Page 22 of Starry with a Chance of Nightshade

The woman pointed at the dog and shook her finger before turning to face Stratton.

As she did, the clearly unstable dog faded away on his list of worries. All he could think about was the woman. Her moss-green eyes were wide and locked on him. They reminded him of home. Of how green the rolling hills of the Fae realm were. And strangely enough, they made him think of Tarrytown. Of the Frankenstein Manor.

She stood there, seeming equally as off-kilter as he felt. She blinked and then cleared her throat. “I’m so sorry. Did he bite you?”

Stratton fought the urge to take hold of her, drag her against him, and kiss her senseless. That thought should have been enough to jar him back to reality. As he raked his gaze over her, taking in the sight of her bared torso, her very short pair of cut-off sweats, and black leather boots, reason seemed to flee, leaving him acting on impulse.

His hand was up and brushing a lock of her purple hair from her eyes before he could so much as consider controlling himself.

The woman caught his hand in hers and began to pull it away from her face but stopped. Instead, she narrowed her gaze on him, clutching his hand in midair, curiosity filling her expression. Her mouth moved but Stratton was so caught up with her that he didn’t catch what was being said.

“She asked you a question,” Drest said, clearly getting great joy out of the interaction.

“How?” Stratton tried to clear the fog in his mind to form something of a coherent thought. It didn’t work. His mind was stuck on the idea of kissing her senseless. He eased closer to her, his intent to give in to the temptation.

The dog snarled and made another attempt to come at Stratton. It bumped into the woman, knocking her legs out from under her.

Stratton reacted with a speed humans didn’t possess. He caught her and drew her up, leaving their bodies pressed together. He didn’t care if anyone noticed how fast he’d moved. He wasn’t going to let her be harmed.

She gasped, her gaze on his lips to start and then easing upward to his eyes. “Th-thank you.”

Stratton’s breathing increased as he became acutely aware of every part of his body. A certain part was extremely pleased with having her this close. “Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she breathed.

The next he knew, his lips were brushing hers.

She gasped but didn’t back away. Instead, her tongue darted out and over her lower lip, catching his in the process as well.

Need slammed through him.

Normally, he preferred his women blonde with long hair, in high-end dresses and heels. But this woman, with her short-cut purple hair that made him instantly think of the signature color of the Nightshade Clan, and her mismatched outfit was making him rethink everything he’d assumed he knew about himself. In fact, all he wanted to do was take her to the grass and get lost in paradise.

He couldn’t seem to stop himself as he put his lips close to hers once more.

She went to her tiptoes, her breasts pressing against his body, only serving to make his desire to take her to the ground and sink into her all the stronger.

Drest stepped close and nudged him. “You can probably let go of her now. I think she’s got her feet under her again.”

“Let go of her?” asked Stratton, his brain no longer working properly.

Drest leaned and turned his head, speaking in a low voice near Stratton’s ear. “You’ve got her locked against you.”

“I do?” asked Stratton, realizing his arms were indeed fastened around the woman’s waist. He opened them quickly and expected her to dart away.

She stayed where she was, her dark brows drawing together. “Do I know you?”

“Yes,” he blurted before realizing he didn’t actually know her. He then corrected himself. “I mean no.”

“Oh,” she replied, staying near him. “Are you sure?”

It took Stratton a bit to comprehend her hands were on his chest. His groin decided it was totally onboard with her touching him. In fact, it wanted her to touch him more. Much, much more. In an effort to save face and keep her from realizing she was giving him an erection, he was the one who broke contact, instantly regretting it.

She eased back from him as well, still watching him like she didn’t believe him when he’d said they didn’t know one another.

He’d have remembered a woman like her.

She was…astonishing.

---