When Constellations Form (Light in the Dark Book 4) Read online

  Thea

  “Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Oh, my God.” I clutch Xander’s hand and jump up and down. “Look at that view.” I point.

  He laughs. “I see it, Thea.”

  “Wow,” I breathe. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

  The restaurant we found sits right on the water. The sun is just beginning to go down, and I know watching the sun set over the water will be magnificent.

  The hostess, or whatever you call them here, leaves the menus on the table and smiles as she leaves us.

  I let go of Xander’s hand and he pulls the chair out for me. “Why thank you, kind sir.”

  He chuckles. “You’re welcome, madam,” he says, playing along.

  He sits down, smoothing his hands down his white shirt. He picks up the menu and looks at it. I do the same. I have a hard time paying attention to the menu, because the view calls to me. It’s absolutely stunning. I thought Colorado was beautiful with its soaring mountain ranges, but it has nothing on this place.

  The ocean breeze stirs my hair around my shoulders and I smile as I inhale the salty air. I wasn’t thrilled about Xander’s spontaneous honeymoon trip, especially with the move and graduation, but now that I’m here I’m so thankful. And honestly? We needed this. The past couple of years we’ve only gone somewhere if I happened to go to an away game with him, which was rare, and he was busy so it’s not like we spent much time together then.

  This … this is nice.

  Our waiter comes by and we both order a glass of water and Xander also requests a bottle of wine.

  “Planning to get me drunk, Mr. Kincaid?” I ask, waggling my brows.

  He laughs, crossing his fingers together and leaning across the table to me. “What do you think is going to happen if I do get you drunk, Mrs. Kincaid?”

  “Well—” I blink innocently “—I seem to have an affinity for removing my clothes when I’m inebriated.”

  He cracks a grin. “You also ask me to marry you.”

  “Only the once,” I defend.

  His smile widens further. “Oh, you would’ve done it again if I hadn’t said yes the first time.”

  “You seem pretty sure of yourself there,” I comment.

  He shakes his head. “No, sure of you.”

  “Is that your way of saying you know I love you?”

  He chuckles. “I guess so.”

  Our waiter sets the glasses of water down along with two wine glasses and the bottle. He pours us each half a glass and then gets our order before leaving. We both order a seafood dish. I guess we decided it was better to play it safe and get something familiar.

  I sip at the wine, enjoying the flavor. The sun sets over the water and the image is one I’ll remember a long time to come. The riot of colors is beautiful. I feel Xander’s eyes on me so my gaze slowly drifts back to him.

  “You’re beautiful,” he murmurs.

  I stifle a laugh. “I think you’ve already said that.”

  He grins at me. “And I’ll keep telling you every day, for the rest of our lives, because you deserve to hear that. You’re beautiful, inside and out, and I’m lucky that I get to see every side of you.”

  “You’re not so bad yourself … even if you do eat M&M McFlurrys and everyone knows Oreo is the best.”

  He laughs. “We’ll have to continue to agree to disagree on that matter.”

  “I shouldn’t have mentioned McFlurrys.” I frown. “I really want one now.”

  “You’ll have to wait until we get home.” He takes a sip of wine. “Although, knowing McDonald’s there’s probably one around the corner.”

  I force the thoughts of ice cream goodness from my mind. I don’t want to get my hopes up no matter how good one might taste right now.

  And a Big Mac. That’d be good too.

  Damn, I must be starving.

  I honestly can’t even remember the last time I ate. My time is all mixed up from traveling and the time change. I’m lucky I can differentiate between up and down at this point.

  The sun completely disappears, and I look around, noticing a bunch of string lights hanging above us with a warm glow.

  The place has a cozy vibe despite us being outside in the open air.

  I finish my wine and sigh. “I’m scared,” I whisper to Xander.

  He raises one dark brow. “Scared? Of what?”

  “Everything,” I admit. “The unknown. I’m scared I won’t get a job, or if I do that I’ll hate it. I’m scared of being unhappy.”

  He shrugs. “Then you’ll quit.”

  I shake my head. “I’m not a quitter.”

  “Is it quitting if you’re miserable? Wouldn’t it be bettering yourself? Besides, you don’t know anything yet.”

  “Social work isn’t easy.” I tap my fingers to the table. “Sometimes I think maybe I would’ve been better off doing something in fashion.”

  He shakes his head. “I don’t believe that. You wanted to help people, Thea, and that’s what you’re going to do. It’s going to be rewarding, but I doubt it’ll be easy.”

  “You’re right,” I agree. He usually is, though I’d never tell him that.

  I know being fearful of my future is normal and is probably plaguing most graduates. It’s a scary thing to spend four years in college and then be thrust out into the real world.

  Our meal is brought to the table and we thank our waiter.

  “This smells so good.” I inhale the scent of the food—dill and lemon and some other herb I can’t decipher.

  “Yeah, it does,” Xander agrees and then tops off my empty wine glass.

  I raise my eyebrows. “You’re definitely trying to get me drunk.”

  He laughs. “You don’t have to drink it.”

  “True.” I pick up the glass and raise it to my lips. “But you know I will.”

  We finish our meal and pay before heading back to the hotel.

  I hold his hand and lean against him as we walk. The cool night air brings a shiver across my skin.

  “Cold?” he asks, pausing to look down at me.

  I nod and he wraps his arms around me. Wearing a strapless dress might not have been my best idea, but it looks great.

  We walk along the stone pathway, going slow since I can’t navigate as well in my heels. Music drifts softly from one of the houses along the street and I smile. It’s so different here than at home and this is only a small taste.

  We finally make it back to the hotel and change into our pajamas before crashing into bed.

  I snuggle close to Xander, latching my arms around him like an octopus.

  “You’re mine.” I kiss his neck.

  His chest rumbles with a laugh. “Is that so?”

  “Mhmm.” I nod, already falling asleep.

  I feel him run his fingers through my hair and then trace my lips, and that’s the last thing I remember, though I’d swear he whispered, “I’ve been yours forever.”

  Xander

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Thea asks, looking at me over the rim of her large sunglasses.

  “Like what?” I counter.

  She smirks. “Like you want to rip this bikini off and fuck me right here.”

  “Then you have it exactly right.”

  She frowns. “It’s too bad we have company then.”

  I groan as I imagine peeling off her bikini and fucking her right here on the beach. Sure, in reality it’d probably be … messy and not practical, but in my mind, it’s hot as fuck. Unfortunately, the beach is covered with tourists and locals, making such impossible.

  Thea stretches out on her towel. It’s the middle of the day already, and it’s hot as hell. We spent most of the morning lying in bed and gorging ourselves on room service. When we finally decided to leave the bed we both agreed that we wanted to sit on the beach.

  “Forget this,” I say suddenly and hop up, pulling her along with me.

  “Xander, no!” she shrieks when she realizes what I’m doing.

 
; “You’re not a witch. You aren’t going to melt if the water touches you,” I defend.

  “Oh, yes I am.” She tugs on my hand trying to pull away in the other direction.

  I shake my head and wrap my arms around her thin waist, hauling her to the water.

  “Ahhh!” she cries, kicking her legs. Her efforts to get away are futile as I drag her into the water. It’s surprisingly cool, but feels refreshing against my heated skin.

  I toss Thea gently into the water and she drops like a rock. She comes up sputtering a moment later. “I hate you.” She glares at me, her long hair hanging in wet strings around her face.

  I laugh—I can’t help it.

  “That was uncalled for.” She points at me like I’m an unruly child. “Now I’m soaked.”

  “At least you’re cool,” I counter.

  She splashes me just to spite me, I know, and I can’t help but laugh more.

  I splash her back and then before I know it we’re having an all-out war in the middle of the ocean. She begins to laugh and her enjoyment makes me happier than just about anything. Thea likes to pretend she doesn’t like spontaneity but she’d be pretty bored if I didn’t keep her on her toes.

  Somehow our war ends and she ends up in my arms with her legs wrapped around my waist beneath the water. Droplets of water drip from her nose back into the water. Her skin glows with a slight tan and something else—something entirely Thea.

  “Hey, you.” I kiss her nose.

  She wraps her fingers in my hair and tugs slightly. “Don’t ever drag me into the cold water ever again.”

  I laugh. “It’s not that cold.”

  “It’s cold enough,” she counters, looking down at her chest and pebbled nibbles.

  I press my lips together, but my laughter erupts anyway. “Okay, so it’s chilly,” I concede.

  She drops her legs from my waist and lets go to swim away. I grab her foot and tug her back.

  “Xander!” She tries to sound scolding, but she’s smiling and there’s laughter in her voice.

  “I have a question for you,” I defend.

  She raises a brow and her lips quirk. “What is it?”

  “How are you feeling?” I ask her, grabbing a wet piece of hair from her forehead and moving it behind her ear. “You seem better since the other morning but I want to make sure that’s true and you’re not hiding something from me.”

  She laughs, returning to her previous position with her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck. “I think it’d be pretty impossible to hide it from you considering we were in close quarters on the plane and now the hotel. I feel much better, though. I’m sure it was just nerves. I was convinced something bad was going to happen.”

  “Well, it didn’t.” I lower my head and kiss her.

  She hums softly at the touch, her fingers flexing against my shoulders.

  She leans back in my arms so the back of her head touches the water. She then stretches her arms out above her head while I hold her waist.

  “This place is pretty magical,” she murmurs. “It’s so beautiful.” She sits back up. “What made you choose Greece?”

  I shrug. “I don’t know. I always thought it looked like a beautiful place. And while I figured you’d prefer somewhere like Paris, because of the shopping, I just wanted to go somewhere where we could lay on the beach together for a while.”

  She smiles. “You’re too good to me. What did I do to deserve you? I mean, I’m kind of a bitch, and you’re always so nice and thoughtful.”

  I kiss her and she smiles even bigger. “You’re not a bitch,” I defend. “You’re passionate, there’s a difference. And you’re much more caring than you give yourself credit for. The way you care for your family and friends is one of the reasons I fell in love with you so long ago.”

  Tears fill her eyes. “I’m gonna cry,” she warns. “I don’t want to, but I’m going to dammit.”

  The tears spill forward and I wrap my arms around her. “Oh, Thea,” I sigh.

  “I don’t even know why I’m crying,” she mumbles into my shoulder. “But that was really sweet and my emotions are all over the place with everything.”

  “I get it. I do.” I rub her back, trying to soothe her. The last couple of weeks have been tough for her, I know. With her graduation approaching, and the move, mixed with no job lined up, then throw in my surprise vacation, and she’s been a mess. She’s so scared of falling, but what she forgets is that I’m always going to be right here to pick her back up. Besides, she’s the strongest person I know. She doesn’t give herself enough credit.

  She pulls away, sniffling, and wipes her face with the back of her hand. I can’t really tell what’s tears and what’s water from the ocean.

  She clears her throat and cracks a smile. “I need a drink.”

  I laugh. “I think I do too.”

  We swim back and Thea drops down on her towel, wringing out her hair.

  “I’ll get our drinks,” I tell her.

  “I want something sweet but full of alcohol,” she calls after me.

  “You got it.”

  I shuffle through the sand and over to the bar that’s part of the hotel. I squint against the grueling sun and curse myself for not grabbing my sunglasses.

  I order a beer, and Thea their special—some kind of fruity drink that looks comparable to a Pina Colada. I doubt it really has that much alcohol, but it’ll do.

  I write my room number on the slip so they can charge it there and then carry our drinks back to our towels.

  I hold Thea’s glass out to her and she takes it, slurping at the hot pink straw before playing with the little umbrella stuck in it.

  “Oh, this is good,” she comments with a thumb’s up, while I sit down.

  I take a couple sips of my beer and then set it down, using the sand as a makeshift cup holder.

  I turn to my side, watching Thea sip at her drink. I’m sure she thinks I’m weird for watching her all the time, but I can’t help it. She’s magnetic. I can’t help but be drawn to her warm spirit.

  After a moment, I turn back and grab my book. It’s a book Jace recommended, and I figured while I had time I’d try to read it. Lately, I don’t have time to read. I’m usually too exhausted at night from practice or working out, and end up watching TV before I crash.

  Plus, Thea prefers TV, so we always have a current show we can’t stop watching.

  Right now it’s Scandal.

  While I read Thea sits beside me sipping her drink and flipping through a magazine. We’re both happy being together, we don’t have to say anything at all, and that’s nice.

  There’s nobody I’d rather do nothing with—I guess that’s how you know you’ve found your true other half. Cade and Jace like to joke that they don’t know how I put up with Thea, since she’s so loud, and vibrant, and just out there, but that’s all part of the reason I love her. I love that she’s wild and can’t be contained.

  I don’t want to tame the storm, I want to be a part of it, a part of her.

  Thea

  I flop onto the king-size bed with a groan. “I’m exhausted,” I announce.

  We spent the whole day outside in the Greece heat, sight-seeing all the monuments. I mean, there’s no way we could come all the way to Greece and not see the Parthenon, among other things. So, the day was definitely worth it, but now I want to take a hot bath and go to sleep. Okay, maybe not go straight to sleep, but we’ll see how my energy levels are.

  Xander takes off his sweaty shirt and tosses it near his luggage before dropping down onto the bed beside me.

  “Me too,” he agrees.

  “How? Shouldn’t you be used to strenuous activities in the heat?” I quip.

  He chuckles and rolls over to face me. “Yes, but it’s a lot hotter here than in Colorado—so that makes a difference.”

  “Ah, I see. I guess I’ll give you a pass,” I joke.

  He sits up and stretches his arms. “You said something about taking a bath on
the way back here—want me to go start it for you?”

  “Yes, please. I can’t move.”

  He heads into the bathroom and I finally gather enough energy to sit up. I rub my head, feeling a headache coming on and I’m sure it’s from getting overheated today and not drinking enough water. Though, I kept stopping to drink. I rub my temples and get up in search of some Advil. I rifle through my makeup bag and finally find the small bottle I keep for emergencies such as this one.

  I dump two pills into my hand and grab my bottle of water, swallowing them down.

  “Are you okay?” Xander asks, concern leaching into his tone.

  “Just a headache.” I rush to assure him. “It’s nothing to worry about.”

  He narrows his eyes on me, so I know he is worrying. I think the boy searches for something to worry about it. It’s in his genes or something.

  He finally shrugs, choosing to let it go. “The water is running,” he informs me, which is unnecessary since I can hear it.

  I nod. “Thanks.”

  I put the pill bottle away and grab some pajamas to change into—a pair of blue shorts with white lace trim and a matching top.

  I set my clothes on the counter in the bathroom and then tiptoe back into the bedroom part.

  Our room is gorgeous, with a large bed covered in fluffy white bedding with cobalt blue pillows. The rest of the room is decorated similarly with lots of white and blue, and expensive chrome accents. Even the floor is plush carpet instead of the normal hard stuff that’s in hotels. Something tells me I don’t want to know how much this hotel is costing a night. I certainly don’t plan on asking.

  I lean against the doorway, smiling at the sight of Xander stretched out on the bed with his arms crossed behind his head.

  He’s looking at his phone, not paying a bit of attention to me.

  I smirk and remove my cotton dress, balling it up so I can toss it at him.

  The fabric covers his head and he shoves it away, looking in my direction where I now stand in only my bra and underwear.

  “Want to join me?” I ask.

  He hops up from the bed so fast I’m surprised he doesn’t get whiplash. He runs toward me and lifts me up, tossing me over his shoulder.