Page 51 of For Better or Hearse
She turns in slow-motion, her posture rigid. Then, with narrowed eyes, she heads toward them.
The world goes quiet for half a second.
Staring is wrong, but it’s all Nathaniel can do. Those high cheekbones, that sun-yellow bikini, her long bare legs covered intattoos. The bounce of her creamy white breasts as she sashays his way. She’s like an eclipse. Dark and light. Terrifying and fascinating. A once-in-a-lifetime event to remember before it’s gone.
And suddenly he’s surprised to find that yellow is his favorite fucking color.
“Slinking away?” he asks.
She settles beside him, wrapping her arms around her middle. “Slithering.”
Nathaniel frowns. Her voice is tight, her lips pressed in a flat line, eyes straight ahead. He can’t deny that it bothers him. The sudden cold shoulder. The refusal to meet his gaze.
He nods. “This is my sister, Delaney. Delaney, this is Ash.”
“Hi,” Delaney chirps, stretching out her hand. “Call me DeeDee if you’re nasty.”
“This is yoursister?” Ash takes a wobbly step back, pushing her sunglasses on top of her head. She sounds horrified and uncertain, as if the words don’t compute.
Nathaniel clears his throat lightly. “One and only.”
Wide-eyed and suddenly paler, Ash finally takes Delaney’s hand and shakes it. “Hi,” she says in that low, smoky voice of hers. “Nice to meet you.”
Delaney stares at Ash. She’s practically bouncing on her toes, like she’s ready to erupt. “I swore I wouldn’t. But I am.”
“Am what?” Nathaniel asks.
Delaney traces Ash’s form. “Vibing with her.”
Nathaniel groans. The last thing he needs is for the two of them to bond. Between Ash and his sister, he has enough problems.
Delaney tilts her head. “You’re a Scorpio, right?”
Wordlessly, Ash nods.
“You like tarot?”
Ash opens her mouth. Before she can answer, Nathaniel snaps the air, intercepting his sister before she can start.
“Let’s. Not.”
With an elbow to his ribs, Delaney pouts. “You suck the fun out of everything. You’re boring.”
“That’s what I told him.” Ash smiles, but it’s wan, tired.
Delaney giggles, pleased to have someone on her side. “I know, right? One time in Chile, all I wanted to do was…”
As Delaney prattles on about all the ways Nathaniel has been the most boring brother in the history of the world, he catches a glimpse of a streak of sunscreen on Ash’s shoulder. He reaches out to rub it in, but catches himself at the last minute.
Ash half turns toward him. Her smile is brittle, panicked. “I—I have to go.”
Nathaniel scrutinizes her. “Is everything okay?”
Her pale cheeks burn red, and for once, she doesn’t have a cryptic comeback. Towel clutched to her chest, she takes a step backward. “I—I should check on Augustus.”
His stomach tightens in a knot. Concerned, Nathaniel moves to follow. “Ash—”
She turns away from him, and then she’s racing toward the door that leads into the hotel and away from whatever spooked her.