girl, quiet and beautiful with her obsession for the moon, but was she always so…ethereal? So goddamn beautiful? I can’t help the way my eyes devour every inch of her skin, the planes and contours of her face. With long, brown hair that looks like it would be silky to the touch, and skin so white it almost looks porcelain here under the moonlight, she’s captivating. In a white sundress that brings out the delicateness of her features and the red in her bee-stung lips, I can’t seem to look away from her.
I startle, suddenly realizing how odd I must look, standing here, staring down at her without saying anything. “Uh, yeah.” I clear my throat. “It’s…Selene, right?” She nods, her pouty mouth still gaped in shock as she stares up at me.
“Mind if I sit?”
The second I ask the question, her face twists with disdain. If possible, she looks paler than ever. The pallor of her skin is a ghostly gray now. My brows tug down into a frown at her odd reaction.
“I can come back another time.” I point aimlessly over my shoulder.
“No, no. It’s fine.” She shakes her head, plastering a fake smile across her perfect porcelain skin. I may not know everything that makes up Selene Drake, but she has one of those smiles. That’s what I remember most, the way her smile could light up a whole room, but right now? That’s the exact opposite of what she’s giving me. I know a fake smile when I see one. Her color slowly starts to come back to her face, the majority settling in her cheeks, making them tint with color.
I don’t know if it’s the moonlight or the fact that I haven’t gotten laid in weeks, but I suddenly find myself inexplicably drawn to this woman. I don’t remember Selene being this grown up. She’s fucking gorgeous here under the moonlight. The way the silver light bounces off her skin and hair is captivating.
I may not have paid much attention to her then, but I am now.
Lowering myself onto the open space of grass next to her, I prop my forearms on my knees and stare out at the creek. I fight the urge to shift toward her and stare, but I’m sure all that would do is freak her out. I can’t help but want to look at her again, though, because I swear my mind is making her much more beautiful than she is. There’s no way anyone can be that gorgeous or inspire such sudden whimsical feelings in a man.
As the silence and sounds of nature echo around us, I feel oddly more content sitting here beside this woman who I hardly know than I have in a long time. For so long, I’ve been so focused on work and the company, I don’t remember the last time I’ve taken a moment to just sit and be.
It’s different on the nights when I’m with her father because those nights are his. Those are his moments to vent and not feel so lonely, and I’m happy to do that for him.
“You back in town for a while? I ran into your dad at the Grab-N-Go earlier.”
She clears her throat, tilting her head down a fraction, causing her curtain of silky dark hair to shield most of her face. It’s like she’s trying to hide from me. “Yeah. He’s…he’s not doing so well, so we’re staying until further notice.”
My brows dip, and I lean forward slightly, trying to look past the dark curtain. I can still make out the delicate features of her face, and there’s no mistaking the worry that’s pulling taut across her features.
“Yeah, I’m…I’m sorry. Your dad is a good man. It’s really shitty.”
She nibbles on her bottom lip anxiously. I can’t tell if it’s from my presence or the topic of discussion.
“He kept it from everyone for a while. Had to take him to the emergency room before I could pull anything out of him.”
Slowly, she cranes her neck to look up at me through her thick lashes. Her dark hair and dark brows are such a contrast to her pale skin, and it’s absolutely captivating.
“So you guys are…close?”
I nod, my gaze sweeping across her features. She has a light smattering of freckles that run across the bridge of her nose. Everything about her is so different from most women I know and most women in this town. From what I can tell, it doesn’t look like she has on