Page 23 of Moon Cursed

I gave him a clueless, and extremely irritated, look.

“Nyx told me everything,” he repeated, “when he found me curled up on the bathroom floor—praying death would come faster. He force-fed me some awful swill and then told me that you blowing up the bond put us on Luame’s hitlist. We’ll die unless we make it right with each other, so...”

Oh gods, no.

“That’s what I’m doing.” Paxton held out the lilies again.

My head-peeling glare should’ve reduced them to ashes, because that’s what the fuck I was trying to do. “Luame is not going to kill me for rejecting you. She just won’t. But if she wants to kill you for it, she can go right ahead.” I plucked the flowers out of his hands and flung them across the room. “Fuck. Off.”

Paxton watched them sail away and bonk Megan on her screeching head without reaction. “You don’t know that she’ll spare you, and you’re too smart to risk it, so no, I’m not fucking off. What I’m actually going to do is make it up to you, make you forgive me, and then make you fall in love with me.”

Again I gave him my back and strode away. Again he jogged after me, chuckling.

“Is this how you deal with things you don’t like? Just stuff your ears and walk off? It’s good to know these little things about you.”

“That’s not how I deal with things I don’t like, although I damn sure don’t like you,” I flung back. “I’m walking off because I was taught it’s rude to stand there and stare when someone’s having a mental breakdown.”

Paxton laughed again. “There’s nothing crazy about winning my woman back.”

I gaped at him, eyes bugged. “Your what? I’m not your fucking woman!”

“You were,” he said, shrugging. “You liked me before. You’ll like me again.”

“I liked who you werepretendingto be!”

“Aha.” He smirked. “You admit it. You did like me.”

My lips peeled back from my teeth. “You do realize you’re within throat-ripping distance, don’t you?”

Paxton threw up his hands, walking back with that same cocky grin that made my heart thump the first time around. “No need to rip my throat out, baby. All I’m asking is that you give me a chance to save both our lives. Don’t be stubborn to the grave.”

“I’ve told you,” I gritted. “Luame won’t kill me for rejecting you.”

“Won’t she? Then tell me right now: how is your wolf? Is she the same as she always is? Or did you wake up feeling like something is off with her, like I did with my wolf?”

My lips parted... but nothing came out.

“Exactly,” he said, driving the dagger deeper. “If you’re really so sure you have Luame figured out, and I can tell you don’t, there’s still no downside to you letting me beg, grovel, and make a lovesick fool of myself at your feet. Best case, you take me back and save both our lives. Worst case you stubbornly kill us both but you get to ride my dick on the way down.”

“There’s something seriously wrong with you.”

“You can give me the whole list tonight when I pick you up for our date. Okay?”

“N—”

“Good,” he barreled on. “That’s settled. This is for you—” He tossed me a chocolate kiss.

Where does he keep these things!I railed, scrambling to catch it.

“—this is for me.” Grasping my outstretched hand, he snapped me to his chest and planted a big, smacking kiss on my lips.

I squawked, shooting away, but Paxton was already striding off.

“See you tonight,” he tossed over his shoulder.

I stood there, staring after him wondering how I told the fucker off and still ended up standing there with his date, chocolate, and kiss on my lips.

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