Page 37 of Under an Endless Moon

Intensity filled his expression when he swept his attention toward me. “You’re my favorite fuckin’ person in the world, Raven. What makes you think I wouldn’t want you at my house?”

Tingles scattered.

It was moments like these when I became a fool who believed.

A fool who thought he might actually see me the way I wanted him to.

But I knew better than that.

Two minutes later, Otto made the right onto the dirt lane that dipped down the side of a ridge and then rose back on the other side. His house sat on the upper portion of it.

I called it a cabin since it was completely surrounded by soaring pines and a swath of leafy oaks, though his place was as modern as they came.

A tall rectangle made of metal and glass. The bottom floor was a huge garage where he kept his motorcycles and restored cars and trucks, and the upper floor was the living area. A balcony ran along the sides, overlooking the break in the trees that gave a view to the southern part of the lake low in the distance.

I was sure there wasn’t a more beautiful view in all of Moonlit Ridge.

He tapped into his app and turned off the security system, then pushed the button to open the garage. The big metal door slowly wound up, and he eased his truck inside and parked it next to the motorcycle he normally rode.

There were at least four more scattered inside, along with two cars and three more trucks.

He called them his babies. His only loves. The only things he could truly give his heart to.

Was it wrong I was a little jealous?

He glanced over at me as he pressed the button to drop the garage door behind us, and he was grinning that grin when he said, “Welcome home, darlin’.”

My heart sped an extra beat.

“I won’t be in your hair for long. I just need to find a place of my own, and I’ll be on my way.”

It was too bad Charleigh’s apartment that was directly above Moonflower had already been leased once she’d moved out. It would have been perfect.

But I was sure there would be a place that would be equally as perfect. I didn’t need much. Just a place that I could call my own.

Excitement blazed through me at the thought.

I’d felt this coming for a while now. The need to…do something. Make a change. Like Otto had said, walking in on Charleigh and River wasn’t that big of a deal.

But it’d made me feel…like an intrusion.

A burden.

In their way.

And also, really freaking embarrassed and wishing for a way to purge the vision from my mind.

I was going to use it as the motivation I needed to take the jump.

Concern played through Otto’s severe features, though I could tell he was trying to maintain the lightness he normally wore. “You can stay for as long as you need.”

“Thank you, Otto. I truly appreciate it.”

“Like I’d leave my girl out on the street.” He reached over and tugged a lock of my hair like he was my big brother trying to annoy me before he tossed open his door. “Come on, let’s get upstairs.”

He and I got out of the truck, and I went directly for the interior stairs that led to his house above. I climbed the metal steps, my hand on the railing.

Otto’s presence swarmed me from behind.

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