Free Lost in Starlight (Starlight Saga) by Sherry Soule Page B

glides between us. He stares at me with the eyes of a tormented soul. Now I feel like the one being a jerk.
    Hayden stuffs his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Sorry, Sloane. I’m just having a bad day. I didn’t mean it.”
    “No worries. And I am really sorry, too. I’m just under a lot of pressure by my editor, and I need an interesting article for the school paper.”
    He blows out a breath. “Just tell me what you want from me.”
    “Nothing.” I kick at the ground with my BobsMade Converse Chucks, then gesture at the giant tombstone. “Someone you know?”
    “My grandfather,” he replies very non-committal.
    Whoa. A straight answer. Color me stunned.
    “I didn’t know you had any relatives in Winter Haven.”
    “How could you?” After taking a few slow breaths, his tone softens. “He lived here for over forty years, but we only visited during summer vacations as I was growing up.” He dares to peer out from behind those shaggy bangs, looking almost shy and vulnerable.
    “Aren’t you still growing up?” I say lightly.
    “Nope. I turned eighteen last month.”
    “Oh.” I twist a strand of hair around my finger. “Suppose that makes you a man now.”
    He tilts his head to the side. “I guess in a way it does...”
    A breeze ruffles Hayden’s hair, revealing his amazing blue and green stare. They’re as mismatched as we are.
    “When did your grandfather pass away?”
    He runs his bottom lip between his teeth. “About six months ago. We inherited his house…so here we are.”
    I nod. “So here you are.”
    This is the perfect time to grill him. The graveyard is void of any outside distractions or nosey classmates.
    “Can we finish the interview, you know, just to get it over with?” I ask.
    “Now? In the graveyard?” Hayden closes his eyes and looks like he’s counting to ten. When he opens them again, he sighs. “Not a good time, Sloane. I came to pay my respects.”
    “Okay…then how about tomorrow?”
    Please, say yes. Please, say yes. Please, say…
    He looks torn, frustrated, as though he’s deep in thought, completely distracted. He stares down at me, his expression intense. Blinking a couple of times, he slowly grins, a sexy smile that seems to liquefy my insides.
    “Let’s go for a walk,” he suggests. “And get this over with.”
    Hayden strolls down the path between the graves, and I hurry to catch up. We fall into step together, wandering around the cemetery grounds. His scent envelopes me, a masculine spice that melds with the crisp spring air. The sun shines down on our heads, warming our skin and birds chirp noisily from a group of birch trees. He appears more relaxed now. Good.
    “So, I just want to ask you a few questions. Nothing too serious.”
    He rakes a hand through his hair and glances at me. “Do I have a choice?”
    “No. Not really.” I smile.
    Hayden kicks at some pebbles. “Fire away.”
    I pull out my notebook and pen, then flip through it until I find an empty page. “What’s your favorite movie?”
    “Pacific Rim.”
    “So you’re into science fiction?”
    “You could say that.” He wears a wicked smile. “What about you?”
    My legs actually shake. Damn, that sexy grin of his. “Anything with zombies.”
    He suddenly clasps my hand with his warm fingers and helps me over some debris. Such the gentlemen. At his touch, a current runs through me, and my heartbeat increases. He leads me around a crumbling headstone before letting go. Now my hand feels cold and empty. I like this side of Hayden much more than the aloof guy who keeps blowing me off.
    “What’s the hardest thing you’ve gone through?” I ask.
    He pauses near a tombstone with an angel statue and leans against it. “Having to move around so much. It sucks.”
    Maybe he really is in the Witness Protection Program.
    I lower my pen. “Why do you have to keep moving?”
    His cell phone chimes and he reads the screen. Shoulders slumped, he practically whispers, “It’s