Moon Kissed Page 2
“You don’t even need to say it,” Myles said.
Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea that Riley was there.
CHAPTER TWO
Addison Moore sat in her parked car and stared unseeing out of the windshield. In her hands was a letter that had changed her life in a second.
Something dropped onto the paper. Addison looked down and saw the bead of wetness that soaked into the letter. It took her a moment to realize it was the sweat running down her face from being in the car with the engine turned off in hundred-degree heat.
She folded the letter up neatly and tucked it into her purse. Then she opened the door to the car and stepped out into the sunshine.
Addison shut the door and leaned back against the car staring at all the tourists. They were laughing and smiling, not a care in the world. It was so at odds with what she was going through, that it almost felt like she wasn’t in her body. That she was on the outside looking in.
“Miss, are you all right?”
Addison shook herself and saw the police officer standing beside her. He was middle-aged, with gray at the temples of his black hair and concern in his eyes.
“Are you lost?” he asked.
She forced a smile. “Just daydreaming, officer. I’m fine.”
“You need to get out of the heat and get some water soon,” he warned before moving on.
Knowing he was right, Addison pushed away from the car. She hadn’t taken two steps before her cell phone buzzed with a text. She reached in her purse for it and then groaned when she saw the text was from her roommate, Wendy.
“I haven’t been gone that long,” she mumbled as she hastily wrote that she’d have Wendy’s car back within the hour.
How she hated not having money for her own vehicle. After only one semester at Tulane, Addison had no choice but to sell her clunker of a car to make ends meet. It had been her only choice, but it also put a heavy strain on her.
Addison put the phone away and strolled along the street. Since the first time she saw New Orleans at the age of ten, she had been fascinated. The history of the city was mesmerizing. The food and vibrancy of the streets and buildings drew a constant crowd no matter the time of year.
Yet there was no denying the dark, dangerous edge of the city either.
Addison walked the streets of the Quarter, watching others stand for pictures or stare in wide-eyed wonder at the cemeteries. By getting a glimpse into someone else’s life, she was able to forget hers for a short while.
A glance at her watch proved that her hour was almost up. Reluctantly, she started back to the car. She wasn’t ready to return to the university, not when it was the end of her time there.
“Stop pitying yourself,” she said aloud. “Stand tall. Stand proud. You’re a Moore.”
Those were the last words her father had said before he was deployed. He was a career Navy man, never happy unless he was at sea. That never bothered her because he always came home. Until he hadn’t.
Addison didn’t want to think about her father, or the lonely years after. At twenty-three, she was ready to get on with her life, except that she couldn’t do that until she finished her degree.
Which was going to be impossible now that the last of her scholarship had run out. Her student loans were reaching cosmic proportions already. If she were lucky, she might pay them off before she died.
She was almost to the car when a scream rent the air. Someone came rushing toward her, knocking her to the ground. Addison looked up in time to see a young kid with a navy hoodie duck into an alley.
Suddenly, people began to crowd around. Someone helped her to her feet as sirens blared. Addison looked down to see that both knees were scraped and bleeding, and her shirt was ripped.
“Excuse me. Pardon me,” she said as she slowly made her way through the throng of people to the car.
She reached the car and glanced around to see someone pointing her out to a policeman. Addison stilled and waited for the officer to reach her. It was the same one from earlier.
“Did you see what happened?” he asked.
She threw up her hands. “I’ve no idea what happened. I heard a scream, then someone ran into me and knocked me down.”
“Do you remember anything about the person?”
“I saw what looked like a teenager with a hoodie duck into the alley.”
The policeman’s face was grim. “I’m going to need a formal statement from you.”
“Because the guy bumped into me?” she asked in disbelief
“Because he mugged an elderly woman. When he took her purse, she fell and hit her head. She’s dead.”
Addison briefly squeezed her eyes closed. “Oh, my God. I had no idea.”
In seconds, she was taken to a patrol car and driven to the station. She sat there for the next hour waiting on someone to take her statement while her phone blew up with texts from an angry Wendy. Another hour passed while she wrote everything down and went over it with another officer before she was driven back to Wendy’s car.
Addison stared at the spot where the red Miata was supposed to be parked, to find a gray Dodge truck instead. She was about to try and catch the police before they left when she remembered telling Wendy where she’d parked the car in one of the dozens of texts they’d exchanged.
Anger spiked through her as she punched Wendy’s number and listened while the phone rang. It took three rings before Wendy answered. “Do you have the car?” Addison asked.
“Yeah. I had Paul drop me off,” Wendy said with music from the radio blaring in the background. “I told you, I have to be at my parent’s tonight by eight. I couldn’t wait.”
“I wish you’d have told me you picked up the car. I thought it was stolen.”
Wendy laughed. “Nope. I’ve got it. Gotta go! I’ll see you Monday.”
Addison looked at the phone after Wendy ended the call. It had never entered Wendy’s mind that Addison didn’t have a way back to the apartment they shared.
Her stomach rumbled. She had skipped lunch because there hadn’t been time between her classes, and now she felt as if she could eat her own arm she was so hungry. With only five dollars to her name, she could either eat or take the bus home. Since there was nothing to eat at the apartment, her choice was made for her.
Addison looked first one way and then the other. She turned left and strolled down the street looking for a place she thought she could afford. There was about a hundred dollars left to charge on her lone credit card. She had been saving that for something special like books, but food was a lot more important.
She heard the music before she saw the place. While many of the restaurants played Zydeco music, there was a bar on the corner of the street blaring Theory of a Deadman. The song was Drown, her favorite.
Addison smiled when she looked up at the sign of the bar swinging above her. It was a wooden sign made to look as if a huge bite had been taken out of one corner of the top. Painted on the sign was an alligator with its mouth open.
“Gator Bait,” Addison read the sign aloud. “Fitting.”
She stepped into the bar and was immediately taken in by the atmosphere. The wood floor had seen many shoes, but the bar to her left was so polished it shone. On the walls were hundreds of pictures of famous people who had visited the place, as well as a few well-placed jaws from dead alligators. The music was loud, the patrons drinking, eating, and having a good time.
Addison walked to the bar and took a seat on a black barstool. She spotted the laminated menu just out of reach down the bar. Leaning over, she managed to grab it without bumping the guy’s beer next to her.
There wasn’t a lot on the menu, but it all looked good, and the prices were reasonable enough that she might even give in to temptation and order a drink. After the day she’d had, she needed it.
“Can I help you?”
She glanced up from the menu with a smile and was startled by the bright blue gaze of the guy behind the bar. “Yeah, I think I’d like
to try a bowl of the red beans and rice with cornbread, please.”
“One of our specialties,” he replied with a grin. “What can I get you to drink?”
A quick glance at their drinks and one caught her eye. “I’d like to try the Devil’s Bribe.”
He grinned at her choice. “I’ll be right back.”
She watched him walk away, noticing that he was good-looking with his blond hair and blue eyes. Addison set aside the menu and realized the guy on her left was staring.
“Can I buy you a drink?” he asked as he looked her over, lust in his hazel eyes. His bushy brown beard was long and looked to have food in it left over from lunch, making her stomach roll. A yellow bandana was tied around his forehead, and he wore a tee shirt pulled tight over his beer belly.
She clutched her purse in her lap. “Thank you, but I’ve already ordered.”
“I can get the next one. Let me treat you.”
“I think I’ll pass.” She looked around, hoping there was another place to sit because the guy was making her uncomfortable.
He burped loudly, then leaned close. “You think you’re better than me?”
“No, I…” she began.
“The darts are open, Ed,” a deep, sexy voice interrupted her.
Addison’s gaze jerked to the source. The new guy stood behind the bar. He was tall and imposing, his ash blond hair so thick looking that she wanted to run her fingers through it. His eyes were so bright a blue they seemed to be lit from within. With his gaze directed at Ed, she got to look her fill.
His face was lean, rugged with a look that bordered on feral. With a clean-shaven jaw, she spotted the muscle that twitched. His lips were sinfully full, too full for such a handsome man, but it made him sexier – if that were possible.
Her eyes dipped to his chest where his shirt looked to be made specifically for him. It hugged his wide shoulders, then tapered down the V of his abdomen to hang just below his hips. The front part of the white shirt was tucked into the waist of his low-slung, dark denim.
When Ed moved off to the darts, the man drew in a deep breath, stretching the white shirt and the dark blue stitching. Her gaze lifted back to his face, and this time, his startling blue eyes were directed at her.
Addison’s breath locked in her lungs as if the air had been sucked from the room. She could only stare, her voice deserting her. She was struck senseless, pulled into his mesmerizing blue gaze.
“I apologize for Ed. He can get a little rowdy when he sees a beautiful woman.”
Like an idiot, all Addison could do was nod. She wanted to say something witty or funny, but her mind was completely blank. How was she supposed to put together a coherent thought when such a hunk of a man was looking at her? It’s like asking a fly to milk a cow – impossible.
His face relaxed, a hint of a smile playing about his lips. “Have you been helped?”
Again, she nodded.
Dammit, Addison. You could’ve answered that. You know that answer.
Did she? She was no longer sure.
“I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.” He leaned one hand on the bar and she spotted the wide leather cuff around his right wrist. “Is this your first time to Gator Bait?”
“Yes,” she said, refusing to nod mutely again.
“A tourist?”
That caused Addison to laugh. “No. I’m usually working or studying. I don’t get out much.”
“Then I’m glad you aren’t doing either tonight.”
She could feel the blush creeping up her neck to her cheeks. “Me, too.”
“I’m Myles LaRue,” he said and stuck out his hand.
Her hand fit into his, warmth seeping from his palm to hers as something sensual and needy spiraled through her at their touch. “Addison Moore.”
They stayed like that for a moment, their hands together, their eyes locked. Addison couldn’t begin to explain the strangeness of the situation, or how she prayed it would continue.
Someone cleared his throat, and she saw another man come stand beside Myles. Addison tried to pull her hand away, but Myles tightened his grip a fraction, halting her. He winked, making her smile as he released her hand.
“Court seems to have brought your food,” Myles said as he took the bowl from Court and placed it in front of her.
“Since you’re out here, brother, you can fix her drink. She wanted the Devil’s Bribe,” Court said as he slapped Myles on the back and turned to leave.
Addison couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled up as Myles popped Court on the leg with the towel as he walked off.
CHAPTER THREE
Myles was utterly charmed by the mysterious, exquisite Addison with her champagne colored chin-length, wavy hair. In the dimness of the bar, he wasn’t sure of the exact shade of her eyes, but they were striking in how they held his gaze. There was a hint of coyness along with sincerity that made his balls tighten.
The simple fact that desire burned through his veins should have been enough to send him running as fast and far from her as he could get. Yet he remained, hoping to hear more of her husky voice.
Her skin was dew-kissed, a healthy glow that made him itch to run his hands all over her body. Her sleeveless peach tank dipped low, giving him a tantalizing view of the swells of her breasts.
His hands fisted on the bar. It took a herculean effort to realize that Court was back and talking to him. He shot his brother a look, irritated to have his attention diverted from Addison. Myles returned his gaze to her as she put a bite of the red beans and rice in her mouth.
Her large eyes watched him, but he couldn’t make himself stop staring. She had the face of an angel, sweet and sensual. Her mouth was a temptation in itself, with her pouty lips that could have him on his knees in a matter of seconds if she knew her power.
An image flashed in his head of Addison in his arms, her head thrown back as she moaned in pleasure. His cock went instantly, achingly hard.
He was royally fucked.
“Y’all wouldn’t by chance be hiring?” Addison asked.
Myles blinked. It took him a few moments for her words to penetrate his fog of desire. He glanced at the women walking around in short denim shorts and tight, black shirts with the Gator Bait logo.
He really couldn’t think now. He’d be a puddle of need if he had to see Addison wearing those outfits every day.
“Yes,” Court leaned over and said. “We are, actually. I’ve got an application in the back. When you get finished eating, Myles can take you to his office.”
Myles definitely wanted to take her, but it wasn’t to his office. He cleared his throat and pushed away from the bar. He had to put some distance between them. “Yes. My office.”
Damn. Did he sound as stupid as he thought he did? When Court raised a brow in question while trying not to laugh, Myles had his answer.
With as busy as the bar was, Myles couldn’t stand around and talk. He used that excuse to help Court with the drinks since Solomon was in the back cooking, and Kane was still getting Riley settled.
A little while later, Myles looked up again. Addison had her back to him with her elbows resting on the bar as she nodded her head along to the music. Her gaze was on the pool competition that was a weekly event.
Her food had been cleared, and her drink was empty. Beside it was a glass of soda that was also empty. Myles dumped the melting ice and refilled it before pouring her a fresh soda.
He set it down. As he was about to walk away, she turned her head and their eyes met.
She glanced down at the drink. “Thank you.”
“Anytime. Do you play pool?”
Her laugh went straight to his still hard cock. “I can get a ball in the hole if I’m lucky, but I’m rarely lucky. I am enjoying the tournament though.” She turned around on the stool and took a long drink of the soda. “I heard the guy next to me tell his friend y’all do this weekly, and then have a larger tournament for the weekly winners at the end of the month.”
“Your father must have really loved to play.”
Myles pulled a frosted mug from the fridge and pulled the lever for a blonde ale, one of their bestselling draft beers. Once the mug was full, he set it in front of the customer. “My mom was pretty good at it herself. When we decided to open the bar, it just seemed natural to put in a couple pool tables.”
“So you and Court opened this together?” she asked.
“I have three brothers. Solomon, Kane, and Court. The four of us went in together.”
She wrinkled up her nose. “I’ve heard it’s never good to go into business with family.”
That was true for most families, but then again, those families weren’t cursed to turn into werewolves. “We’re a tight family.”
“And your parents? Do they approve?”
Court was walking past, and as he heard her question, a glass slipped from his fingers to bounce against the mat and then hit the floor, shattering. “Shit,” he mumbled and hurried to clean it up.
Myles started to help his youngest brother, but it took only one furious look from Court to stop him. Their parents were a sore subject, even after so many years. Myles turned back to Addison. “Our parents are dead.”
“I’m sorry.”
She said it without the embarrassment of discovering death, but with the sincerity of someone well acquainted with it. The more Myles spoke to her, the more he wanted to know.
“Thank you,” he mumbled. “It was a long time ago.”
“Those wounds never go away.”
Now he knew someone close to her had died, and he would bet it was her parents. “No, they don’t.”
“You’re lucky to have siblings to turn to.”
The conversation needed some levity. “When I’m not wanting to knock their heads off. Do you have any siblings?”