Page 214 of Trick or Stalk

He informs me that stealing food on a first date is a serious character flaw.

I tell him stalking my cider while I'm drinking it is worse.

He almost chokes. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Stalking cider?”

“It’s original.”

He grins at me, sending my heart racing.

“Just like you.” He wipes powdered sugar from the corner of my mouth with his thumb.

My words disappear.

His thumb lingers, as does his gaze.

The noise around us seems to fade.

Then someone screams nearby.

I jump.

Hades's entire body goes tense.

We both turn. A teenager is laughing beside one of the haunted attractions.

I press a hand to my chest. “Jesus.”

Hades relaxes. “You okay?”

“Fantastic. Only lost three years of my life.”

His hand settles against my back protectively.

I look up at him.

This is nice. Dangerously nice.

An hour later, I'm carrying a ridiculous stuffed bat Hades won after spending entirely too much money trying to knock bottles off a platform.

“You know you could have bought me one for less.”

“That's not the point.”

“What was the point?”

“Winning.”

“Male ego.”

“Exactly.”

I laugh. At least he's self-aware.

We stop near the edge of the square where the crowd is thinner.