Superstition

by Veronica Blake

  Mateo drew in a heavy sigh. His grandmother was a wise woman. She would always think of the rational things he never considered. But since meeting Udaya at the pizzeria last night, he was fairly certain he did not have to worry about being rejected. She seemed every bit as enchanted with him as he was with her.

  He shrugged and smiled at his grandmother. “Well, I guess if that were to happen, I would welcome the challenge of making her change her mind about me.” He winked and added with confidence, “But I have a feeling she will be begging me to make her my mate.”

  Chapter Seven

  Tonight Dawn wanted to revisit the crazy dream—or trance—or whatever it was that led her to the stranger on the Superstition Mountain. She needed to see the man’s face, so she could prove once and for all it wasn’t Mateo Two Moons in those bizarre episodes. But she had fallen into a deep dreamless sleep and awoken feeling the most rested she had in days.

  For a brief moment, she thought about getting up and doing her usual Saturday morning chores, which included cleaning her small apartment, doing a couple loads of laundry, and weekly grocery shopping. But this was not an ordinary Saturday morning. There was no way to define the way she was feeling since meeting Mateo last night. She felt as if she was teetering on the edge of a massive black abyss, but rather than keeping away from the dangerous rim, she couldn’t wait to plunge into the unknown.

  How crazy was it that she had only been in his presence for less than half an hour last night, yet, the excitement of seeing him again tonight was actually making her feel giddy? She grabbed the extra pillow on her bed and hugged it to her chest as she smiled. This was seriously insane and the last thing she needed right now. She tried to remind herself the move to Arizona was so she could concentrate on herself and her teaching career. Just a week ago, she thought all she needed to make her life perfect was to get laid.

  But that was before Mateo entered her life. Now everything was different.

  Whoa. Slow down, girlfriend. She reminded herself she knew nothing—absolutely nothing—about this Mateo Two Moons. They had barely met, and except for the fact he was the sexiest, hottest, most gorgeous man she had been privileged to meet up to this point in her life, and probably for the remainder of her life, they might not have anything in common. She hugged the pillow tighter and grinned in spite of the absurdity of it all.

  His shimmering dark gaze flashed before her eyes and the sizzling memory of his smile echoed through her mind. An undeniable flame flared up in the core of her female parts and inched through her belly. There was obviously of some sort of connection going on between them and it had been strong enough to be obvious to everyone else, too. She didn’t want to think about that embarrassing episode last night, especially since she would be returning to the pizza place again tonight.

  That reminded her...how much longer until she saw him again? She giggled and glanced at the slow moving hands of the clock sitting on her night stand, then shook her head and rolled her eyes. Good thing her middle schoolers couldn’t see what their teacher acted like outside of school.

  Maybe they could go someplace besides the pizza parlor after they met up tonight? They could always come back here? For a drink or something? She should definitely put clean sheets on her bed. Just in case. Maybe buy some condoms? No, the way Mateo looked he was probably prepared for everything. Would she even be able to please a man like him in bed? What the hell was she thinking?

  He said a beer and maybe dancing or a movie; yet, she was already planning some serious sexual activity. If she appeared to be too anxious, she might end up being a one-night stand, and already she knew she was wanting so much more from this man than one night.

  Dawn pushed the pillow away and bolted up in bed as the shocking revelation hit her. She wanted Mateo Two Moons in a way she had never wanted another man before…like in forever. Last night that little four letter word filtered through her mind unexpectedly—love. Wow. She had met him less than twelve hours ago and she was already in way over her head. She glanced back at the clock, and got giddy all over again.

  Over eleven hours to get ready before she saw him, and she had nothing to wear. Well, nothing that seemed perfect enough, anyway. She should go shopping for something new since it was such a special occasion; maybe buy some new sheets for her bed, too. Just in case. Stop it.

  Ten and a half hours later, Dawn stood before the full-length mirror hanging on her bathroom door and scrutinized every inch from her head to her toes. Although she did not think she was beauty pageant material, she didn’t think she was all that bad, either. Tonight she wanted to be beautiful, though, and she had gone to extra lengths to look her very best.

  Her naturally straight pale blonde hair was now hanging in soft waves to the middle of her back and she had parted it on the side so her long chin length bangs curved teasingly over her right eye. She had taken more time with her makeup, too.

  Normally, she wore only mascara and lip gloss. But she had given herself the works; an extra spritz of her new cologne, aptly called Scents of the Desert, a light layer of foundation, powder, blush, two coats of mascara, as well as a trace of green shadow to enhance the flecks of jade in her hazel eyes. Instead of her usual colorless lip gloss, Dawn decided to wear a shimmering deep mauve gloss she thought made her lips look extra kissable. That is, if Mateo Two Moons should get the urge to kiss her tonight.

  Hey, a girl can hope, right?

  Her wanton thoughts were off and running again, imagining how his mouth would descend down upon her anxious lips, claiming them in a devouring kiss that would leave her breathless and hungry for so much more. Damn. She just might have to start writing romance novels now that she had met Mateo Two Moons. He seemed to inspire her to be very prolific and creative…in a sexually explicit way.

  Uninvited, and for just an instant, the memory of the weird neck and wrist biting incidents in her unsettling dreams wafted through her thoughts. She forcibly pushed all the bad thoughts out of her mind as quickly as they entered. After tonight, she hoped all her realistic-like dreams or horrifying nightmares of strange encounters with faceless men on mountaintops would be replaced with something real; something she sensed she had been waiting for her entire life.

  This had to have been the longest day in history, Dawn determined as she glanced at the clock on her bedside table again. She looked back at her reflection in the mirror and gave an affirmative nod of her head. To her surprise, she found the perfect outfit in her closet earlier today, so she didn’t need to go shopping for anything new. For this special date, she had chosen a tight-fitting pair of indigo denim jeans that accentuated her long legs and hugged her in all the right places.

  Her high-heeled black western style boots made her legs look even longer and thinner than her five foot six-inch frame. She topped her outfit off with a silky white tank and a cropped black blazer. Just a tiny bit sexy, but not too much for their first date, Dawn decided as she turned away from the mirror and took a deep breath.

  As she pulled the door shut to her apartment, she realized her hands were shaking. It wasn’t like she had never been on a date before. Well, actually she had never been on a date with a man like Mateo Two Moons before now. Her heartbeat pounded wilder against her breast with each step she took as she walked the few blocks from her apartment to the place where they were meeting. When she turned the last corner to the street where the pizzeria was located, her excitement began to turn to panic. Now her frantic heart nearly stopped beating altogether.

  What if he didn’t show up? She was stood up by a blind date once and suffered quite a blow to her ego, even though she had never even met the no-show loser. But this would be different. This would be devastating, like the end of the world devastating. If Mateo Two Moons stood her up tonight, she would surely die. Geez. Stop it, already.

  She was acting like a teenager who had fallen in love for the first time. There it was again, that four letter word. Or maybe it was just lust, like Chloe suggested last night. Before
she had a chance to analyze the crazy notion, Mateo was there. She skidded to a stop only a few inches in front of him. Once again, her breath stopped short in her throat.

  “Dawn, you look so beautiful tonight,” he said in a husky voice.

  “So do you. I mean—” words failed her as her gaze locked with the glistening raven eyes looking down at her from within the most amazing face she had ever glimpsed. Did women in this day and age still swoon, she wondered? That old-fashioned word might be the only one to describe what she was feeling right now, and she knew about these old-fashioned things because, after all, she was a history teacher.

  Her knees felt as if they would buckle at any second. A wildfire erupted from somewhere inside her and was shooting sizzling flames through her entire body, leaving her nothing more than a melted puddle at his feet. The breath was still caught in her dry throat and she couldn’t form one coherent thought. Yes, she was fairly certain this was called swooning, with a side helping of that little four letter word called love.

  A tender smile curved his mouth. He reached out with his fingertips as if he just needed to touch her. It was just a light brush against her cheek, but it vibrated through Dawn’s entire body.

  “Are you hungry?” he asked.

  Speak, she commanded—her mind appeared to be frozen in dumb ass mode. At least try to act like a sane person. Would that ever be possible when she was in this man’s presence? “Um? Not really,” she managed to say without stuttering. Well, not for food anyway. And she did put clean sheets on her bed. You know, just in case.

  If there was one thing she was certain about right now, though, it was she did not want to return to the very public scene of last night’s crime of passion. “But if you are, I’d just go for a salad or something light. There’s a quaint little restaurant down the street. I’ve never been there to eat, but it looks nice.” Three normal sounding sentences in a row. Wow. Maybe, she was regaining control of her mind again.

  Her wandering gaze automatically scanned his entire body of its own accord. He was wearing a white shirt again, but not a western one tonight. This shirt was loose fitting and looked to be made of a fine silk material with tiny buttons rather than snaps running down the front. It was tucked casually into the low waistband of a pair of black jeans. Encircling his neck was a thick silver chain that shimmered each time his shirt collar parted. He wore the same black cowboy boots he had worn last night, but they appeared to have been given a polish and shine for tonight.

  Their outfits almost matched, she realized. Together we are perfection was the only thought that flitted through her mind before his deep voice brought her back to reality.

  “I know of a place. We can start with drinks and conversation. Then we can have a late dinner afterward if we get hungry.”

  “Perfect,” she said with a nod of her head. Yes, he is.

  “Did you walk here?”

  She nodded her head. “I don’t live far,” she added. He slid his arm around her shoulders as if they had known one another forever. Yes, they felt perfect together.

  Being this close to him she could smell his musky cologne, but tonight it only reminded her of how sexy he smelled. Dior? Maybe. Intoxicating? Definitely. Her knees grew weak again. Thankfully, she was leaning into him and his body supported her as they walked. They were headed away from the pizzeria now. She had no idea where he was taking her, but it didn’t matter. She knew she would follow him anywhere.

  All those silly clichés about romance and love at first sight might have some merit after all. Maybe she really should write a romance novel.

  “There’s this little out-of-the-way place on the edge of the reservation. It’s my favorite place to stop for a beer, but it’s not a dive or anything.” His voice grew almost apologetic as if he worried she would think a restaurant on the reservation was beneath her.

  “I would love that,” she answered without hesitation. “I’ve been hoping to check out some of the local hangouts now that I live here. I hate feeling like a newcomer or tourist.”

  They stopped beside a big dark colored pickup. She had no doubt this truck belonged to Mateo. If there was one thing she already learned about the locals in this part of Arizona, it was that almost all of them drove huge trucks decked out with every fancy adornment possible.

  Even in the dim glow of the streetlight, she could tell this extended cab truck was no exception. The rims on the oversized tires were shiny silver spokes, running boards of heavy stamped silver ran beneath both the front and back doors, and beefy silver bumpers guarded both the façade and rear of the truck. As he opened the door for her, she gratefully accepted his hand to help boost her up so she could climb into the tall cab. A distinct odor greeted her nose.

  He closed the door and hurried around to the driver side before she had a chance to comment. But once he was seated next to her, she couldn’t refrain from saying something. “This has a new car smell or, I mean, new truck smell. Did you buy it recently?”

  He chuckled as he started the engine. “I was just thinking of how intoxicating your cologne is. It reminds me of Yucca blossoms.”

  “Thank you. I bought this cologne at a little boutique in town. It’s made locally and it’s called ‘Scents of the Desert’. Seemed perfect.”

  A smile curved his lips as he turned toward her. “It is perfect. As for the truck, I bought it earlier this evening.”

  Dawn giggled although she knew he was serious. This evening? Like right before he met me earlier? Would he buy a brand new pickup just for our date? Of course not. Maybe he ordered it a long time ago and it just arrived today, so he picked it up tonight. That’s probably it.

  The cab of the luxurious truck came alive with mystical acoustic guitar music when he started the engine. Its hauntingly beautiful chords filled the interior of the vehicle and Dawn’s senses with a feeling of enchantment. So far, everything about this night felt like a fairy-tale.

  “That’s really beautiful,” she whispered, pointing toward the blue lights of the truck stereo.

  “That’s Joseph Red Feather. He’s a very talented Apache musician. Have you heard any of his music before?”

  “No,” she answered truthfully.

  “I’ll take you to see him play in person sometime. If you would like to go?”

  Her heart skipped a beat. He was already talking about another date. Could he be feeling the same crazy emotions about her as she was feeling about him? “Yes, I would like that very much.”

  “It’s a date then,” he said with a smile as he turned to look directly into her eyes.

  She was helpless to resist gazing back at him. His grin was infectious and a smile came easily to her lips as her eyes peered into his glistening gaze. The cab was lit with a dim overhead light and his eyes were filled with such an unexpected look of tenderness she was instantly overwhelmed with intense feelings she could not understand. A tear appeared in the corner of her right eye and began rolling silently down the side of her face.

  He reached out and gently wiped the rebel tear away before it rolled to the edge of her jawbone. His touch snapped her out of the trance his gaze had drawn her into. “I-I’m so sorry to be so emotional. I don’t know what came over me,” she murmured as she fought to control her wayward emotions.

  In a hushed voice, he replied, “I felt it, too. It was so powerful.” His palm rested against the side of her face. “We can’t deny it, Udaya—Dawn. I am your destiny and you are mine.”

  He pulled his hand away from her face as if he had been burned and looked away. “Now, it’s my turn to be sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. We’ve just met. You must think I’m a crazy Indian.”

  Dawn sat unmoving and unable to think straight. Udaya? That was how her name was pronounced in Apache, wasn’t it? But how did she even know that? It wasn’t like she spoke any Apache, because she didn’t. His words were spinning through her mind.

  He was her destiny? She was his destiny? Those words seemed vaguely familiar, but who even talke
d like that? Yet, even though his choice of words sounded so old-fashioned and strange in this day and age, the meaning was clear. She felt it last night when they first met, and obviously, so had he. If there was such a thing as destiny, then she had been destined to move here to Arizona just so she could meet this man.

  Chapter Eight

  The little pub at the edge of the White Mountain Apache Reservation was perfect. The entire evening was turning out to be perfect. No one could be more perfect than Mateo Two Moons. Perfect was the tone of the entire night so far.

  He requested a cozy little booth at the back of the room. They sat across the table from one another so they could look at each other. Several times he reached across the table and lightly touched Dawn’s hand as they talked.

  Since she had a deep love of American History, which was obviously why she had become a history teacher, and he knew as much about history as she did, they had lots to discuss. She was amazed at how much they seemed to have in common, besides of course, the physical attraction they couldn’t deny. Each time he casually touched her hand or brushed his fingertips along the side of her face as they were talking or just gazing into one another’s eyes, it was as if a high voltage was shooting through her entire body.

  “Tell me about your work,” she asked in the course of conversation. “You mentioned you were on the Apache Tribal Council? Is that what you do for a living?”

  “Yes. It keeps me busy. I, um, I travel a lot during the day.”

  “Sounds interesting,” she said, ignoring the way he fidgeted in his seat and glanced away from her for a second. “I would love to hear more about it.”

  She pushed the last of her bacon cheddar burger plate to the edge of the table. It was a massive serving of burger and fries and she had barely eaten a fourth of it even though it was delicious. “I have to admit I haven’t taken time since moving here to learn much about the local politics of the area. But I have been studying up on the legends surrounding the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine. What’s your opinion of the whole secret gold mine thing?” She wasn’t sure if she imagined Mateo’s strange expression or not, because he seemed to lose then regain his composure within a matter of seconds.