Page 4 of Howl Me to the Moon (Moonlight Siren Supernatural Cruises #2)
CHAPTER 4
REX
T he final notes of our set faded and the crowd broke into applause. I'd managed to recover after my wolf stirred in a near frenzy once the woman had walked in with Kylie. I don’t know what had gotten into him, but it made it hard to concentrate on anything but her. My hands were sweaty and my temperature rose. One wrong move and I’d let my wolf burst through the surface and take control. He was sure to prance over to the woman and perform tricks in front of her, like a furry idiot.
“Great show,” Van said.
I groaned. “Minus my mess up.”
“Fortunately, no one seemed to notice besides us,” Damien added.
I was sure it was way more than that, but maybe Damien was right and the audience was more into whatever they had going on.
A handful of passengers came up to compliment us. I nodded and smiled, but my attention remained fixed on the woman with Kylie. Who was she? And how could I talk to her?
When Kylie and her friend approached, my wolf rose with awareness while I was ready to shirk back. I wasn’t ready, not yet. Not after how distracted I’d been by her the entire show.
Too late now. They almost reached us, and as she moved closer, I could sense her vibrant energy. It hummed through me. Witch. Her hazel eyes sparkled with flecks of gold.
Then her scent reached me. A subtle fragrance of wildflowers and lavender. It wrapped around me, enveloping me with warmth. Utterly enchanting.
My wolf howled inside. Mate!
He couldn't be serious. I stared at her, unable to form coherent thoughts. I gripped my bass tighter, trying to keep it together while my wolf went manic inside, chanting mate .
“Hey guys, you were awesome!” Kylie hugged Damien and he kissed her. After a moment of the two of them lost in each other, she turned to me. “Rex, meet my friend Piper. She works in art auctions on the ship.”
"Hi, Rex," Piper said with a smile. “Great show.”
The sound of my name coming from her lips entranced me. And she complimented me. What elation.
I stared at her, realizing that I hadn't said anything. Silence stretched like an awkward yarn. Say something. Say something.
"Bass," I grunted and then gestured at my instrument.
What? Not that! I screamed at myself inside. Why did I bark that out like a Neanderthal?
My wolf pranced around inside like when he lolled under a full moon.
“What was that?” She furrowed her brows as if trying to follow my conversation.
Join the club. I had no idea where I was going with that.
Damien and Kylie exchanged looks.
"I played bass," I clarified, not that it helped much. Coherent words completely deserted me as sure as if they'd galloped off into the sunset.
Smooth. Real smooth, Forte.
Caleb barked out a laugh, which he tried to disguise with a cough.
"Are you okay?" Piper asked, arching one delicate eyebrow. "You look a bit…flush."
My cheeks heated. My entire body flamed up like a damn phoenix being reborn, leaving every inch of me hot and sweaty. I cleared my throat, desperately trying to salvage this awkward introduction. “Yeah. I mean—I was just…” Stunned by my wolf? He declared you our fated mate. Hell no, I couldn’t say any of that. “It's so hot…on stage. I could use…water.”
"You sure could," Kylie responded and filled a small plastic cup with water from a dispenser at the end of the bar. She thrust the cup into my hand.
"Thanks." I gulped the water, still burning, feeling everyone's eyes on me. When I finished, I gripped the cup so tightly, it crushed, adding to my awkward display.
“Maybe you should get some air, He-Man,” Caleb suggested.
"Fresh air always helps," Piper added with a gentle smile.
Come with me. I fought the words from escaping my lips. No way would she want to go anywhere alone with a stranger who could barely communicate and then crushed plastic cups in a weird, muscle-head flex.
"Right. Air," I said, proving I was a man of so few words and zero eloquent ones. I winced. Could I just rewind the last few minutes and start over? I'd show her that I wasn't usually this inept. I'd woo her with flirtatious banter to show I was interested, be smooth like Van, and not get stuck in this mindless stutter.
“Nice meeting you, Rex. Welcome aboard. See you around the ship.” She waved and turned away.
Nooo. I blew it. As she walked away, I stared after her, and my stomach churned.
My wolf whined as she disappeared into the crowd outside the lounge.
“Man.” Damien appeared beside me. “What the hell was that?”
“That was brutal to watch,” Van added.
I ran a hand over my beard, still stunned, not having a clue how to answer.
“Need to go bark at the moon or something?” Caleb teased.
I groaned. How could I explain my weirdness tonight?
“Lay off, guys,” Kylie said. “You okay, Rex?”
No, I’m a furry buffoon who’s about to jump overboard right now and beg a whale to swallow me whole.
“You look a little—moonstruck,” Van added.
“I’m fine.” I chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of my neck. “Just all that pent-up energy with playing tonight.”
“I get it,” Damien said. “First-time jitters.”
“Good, that means you’ll be back to normal tomorrow,” Van added.
Great first impression—not only for my first gig with the band, but with Piper.
My wolf insisted we go follow her.
Hell no, I snapped. You already made an ass out of me tonight. Get it together before you get us booted at the next port.