Page 7 of Catching His Eye (Monsters of Moonvale)

EMMA

“Can I get a virgin mojito and a glass of water?”

“Sure thing.” The pretty, petite bartender with sharp, almost elfin features gives me a bright smile and heads off to mix my drink.

A man down the bar from me with a sharp jaw and oddly prominent sideburns tries to catch my eye, but I quickly pull out my phone and pretend to look busy and check my messages.

Dammit, Noah.

I drove all the way out to Moonvale after a restless night, hoping to talk to my brother about what I saw last night. If I’d tried texting him about it, he’d assume I was joking, and I needed him to see the sincere shock and awe I’m experiencing at the revelation that monsters are real.

Of course the one time I decide to be impulsive and visit him without confirmation that he’s available, he isn’t home.

He’s always home! I don’t know where the hell he is, and I don’t want to go back to the city and stew in my agitated thoughts, so I’m sitting here at Moonvale’s only bar, waiting for my damn brother to text me back.

At least it’s a nice place. I came to Nightlight the last time I visited, and under other circumstances, I might enjoy the cozy, welcoming atmosphere.

I check my phone again. Nothing.

“Here you go, sweetie. Water and a virgin mojito.” I pay the bill and tip the bartender, not bothering to open a tab, since I hope to god I won’t be here longer than it takes me to nurse my drinks.

I grab both glasses and turn away from the bar, scanning the space to figure out where I want to sit.

It’s fairly crowded for a Thursday night, with only seats at the bar or a small booth available.

If I stay at the bar, muttonchop man will take that as a sign I want to chat, so I make a beeline for the booth before someone else snags it.

If I’m going to be stuck waiting for Noah, I’d rather do it in relative peace.

Twenty minutes go by. Then twenty more. At the hour mark, I send another frustrated text to my brother, grumbling down at my phone.

The longer I wait, the more worried I get that something is wrong.

Did the mysterious women he’s seeing lock him out of his house again?

Is she secretly a murderer and has him tied up in her basement somewhere and this whole time I’ve been pissy because I wanted to tell him about my monster encounter?

I sip my watery mocktail absently, the drink far too sweet without the burn of the liquor to be enjoyable. But I didn’t want to worry about impairing my senses when I’ll hopefully be driving soon. I only got it so it wouldn’t be weird for me to be sitting in a bar for an hour.

An interminable fifteen minutes later, I finally hear back from Noah. He’s not dead or ensnared by a murderer. He’s at home and he’s sorry he missed my texts, but has company tonight, so I can’t come over. When my relief that he’s alright wears off, disappointment follows quickly on its heels.

Guess I came all the way out here for nothing. Ugh .

I finish my water, then head to the bathroom before I hit the road for the long drive home. As I head back out into the main room of the bar, I freeze when I hear a deep, rumbling voice cut through the din.

It can’t be.

I stay still and wait, scanning the room as if I’ll see a giant with one eye casually sitting in the bar. Shit, maybe I am losing my mind.

I hear it again. Coming from the booth I recently vacated. Moving closer, I try not to draw attention to myself as I listen in. There’s a pair of men sitting there, a handsome pale redhead and a guy I can’t see much of because he’s turned away .

“So I had to run out into the hallway and try to explain, but she passed out.” The redhead laughs sheepishly.

“She saw you with your naked doppelganger?”

That’s the voice. It’s coming from him!

Something snaps in my brain, and I stride over to the booth.

The redhead raises a brow at the speed of my approach, but plasters on a polite smile a moment later. “Oh, sorry, did we take your booth? We can?—”

A choked sound from his companion cuts him off and I look over at the man across from him. He’s a big guy, broad with thick muscles and very tall, even sitting down. A lock of sandy brown with hangs in his face, obscuring one of his eyes, which are blown wide with shock.

Shock and recognition . “H-how did you find me?” he gasps. This man isn’t the monster I saw last night, but his flabbergasted reaction indicates it’s still him.

“ Ren ?”

His stricken look confirms I’m right. “Tiffany… How ?”

Holy shit. Out of all the places in the country, no, the world, that he could be, he’s here in this small bar in Moonvale.

That’s not how the whole camming thing is supposed to work!

Part of the appeal is that the odds of meeting someone in real life are slim to none.

Yet, the sweet, shy guy who I’m crushing on is here, looking terrified of what I might do next.

In a flash, I step outside myself for a moment and see things from Ren’s perspective. The woman who saw whatever he is has shown up at a bar the following night to accost him.

“I didn’t know you’d be here!” I say defensively. “How could I possibly know that?”

“Whoa, is this the woman who you…?” I’d almost forgotten about the man sitting across from Ren.

“Y-yeah. Tiffany, I’m so sorry!”

“Emma,” I correct.

His brow furrows. “Huh?”

“My name is Emma, not Tiffany.” Shit, I don’t know why I’m telling him this, other than that my brain is short circuiting at this sudden turn of events.

“Oh!” Ren’s eyes go wide. “That’s a lovely name. Not that I didn’t like Tiffany! But it, uh, it suits you.” The enormous man’s cheeks flush as he speaks, and a swarm of butterflies takes flight inside me.

Fuck, he’s even cuter in person. Except why does he look human?

“You… you look different in person,” I say, not sure that it’s a good idea to accuse him of being a monster in front of his friend. I’ll look insane if I hallucinated what I saw last night, and even if he is a monster, the man with him might not know .

“I… uh, I….” Ren casts a pleading look for help over to his friend.

“Tell her if you want to. I promise you won’t get in trouble,” his friend says with a reassuring smile.

“So it was real,” I murmur, taking his words as all the confirmation I need.

“Y-yeah,” Ren croaks, his eyes unable to meet mine. “I’m sorry I scared you.”

“Show me,” I say, ignoring his apology.

“What?” He looks back up at me in confusion.

“You didn’t scare me. Well, I mean for a second you did. But I need to see you again.”

He blinks at me, uncomprehending. “Why… why would you want that?”

“Maybe because I don’t like feeling crazy!” I snap. “I need to know that I didn’t hallucinate last night.” That and I’m really into the idea that monsters are real, and I met one that could be the total package and he lives within driving distance.

“You should show her,” the redhead says, backing me up with a strained expression on his face that looks like he’s trying to keep himself from smiling. Like he knows how I’m getting oddly turned on at the thought of seeing Ren’s enormous body and single eye again.

“Here?” Ren asks in alarm, eyes darting around the bar.

“The bathroom,” I say, gesturing for him to get up and follow me. When he obeys, sliding out of the booth to stand beside me, my stomach does a dramatic swoop at his proximity. He’s already big like this. Will he even fit in the bathroom with me when he shows me his true self?

I make a beeline for the restroom, holding the door open for him to go inside, before following behind and locking the door behind us.

For a second, my nerves spike. I’m being crazy.

I’ve locked myself in a room with a monster I know nothing about.

But Ren gives me a slightly terrified smile, rubbing the back of his neck, and I relax.

The strange connection and ease I felt through our private last night tugs at my chest, reassuring me. As preposterous as it sounds, I somehow know that he’s safe.

My heart hammers in my chest in excitement and anticipation, not fear.

“Please don’t be scared,” Ren says. “I know I’m a monster, but I would never do anything to harm you.”

“I know.” I say, giving him a smile.

“Oh. Okay. Uh, well, here’s me…” Ren mutters something under his breath and runs his finger across a small tattoo on his forearm, and a moment later, his form expands .

Body lengthening and growing even wider, until his head is almost brushing the ceiling of this suddenly cramped room.

Face morphing into the one I saw last night—a single, large hazel eye with impossibly long lashes replacing his pair of human eyes .

It’s beyond weird, but it’s fucking magical. “Wow,” I whisper, tilting my head back to look him in his eye. I take a step forward, mesmerized by the incredible, impossible sight of this monster here with me in a bar bathroom. “Can you?—”

“I’ll go back. Give me a moment,” Ren interrupts, flinching at my approach.

I hold my hands up and shake my head adamantly. “No!”

“No?” His single eyebrow scrunches down, making me giggle at how oddly adorable this gargantuan man is.

“No.” I smile up at him. “I was going to ask if you’d bend down for a moment so I can get a closer look at you.”

He blinks, eyelashes fluttering in a surprisingly delicate way for a monster. “Why? Why would you want that?”

“Because I’ve never seen a monster before.

” I wince. “Sorry, I hope that isn’t offensive!

I don’t mean it in a bad way. I, uh, I like monsters.

Or at least the concept of them. I’ve never met one before.

” I laugh at my confession. Hopefully, he doesn’t think I’m a pervert who has a monster kink. Even though I absolutely do.

Ren hesitates, and I step closer. His breath hitches, the sound echoing against the walls of this small room. “You like monsters?”

“Yeah. I also like you , Ren.” I reach out and touch his forearm, trailing my fingertips across his warm skin. “Do you like me?”

“Of course I like you, Emma.” He doesn’t even stumble over calling me my real name, like he instantly committed it to memory. “You’re wonderful.”

“Then bend down so I can get a better look at you,” I murmur.

He obeys and drops to a knee so I can look him in the face without craning my neck. “Hey,” I say softly, now that we’re eye to eye.

Ren flushes. “I can’t believe you’re here. I’m not dreaming, am I?”

“Nope. I’m here.” It sure as hell feels like a dream to me, too.

I’m floating from the exhilarating confirmation that monsters are real and my proximity to the one inches away from my face.

“What should we do now?” I ask, wetting my lips as my eyes drop to his mouth.

His mouth that’s got to be twice the size of mine, with surprisingly pillowy lips.

“I don’t think you’d be interested in what I want to suggest,” Ren groans, some of the roughness from last night bleeding into his tone.

“Try me,” I say, biting my lower lip.

“We’ve only just met in person. I’m a monster. I… I know that all those things you said weren’t real. I know that my attraction to you was entirely one-sided. But Gods, Emma, seeing you here, you’re so beautiful it hurts. Makes me want something I know I ca n’t have.”

“Who says you can’t have it?” I reach up to place my hand on his cheek and watch his pupil expand at my touch. Heat simmers inside me as I make contact. God, I want him so badly. “I wasn’t lying last night. I felt it too.”

Fuck, it’s been so long and he’s so big and kind and sexy. I’m being beyond reckless, but I only have one life to live. I’ll regret not doing this for the rest of my life if I don’t go for it.

I lean in and brush my lips against his, savoring the small gasp it elicits. “Can we go somewhere private?”