Burn (Elemental Series Book 4) Read online

  “Well,” Dean began, drawing her out of the reflection before it had a chance to become bitter, “what do you say we see how good your aim is?”

  Arianna smirked, wholly accepting his challenge. “I say bring it on.”

  He chuckled as he pulled the passenger door open for her and as she ducked into his car she had the strongest urge to trail her fingertips over his toned arm. But she resisted, settled herself properly in the car, and watched as he jogged around the hood in order to slip behind the wheel. A dangerous thought bubbled up in her mind when Dean clicked his seatbelt into place. They hadn’t even remotely discussed anything, but suddenly it was feeling a lot like the beginnings of a date. The scariest part of that was that it only increased her excitement. She had a feeling she could do a lot worse than Dean Hawke.

  “Have you eaten recently?” Dean asked practically before she’d finished the thought, simultaneously swinging into the road.

  Arianna let her eyes wander out the side window and said, “Recently enough. But I’m fine with stopping somewhere if you’re hungry.”

  “I can wait,” he assured her. “We can grab burgers or something when we’re done if we want.”

  “Works for me,” Arianna replied, sliding her gaze to the side in time to catch his grin. If this was turning into a date, she was so doomed. She’d never met a more gorgeous man, and she’d certainly never known someone who pulled her in the way he did. It was like she lost control of herself when they were alone together.

  The ringing of a cell phone that wasn’t hers drew her attention then, and her eyes flicked down to the device resting in an alcove on the dashboard.

  “Ah, crap,” Dean mumbled, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

  “Work?” Arianna guessed, disappointment already flaring in her gut. She hadn’t even originally been planning to see him, but now that the opportunity had been offered and rescinded, she couldn’t deny her frustration. Or her confusion when his answer wasn’t what she’d expected.

  “No,” he replied. “Family. But I forgot to grab the stupid earpiece this morning.”

  Realization dawning, Arianna nodded absently even as the ringing ceased. She studied the phone for a moment before offering, “If you wanted to call them back, I could hold the phone for you.” Grin tipping her lips, she added, “That would be hands-free, you know.”

  Dean chuckled again and said, “Nah. If it’s all right with you, I’ll just swing by before we hit up the range. It’s not too out of the way.”

  “Nothing’s out of the way around here,” Arianna pointed out. “That’s fine with me.” Despite the mixed feelings in her chest, she couldn’t deny she loved every little glimpse she got of his family dynamic.

  ****

  Dean hesitated as he pulled the keys from the ignition. His phone hadn’t gone off again since the call he’d missed a few minutes earlier. Not even to indicate a voice message. He was hoping that meant it wasn’t an emergency, but that concern wasn’t really what was suddenly plaguing him. Most of the family had been less than enthusiastic about his needing to reveal even a portion of their secret to Arianna. The strongest opposition, in fact, had come from his sister—who still, if not for much longer, lived at home. His parents had been much more supportive than Angela, but that didn’t mean they were happy about the situation. Something told him there would be a lecture in his future for turning around and bringing Arianna home a couple days later.

  “Everything okay?” Arianna asked, shifting in the passenger seat to look over at him.

  Can’t do anything about it now. “Yeah,” he replied, releasing his seat belt as he glanced over at her. “You might as well come in. I have no idea how long this could take.” For that matter, he could only guess at what it was even about.

  As if sensing his concern, Arianna’s gaze flicked to the large house looming beyond his windshield before saying, “I could just wait out here if you don’t think it would be okay.”

  “I’m not leaving you in the car,” Dean asserted firmly. If he knew it would just be a quick detour, he might have considered it. But for all he knew this would take hours, and he was raised better. His family would just have to accept that. When Arianna returned her gaze to him, he offered her a lopsided grin and added, “Let’s go.”

  He led the way up the front steps and into the foyer, calling, “Anybody home?” as he eased the door shut behind her. If his parents disapproved, they would at least wait to lecture him until Arianna wasn’t around to hear it. He was less sure about Angela’s behavior. She seemed to be a little angrier nearly every time he saw her.

  “Dean?” Christopher called in response, his confused voice coming from the direction of the living room. Apparently he hadn’t been the one to make the call.

  Gesturing for Arianna to follow him, Dean started down the hall.

  He’d barely taken three steps when Angela hollered to him from the staircase up ahead. “It was me!”

  “What’s going on?” Lillian asked as she stepped into the hall from the kitchen, just ahead of them. She cast a confused glance between the staircase, which was still just out of sight, and Dean. Her eyebrows rose when she spotted Arianna.

  Dean opened his mouth to answer, but Angela beat him to it. “I called,” she said as she rounded the corner, “but he doesn’t know how to answer a phone.”

  Raising a curious brow at his sister, he asked, “What happened to your cell?” He was sure that had been his parents’ ringtone.

  Angela had come to a stop on the other side of their mother, her blue eyes lingering on Arianna. But Dean’s question regained her attention and she replied, “I can’t find my charger.”

  “Okay,” Dean accepted on a sigh, “so what’s up?” Clearly it wasn’t an emergency, but given how well their last few conversations had gone, he was officially confused as to why his sister had called him.

  “I need to make sure you’re free on the twenty-third,” Angela declared. “Or the day after or something.” She paused, obviously deduced his next question, and added, “So you can help me move. I want to get it all done that weekend, so I’m not still half here when school starts.”

  Dean pulled in a breath and nodded slowly. “Twenty-third,” he repeated. “Sure. I’ll just take the weekend off.”

  Angela beamed, her expression lighting with a genuine smile, and exclaimed, “Great! Thanks!”

  “And now that we’ve got that cleared up,” Lillian began deliberately, “we’re neglecting our manners.” She turned a polite, apologetic smile to Arianna then and added, “I’m Lillian, and this my daughter, Angela.” Her arm extended as she spoke and the strangest sensation swirled at the base of Dean’s stomach. All of a sudden he felt like he was actually bringing a woman home to meet the family and he had no idea how to handle it.

  Arianna’s hand slipped into Lillian’s with barely a pause, and her smile was almost frighteningly sincere when she returned the greeting. “Arianna Carosella,” she offered. “It’s nice to meet you both.”

  Chapter Six

  “That’s a beautiful name,” Lillian said as she led the way into a living room that made Arianna feel like a pauper. “Is it Greek?”

  Returning her attention to her hostess before it became obvious she was staring, Arianna settled in the corner of the large sofa that faced Lillian’s chair and shook her head. “Italian, actually.” Her eyes betrayed her and followed Dean as he moved to claim another spot on the couch. Angela had already curled into a corner of the loveseat, and a man Arianna assumed was their father was just slipping a bookmark into the hardback he’d been reading.

  “Ah,” Lillian replied, “I have a brother who spent a couple of years in Italy. The postcards were always beautiful, but I’ve never been.” She paused, glanced to the man in the chair next to hers, and added, “This is Arianna Carosella, the new lifeguard Blake works with.”

  Right, Blake. Her more logical non-existent connection to the Hawke family. He was certainly likable, but even if he�
�d been single Arianna doubted she’d have spared him more than a passing glance. The man sitting barely outside of arm’s reach was far more appealing. Even now, in front of his parents and little sister, she could feel the undeniable itch to touch him.

  “Christopher,” Dean’s father stated, standing and striding forward until he could shake her hand. He had a very friendly smile, and though the family resemblance between the parents and children was stronger with Lillian, Arianna could see it in Christopher’s smile. She shook his hand easily, but before she could add the typical greeting he added, “Care for something to drink? I was going to pour myself some tea.”

  She’d opened her mouth to decline his offer, but Dean shifted beside her and it occurred to her that holding a glass of tea would at least give her something to do with her hands. So instead she smiled and said, “That would be great, if you don’t mind.”

  “Of course not!” he assured her. Glancing past her, he added, “Any other takers?”

  “Please,” Dean said. Neither Angela nor Lillian put in requests of their own, so Christopher headed toward what Arianna assumed was the kitchen without another word.

  “Tell me,” Lillian began, redirecting the conversation, “are you close with your family?”

  Arianna pulled in a breath. She’d certainly gotten that question before, and given what little she’d seen of the Hawke family, she supposed she should have been expecting it. Exhaling slowly, she shook her head and replied, “No.” She wanted to soften the response somehow, but it would have given the wrong impression.

  Lillian frowned faintly. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  Shaking her head, Arianna smiled and said, “Don’t apologize.” She shrugged and added, “There’s nothing that can be done about it, unfortunately.”

  Silence settled in the room for a second before Angela declared, “Blake says you’re a pretty good swimmer. Have you worked as a lifeguard before?”

  Grateful for the change in subject, Arianna grinned and shook her head. “No, but I was something of a water baby growing up. One of my earliest memories is bobbing around in a pool.”

  Angela’s lips twitched and she teased, “And yet you’re friends with Dean.” She cut a glance to her brother before adding, “You know he hates swimming, right?”

  Arianna could feel the return jibe building within him, but she couldn’t stop herself from adding, “Well, he did wear jeans and boots to the beach the other day.”

  Dean snorted inelegantly and leaned back against the couch, feet coming to rest on the coffee table, as he grumbled, “What do you expect?”

  “Manners, for one thing,” Christopher declared as he stepped back into the room. “Feet off the table, Dean.” He followed the instruction with a smile as he proceeded to hand Arianna a tall glass of sparkling bronze liquid. “Here you go,” he added.

  Dean had straightened and Christopher had reclaimed his seat when Lillian took over the conversation again, asking, “When did you get into town?”

  Arianna swallowed, paused, and replied, “About the middle of July.” It was weird to think about, actually. It hadn’t even been a month yet. Weirder still was the idea that she’d only met Dean on Saturday. She felt like she must have known him longer.

  “Do you like it so far?” Lillian asked curiously.

  Her smile was easy when she said, “It’s shaping up to be the best place I’ve lived yet.” But it might have been inappropriate to specify that some of the reason involved Lillian’s son.

  “Where did you live before?” Angela asked.

  Arianna opened her mouth to answer, but Dean’s cell phone once again interrupted the conversation. Hers weren’t the only eyes that shifted to him as he sat forward and set his glass on the table. His brows were tight as he glanced at his screen, and a sinking feeling settled in Arianna’s stomach. This was work. She just knew it.

  “Yeah?” Dean asked as he put the device to his ear. He rested his elbows on his knees and scowled at his tea. His eyes closed for a second, but his tone was even as he added, “Yeah, okay.” Then he pulled the phone from his ear, disconnected, and sighed before saying, “I have to get to the station.”

  Lillian nodded with understanding. “Of course,” she said. “Be careful.”

  Dean glanced over at Arianna, and she had to swallow at the apology shining in his eyes. But she didn’t need to hear whatever he was about to say, so instead she said, “Go on. I can take care of myself.”

  “I’ll see you all later, then,” Dean declared as he stood. He nodded to the room as a whole and his gaze slid back to Arianna for a second before he turned and rounded the couch, striding quickly for the door.

  No one spoke until they heard the front door shut. Only then did it really occur to Arianna she’d just been left alone with the family of the man she was lusting after. There are at least a few dozen ways this could get awkward.

  “So,” Christopher began, “would you like to stay for dinner?”

  Not having any good reason—or strong motivation—to decline, Arianna agreed to dinner. Staying for dinner meant lingering for a couple of hours.

  After dinner, and after being ushered out of the kitchen without being allowed to help clean up, Arianna stepped into the Hawke’s massive backyard for some fresh air. She’d drawn only a couple of deep, cleansing breaths before Angela stepped up beside her.

  “I have a confession,” Angela said, an almost awkward tone in her voice. She sounded … shamed.

  Arianna turned, straightening from the railing she was leaning against, and arched a curious brow. “Oh?”

  Angela nodded and lifted her gaze to the darkening sky. “When Dean said he was going to have to tell you, you know, the family secret, I was angry. I wanted a reason not to like you. Something I could point to and say ‘this is why you should learn to keep your mouth shut.’ I’m sorry about that. It wasn’t fair of me.”

  When Angela trailed off, Arianna kept quiet for a moment. It made sense, she supposed, that someone—or perhaps several someones—in the family wouldn’t have been thrilled with a stranger learning their secret. Well, Dean’s secret, anyway. He hadn’t once mentioned whether or not his family shared his secret, and though she’d certainly concocted a couple of theories, she’d never asked. It was ironic, she supposed, that in her confession Angela actually let slip more than the brother she professed to be angry with had said. She appreciated the maturity it must have taken for Angela to admit as much to her now.

  Turning enough to lean backwards against the railing, elbows balanced on the edge, Arianna said, “I think I’d have been angry, too, if I were you. Trusting a stranger with something like that … it’s dangerous.” She paused, grinned, and added, “If it makes you feel any better, he didn’t tell me anything about a family secret. He only told me about him, and the people trying to kill you.”

  Angela turned wide eyes to her and groaned. “Seriously? I can’t believe I just did that….” She trailed off again and dropped her face into one palm, leaning heavily into the railing.

  Arianna laughed and turned again, mimicking Angela’s earlier gesture and letting her eyes take in the sky overhead. The fog was thin enough still that she could see most of the early evening stars. “Don’t worry,” she said, “I’m not going to ask. Unless I get so dragged in that I need to know, it’s not my business, anyway.”

  “You’re not … curious?” Angela asked slowly, looking back over at her.

  “Sure, I’m curious,” Arianna replied. She returned her gaze to the younger girl’s and said, “But that’s no excuse to pry into someone else’s life.”

  Angela blinked at her, clearly surprised by her answer. She smiled, slow and subtle, and let several seconds tick by before finally asking, “Were you really the star of a movie called Ghostacula?”

  Arianna cringed, her mind immediately flashing back to that embarrassment of a film. “You Googled me, huh?”

  Angela shrugged. “It pays to be informed.”

  Laughing, Arianna
replied, “That it does. And, unfortunately, yes, I was. I don’t like to talk about it, though.”

  “Talk about what?” Dean asked from behind them, startling them both into jumping and spinning around.

  “Dean!” Angela exclaimed. “Don’t do that!”

  He held his hands up, grinning faintly, and said, “Hey, it’s not my fault you didn’t hear me walking up.”

  Arianna had a hard time fighting the smile that wanted to lift her lips at the sight of him. It had been nearly three hours since he’d been called away, and while she was logically certain he couldn’t really get hurt in a fire, she’d worried just a bit anyway. But that worry fled the moment she laid eyes on him again, standing before her in exactly the same clothes he’d been wearing when he’d left. Unharmed.

  “So,” Dean began, hooking his thumbs into his pockets, “what were you two talking about?”

  “Oh,” Angela returned mischievously, “I was just telling Arianna that if you’re going to keep popping up in her life, she should probably be sure to have a squirt bottle handy.”

  Arianna laughed even as Dean made a sound of disapproval.

  “Anyway, now that my important message has been delivered, I guess I’ll head back inside,” Angela added calmly. She turned toward Arianna, said, “It was really nice to meet you,” and promptly slipped past her brother and into the house.

  Dean’s eyes met Arianna’s a moment later and his grin softened. “I’m sorry about bailing on you earlier. I hope it wasn’t too awkward.”

  She shook her head, locked her feet in place to resist the urge to walk into him, and said, “It really wasn’t. You have a nice family. And a clever sister.”

  “Ha,” Dean choked, “that I know.” He pulled in a breath, glanced out toward the encroaching fog, and finally said, “I suppose I should get you home, then.”

  Arianna swallowed and almost reluctantly replied, “I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome.”

  He grinned again even as he turned so he was sideways between her and the sliding door and said, “Trust me, if you were in danger of that they wouldn’t have fed you.”