Page 21 of Throne of Secrets

“Yes, yes.” Star rolled her eyes. “Lock the doors. Got it.”

“And you're going to stay away from the hardware store for a while,” Ethan added.

“Agreed,” Star said. “Although … I do need caulk.”

“Order it online,” Ethan said flatly.

“Okay, okay.” She leaned her elbows on the table and tilted her head. “So … what’s your next move? You going to hack the Mafia?”

Ethan took a sip of coffee and promptly choked. He coughed, sputtered, and set the cup down. “Sure. I'll just Google 'Mafia customer service hotline' while I’m at it.”

Star grinned, wiggling her eyebrows. “If anyone could do it, it’s you. I have faith in you.”

Ethan shook his head and smiled. “No hacking. Yet. First, I need to figure out who these guys are and what they were talking about.”

“Right. Good plan.” Star stood abruptly, knocking into the table with her hip and nearly sending her coffee flying. “Oops! Sorry.”

Ethan caught the cup before it tipped over and muttered, “Yeah. I need a security system for youandthe furniture.”

Star shot him a sheepish grin. “Better get on that, security ninja. Are you sure no one’s going to come after me?”

“I promise, if the Mafia comes after you, I’ll be there to protect you,” Ethan said, his voice low and steady.

Star smiled at him, eyes sparkling with mischief. “My knight in shining armor?”

He leaned forward, his gaze holding hers. “If you’d let me be.”

That was as close to a declaration of intent as Star's curse had ever allowed him to get. His heart thudded in his chest as he waited for her reaction.

She gasped softly and sat down. “Do you mean that? Or are you just teasing me?”

Ethan reached across the table and took her hand in his, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. “Star, I want to get to know you better.”

Her breath caught. “You mean … like date?”

He chuckled and gave a slow nod. “That’s my intent.”

Star shot out of her chair with so much force that the coffee cups teetered, tipped, and spilled their contents across the table. Ethan barely managed to jerk back as the lukewarm coffee splashed down his jeans.

“Ah, hell,” he muttered, feeling the warmth soak through the denim.

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry!” Star scrambled for the paper towel roll on the counter, yanking half the roll free as she hurried back. She dropped to her knees in front of him, blotting the front of his jeans with frantic pats.

Ethan's eyes widened as her hands moved across his thighs and then higher. “Star,” he said, voice strained.

She kept dabbing at the coffee stains. “I didn’t mean to do that! I just got excited, and then I forgot my coffee was there, and?—”

“Star.” He grasped her wrists and gently pulled her hands away. Then he tipped her chin up with one finger. “I have a feeling dating you will be hazardous to my health.”

She leaned into his touch. “I swear, I don’t do this stuff on purpose. I really do want to date you, Ethan. When I told Kyle there was someone else … I thought about you.”

The tightness in his chest eased, replaced by a warmth that had nothing to do with the coffee soaking into his jeans. He smiled. “Good to know. I’ve been wondering about that.”

He leaned down and softly brushed his lips against hers. The kiss was light and teasing, just enough to leave them both wanting more.

“I know you don’t do it on purpose,” he whispered.

She sighed, eyes half-lidded.

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