AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’ve been chatting with the twins and Selina, all of us sitting on slightly sodden driftwood logs around the fire.
Emma rubs her knuckles under her nose. “I don’t know why I even help him. Should’ve let Corbin beat the shit out of him for the tenth time.”
“Because you love him,” I say, taking a pull of my cider. “Makes anything seem worth it.”
“Hm,”Emma says in a tone like,maybe, maybe not.
“Who’s that?” Amy murmurs to her twin.
A figure is coming down the beach—tall, lean, broad-shouldered—swigging from a bottle of wine. Something in the way he moves sparks recognition long before he gets close. My heart kicks into double speed.
Selina squints down the sand. “Is that the night doctor?”
Emma mutters, “What’s he doing here?”
Dane strolls right up to the bonfire and takes a long pull of his wine. He’s barefoot, trousers rolled partway up his shins, feet sandy and damp. His silver-streaked hair is wind tossed, his face beautifully severe, his eyes dark and slightly mad.
“Hello, Remi.” He nods to everyone else.
“Hi, Dane.” My voice comes out tight and anxious. Somehow, he’s even more intimidating away from his own house.
Emma gives me a look like,Well, aren’t you full of surprises?
The stare she gives Dane is a lot less friendly.
Everybody’s sneaking glances at him, even the people who were supposed to be dancing.
He’s used to it or doesn’t care—he hasn’t taken his eyes off my face.
“Want a drink?” He holds out his bottle of wine.
I cross the sand to take it from him. The rim of the bottle is damp from his mouth. I taste his lips along with the wine. He watches as I swallow. Everybody’s watching.
“Thanks.”
He takes the bottle back, his fingers touching mine.
Nobody else is talking.
I can’t stand the tension.
“Do you know Emma?” I blurt.
“I do.”
Dane and Emma exchange a glance that’s more an acknowledgement than a greeting.
Fuuuuuuck, I hate this.
Aldous comes to the rescue. “I’m Aldous,” he says. “And this is my sister Amy.”
Amy shakes hands with Dane with a mixture of fascination and repulsion, like she’s touching an anaconda for the first time.
“That’s Selina,” Aldous says.
Selina raises a hand. She’s perched on her driftwood log, firelight dancing in her face, hair blowing lightly around her bare shoulders. She’s notlooking at Dane like an anaconda but more like he’s a zip-line over a deep gorge and she’s thinking about risking a ride.
Corbin returns with an unhappy Helena trailing behind.
