Page 29 of Property of Azrael

The feminine squeals and laughter echo off the walls when we step inside the room.

“Eden!” someone screams. A group of ladies move to surround her, chatting her up like a celebrity. Until now, I hadn’t considered that for readers, authors are their celebrities.

I peer around, looking for Hallie’s entourage, but no one approaches. It’s subtle, but I see her shoulders slump in disappointment. Where the hell are her readers? Where are her author friends? I watch quietly as a few people walk by and wave hello before they join Eden’s group. Their approach brings her hope, and then more disappointment. My heart shatters for her. Her first experience isn’t going as planned.

Eden is animatedly talking to a reader, and the group roars in laughter at whatever story she’s telling them. For a friend so gun-ho about getting Hallie here, she hasn’t acknowledged her since we entered the room. If her own friend won’t help her, then I sure as shit will.

Moving up behind her, I urge, “Go say hello to someone. Join Eden. This is a meet and greet, so go meet and greet.”

“I don’t know anyone but Eden, and she seems busy.” She fiddles with her hands nervously. “I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to talk to people like she does. I’m not great at the whole friend thing.”

“You seemed to do just fine with me.”

“Yeah, well, you’re different.”

Leaning in, I ask, “How?” while grazing the tip of her ear with my lips, causing her to shiver.

“You just are.” She tries her best to ignore me, but I will not let her off that easily. I brush my hand against the back of her thighs, and she attempts to swat it away.

“Stop that,” she growls, tugging down on the hem. “It’s hard enough to keep this dress in the right places. I don’t need you doing that too.”

“Believe me, touching you is just the first of many things I want to do with you, baby girl.”

“We’re in public. People can hear you.” I touch her thighs again, but this time, I hear her breath hitch. The next swipe across her skin has her breathing a little faster. Pleased with her reaction, I slip my hand underneath the skirt slowly, but she reaches back and shoves my hand away.

“Go change, and I’ll stop,” I demand.

Her back stiffens, and a flicker of defiance flashes through her eyes. No, she won’t back down now. Not when she knows how much it annoys me. Hell, I blame her parents for this rebellious streak. I like it, don’t get me wrong, but fuck. She’s being a real brat about the damn dress. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out she’s uncomfortable. She can’t stop fidgeting with the cutouts or the hem.

“I’m not someone you can boss around, Azrael,” she fires back. “I’ll wear what I want, when I want.”

“You’ve made yourself clear enough about that.”

“Good.”

She folds her arms over her chest; the motion shifting the larger cutout just enough for her to flash a generous amount side boob. And it’s enough to catch the eyes of a few motherfuckers standing a couple of feet away. Eyes that are lingering too long for my liking, and are about to get plucked out of their sockets.

I move my hand up to cover her. “You’re exposing yourself.”

Anger heats my body from head to toe. I knew this would fucking happen. I knew it as soon as I saw her in it, because my heart stopped when she walked out of the bathroom. It clung to her body like a second skin, her ample chest spilling out under the small cutouts. Hallie is beautiful all on her own, but that dress should be for my eyes only. She’s not yours, asshole. But the fuck if I’m considering staking my claim here and now before someone else tries to take her from me.

“I hate this goddamn dress,” she snarls, attempting to adjust it.

“About time you came to your senses.” I take her hand and lead her out of the ballroom. “We’ll run back up to the room and get you changed.”

Halfway down the hall, she pulls me to a stop. “Into what, exactly? I didn’t bring a prom dress, or anything else remotely close to it. Eden didn’t bother to mention it.”

“Why does a dress matter so much to you?”

She takes a moment to reply, and when she finally does, she admits, “Because of the way you looked at me. I put this dress on and you changed.”

I changed? She can’t be this clueless. I could’ve dropped her off and drove straight to Mexico as planned, but I stayed. Can’t she see why I made that fucking bet?

“Hallie, I didn’t see you because you put on a skimpy dress. Yeah, it’s nice, but sharing you with the world while you’re wearing it is the last thing I want to do,” I confess. “I saw you the moment Asher pointed you out on the side of the road, wearing that old T-shirt and cutoff shorts. I saw you when you sought me out in your sleep with your hair a mess.” I tuck a strand of that beautiful hair behind her ear. “I don’t need a dress to see you.”

“But I don’t understand how, Az. We just met.”

“Attraction is a funny thing, Hallie. It can either happen in the blink of an eye, or it can take a lifetime. I stopped questioning how it works a long time ago.” I pause, considering how to explain this to her further without scaring her off. “I just know that I’m attracted to you, and I want to see where this takes us.”

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