Page 15 of Untraced Magic
My fingers clenched around the strap on my shoulder like it was my lifeline out of this awkward moment, a cool breeze licking the nape of my neck causing me to gather my hoodie under my chin.
I took a deep breath. “Thanks for the invite, and introducing me to your friends. It was… interesting.”
Leaning against the van, he adjusted his sleeve.
“About Wes, he can be a little touchy feely sometimes, but he means well.”
I folded my arms around myself. “That’s okay.” I shrugged. “it’s nothing I can’t handle.”
He chuckled, and the way his head tipped in my direction made me think he was enjoying some private joke.
Tyler’s gaze traveled over my body, and I felt every inch of it, warmth melting into certain parts of me I chose to ignore.
“You look like you’re heading somewhere.” he said pointedly.
My fingertips skimmed the length of the chain over my collarbone.
“I am. Skye invited me to the opening night at Jinxed. Are you going?”
I inwardly groaned. Crap. Why did I even ask that?
His stare was heavy, and I felt like the weight of it could sink me to the bottom of the ocean. “Yeah, I might. Reid owns the bar, so I probably should.”
I adjusted the strap on my shoulder, keen for any distraction from the way his stare bore into me. “Well, I might see you there.” I motioned further up the street. “I should get going.”
Tyler nodded, grazing his palm over the stubble sanding his jaw. “Enjoy your walk.”
His features remained impassive as I left.
My brows creased as I walked away. I couldn’t figure him out.
Tyler was the walking definition of hot in a rough around the edges type of way. As rude as he had been at the party, I couldn’t ignore the way I found myself drawn to him, and it irritated the hell out of me.
Climbing the rise to Skye’s house on the far edge of town, wind whipped through my hair, fierce and untamed as it unleashed its fury on the only part of the cove exposed to the elements. Below me, the ocean lashed against the shoreline, carving its name into the rocks, and I stilled for a moment, admiring the raw beauty.
Someone once told me to never turn my back on the ocean, and I never had.
It was wild and unpredictable.
It was everything I was not.
Walking up the drive, the house stood two levels high, framed in aged timber, a large balcony wrapping around its second story. It was a beauty surrounded by trees that yawned toward the property.
With a start, I jumped back as the front door flew open before I could knock. Skye wore a silver sequin dress cut just above the knee, orbs of light reflecting in every direction as she moved.
“Skye, wow, you’re sparkling!” I exclaimed in surprise. “You look amazing.”
She spun in a circle, the orbs following her. “What, this old thing?”
I grimaced, remembering the clothes I had packed that were plain in comparison. “I’m going to be so underdressed.”
Skye tutted, “Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.”
She grabbed my hand, dragging me through the door and upstairs into her bedroom, disappearing into her wardrobe. My gaze floated around her room, neat and tidy, with an armchair perched in the corner.
I walked over to the large sliding door where the ocean melted into the horizon.
“Here try this.”
