Under the Blood Moon by Jenny Garcia (golden son ebook txt) 📕

"James, I am nervous to see Denise." I can hear the worry in her voice.

"Oh Honey it's going to be fine. I am sure that after all these years it will feel as if nothing has changed."

"I guess your right..."

They stop talking and I go about fill the air mattress. As I sit on the floor, looking around the room, I remember the dramatic plays I would make up. For no one’s eyes but my own of course. I never wanted my parents to see what I was doing. I was too embarrassed. "Niki!" I hear my mom yelling down the hall and it snaps me out of memory lane.

"What Mom?"

"Come out here they are here!" she yells excitedly down the hall. I feel butterflies fluttering in my stomach. The moment my mom has been waiting for. I hope this lady isn’t crazy anymore.

The moment I have been dreading has arrived. I get up from the floor and walk to the hallway. I see the front door wide open and there is a black SUV in the driveway. It looks like a very expensive car. I walk down the hallway and I see my mother speed walking to the driver side of the car. The windows are so heavily tented that I can't see anyone in the car. The passenger door swings open and all I see are two black boots step down from the car. Staring at the owners’ shoe's I can’t help but think they belong to…what’s his name… oh ya, Travis. The boots walk around the door. I look up from the bottom. He is wearing dark jeans with a black t-shirt. We make eye contact and I feel burning in my chest. It’s not painful thought, is almost enjoyable. His piercing emerald green eyes are burning into my soul. Golden brown hair perfectly slicked back. His face looks as if he was created after a Greek god. His body is muscular and perfect. Perfectly tan skin and a devilish smile. What is happening to me? I never get this spun off a guy. I don’t like letting a man dictate the way I feel specially one that I have only seen for two seconds.. What is this almost desirable burn in my chest? I have never felt this way before and it’s scaring me. Wait…Is that the man from my dreams that is standing by the shore. They have the same hair and eyes. If only I could see his face in my dream. I shake the thought from my head. It’s impossible that I dreamt of Travis. I don’t even know the guy.

"Niki, are you just going to stare at Travis or are you going to say hello?" My Fathers voice snaps me out of my trance. 

"I wasn’t staring!" I snap back. My cheeks are burning red. I turn back to face Travis and he is right in front of me. How did he move to me so quickly? His scent is flooding my scenes. His cologne is familiar. It’s something that I have smelled before but I don’t know where. Its drawing me in and all I want to do is lean in on his chest and breathe deeply.

"Hi, I’m Travis." God even his voice was seducing me. What the hell is going on? I realize that I haven't answered him back yet and his eyebrows begin to rise due to the lack of response and the stupid look on my face. “And you are?...”

"Sorry, Hi I’m Niki." My words are shaking as I say them.

"Nice to meet you, Niki." Turning away from me he walks to the back of the car I to get this bags. His scent fills my nose. His Cologne makes me lightheaded from desire. What is happening to me? I need to get away from this man.

"Niki, come here" I hear my mom call me from the other side of the car. I walk over to the driver’s side of the car.

"This is Denise, my oldest friend from my hometown." She is just as beautiful as her son. She has long red hair with the same emerald green eyes. Denise couldn’t have been the girl from the photo in my dad’s office, they have different colored eyes. She is slender, tall and perfectly tanned skin. Jeez this family is really...well put together.

"Hello Denise, I'm Niki, it's nice to meet you." She looks me up and down almost like she is inspecting me. Then she throws me a dazzling smile.

"It’s nice to finally meet you Niki. I have heard so much about you" She turns to my mother and gives her another long hug. "I have missed you so much Michelle!" I see tears filling my mother eyes "So have I Denise."

"Niki" my dad calls from behind me. I turn around to find him talking to Travis. Again I feel warm embarrassment fill my cheeks. God why I acting this way. I feel drawn to him and I don’t even know him. The burning in my chest has not gone away since I looked into his emerald eyes and for some reason I don’t want it to stop.

"Why don’t you show Travis to his room and help him settled in." My eyes grow wide. I don't want to be stuck in a room with this guy. He is already having a strange effect on me; I don’t want to be anywhere near him. "Umm sure dad." I walk slowly over to Travis and my dad "Which room do you want me to put him in, the spare bedroom or the office?" My father’s thinks for a moment "Put him in the spare." I look at Travis who hasn’t taken his eyes off me since he came here. What is he staring at? Do I have something on my face? "C-come on Travis." I hate when I stutter. It only happens when I am really nervous and this man is making me more nervous then I have ever been in my life. I hear him let out a chuckle and its melts my heart. "Lead the way Miss Niki." I start to walk quickly away from him to get some distance. I start to walk up the stairs and my foot catches on the last step. My body is falling to the ground and right before I hit the deck everything stops. I open my eyes and see the deck inches from my face. I feel my skin burning with a strange sensation that I have never felt before. It’s not painful...it’s desirable. "You’re clumsy aren’t you?" I realize that Travis has one arm over and shoulder holding my chest and one around my waist. How in the hell did he catch me. I put distance between us on purpose to avoid touching him. But thank god he did because I would have face planted on the deck and died from embarrassment. There was something about being in his arms that felt right like I was supposed to be there. I hear him chuckle in my ear and feel his hot breath on the back of my neck. "Thanks for catching me, can you left me go now?" He lifts me to my feet with such ease. I guess that is where his muscles come in handy. He takes his arms off me and I feel the burning stop and disappointment takes it place. I need to snap out of it. I am not going to let this man take over my feelings. I don’t even know him. I am not going to get my heart broken again especially since I am only going to be around him for 2 months. The last guy I was with...ruined me. I don’t like to think about him...ever.

 I take Travis inside the house and start to show him around. "That is the living room; there is no T.V., phone or internet. Sorry, no cell service either. It can get pretty boring here sometimes." I look back at him and he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Letting it out slowly he re-opens his eyes and finds that I am again...staring. I snap my head the other way and start to walk across the room to the kitchen. "This is the kitchen; feel free to eat whatever you want." I turn around and Travis is staring at my ass. "Travis! Eyes off the merchandise." He lets out another heart melting chuckle. "Sorry Niki." Anger fills me. I hate when men do that. They their mind clocks out and they just stare at your goods. It’s really rude. "Rude, how is that rude?" Travis blurts out. "What did you say?" My eyes snap to him. I know for a fact that I didn’t say that out loud. "Nothing, sorry continue with the grand tour." I look into his eyes and he seems to be nervous, like I caught him lying. "Whatever, follow me." I led him down the hall and he looks into the spare bedroom and I can hear him chuckling. I turn on my heels to face him "What is so funny?" He looks at me with silly grin on his face, "Nothing, Niki". "Whatever, that is your room anyways." I spit back. He goes to say something but I speed walk down the hallway and right into my room. I need to get away from him. Somewhere that I can decompress and figure out what the hell just happened to me. The last time I felt anything like this was when I was with Derek. Even with the feelings that I had for Derek, I never felt this uncontrollable desire for a man especially one I have never seen before. There is something familiar about him. His hair, the way he smells and the way he makes me feel when our skin makes contact. I can’t but believe that this is the same man I saw from the dream. Is that even possible…

I have been laying on my bed for an hour and Finally I can breathe. The desire Travis has cursed me with has released its hold from me. What is it about Travis that makes me feel this way? I don’t even know him or anything about him. Why do I feel so much desire towards him? Remembering how his arms felt around my chest and waist gives my shivers. I feel my body begin to warm and all I want is to feel his touch. I don't want to feel this way about him. I am not going to fall for him...I can't. It would be absurd. I am not going to let this happen. There is no way that I am going to let this stranger turn me into a love sick idiot. I have already let a man turn me into mush and I already promised myself that it wouldn’t happen again.

            There is a knock on my door that startles me. "Who is it?" there is a short silence. "It’s Travis." My heart begins pounding in my chest. Oh my god, what does he want? "What do you need?" my voice shaking "Can I come in, our parents are catching up and I would like to get to know you." Get