CHAPTERSIXTEEN
As he walked beside Brie,Asher carried one of the duffel bags full of supplies. She kept her main focus on him. He’d watched her eyeing the rope before they left the van and knew she was contemplating tying him to her, but, in the end, she tossed the rope aside.
Cabo had argued about not coming with them, but Brie insisted he stay with the van.
“If something happens to us, you know where the stones are and how to keep them safe,” Brie said. “I need you both to be free. It’s safer that way.”
He wasn’t happy about it, but Cabo eventually acquiesced.
Then, Brie glared at Asher, grabbed a bag, and jumped out of the van. She promised to kick his ass one more time if he tried to run or fucked something up. He had no intention of doing either of those things.
First of all, he would prove he was trustworthy and they were allies in this. Second of all, he was dying to see one of these stones.
He kept picturing the stone in Willow’s sword. However, he wouldn’t mention that until he had a better view of one of these things and knew Brie and her friends were trustworthy. He believed they were truly trying to fight to make this world better, but he wouldn’t give away any of the Alliance’s secrets withoutknowinghe could trust them.
Brie walked a little behind him, but he pretended not to notice as he scanned the trees. He could feel her eyes boring into his back with every step. He considered skipping to annoy her but decided against it.
Skipping through the woods wouldn’t exactly bode well for a stealthy approach. The chatter of the squirrels and the song of the birds pierced the day, but the heat of the August day made them more subdued than normal.
A slight breeze ruffled the leaves overhead; they stirred before settling again. The day was cooler in the shadows beneath the trees, but sweat beaded on his neck and slid down his back. When this was over, he would enjoy a good shower and hopefully a change of clothes.
As if she was reading his mind, Brie said, “When this is over, we’ll stop and get you some clothes on the way back.”
“Do I stink that bad?” he asked.
“I’m a vampire, so my sense of smell is heightened.”
“In other words, yes.”
For the first time, she smiled at him, and it was like someone hit him over the head with a mallet. He nearly stumbled to a halt as that small smile lit her beautiful face and caused her eyes to sparkle like the brightest star.
It warmed him on the inside, and he found himself grinning stupidly back at her. He would do everything possible to see her smile again and again. There had never been anything more spectacular.
And then it slid away as her brow furrowed, and she gazed at him in confusion. “What?” she demanded.
“You smiled.”
“So?”
“I liked it.”
For the first time in years, Brie found herself flustered by someone. She almost touched a hand nervously to her tied-back hair but stopped herself before she started acting like a lovesick schoolgirl.
She couldn’t explain the strange effect he had over her, but she liked it almost as much as she hated it. For years, she’d been fixated solely on finding the stones, and he was throwing her focus off; she couldn’t let that happen, even if he did make her feel more alive than she had in centuries.
He brought an excitement to her life that she hadn’t experienced in years. As she thought they should move, her eyes fell to his lips, and her mind raced with all the delightful things his mouth could do. What would it feel like between her legs, tasting her until she screamed?
When her body started to flush, Brie shifted her hold on the duffel bag and pulled herself back to the present. “Good for you,” she retorted. “Now, let’s go.”
Her abrupt demeanor didn’t fool him; Asher had sensed her heightened desire in the flush of her cheeks and the quickening of her breath before she regained control. She may pretend he didn’t affect her, but they both knew the truth.
And now, he had to keep himself from whistling and skipping as he started through the woods again. “I’m going to see it again.”
“See what again?”
“Your smile.”
Brie glowered at his back as he walked through the woods with a little extra bounce in his step. He was the most exasperating, charming,annoyingman she’d ever encountered before, and she hadnotime for him.
