Page 18 of Tangling Hearts

I jog over and take it. “Careful. That’s a Mayan skull. It’s very delicate.”

“A real skull?” His eyebrows fly up.

I put it back on the shelf, carefully. “Yeah. I found it at an old Russian guy’s yard sale. He stole it from ruins in Belize when he was trekking there on an archaeological dig in his twenties. I bought it for twenty bucks.” Brendan’s looking at me like I’m an alien. “I have a dark side.”

He smirks, shaking his head. “I can see that. You’re running short on time…”

“Not as short as that guy.” I point to the head. “I’ll go get ready. You stay here?”

He strolls over and plops down on my overstuffed couch, his legs spread comfortably and one foot on the coffee table. I love how great he looks in my home. I think I’ll keep him.

“Me and the dead Mayan dude will keep each other company.”

Laughing, I head for the bathroom. “You two do that.”

After a speedy shower, I throw on a pair of leggings with a long, loose top and ankle boots, rolling my hair into a messy, damp bun after an insufficiently short blow dry. Running into the living room, I ask, “What time is it?” and bust up laughing. “Oh my God. What are you doing?”

Brendan’s sitting back with one ankle thrown up on his knee, his left arm on the back of the couch, the skull seated on the cushion beside him. “Jaco and I were having a chat about the end of the world.”

“Jaco, huh?” I pick up my purse and pull out my phone to find we have less than five minutes to get there. “And what did Jaco have to say about it not ending like his people said it would?”

“He said, enjoy your life because the other option sucks.” Brendan looks down. “Isn’t that right, Jaco?”

“Jaco has a point.”

Brendan rises with a sexy look in his eyes. He motions to what I’m wearing. “I like this.”

“Yeah?” I tilt my head up for a kiss, and he gives me a long one. Forgetting the time, I drop the purse and slip my arms around his neck. Our bodies begin to move, my leg hooking around his hip as he kisses down my neck, lighting me up with a desire for more, my head falling back as my eyes close.

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