Page 55 of Death Raiser

Kang narrowed his eyes.

I paused and lifted my ear to the sky as if trying to listen for something.

Kang’s frown deepened.

“Do you hear that?” I asked.

“All I hear is you speaking nonsense, Lark.”

“It’s Hallmark calling. They have a corporate businesswoman who’s forgotten the true meaning of Christmas and they need you to melt her heart.”

Kang shook his head. He stopped walking to stare at me.

I stopped and stared back. I could get lost in his dark brown gaze and that both delighted and scared me at the same time.

“Well, that’s a problem,” he said.

“Why?”

“I don’t want to melt the fictitious heart of some theoretical business woman,” he said. “I only want to melt yours.”

Heat spread through my body and an invisible band tightened around my chest. He didn’t need to do any sort of thing; it had already been melted by that single line. “My heart isn’t frozen, Kang.”

Hell, if I let my knees buckle, I’d melt into a puddle right now.

Instead, I started walking again, not quite sure how to deal with the intensity surrounding us.

Without a word, Kang walked along beside me, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Your heart might not be frozen…” Kang stepped behind me to let a mom jogging behind a double stroller pass. “But maybe you could stop calling me by my last name on our date?”

The Samoyed barked in agreement.

Traitor.

I ignored Buddy and widened my eyes theatrically. “I wasn’t aware you had a first name.”

He moved back to walk beside me again. “It’s Connor and yes, you damn well know it, you little minx.” He looked ready to pin me against a tree to teach me a lesson. And now I wanted to defy him just to see what would happen.

“Okay, Connor. Calm down.”

Amusement danced in his gaze. Or maybe it was something else. Maybe he just liked hearing me say his name.

“Connor,” I repeated, dropping my voice a little lower. “Connor, Connor, Connor…”

He smiled and looked away, a rosy tint colouring his normally pale cheeks.

“So…besides wanting me to say your name. Is there anything else in particular you’d like to talk about?” I asked. “I kind of feel like we’re already past the first date get-to-know-you questions.”

In fact, the moment Connor asked me out, it felt like we were already in a relationship, despite this being our first date. When Connor said this wouldn’t be casual for him, he wasn’t joking.

“I know I should probably answer with something witty about exactly how I’d like you to say my name,” Connor said. “But I really want to know why you went to Spiral after I warned you away from it.”

I narrowed my eyes. How the heck did he know I hit the club last night? Did he have me under surveillance or the club?

I mentally face-palmed.

Argh!

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