Page 160 of Defiant Beta

I stare at him. “You’re asking me out on adate?”

“The way we met was… less than ideal. I want to do it right.”

“You sniffed my neck and terrified me with a math equation.”

The corners of his eyes crease with amusement. “If it makes you feel any better, I had no clue how to answer that equation either. I had to get the answer from the back of the book.”

He surprises a bark of laughter out of me.

My eyes return to the guy holding a cell phone. I can barely see the live recording from my counter. Helicopters hover over the remains of a burning car wreck. “You realize you could have taken yourself out in a less dramatic fashion, right?” I turn to ask Vincent, fighting back a grin.

His lip twitches. “A certain woman infected me with the need to blow things up.”

He did it for me. To impressme.

I grin. “Did she now? `Cause I have to say, she sounds dangerous to be around.”

“She soundsexactlylike the woman I want.”

I study him for a bit. “This date. When?”

“Tonight. Seven. I’ll pick you up at your apartment.”

My eyes widen. “You know where I live?”

“I havealwaysknown where you were.” His amusement fades. “I told you what would happen when I kissed you, Della. You’re mine. Today, tomorrow, forever.”

He presses an achingly sweet kiss on my lips that stops my heart.

“Don’t make plans for the next couple of days. Xavier has something you want, and Levi has something you need.”

And he walks away, leaving me so brain-fried that it’ll be a miracle if I get any work done today.

“Wait!” I call after him, and he turns around. “What did you give me if they’re giving me what I want and need?”

His smile is temptation itself. “Everything. I’m giving you everything.”

He walks away. I stare after him, long after the point I lose sight of him.

“Della?”

I whip my head to my right to discover my boss is glaring at me. I have no idea how long I’ve been staring into space with a stupid smile on my face, but it must have been a while for her to be this pissed. “Yeah?”

“Was there a reason Larisa saw you crawling across the floor?”

“Me? She must have been mistaken. I’ve been restocking my display. Is this okay, or should I grab more stock from the back?”

Her eyes narrow with suspicion, but she shifts her attention to my perfume display. “Hmmm. One more row. Labels facing forward, even the ones in the back.”

As soon as I finish my shift, I bolt for my new black Mini, thanks to Cian’s generosity, speeding towards the Pack Ashe mansion.

The moment Everleigh opens the door, I rush inside. “I need a dress. I have a date.”

Frowning, she crosses her arms. “If that’s code word for you going on a mission that will get yourself killed, I’m not helping you this time.”

I told Everleigh about Ms. Huffman and the clock tower. I hadn’t wanted to, but she’s my sister. She needed to know. She took it surprisingly well, only sitting on me for ten minutes instead of the ten years I’d predicted.

“No, it’s anactualdate.”

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