Luna Junction 2 Forbidden Mate (W) Read Online Free PDF Page A

winked. “Pencil us in.”
    I laughed. “I’ll be there. I
promise.”
    After a few more rounds of banter, the
Landon boys left. I stared after their truck as they sped away. I
was unsure what to make of the invitation and was surprised when
Max nodded with approval.
    “ There’s no love lost
between Cade Landon and I, but he’s not one of the bad ones.” He
paused, thinking. “His mother was human, you know.”
    I still felt a little nonplussed by all
the interspecies elements. “Oh,” I said because I couldn’t think of
anything more appropriate.
    Max generously insisted on handing over
the keys to his truck. My battered excuse for transportation was
released to Eddie. Eddie had a garage in Williams and agreed to see
what he could do with my crumbling car.
    Max still needed to open up the store
for the day because people might get upset if they weren’t able to
purchase their kitschy memorabilia before they moved on to more
interesting parts of the state. Eddie had offered to drive him into
town. I felt a little uncomfortable under Eddie’s D’arcangelo’s
cool gaze.
    “ So you’ll be around for a
while, huh?”
    “ Hey, Eddie. Yeah, I guess.
That all right with you?”
    “ I’m not the one you’ve got
to worry about.”
    Max hurriedly shouldered a dark
backpack and tried to hustle Eddie out. “She knows, Ed.”
    Eddie paused and narrowed his eyes. He
spoke quietly. “You better make sure of it.”
    Max stared him down. As the two men
glared at one another I sensed there had been some disagreement I
was not privy to. Eddie broke first and left without another
word.
    Max sighed and raised an eyebrow. “You
going to be okay?”
    “ I’ll be fine.”
    His expression softened as he looked at
me for a long moment. Not for the first time I wondered how it had
been for him these past six years. Alone, with nothing but the
ghosts of his former family for company.
    I tried to offer a watery smile and he
seemed to accept that as evidence. Max hoisted his backpack higher
up on his shoulder and tossed me a single bronze key. “I’ll be home
late tonight. You’ve still got a phone, right?”
    “ Yeah. It’s been off since
I left Cali but it’s the same number.”
    “ Good.” He appeared to be
grappling with something internally. “You’ll be all right at the
Landons. Don’t say too much.”
    “ Won’t be hard. I don’t
really know too much.”
    He gave me a grim smile. “You will.”
The security door whined on its unoiled hinges. “Artemis, don’t
speed on the local roads. And stay away from the Casteel
brothers.”
    I rolled my eyes. “You think I’m eager
for another public humiliation? Trust me, I have no intention of
going anywhere near those fuckers.”
    After Max left I returned to my
domestic chores. It was no good. The harder I scrubbed the dingy
bathroom grout the more ancient memories ran through my mind like a
cruel marquee.
    It was my thirteenth
birthday and my mother had baked a sheet cake. Chocolate inside and
out. I could have eaten the whole thing myself but I wanted to save
a piece for Gideon. He smiled shyly when I offered it to
him.
    “ You keep it for later,” he
said.
    I frowned but left the cake
on the counter. Gideon had never been a fan of sweets.
    He seemed nervous,
shuffling back and forth on large feet his lanky frame had yet to
catch up with. With a touch of wonder, I noticed his dark blonde
hair was combed and his clothes were neat and pressed. His large
green eyes glanced at me meaningfully and my breath caught. Ever
since his parents had died in a car accident six months earlier
he’d been more solemn, less boyish. And lately, out of the corner
of my eye, I’d noticed him looking at me in an odd, intent way. It
kept me up at night. I wanted Gideon to look at me.
    “ Can we go for a hike,
Acie?”
    I met his stare. “Yes.” I
tried to lighten my voice so my parents wouldn’t suspect I was
about to pass out. “Just going for a walk with Gid! I’ll