Page 77 of Forever Touched

He’s not my vampire prince, I scolded her, hoping Everett wasn’t trying to read my thoughts.And don’t even think about taking off while we’re out here. That tabby is probably still around, not to mention the owls and coyotes and—

I get it, Ada, she groaned.Everyone wants to eat me.Except your dashing prince, who only wants to eat you.

I started to choke.

“You okay?” Everett asked when my coughing subsided.

“Yeah, fine,” I quickly said, frantically fishing for a subject change. “Are Loch and Kade nearby?”

“No. Kenna picked them up. They’re on standby at the lakehouse until further notice.”

“Standby?”

“In case I need them.”

“And what about you? Why are you still here?”

He glanced down at me. “Because I can’t stay away from you. I meant it when I said you aren’t alone anymore. I’m not going anywhere.”

My heart did that weird little flutter-thingy again. Blinking up at him, I whispered, “Ever?”

“So long as you want me here, I’ll stay.”

So romantic, Pepper said with a dreamy sigh.

Overwhelmed, I didn’t say anything. As I struggled to process his words and my emotions, I looked out into the night to see where he was taking us. We were approaching the shore of the Atlantic, but before we could hit the rocks, he veered left.

“Where are we—?” I started, then sucked in a quiet gasp as I spotted something up ahead. “Is that a picnic?”

“Yes. Loch and Kade helped me set it up before they left.”

You were totally wrong, Pepper said with a delighted squeak.HeisPrince Charming.

Biting my lip, I took in the unexpected scene before me. Tucked beneath a huge red maple tree was a blanket spread out on the grass. A single lantern warmed the space, revealing a large picnic basket, along with plates and silverware set for two.

“Wow. This is . . .” I said, at a loss for words. When he stopped at the edge of the blanket, I looked up at him and blurted, “Is this a date?”

A soft smile curved his lips. “I’m hoping it will be. I didn’t do things right with you, but I want to fix that—if you’ll let me.”

At the open honesty on his face, I couldn’t help but smile back. There were a million reasons why this shouldn’t happen. A million reasons why I should demand he take me back to the house and leave. But, instead, all I said was, “I’d like that.”

23

EVERETT

She had no idea how nervous I was. In the one-hundred-eighty-eight years of my existence, I’d never once been on a date.

If it hadn’t been for Loch and Kade, I never would have thought to bring her out here for a picnic dinner. Thoughtful gestures weren’t exactly my forte. I’d been focused so long on protecting my brothers and breaking the kingdom’s curse that something as simple as a picnic seemed foreign to me now. It was almost awkward when I set her down and waited for her to claim a spot on the blanket.

I shouldn’t have worried, though.

The second she sat down, she loudly moaned, “Yummm. Do I smell chicken? I’mstarved.”

A smile twitched my mouth, but that wasn’t the only thing twitching. I was enchanted by her every move. Bewitched. Despite the literal darkness she lived in, she continued to brightly shine like a star. I couldn’t stop watching her. Couldn’t stopwantingher.

To hide the growing bulge in my pants, I sat across from her and replied, “Loch found a little restaurant not too far from here. I think it’s called Chicken and . . .”

“Chicken n’ Things? Yes! I’ve always wanted to go there.”

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