“There absolutely is not.”
“You admitted you were the missing heir within five minutes of speaking to me.”
Edith frowned. “In hindsight, thatwasemotionally reckless.”
“A little.”
She pointed at him accusingly. “You have a face that encourages honesty.”
Spencer looked genuinely offended by that. “Take that back! I do not.”
“You really do,” she admitted again, the last word leaving her lips on a sigh.
He shook his head slightly, though Edith caught the faintest twitch near his mouth.
Because apparently, underneath all the terrifying stillness and bounty hunter energy, the male occasionally almost smiled. Edith hated that she noticed.
The path curved downward slightly, gravel crunching beneath their feet as the wind picked up again. For a few moments, silence settled between them, not awkward exactly. Just an awareness between them
Edith could feel him beside her constantly now. The heat of him. The quiet attention in every glance he gave her. It made her skin buzz strangely, almost similar to the time she drank Binky’s home brew.
“So,” she said abruptly, mostly to stop herself thinking about his hands for some reason, “if you’re not immediately kidnapping me, does that make you a bad bounty hunter?”
Spencer looked ahead calmly. “Possibly.”
“Hmm.” Edith folded her arms. “Love that for me.”
Another almost-smile. Gods help her, did she spot dimples…? She was done for. There was no hope.
The wind tugged her hair directly into her face again. Edith made an annoyed sound, attempting to shove it away while continuing down the uneven path. Unfortunately, human feetwere stupid and apparently far less coordinated than dragon claws, her trainer caught awkwardly against a loose stone. “Oh, for…!”
Her world tilted violently as her feet slipped, Edith lurched forward with all the grace of a falling wardrobe. Only to be caught a mere moment before she hit the ground with her face. Strong hands caught her waist instantly, steadying her hard against a solid chest as Spencer reacted with terrifying speed.
Edith blinked as she looked up at him, and his face was extremely close. Close enough she could see the day-old scruff and a scar on his chin that looked almost adorable and made her want to kiss it.
Whoa, where had that thought come from? It was like her human form had been asleep for far too long and even bounty hunters after her were fair game.
Spencer’s grip tightened slightly instinctively as she pressed her hand against his chest so she was able to get her feet in a semi stable footing.Edith made the mistake of looking up and into his dark eyes… time almost froze
Oh… Oh no. This wasa moment.A horrible, cheesy, terrible yet rom-com moment.
Edith could actually feel the romance novel energy happening around them, the wind a now paid actor, their proximity and the sunlight catching his dark hair. It was absolutely unbearable… or was it?
“You alright?” Spencer asked quietly. His voice seemed lower.
Edith became acutely aware that one of her hands had somehow moved from his chest and onto his shoulder, and her other hand had taken its place. Underneath her palm, his heartbeat felt steady and strong.
Her own, meanwhile, had apparently decided to become a percussion instrument.
“Fine,” she squeaked in a mortifying tone.
Spencer’s eyes flicked briefly to her mouth and Edith ceased to breath. The world narrowed around them as if everything else had stopped, even the sea and sunlight seemed to bow to the moment.
His hands felt warm against her waist, their size engulfing her smaller one, making her feel tiny and dainty… and the look in his eyes, it wasn’t a look a hunter would give his bounty. Well, not entirely. It was something else, something softer and yet more dangerous.
Edith swallowed as Spencer leaned in slightly. His eyes darkening as she flickered her own from his lips and back when suddenly…
“ABSOLUTELY NOT… TWAT.”
