Chapter Three

Aria

“Excuse me?” I asked, wrenching my hand out of Stone’s grip. We stared at each other, and I had the oddest sense of Deja-vu.

“I read in the paper about a girl being attacked around here a few weeks ago. All girls your age must be nervous,” Stone said smoothly. I relaxed an inch, though a tiny part of me insisted that he was only covering, and that hadn’t been what he meant. The man made me nervous.

I shrugged. “People go missing all the time.” I hadn’t realized how I sounded until my voice came out. I sounded tired and resigned.

Stone smirked. “Right, what’s one more? Would anyone miss you, Aria?”

An incredulous laugh left me at his question. “Are you planning to abduct me, or is that your way of asking if I have a boyfriend?”

A dark shadow crossed Stone’s face at the word ‘boyfriend’ and it thrilled me. Did this hot, weird stranger really fancy me? Stuff like that didn’t happen to girls like me.

“I’ll take a club sandwich,” Stone said, turning his eyes to the menu to read the word like it was strange or exotic.

Snapping back into work mode, I nodded. “Right, anything to drink?”

“Water,” he said, and leaned back to watch me, as I took his menu and set his knife and fork down.

His eyes were like a touch. They stayed on me the whole way across the diner, and into the kitchen. They felt hungry.

After the excitement of meeting the handsome newcomer, Stone, work returned to its usual boring slog. I only had ten minutes left to go when a customer came in that made my heart sink even further.

Vic Evans was a local guy, a couple of years above me in high school, and he had it out for me in the worst way. For some reason, despite my bad moods, and loner personality, he seemed to think I should want him, like every other woman in town. I wanted nothing to do with him, and that fact drove him wild.

He was a bad boy wannabe, with a couple of tattoos, a leather jacket, and a face that begged to be punched. He dabbled in guitar, dated a whole lot, and still lived with his mother. All of that, alone, was harmless enough, but Vic had a mean streak. He didn’t like being rejected, and he was becoming increasingly aggressive in his advances. He was the reason I’d bought pepper spray last month when I could barely afford to eat.

“Well, what a nice surprise this is. That uniform looks hot on you,” Vic said, sitting back in the seat and man-spreading his skinny jean-clad thighs, in a way he clearly thought was sexy.

“What can I get you?” I asked, cringing at having to ask.

“Come out to dinner with me, and I’ll show you,” Vic said.

“No, for the millionth time. What do you want off the menu?” I tried to sound bored and not annoyed, as annoying me would only encourage him.

“Why do you resist this chemistry so hard, Ari?”

“It’s Aria.”

“I wrote you a song.”

“Not interested. Go play it for your mama,” I ground out. Annoyance flashed in Vic’s eyes.

“You don’t have to be such a bitch. I’m doing you a favor, you know. Everyone knows how hard up you are since Billy died. It’s only a matter of time until you realize the big money isn’t made at the bar at the Red Rabbit, but on stage, and you know what?” Vic snatched my wrist as I went to pick up his menu. His fingers dug into my skin. “I’ll be right there, ready for the show, with a bunch of ones in my pocket for you to fish out.”

“Take your hand off me right now, or I’ll scream,” I warned him. I wasn’t really going to, I needed this job, and screaming at the local heartthrob didn’t seem the best first impression to make, but Vic didn’t know that.

“Oh baby, you got that the wrong way around. I put my hands on you, and then you scream… but you’ll see, soon enough.”

“Is that a threat?” I asked. I wished I had my pepper spray right now.

“It’s a promise,” Vic said, giving me a greasy smile that made all the old ladies in town swoon. I was over it. He made my skin crawl. “Now, when you have a chance, I’ll have a coffee, and a club sandwich. If you spit in my coffee, I’ll just take it that you want to swap saliva sooner rather than later,” Vic said, his eyes running up and down my legs and lingering where my short skirt ended. I felt dirty and not in a good way, at the touch of his eyes.

“So, a sandwich and one spit-free coffee, coming right up,” I muttered and walked away as fast as I could. It was nearly the end of my shift, and as I handed the ticket in, Chrissy approached. She had changed into a spare uniform, and tied her hair up, though she still smelled like fried chicken. 

“Hey, I can wait and serve Vic’s order if you want. You’re out of here in five,” she said.

“Would you? That would be great. That guy can’t take a hint, and I’m over it.”

“I’m impressed, girl. I don’t see many locals turning down the great and mighty Vic Evans. You got a boyfriend?”

“No. Just standards,” I joked, and immediately felt bad when Chrissy’s face fell a little. “But I mean, if you like him, go for it. He’s easy on the eye, for sure,” I tacked on lamely. It seemed to cheer Chrissy up. She brightened and fluffed her hair.

“He is, isn’t he? I mean, I wouldn’t want anything serious with a guy like that, it’s just a bit of fun, you know?” Not at all. I forced a grin and nudged her in the side.

“Well, good luck, Vic would be lucky to land you. I going to go and grab my stuff,” I said, glancing at the clock. When I was clocking out, I remembered the crows on the damn car. 

When I turned toward the lot, they were gone. I stopped, surprised, but relieved as hell. I approached the vehicle cautiously, scared in case they were about to descend and reclaim their favorite car, but the coast seemed to be clear. 

I got in and turned the radio on. I thought of Stone, the mysterious, handsome stranger, and how it had felt when he’d touched me. 

I shivered, aware of my body in all kinds of places. My skin felt hot, my nipples were hard points against my bra. I squirmed in the driver’s seat as I drove. Why did his harsh touch turn me on? Was I such a desperate virgin that one touch could send me up in flames? No, Vic’s touch had made my skin creep. Stone’s touch had been brutally tender and I wondered what it would be like to be held by him, and touched all over.

He wouldn’t ask, he’d take.

Why I was so sure of that I didn’t know, but I was as certain of that, as I was my own name.