Page 30 of Property of Azrael

She looks at me curiously, like she’s trying to see the truth in my words. After a moment, those green eyes of hers relax, but are still guarded as she concedes, “I think I want that too.”

I shouldn’t want her, and I shouldn’t bring her into my life, but the gravitational pull I feel around her won’t let me leave. She shivers, and seeing her suffering under the pretense that it took this stupid fucking dress for me to see her is more than I can take.

“Come with me.” I lead her toward the front of the hotel and find what I’m looking for. Leaving her near the entrance, I head into the women’s clothing section of the gift shop, select a hoodie from the wall display, and pay for it at the counter.

“Here.” I hand it over to Hallie. “Put this on over the dress.”

She looks at it and frowns. “A hoodie?”

“A compromise. You want to keep wearing the dress, and I don’t want to go to jail for murder the next time you flash someone. We both win with this.”

Begrudgingly, she slips it over her head. Once it’s on, I can’t help but laugh when I see it hangs over the hem of her skirt by a few inches.

“I look like a child wearing my dad’s hoodie,” she argues.

“Are you warm?”

“Yes.”

“Are you exposed?”

“No.”

“Problem solved.” Grabbing her hand, I start to walk back to the meet and greet, but she pulls me once again to a stop. “What’s wrong now?”

“Can we not go back there?”

“I thought this was what you wanted?”

“I did too.” There’s a twinge of sadness in her tone. She looks away from the crowded room toward the exit to the lake from the hotel. “Could we go for a walk instead?”

“Are you sure?”

She nods. This time, she reaches out for my hand and takes it into hers, her small fingers interlacing with mine as she tugs me through the lobby and out the exit.

The chilly night air smacks us in the face when we make it outside. Hallie snuggles into her new hoodie as a swift breeze comes off the lake. We find a walking path just off the exit. Following it, we walk at first in silence, allowing the sounds of the crickets near the lake to fill the void between us. Other groups pass us as we go, their chatter quiet until after they pass us. It’s not until a bench by the lake appears that Hallie diverts us toward it, releases my hand, and takes a seat.

“Can I join you?” At her nod, I settle in next to her, the cold metal biting into my skin. “Tell me what happened back there.”

Taking a deep breath, she blows it out slowly and leans forward, resting her head in her hands, her elbows on her knees. “I don’t know. I guess I thought it would be different. You build up in your mind how your first event will go, but it’s not going as I’d planned.” She laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “I’m not like you or Eden. I can’t just walk into a room and be a commanding presence.”

“What can I do to help?”

She slumps back in her seat. “When I can answer that, I’ll let you know.”

It’s plain to see she’s unsure of her place here. I can barely stand seeing her so upset.

“Fuck it.” She has no time to react before I reach over and drag her onto my lap. My hands fall to her waist to steady her as she’s forced to straddle my hips.

“What are you doing?” she shrieks, trying to wiggle away, but I pull her closer, bringing her chest to rest against mine.

“Relax, Hallie.”

Cupping her head, giving her no chance to pull away, I kiss her. This isn’t a chaste kiss, but a claiming one. A kiss with unsaid intentions, laced with her own promises as she moans, her body relaxing and her mouth accepting.

When I finally pull away, I search her eyes, praying that I haven’t crossed a line. She looks back, her bright green orbs sparkling with an afterglow, dancing with the same mix of excitement and uncertainty as mine. The only thing I see is Hallie’s beautiful face, smiling for the first time since we arrived at the event.

“I’ve been wanting to do that all day.”

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