He took a sip of the steaming coffee, not answering right away. He set the cup down and returned his focused gaze on her. “My name is Kheelan. When I went to the store and everyone called me ‘Kyle’ it freaked me out. Still does.”
Skye nodded. “It would me too. I’ve had people mistake me for someone else, but it would be pretty bizarre to have everyone call me by another name, and all in one day at that.” He continued to regard her steadily, as if trying to read her mind. It made her uneasy. “You should have spoken up yesterday.”
He nodded. “True. But you were the first person to call me Kyle.” He took a long swallow of his drink. “Besides, I wanted to get to know you.”
“Me?’ She laughed shakily, but had to admit she was extremely flattered, especially after Tanner’s rejection. Her already fragile self-esteem had taken a major hit.
Wake up and smell the coffee. Something is off here. But . . . he was damn good-looking and seemed interested. Too bad it couldn’t have been Tanner. Thoughts of Tanner’s brush-off kiss sent a surge of anger and hurt all over. She brushed it off. “So the only way to meet me is to stalk me after dark and pull me over in a rainstorm? Unusual way to impress a girl.” She was gratified to see a muscle twitch in his jaw. Let him be the one caught off guard.
“I didn’t say I knew how to make a good impression.”
The humor was unexpected and Skye laughed in relief. After the weird happenings at the shop it was fun to sit in a McDonalds and have a good-looking guy hit on her. This kind of thing didn’t happen often. Okay, it had never happened before. Everyone at her old high school thought she was strange, and she’d only had eyes for Tanner anyway.
Kheelan smiled in return and Skye caught her breath. His dark brown hair, nearly shoulder-length, was thick and his eyes matched the darkness of his hair—he was damn handsome. Kyle had never affected her this way—his looks and behaviors were otherworldly and airy. But even with the shared physical features, Kheelan radiated strength and intelligence.
“Tell me about yourself,” he prompted. “All I know is that your name’s Skye.”
She narrowed her eyes. “How did you know that?”
“You introduced me to Tanner, remember? And I heard someone call you that in the store, the girl with the black hair that never smiles.”
“That would be Glenna.”
“How did you come to work in that kind of a store?” he asked. “It’s the sort of place that attracts –” he hesitated slightly, “people with unusual beliefs.”
This time it was Skye who took a long sip of coffee before answering. No way would she tell him she was a witch, even if she did suck at it. She skirted around the issue.
“I’m a poor student and I need the money.” She shrugged. “Besides, I’ve always liked crystal jewelry and Claribel sells lots of it.”
“Claribel?” He arched a dark eyebrow. “That can’t be her real name.”
“She’s the owner.” Skye cocked her head to the side. “I never questioned whether it’s her real name or not. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was made up. It fits the name of the store though, a fairy-sounding name.”
“After seeing her in action yesterday, I think Claribel should have named her shop ‘The Mad Fairy’ instead of ‘The Green Fairy’.”
Skye laughed and tried to swallow at the same time, ending up coughing. She wiped her face with a paper napkin.
“Is that a marketing move or does she think fairies are real?” he asked.
Kheelan smiled and Skye felt most of her apprehension melting away.
“Oh, she believes they’re real. She sets out food and water for them at night and blames them for every lost item in the store.” Skye grinned expectantly at Kheelan but he stared back without a glimmer of amusement this time.
“And you?” His voice softened, grew husky. “Do you believe in fairies?”
Skye returned his serious gaze. Maybe customers of metaphysical bookstores were open to the supernatural. She wasn’t in podunkville anymore, didn’t have to watch every word so carefully for fear of being branded and ridiculed. She drew a deep breath. “I’ve never seen one but who’s to say there aren’t things out there,” she gestured to the window reflecting the night’s storm, “forces, energies we can’t see with human eyes.”
He didn’t laugh at her or flash her a get-real look, a novelty in her limited experience with the opposite sex. It was liberating.
Neither spoke. The rain was loud on the roof and they were sheltered together in warmth and light. It was strangely intimate. Her skin prickled and her insides warmed. She could be near him all night, and not drink in enough of his presence. What would it be like to spend the night with a man like Kheelan? Not that she had any experience. She’d protected her precious virginity in a stubborn insistence to save it for Tanner.
Who evidently didn’t appreciate the sacrifice.
Kheelan cleared his throat and heat flamed her cheeks. Thank the goddesses that thoughts were silent. What would he think of her sexual musings?