Page 112 of Chaos At Second Sight

Uh-oh.

“Hey, I was thinking⁠—”

“I hope about me.” I poked him.

“Always.” He raked a hand through his ruffled bangs, his fissure tattoos shifting around his biceps. “You, um…”

An idea popped into my head. “Do you want to spend next weekend with me?”

It looked like he had just seen a witch riding a seahorse. “What? You want—what?”

“What what?” I pursed my lips. “Don’t you want to?”

“I—no! I mean yes!” He scrubbed both hands over his face. “I mean, I was going to…” He trailed off, growling. “The ass told you, didn’t he? Fuck.”

“Maybe.” I laughed, grabbing his arm before he could storm off.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck before looking at me again. Carefully. “So…what do you think?” He shifted his weight. “Just two days. You, me, your books. And a cabin. You can forget about everything for a bit.”

A small smile tugged at his lips. “I’ll cook.” He paused. “Well…the pack cook will, but I’ll tell him to make all your favorite foods.”

His ears were vermilion now.

I couldn’t stop smiling. “Yes.” I rose onto my tiptoes and kissed him. “I’d love to go.”

Logan left to go into the locker rooms for the halftime speech, so I escaped to the bathroom with Amaia.

She washed her hands, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. “That was quite the invitation to a romantic weekend in the woods.”

My heart tumbled. “You think?”

“You’ve been back from Scotland for three weeks. Rip the Band-Aid off already!”

“We’ve both been busy, and with Ian…” My smile faded as I dried my hands. “Logan’s scared something will happen to me.”

“But you’re nervous too. I know you.”

“He’ll snap you in half.” A new voice made us both turn.

“Tizzy?” Amaia’s confused expression mirrored mine. Tiziano stood in the open doorway in a black hoodie with the drawstrings pulled tight, dark hair falling over one eye. “What are you doing here?”

He shrugged. “Supporting you guys.” His tone remained as flat as ever. “They’re your mates, you two are my best friends… Figured I’d show up.”

“How nice.” Amaia slipped past us. “I’ll wait outside.”

He caught my forearm on my way out. “Be careful with your mate. I know you love him and everything but I don’t want you to be…disappointed.” The sincerity in his eyes warmed me and I squeezed his arm.

“Thanks, Tizzy.” I knew he meant well. He was just worried.

Together, we headed toward the exit. “You know”—I nudged him—“you’re technically not supposed to be inside the ladies’ bathroom.”

His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I’ve broken bigger laws.”

A broad-shouldered man with salt-and-pepper hair also entered the bathroom, stepping into our path. Murky blue eyes settled on me.

“Well, hello there, pumpkin.”

My stomach tightened. I knew that voice, but before I could place it, something slammed into the back of my head. Everything went white; the floor lurched. A second blow smashed into the back of my legs.