Moonlit Feathers Read Online Free Page B

from the stiffening of his shoulders, I knew he could hear me approach. I still walked a little louder than I normally would.
    The jacket rode up a little in the back, showing more skin than I wanted, and I tugged it down before I walked past to face him. "Hi."
    The blond-haired man stared at me without speaking, his blue gaze sliding down my body to my smooth legs. He fumbled out a few guttural sounds, then cleared his throat and tried again. "Uh, hi. Sorry. Guess I didn't expect..." He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, then chuckled. "Yeah, I'm tongue-tied."
    I wrapped my arms around me just under my chest. His reaction made me a little nervous. It had been a while since any guy had looked at me like that, and I wasn't sure I liked it—not after losing the one man who’d managed to get close to me. Grief clawed at my throat, forcing up all the feelings I tried so hard to shut down.
    "That's fine, Mr...?" I trailed off expectantly.
    "Call me Cody. No need to be formal with me." The guy grinned, shoving his hands in his pockets. There weren't any goosebumps on his bare arms, so he wasn't actually cold. His gaze rose toward the twilight sky, where the moon slowly waxed toward full. Could he be a shifter too? If he was, he certainly didn't appear very intimidating. I couldn't get a good read on him, aside from his obvious attraction to my human form.
    "Okay then, Cody. How can I help you?" I brought my gaze up to meet his. He had a sort of frat boy appeal to him, and I wondered if he was attending Hastings-Albrecht University. I'd given up my dreams of college as a preteen. Instead of school, I went with what I was best at—finding treasure like my dad. That was learned outside of the classroom.
    "Well..." He looked around the woods surrounding my house, as if something would jump out at him. "Can we go inside? I don't feel comfortable discussing—" He stopped himself, then flashed me a friendly smile. "Errr...yeah. Besides, I'm sure you'd feel a lot better in there too." He lowered his gaze again before dragging it back to my eyes.
    I nodded. I'd definitely feel more comfortable with him not staring at me like that. I cleared my throat, but instead of saying anything, I turned on my heel and walked toward the front door.
    "Turn around please," I said. I’d have to bend over and potentially show my butt because I kept my spare key under one of the potted plants. Carrying keys in my raven form was difficult at best.
    He frowned at me, but did as I asked. "So, uh, how long have you been in town?"
    I glanced up at his back, wishing he'd stop trying to make small talk. But he was trying to be civil, I guess, and we were both in a kind of awkward position. He probably hadn't expected the person he needed help from to be strolling around naked.
    "Let's just get inside and discuss what brings you here, okay?" I didn't want to be rude to Cody, but I desperately wanted to get this over with, especially after my conversation with Kevin. Even if I knew it was probably a good idea, how could he think I’d be able to move on so quickly? Pain surrounded me, and I could barely recognize myself at times.
    When I slid the key into the lock, Cody turned around. He frowned at me, his face a little more serious than it'd been before. I couldn't say I blamed him. I’d been a little more firm than I'd intended, but a long, hot bath was calling to me. The flight home had made my aches and pains turn into sharp, shooting stabs going through my arms and back.
    I rolled my shoulders and neck a little, before I realized what that might do to the jacket, and promptly stopped. He wasn't casting admiring stares anymore, and I didn't know how to feel about that. Maybe I’d enjoyed his gaze on me. Maybe I did need to stop getting in my own way. One thing was for sure: if he was here for a job of any kind, then he was off-limits for the duration. I wasn't the kind of gal to mix business with pleasure.
    We walked into the living room, and I