Page 29 of Act of Brotherhood
Fire lit in her eyes, and Garth found himself smiling even wider. Oh yes, he liked a fierce woman for sure. She gave him a firm look before her lips twitched and the agitation on her face faded away. He knew then she was fighting to keep from smiling. She really wanted to be angry with him.
That, in itself, was endearing.
He licked his lower lip, desiring her in ways he shouldn’t. The things he wanted to do with the woman were against the law in some states. “Want me to bump into you again so you can yell at me some more? We both know that you’re working very hard to stay pissed at me.”
“Yes.” Her face reddened. “I mean no. I don’t want you to run into me again.”
He watched her ardently, wanting to kiss her once more. She was so close that he could easily draw her against him and feather his lips over hers. The temptation was great. “I was hoping you’d say yes. It would mean I get to touch you again. And maybe I’d get to kiss you again. Of course, should anyone ask, it was me doingallthe kissing. You weren’t part of it. I’ll keep your secret safe.”
The thinnest of giggles came from her. “Okay, fine. I kissed you back. But I didn’t run into you first. I tried to step out of the way but you’re huge and take up a lot of space. Also, you’re not creepy when out here in the open. Avoid lurking by trees. It gives you an off-putting vibe. Oh, and watch where you’re going from now on,” she said, giving up on attempting to get all of the mess back onto the now very flat box. “If I could bake, this wouldn’t have been an issue at all. I could have made them myself. The kids are going to be disappointed. I promised them a treat for our celebration in the morning.”
“Kids?” he asked, still bent with her. He didn’t know what she was jabbering about with the lurking-by-trees comment. He’d meant what he’d said. She was an odd woman. Frigging hot as hell, but very odd. He had his own fair share of quirks, so he wasn’t one to judge.
They were drawing strange looks from those passing by, but Garth didn’t care. The others could just walk on by and leave him alone with the beauty. He was enjoying this magik moment far too much to worry about what the two of them looked like covered in cake.
She smiled wider and the sight made his breath catch. Her face lit. How in the hell did the woman manage to become even sexier? If she kept it up, he’d not only be covered in cupcakes, he’d be covered in his own come. She had that kind of power over him. Enough to make him lose control of himself.
“I teach preschool,” she declared. “The cupcakes are…were…for my class. I wanted to be sure everyone could have a treat even with their various allergies.”
“Ah, so that’s why the cupcakes were made with nothing cupcake-y in them.” Garth put his hand out to the woman to help her stand. “It’s for the best they’re ruined. Those unfortunate children would have been forced to eat them. That would have been cruel and unusual punishment.”
She grinned and took his hand. When he realized both of their hands were now covered in smashed baked goods, he snorted, amused with the entire situation far more than he should be. The woman noticed it too and gifted him the most precious-sounding laugh he’d ever heard. It actually made his chest tighten and his insides feel funny—light, airy even.
“Yuck. I need to toss what’s left of these and wash up. My place isn’t far if you want to clean up as well,” she said—before going perfectly still. “Um, did I just invite you back to my place?”
He nodded, really loving modern women. “You did.”
“Huh. That’s a new one for me. Must be the accent. I like it. It’s very North Germanic.”
“Good guess.”
“I think its fulfilling my weird Viking fetish. You know my high school mascot was a Viking?” She winked. “How willing are you to wear a horned helmet and carry a sword?”
Generally, Garth took offense to misconceptions about his ancestry—like horned helmets—but he’d wear whatever the hell she wanted him to wear. Case in point, he was currently wearing cupcakes—or something that was supposed to have been cupcakes. “I’mverywilling. In fact, if all I’m required to be in is a horned helmet, and nothing else, I can guarantee my full participation.”
The sultry smile that covered her face reached her eyes, making her look like a witchy minx. One he wanted with all he had.
She kept her hand in his and frosting oozed out and onto the ground. It made an abnormal slapping sound and Garth stared down at it.
“I really do not want to know what that was made of,” he said.
She laughed again. “I’m Nicolette.”
“Garth,” he said before winking back and releasing her hand. He didn’t want to lose contact with her but if he didn’t stop touching her soon, he’d likely shift forms and try to hump her leg or something.
Just like he’d feared would happen while testing the serum.
Whatever was in the shot was doing a number on him as it was. He didn’t need to do it any favors. The guys would never let him hear the end of it if he ended up in wolf form in the middle of Savannah, in a populated area with witnesses. He’d be Asshole of the Week for sure. Not to mention a clean-up team consisting of Fae would need to be called in to wipe the memories of the humans around him.
Clean up the mess and do not turn hairy. Do not look at the way that shirt pulls at her breasts.
He looked—and then chastised himself.
Dammit.
Garth took over picking up as much of the mess as he could. “Does the offer for me to get cleaned up still stand?”
She looked him up and down and then tipped her head. The way she regarded him said she was lost in thought. For the briefest of moments, Garth could have sworn he felt something feather-like brush over his skin. He inhaled…and realized he was smelling a mix of vampire and Fae. The scent was gone before he could lock on to it.
