Under the Moon's Shadow by T. L. Haddix Read Free Book Online

put what had been salvaged from her cosmetics stash on the counter in the kitchen. When the doorbell rang, she hurried down the hall and looked through the peephole. Instead of her brother, though, Ethan stood on the other side of the door. Surprised, she opened the door.
    “What are you doing here?”
    An overnight bag in one hand, hanging bag in the other, he met her stunned gaze with a sheepish look. “I heard you needed a bodyguard.”
    She stood back and let him in. “Sort of. Where’s Jason?”
    “He got called in. Robbie Bailey had a family emergency.”
    “Nothing serious, I hope,” she said as she led him into the living room.
    “No, I don’t think it is. Nothing life-threatening, anyhow.”
    Beth wasn’t quite sure what to do with herself, much less with Ethan. She’d never expected him to show up, especially not to sleep on her couch.  As he stood there, bags in hand, she cleared her throat and pointed him toward the closet in the hall. “I cleared out some space for Jason. You can put your stuff in there.”
    He moved to the closet, his expression guarded as he turned to her. “Are you okay with me staying here?”
    “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” She stepped into the kitchen and got three pints of ice cream out of the freezer, then gathered the other ingredients for a sundae together. “You like ice cream, right?”
    “Sure.” He slid his shoes off and joined her in the kitchen, taking a seat on one of the barstools. Dressed in a soft t-shirt and worn jeans that hugged his muscles, he presented a very appealing picture. It was all Beth could do to not drool as she opened the ice cream.
    As he watched her assemble one large sundae in a serving bowl, Ethan snickered. “You planning to eat all that on your own, blondie?”
    She just raised an eyebrow as she retrieved the hot fudge from the microwave. “Not hardly. You’re helping me. Right?”
    “I guess you could twist my arm. I thought you couldn’t cook.”
    Beth laughed, licking whipped cream off her fingers. “This is not cooking. This is assembling, and I can assemble with the best of them.” She pushed the finished sundae across the island to him, along with two large spoons. After putting the perishable ingredients up, she pulled out the other barstool and sat. Her tired muscles protested, and she groaned.
    “This has been the longest day,” she told him. “Not only did we have to clean this place up, but I had to shop and buy so much new stuff. All the couch cushions, my pillows for the bed, and all the food. I threw everything out. Literally every single bite of food I had, down to the salt and pepper. I was afraid to keep anything.”
    He winced. “That had to hurt a little.”
    She agreed. “It did. But my homeowner’s policy should cover most of the cost, once they’ve paid.” Scooping up a spoonful of coffee toffee ice cream with a large piece of toffee inside, she offered it to him on her spoon. He took it, but a small drop of hot fudge fell off and landed on his chin. Without stopping to think about what she was doing, she used her thumb to wipe the fudge off, bringing her hand to her mouth. When Ethan’s eyes widened, she realized what she’d done and flushed, looking away.
    He cleared his throat and stood, going to the other side of the island. “Do you have any water?”
    Inwardly cringing, she gestured to the fridge with her spoon. “Sure. In there, if you want it cold.”
    “Cold is good.” He grabbed two bottles, handing her one. “So what’s the plan tonight?”
    Beth grinned. “Well, I was going to torture Jason with a manicure and leg waxing, but somehow I can’t see you going for that.”
    Ethan looked at her, then at the cosmetics on the counter. Poking through the nail polish options, he picked up a bottle of hot pink, sparkling color. “I don’t know. This would look pretty good on me, don’t you think?” When she just narrowed her eyes at him, he laughed. “I don’t even know what