Page 21 of The Boy With The Sharp Teeth
"Usethis umbrella," the woman smiled, pushing some of her windswept hair outof her face. "Zach told me you would be coming with Kamal, so he had me bringyou an extra umbrella. I told him to set it up closer to the grill so you canhave some food and listen to music, but he told me you would most likely readand relax back here," she explained, just as a woman near the front undera much larger, family-style canopy called for her to come over. Waving back atthe woman in acknowledgment, Lana gave her an apologetic smile. "I swear Ican't do anything without someone needing me. Actually, now that I think of it,I think I should have moved back here too," she laughed. "Ok, well,come up and get some food and sodas when you're hungry."
Leavingher to herself, Lana walked back towards the other adults. Sana wasn't surewhat to say. Looking around, she realized her umbrella was perfectly placed. Itwas just near enough to the rest not to be an outlier and far enough away torelax peacefully without constant interruption. Staring at the white metal polestuck securely in the sand, Sana imagined Zach placing it there for her. Still,with her bag and towel in hand, she looked out to the water where the rest ofthe Waatese kids were. Scanning over the dark heads of hair playing in thesurf, she stopped on a small group of older boys standing and talking in thewet sand. All three were tall and powerful looking even from where she stood,they stood there talking and laughing, but she could see their ever-watchfuleyes keeping a mindful eye on all the children. As if sensing her gaze, one ofthe boys turned around, his long black hair glimmering under the bright sun.Shirtless, Zach stood there in his blue and white swimming trunks with his armscrossed, looking directly at her. Sana's heart seized, and she quickly turnedaway, but it wasn't fast enough. She had seen it, that wide victorious smilethat told her everything—his plan had worked.
Turningaround, Sana fumbled with shaking hands to lay out her towel on the lumpy sand.She should probably flatten out the sand first, but she could hardly thinkstraight enough for that. All she could focus on was the rising hair on thenape of her neck as she felt him get closer. It was surreal, almost unnatural,how she could feel the predatory teen stalk across the sand in her directionwithout even needing to turn around and confirm. Shakily, she turned and satdown with a held breath.
Standingat the edge of her towel, Zach stood and smiled triumphantly down at her."Have you missed me, Sana?"
Fora second, her words were lost somewhere between her throat and her mind.Sunlight bathed his bronze skin in a way she never thought could actuallyhappen outside of digital manipulation. Highlighting the rises of his definedabs and muscular arms, the sun continued to cast faint shadows along thegrooves and indentations of his muscles. It was the type of body she overheardgirls giggling about in the locker room and women lusting after in teenheart-throb movies.
Realizingshe was staring too long and saying too little, Sana looked away with a choked,"Yes."
Droppingto his knees in the sand, Zach leaned forward, forcing her to catch his brightgaze. She could see by his searching gaze he wanted to say something, but shecould see him restrain himself and change his mind at the last second. Throwingher an easy smile, he glanced slyly at her bag. "How many books did you bringwith you?"
Notsure if he was making a dig at her or not, Sana reached into her bag and pulledout two hardback books. "Two," she answered.
Someof the mischievous glint in his eyes disappeared, replaced by something warmand hungry that made her pulse quicken. Turning around on his heel, he laiddown next to her, using her beach bag as a makeshift pillow to prop his headup. "Read me something, anything it doesn't matter," he said, foldingboth arms behind his head.
Lookingdown at her books, she let her fingers trace along the embossed illustration onthe slick cover. Risking a peek to her right, her breath caught as their eyesmet. Zach said nothing as he continued to hold her stare. Unable to maintainthe silent challenge, Sana looked back to her books and picked up the one shehad yet to start, and began to read aloud. With just her words, she took themabove the clouds to a floating civilization run by magic and subterfuge. Zachlistened intently as she delved deeper into a murderous royal plot andreluctant heroes, watching her intently as she shifted on the towel forcomfort, eventually laying down beside him. As the sun shined warmly againsttheir exposed legs, poking out from underneath the umbrella's shade, shebreathed in the natural forest scent that emanated from Zach while the pace ofher words eventually slowed until they stopped altogether. Tiredly, she couldfeel the book being slid from her loosened grasp. Not wanting to go to sleep,Sana forced herself with great effort to open her heavy eyelids. Having movedher bag aside, which had acted as his designated pillow, Zach laid down flatnext to her. Face to face, she was too tired to feel any embarrassment as shelet her eyes sweep over his handsome features. Smiling at her boldness, Zachpropped his head up with one hand.
"You'resupposed to be keeping an eye on Kamal," she pointed out sleepily, tryingbut failing to contain a yawn.
"Don'tworry, I can hear him and Elijah laughing from here," his deep voicerumbled around his own yawn. "Besides, Noah is out there with them rightnow. He won't let them drown."
Givinghim a skeptical frown, she just shook her head with a smile at hisexaggeration. There was no way he could hear Kamal all the way from here. Theywere nearly twenty yards away, not to mention hearing him over the sound of thesurf.
"Theother day, I heard Elijah mention to Kamal that you recently moved toTarki," she said, letting the words linger between them as she waited forhim to reply.
Liftingboth brows in acknowledgment, he gave her a waiting look, seeing if she wouldprobe further.
Nervously,she played right into his purposeful silence and began fumbling over her words."I…I just meant to ask where…where were you before you moved here?"
"Whydo you want to know?" He asked in almost a purr. "Or would knowingmore about me finally make you comfortable enough not to run and hide fromme?" he mocked.
Struckby the spot-on truth in his words, the drowsy feeling she enjoyed moments agoimmediately disappeared. "Forget I asked," she said, sitting upabruptly.
Sittingup too, Zach's hand shot out to her wrist as she began to push herself into astanding position with every intention of leaving him. "Wait," hesaid sharply. Holding her wrist firmly, he didn't allow her to stand."Don't leave."
"Ithink I better go and…" She began to make up an excuse to leave when hecut her off.
"LosAngeles," he answered quickly, not letting go of her wrist even after shestilled next to him.
Sittingside by side, they sat in tense silence, both staring past the row of umbrellasand chairs to the lapping waves beyond until Zach finally started to speak."I grew up in LA with my mom and dad until I was forced to move here afterhe died."
Notsure what to say, Sana thought of the standardI'm sorrycondolence shehad heard others say in the past, but for some reason, she knew those wordssomehow wouldn't be appreciated by the boy sitting beside her. Deciding to saynothing at all, she pulled her wrist gently from his grip and traded it withher hand, hoping that her feelings somehow conveyed themselves without the needfor empty-sounding words. Closing his long fingers around her hand, Sana heldback a sigh of contentment at the warmth of his returned grip.
"Mydad worked as a big rig trucker, mostly doing long-haul runs that would keephim gone nearly all week, but he would always be back by the weekend. They sayhe died instantly after his truck slipped off a muddy mountain pass," headmitted softly. "I didn't want to come here, but my mom gave me littlechoice in the matter. So here I am, discovering a whole family I never knewexisted and living with my uncle who somehow made my tough-as-nails dad looklike an angel."
Lookingover to him, Sana stared at his strong profile as she listened to the pain ineach word spoken. She couldn't help but wonder how often he even spoke toanyone about this, the words seemed foreign to his lips as he shared with her.
Pullingher legs up, she rested her cheek on her knees as she looked at him. "Isyour uncle mean?"
Sanahad a hard time imagining the gentle Adam Waatese she knew ever being anythingbut jovial and kind.
Zachlaughed. "No, he isn't mean, not like you're thinking. But he can be,trust me, but only for good reason. No, he's just strict and nosey as hell.Whenever I try to go anywhere, he has to know about it. If I just want to blowoff some steam with Noah or something, it won't take long before him or anotherone of my million fucking cousins to know about it. I went from living in acity surrounded by people and being virtually alone, just me and my mom, to atown with not even a fraction of the people that LA had and now beingsurrounded by goddamn family everywhere I turn."
Usingher other hand to clamp over her lips, Sana couldn't stop the sudden bubble oflaughter that sprang to her lips.
Witha narrowed gaze, Zach gave her an accusing look. "Are you laughing atme?!”
