down the street, only to come to a screeching stop in front of my house. Scarlet climbed out from behind the wheel and rushed up the steps of our place.

“So, that’s your sister, huh?” Violet surprised me by asking. Had she been talking with someone about me? Camille, possibly. She had to have asked someone to know Scarlet was my sister.

“It is.”

Violet stepped through the threshold of her front door and turned back to look at me. “Is she here for the summer or something?”

“I’m not sure what she’s doing, actually.” I shook my head and grinned. “I’m not even sure Scarlet knows what she’s doing.” My sister had never been one to plan ahead for anything. Maybe that was the mentality she gained by being the baby of the family, I couldn’t be sure.

“I envy people like that,” Violet muttered. Her tone had me wondering if she was feeling overwhelmed by something.

“Did you have a plan when you moved here?” I knew she didn’t have the same plan as the majority of the town residents, since she was human, but that didn’t mean she’d come here blind. For the first time since meeting her, I wondered if she had any idea as to what I was, if she knew what lurked inside many of the people she came in contact with on a daily basis while here in Willow Vale.

“I did.” Her back stiffened as she spoke and I got the impression her words were more for assurance to herself than an answer to my question. “Did you?”

“Of course.” I shrugged. “I always have a plan.”

Scarlet came jogging out of my house then. She spotted me and waved. There was an apron in her hand. “Hey. Forgot my apron. Gotta run.”

“See you later,” I called after her. My gaze shifted back to Violet. “I guess I should let you get back to your evening, unless you’re looking for some company, that is?” I couldn’t help it, I had to try again.

“Not tonight.” She shifted the bag she was holding from one hand to the other. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip, and she nibbled the skin there. “How about Tuesday night? Coffee?” Her mouth snapped shut as though she couldn’t believe the words sprang past her lips.

I took a step closer to her, feeling as though I’d won some sort of medal by having her ask. “Coffee sounds great. Is seven okay?”

“Seven sounds good. Do you have a specific place we should meet at?” she asked in a soft tone, making me wonder if my sudden close proximity was doing things to her. I hoped it was.

“How about I pick you up and we can go someplace together?”

“Okay.” She flashed me a smile. “See you Tuesday at seven.”

I backed away from her, going against every cell in my body. I wanted nothing more than to press her against the wall and crush my lips to hers while I allowed my hands to roam over the supple body that was driving me insane. The desire to taste her skin caused an insatiable hunger to ripple through me.

Never had I wanted someone as badly as I did her. I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but I was certain of one thing—Violet Hanner would be mine.

I
raced
around my bedroom searching for something to wear. My first choice had been my favorite pair of jeans with the ripped knees, but the sweltering temperature had me deciding against the idea the second I tried to pull them up my sweaty thighs. Irritation rushed through me as I realized I had nothing decent to wear. When the hell did my wardrobe dip so far into the comfort zone? I swore every article of clothing I owned was made of cotton or some type of spandex blend.

I riffled through my dresser, searching for anything that might appear as though I was at least trying to look decent, but came up empty handed yet again. My eyes darted to my alarm clock, checking the time as I padded across the hardwood floor toward my closet. I had twenty minutes before Silas knocked on my door ready to go get that coffee I’d foolishly asked him to.

What the hell had I been thinking asking him out for coffee anyway? What happened to swearing off men for a while? I’d been so adamant on my trek here that I wouldn’t date for at least a few months. That was all before I spotted the Greek god that lived next door, though.

Obviously, the universe was toying with me.

A chuckle burst past my lips as the thought of the universe playing a sick joke with my libido danced through my mind. If this was a test, I was failing miserably, because Silas LeFroy was the sexiest man I had ever seen, and there was no way in hell I’d be keeping my hands off him for long.

The memory of running my fingers through his hair the day he came in for a cut filled my mind, and I swore the scent of his cologne suddenly saturated the air in my bedroom. It brought with it all sorts of tempting images. Ones that included slick, hot skin moving against skin, limbs tangled with one another, and mouths fused together in sticky passion.

My cell rang, pulling me from my thoughts. I rushed to find it beneath the pile of clothes I’d tossed haphazardly across my bed. My entire room was a mess.
I
was a mess.
Maybe I should cancel coffee with Silas
. I mean, I was too flustered by the thought of spending time in his presence to even dress myself. What made me think I could hold a conversation with the man?

When I found my phone, I glanced at the screen to check who it was before answering. Jackson hadn’t tried once to call me since I left town, but there was always a first time for everything. My sister Casey’s number lit up my screen.

“Hey. What’s up?” I answered, tucking the phone into the crook of my neck as I shifted through the pile of clothes on my bed for the fourteenth time.

“Nothing much. Just figured I’d give you a call to see how you’re doing. Did you finally unpack the rest of your boxes?”

I glanced at the three boxes stacked in the corner of my bedroom. There were various piles identical to it spread throughout the house. “Nope.”

Maybe that could be my excuse for canceling with Silas tonight. I still had loads to unpack.

“You sound flustered. What’s going on?” Casey always could tell when something was bothering me. At thirteen months apart in age, she was more like my best friend than my sister. She knew me better than anyone.

“I am. I did something stupid.” I smoothed my hand over my face, trying not to screw up the makeup I’d spent longer than I should have applying.

The sound of my sister taking a sip of something filtered through the phone. It was probably tea; she’d always been a tea drinker. “Okay, you have my full, undivided attention. Talk.”

“I asked my really hot neighbor out for coffee tonight.” I flopped across my bed with a loud sigh.

“You did what? I thought you were avoiding new relationships for a while. What was the month marker you set? Six?” There was amusement in her tone that irked me, but only because she was right.

I had made a promise to myself I would avoid any new relationships. While I wasn’t sure I’d set a time limit of six months, I did remember deciding to allow myself time to heal and figure out what I wanted to do with my life before getting involved with anyone.

“I don’t remember saying six months.” I grabbed my pillow and squeezed it to my chest. “But I did say I was swearing off men for a while, and I don’t know what came over me. This guy is like sex on a stick. I can’t get him out of my head.”

“Hey, I never said I agreed with your six month sabbatical. Maybe what you need is a hot rebound. Someone to kiss away any old residue from that asshole Jackson.”

“No. I’m not the rebound kind of girl. You know that.” I wasn’t. The thought of using someone to get over someone else was horrible.

“Everyone does it, Violet. It doesn’t make you a horrible person. It makes you human. Sometimes a touch from someone new can erase the memory of someone old,” Casey insisted. She was always so damn eloquent with her words, which was why she became a writer. It was definitely her true calling.

“Maybe.”

“Don’t
maybe
me. You know I’m right. Obviously you need this. Aren’t you the one always telling me everything happens for a reason? Don’t you think maybe you moved next to Mr. Hottie because the universe knew it was exactly what you needed?”

I hated when she did that. When she threw my own words of wisdom back in my face.

“I have nothing to wear. Why didn’t you tell me my style was so frumpy?”

“You wouldn’t have believed me.” She laughed.

My eyes landed on a pair of gray sweatpants with a hole ripped in the knee. They were my favorite. “Ugh, you’re probably right.”

“What about the dress you wore to the New Year’s party?”

The black knee-high dress she was talking about flashed through my mind. “I’m going for coffee, not a fancy dinner.”

“Your point?”

“That’s a fancy dress. I’m not wearing it to coffee. Besides, I don’t know if I still have it.”

She made this weird noise in the back of her throat that let me know she was annoyed. “You know you still have it. You’re not one to throw something out you’ve worn less than a handful of times. I know all about your buyer’s remorse. And it’s not fancy. It’s casual. Just because it hugs your curves a little doesn’t mean it’s fancy. Pair it with some strappy sandals and wear your hair down for a change.”

I stood and made my way to the closet. The dress was in the back, where it always seemed to be no matter what closet it was in. I’d hardly ever worn it because Jackson said he hated it. He said that it reminded him of something I should wear to a funeral. I’d always wondered if seeing me in the dress made him jealous, though, because I did tend to get loads of stares from the male population while wearing it. It showed more skin than anything else I owned, and it was a little on the tight side.

“I guess I could put it on and see how I feel.” I pulled it from the closet and held it up to myself while staring in the full-length mirror behind my bedroom door. It didn’t look bad, and maybe it wasn’t as fancy as I’d once thought. It was simple and classic. Also, it was made of a thin, breathable material that would hold up well against the sweltering temperature of this place.

“You’ll look great. Be sure you leave your hair down.” Casey took a sip from whatever she’d been drinking earlier. “Have fun and call me tomorrow. I wanna know all the details.”

“Okay. Love you.”

“Love you too. Good luck.”

I checked the time as I set my cell on the nightstand and panicked, realizing I had under five minutes before Silas made his way up my front steps.