Page 111 of My Vigilante Valentine

wildeblade4ever

The Harborside Diner smelled like victory.

Or maybe that was just the blueberry pancakes.

Actually, it was probably more like victory, pancakes, slightly burned coffee, and that weird mix of maple syrup and industrial cleaner that all diners seemed to have.

But I was choosing to focus on the victory part because we’d earned it.

Sitting in our cozy booth with morning sunlight streaming through the windows, I couldn’t stop smiling. Jax’s thigh pressed against mine as we shared one side of the booth while Chris sat across from us, demolishing his third stack of pancakes like he hadn’t eaten in days.

To be fair, we’d all worked up quite an appetite while taking down a serial killer.

Who knew epic showdowns could make you so hungry?

“Know what’s funny?” I asked, stealing a bite of Jax’s pancakes just because I could.

And maybe also because the way his eyes narrowed when I did it was adorable. For someone with superhuman reflexes, he was surprisingly bad at defending his breakfast.

Jax raised an eyebrow. “Not that.”

I rolled my eyes. “What’s funny is that we were supposed to come here that day. Remember, Chris?”

He nodded, mouth too full to answer out loud.

“What day?” Jax asked.

“The bank robbery. You know, when I first saw The Blade in action and fell madly in love?” I batted my eyelashes at him with exaggerated swooning motions. “We were going to get pancakes after, but then we had to give police statements instead.”

Chris swallowed his mouthful of breakfast, syrup threatening to drip onto his shirt. “I’ll never forget the day Luna couldn’t shut up about how obsessed she was with the mysterious vigilante when we all thought we were going to die. Not weird at all.”

“You weren’t going to die. I was right there.”

Chris shrugged, stabbing another bite. “I didn’t know you back then. It was still anyone’s guess how it’d turn out.”

Jax dropped his chin, then slowly looked at me, mock offense all over his face.

“Don’t worry, I trusted you,” I said, playing into it.

“Yeah, she did. Like I said, obsessed. For weeks after, it was all ‘Did you see how fast he moved?’ and ‘Those throwing knives though!’ and ‘Do you think he likes coffee?’”

I threw a blueberry at him, which he caught and popped into his mouth with infuriating accuracy. “Like you weren’t impressed, too. I distinctly remember someone saying they’d never seen anything like it.”

“Sure, but I didn’t writeMrs. Luna Bladein my diary.”

“I don’t have a diary!” The protest came out louder than intended, drawing amused looks from nearby diners.

Jax made a strangled sound that might have been a laugh.

I elbowed him. “Don’t encourage him. This is a betrayal of the highest order.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” But his eyes danced with amusement as he pressed a kiss to my temple, and I could feel his smile against my skin. “Though I have to admit, the image of you wanting to marry the vigilante version of me totally tracks. Bet you never wroteMrs. Luna Thornein your diary.”

“Bet you she did,” Chris mumbled under his breath, earning himself another blueberry bullet—this one straight to his forehead.

On the TV mounted above the counter, the morning news was still covering The Blade’s takedown of the Valentine Villain.

Amateur and security footage showed glimpses of a black-clad figure moving faster than the cameras could track, and newscasters gushed about how the vigilante had saved the city once again.

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