“He does,” I agreed, trying to tug on the toad’s harness to get him to come down from where he was. There was no change inhis expression, and I stopped with a sigh since he didn’t seem like he was going anywhere anytime soon.
Emma looked from Ribbon to me before she said, in a slow voice. “That’snota dog, is it?”
I considered lying to her again. I considered justcontinuingthe lie I’d told her. For all I would know in this new plane, itcouldbe a dog. But I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.
Ducking my head, I shook it with a slow, resigned exhale. “No. I’m sorry. I was going to adopt one, but then I found out my brother brought this mountain toad from our old plane and—”
I cut myself off as I heard a snort leaving her. When I raised my head, all I could do was stare at her in awe. She was laughing. A full-fledged grin was on her face as she doubled over at the waist, guffawing her mirth.
An answering chuckle left me and before I knew it, we were both laughing together, sharing in our glee at the silliness of what I was trying to explain to her.
“I’m sorry,” I repeated, swiping at the tear that had leaked from my eye. “I really am.”
“No need,” she giggled, swiping her own tears away.
These were the only kind that I wanted to ever see from her. Tears of joy and laughter. Never sadness. But it was an emotion that I could detect an undertone of in her luscious scent every time I was in her proximity.
It drove me insane. It sent a driving need through me to fix whatever was happening in her life that was hurting her. Bringing her pain in any way.
“I kind of figured after I saw his tongue to be honest,” she explained, swiping another tear as she sobered. Her smile was still on her face. “I just didn’t know exactly what he was.”
She shrugged, tilting her head at me in that way that sent her hair cascading over her shoulder and then her scent in my direction.
Fuck me, I want to touch her so bad.
I pushed my hands through my hair, trying to get a hold of myself. “I just wanted to spend more time with you,” I explained, and I watched her smile disappear from her face.
Shit. You fucked it up.
CHAPTER 18
Krusk
Struggling with the need to backtrack immediately, I left the words between us. They were my truth, and she probably didn’t want to hear them, but I didn’t want to dishonor us any further by lying to her ever again.
“And this was the only way I could think of,” I added, knowing that she was going to walk away and I wasn’t sure she’d ever let me see her again. “I know it was out of line. I just… I didn’t know how to approach you without coming across as a…”
I paused, searching for the word, and she offered one. “Complete lunatic?”
My heart sank, and I nodded. “Yes, Zemar. A complete lunatic. And now that I’ve proven that Iamone, I’ll go ahead and take Ribbon back to my brother.”
I was just about to do that when she pointed toward where he was still sitting on top of the fire hydrant. “His name’s Ribbon?” she asked, and confusion warred with the hope inside of me asshe smiled.
“Yes. I didn’t know it last time, so I said Dog, which was probably notthedumbest thing I’ve said, but it was definitelyone of.” I scrubbed at the skin behind my neck, self-conscious, before I hitched a thumb in the direction we’d come from. “I can give you a ride home if you’d like.”
I sent up a desperate prayer that she’dat leastlet me do that, when she shook her head. As my heart deflated like a balloon emptied of air, I nodded, reaching for Ribbon.
“We haven’t finished our walk yet,” she said in a low voice, and surprise filled me as I blinked over at where her lips were curling up at the corners. “You paid for an hour after all.”
My heart sank again, and I wondered how many times it could go through this up and down before it finally gave up and just died altogether. “I don’t want to force you to stay, Zemar. You can leave and I won’t need a refund or anything.”
“You’re not forcing me,” she said in a low voice that I couldn’t understand the tone of. “I’m having a good time.”
Something fluttered to life inside me. Hope. That stupid, ever burning emotion that was giving me whiplash.
“Are you sure?” I asked in a whisper, praying that she understood what I was asking her.
Are you sure you want me around? Are you sure you don’t want me to give up my pursuit of you? Are you sure that I have your permission to fall even harder for you?
