Lucas had gotten about halfway across the room when she felt another pair of eyes on her. Pulling her gaze away from Lucas, she spotted Fredericka. Refusing to let the were bully intimidate her or ruin her good mood, Kylie ignored her and refocused on Lucas. He looked good tonight, too. He wore jeans that fit just right and an aqua blue shirt spread across his chest. The color made his blue eyes appear bluer.
When he stopped beside her, his natural scent filled the air and she could feel her pulse flutter from his nearness. He didn't tell her she looked beautiful; he didn't even touch her. But his eyes did both.
"Hey," he said.
She smiled. "Hey."
His gaze moved to Della. "Burnett said I could take over shadowing."
Della nodded.
"Want to get something to drink?" Lucas asked Kylie, and motioned toward the back where the sodas were waiting and the people weren't. Lucas wasn't much with crowds. Tonight, she felt the same way.
She nodded and turned to her two roommates. "I'll see you." Then she leaned in toward them. "Remember the pact."
Miranda smiled and wiggled her eyebrows in excitement. Della, who Kylie knew struggled with the whole romance issue, frowned.
"Yeah, yeah," Della said. "But I'm not making a fool out of myself."
"Just be more approachable," Kylie whispered, and then turned back to Lucas. They moved together across the room, and Kylie could feel people staring at them. She forced herself to ignore them.
Lucas moved in a step closer to her. "What's going on with those two?" he asked, obviously having overheard Kylie's conversation with Della and Miranda.
"Nothing really," Kylie answered.
He grabbed them each a drink and then pushed two folding metal chairs against the wall. When she sat down, he edged his chair closer and sat beside her. His jeans-covered thigh pressed against her bare leg. She could feel his warmth through the cotton material, and it sent a fluttery feeling to her stomach.
He leaned in so his voice could be heard over the music. "I'm glad you came tonight."
"Me too," she said.
"You're not mad at me anymore?" The back of his hand shifted against her forearm and she felt his fingers glide gently up past her elbow.
"I think I'm over it." She smiled.
"Good." His gaze swept over her. "You make my blood race," he said, so low that she could hardly hear him.
She smiled. "Really?"
"Feel for yourself." He took her hand and placed it on the back of his wrist. The flutter-more like a vibration, really-was so rapid that it almost felt electric. Her first instinct was to jerk away, but his steady, tender gaze kept her fingers against his warm skin. And after a second, it wasn't actually scary.
"Is this a werewolf thing?" she asked.
He leaned a bit closer until she felt the warmth of his breath against her ear. "Yeah."
She shivered a little. "So I really didn't cause it?" she asked, feeling a bit disappointed.
A light smile tilted his lips. "Oh, it's all your fault. It only happens when I'm ... captivated by something or someone."
She returned his smile. "Then I'm glad I captivated you."
The smile in his eyes suddenly vanished, and she could swear she heard a light growl rumble from his throat.
She barely had a chance to wonder what could be wrong when Perry stopped right in front of them.
He nodded at Lucas as if making a point that he wasn't the least bit afraid of him. "You want to dance?" he asked Kylie.
She was so surprised, she wondered if she'd misunderstood his question. Then she felt Lucas tense beside her. "Uh, not now," she said, trying to keep her tone light. "But thanks for asking."
Perry disappeared into a group of campers. When she looked back at Lucas, he scowled into the cluster of people. "Am I going to have to teach a smartass shape-shifter a lesson?"
"No."
"I can't believe he actually hit on you when-"
"He wasn't hitting on me." Kylie looked back at the crowd and found Perry standing away from the others, watching Miranda, who was surrounded by a group of boys. For a second, Kylie felt bad. Perry had probably wanted to ask her something about Miranda and she'd brushed him off.
"I don't buy it," Lucas said, his tone deep.
"He only has eyes for Miranda," she said. "Look at him, he's green with jealousy." And literally, his eyes had changed color to a bright green.
"Yeah, right."
"It's true. Believe me; he's not into me."
He dipped his head closer. "And you're not into him?"
She grinned. "Are you jealous?"
"No." He sat up straighter. "I'm just ... possessive," he said as if the two traits were somehow different. "And you didn't answer my question."
"I'm not into Perry," she assured him. "We're just friends."
"Fair enough. So, who are you into?" he asked, and those blue eyes captured hers.
"I'm sort of falling for a jealous werewolf at the moment."
He grinned and quickly brushed the back of his hand against her forearm. "Well, don't tell me his name, because I'm likely to whip his jealous ass."
They both laughed and then sat and stared at each other until it got awkward. Not awkward because looking at him felt strange, but it just seemed as if one of them should lean in and finish the moment with a kiss. But neither of them seemed to want to take the initiative. Kylie suspected his reason was the same as hers. Too much of a crowd. She just hoped it wasn't because of his pack.
"I've been meaning to ask, did you get the answers from Holiday about the whole bird thing?"
Remembering the bird's little visit this afternoon, she felt frustration tickle her mind. "No."
She took a sip of soda, focusing on the music, and tried to push all the negative stuff back. Unfortunately, it kept coming at her. "Did you know the FRU has a library of books on everything supernatural?"
"Yeah, I heard about it. Why?"
"Do you know why they don't let us read them?"
"I think some of them contain government documents."
"But why would they need to hide anything?" she asked.
He shrugged. "The same reason the U.S. government hides things. Some things might skirt the ethics line, or if certain information got into the hands of the wrong people, it could be detrimental."