She reached out and fingered one of her roses.
“Fuck,” she whispered, her mouth rounding into a soft little o. “What the fuck iswrongwith me?”
Wasn’t often I shared a smile these days, but hell. If I was in my human form, I definitely woulda had one for her.
I’d been alive for damn near a thousand years, and I’d seen enough crazy shit to make even the most depraved, twisted sonofabitch gouge out his own eyes.
But this?
This was something else.
She and the others might not realize it yet, but I saw the truth in them black roses. Behind Haley’s bright green eyes, a spooky-ass little monster girl lurked in the shadows. She was a fighter, yeah. A survivor, just like she’d said.
But she was a hell of a lot more than that, and she was only justbeginningto taste her full power.
“So listen, Gargs.” She glanced up at me and smiled, warmer than the sun on my stone heart. “Didn’t mean to get so heavy on you on our first date. But you’ll keep my secrets, won’t you? You’re a vault. Yes, I realize I’m confiding in a statue, and yes, I realize I’m probably having a breakdown—one more secret for you to keep. Oh! Along with my horticultural disaster. Wow. Haley Barnes, everyone. The crazy just keeps on coming!”
She reached for a big ol’ clump of Spanish moss that’d fallen in the grass and hastily covered up her roses.
Too bad. Beauty like that deserved to be seen.
Satisfied with the mossy camo, she sheathed her blade, strapped the holster back around her thigh, grabbed her coffee cup, and got to her feet.
Her dress was the color of apples. A quick breeze blew it up around her waist, giving me a shot of white lace panties and the leather holster. Haley just giggled, though.
“Hey hey,” she teased. “Confessionanda show—lucky you!”
If I wasn’t already stoned, the sight of her woulda made merockfucking hard. How the fuck was I gonna keep my shit together around her after sunset, when I was back to being a man?
No wonder Saint was tripping over his own balls just to help her. Pretty sure Jax had fallen under her spell too, though he’d be the last to admit it. That demon always liked to play it cool.
So yeah,thisadventure was off to a good start.
Smoothing out the dress, Haley beamed up at me and said, “Thanks again for climbing aboard my crazy train. I think it’s safe to say we’ve reached our final destination—I’ll try to keep the breakdowns to a minimum. Let’s just hope Saint’s house is stocked with as much booze as his club.”
Then, she leaned in real close—close enough I could see the golden threads in her green eyes—and ran a hand along the edge of my wing.
Aw, hell.
If I could’ve spoken, I would’ve told herIwas the one losing my damn mind.
Because right then? The touch of her hand? The magnetic pull of those eyes?
Everything just fucking changed in a blink.
Everything.
Fuck.
Fuck.
No. No fuckin’ way. I had to have imagined that. Right?
Touch me again, babygirl. Just need to be sure…
The softest breeze ruffled her hair.
“Did you just…?” She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes. “I could’veswornI saw your wing twitch.”
