Page 20 of Witch Upon a Star
I shrugged. “Wasn’t sure you’d know who Charles Xavierwas and hedged my bets that you’d know who Edward Cullen was.”
“I do. I mean, I know who both are.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Why doyouknow who Edward Cullen is?”
“Would you believe me if I told you I was a fan?” I made a heart shape with my hands. “Team Edward all the way.”
Calliope snorted. It was fucking adorable. “Definitely not.”
I dropped my hands. “I know someone who was an extra in the movies,” I said easily. “I was forced to sit through all of them. Now answer my question.”
She scrunched her nose sheepishly. “No, it’s not like reading your every thought. I read intentions, not words.”
“And you picked up on my intention just now?”
“Yes.” She licked her lips, starting to fold in on herself again.
“Don’t do that,” I snapped, harsher than I intended. When she jumped, clearly confused, I elaborated, “Don’t hide like that. I don’t care if you hide from the rest of the world, though I wish you wouldn’t, but don’t hidefrom me.”
“From…” Her eyes glanced around, like she was searching for someone else in the room before they landed back on me. “From you?”
I nodded, closing the distance between us. She, though, took a large step back. I froze, because I certainly didn’t want to push myself on her.
Something occurred to me then that I hadn’t considered before. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
A giggle-snort escaped her. She quickly covered her mouth, muffling the noise. It took her a secondto compose herself. She shook her head as she lowered her hand. “No. No, I’m as single as a dollar bill.”
I tipped my head, studying her. “Why?”
“Why?” Calliope’s eyebrows flew up to nearly meet her hairline. Like she couldn’t understand why I would even ask such a question—or care.
I held my ground. “Yes, why are you as single as a dollar bill?”
I could understand it. Even I had glanced over her at first. I hadn’t seen what was right in front of me until a chance phone call had revealed it to me and now, despite her attempts to otherwise hide, I could see her in her entirety. And I fucking liked what I saw. I was enthralled, caught in her spider’s web.
How could others not see what I was seeing now? How could others notwantwhat I wanted now? Clearly, I was not the only moron within my gender. But then, I already knew that. We men were notoriously stupid.
She continued to step backward, until she could go no further due to the countertop behind her. She lifted her hands, bracing herself against the edge. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was trying to hold herself back. From what? Fromme?
“You already know why.” Her voice was gentle, but there was something else there too. Shame? Was that fuckingshamepinkening her cheeks?
I had to keep my anger in check. Twice now I’d let it slip and twice she’d thought I was angry ather.
I knew so little about Calliope that her statement took me off guard. What did I know about her alreadythat would keep her from dating someone? Fortunately, or unfortunately, it didn’t take me long to figure it out.
“You said you knew my intention, my desire to fuck you.” Crass, yes, but honest. I’d never been one to hide who and what I was—and right now, I was a man whowantedthis beautiful woman in front of me.
Her blush deepened at my words. “You want what all men want.”
Whatallmen want? She was pairing me with those fucking bastards who wanted only sex. That sparked my anger again, though I didn’t understand why. Yes, I wanted to fuck her. That was an established fact. I wanted to bury myself so deeply inside her that we couldn’t tell where one of us started and the other ended. I wanted to ravish her, lick every inch of her body, make her call out my name, and then do it all over again.
But…then what? What happened after we were both sated? Normally, I’d go on my merry way. I was the first out the door, and the woman I was just with knew that. There was no hesitation, no cuddles, no talking, andnofalling sleep.
It seemed so heartless, so callous. I wasn’t a player. I didn’t lie, cheat, or scheme my way into women’s beds. They knew it was nothing more than sex. And yet, even the thought of doing that with Calliope seemedwrong. She was too… I wasn’t sure yet, but whatever it was, it was too precious to do anything casual with.
The very concept disgusted me, made me feel ashamed for even thinking such a crude thought. In that sense, Iwasjust like all the other men.
Andthatfucking sucked.
I took a step back this time. “I’m sorry.” My voice waslow, sincere. “You deserve the world, Calliope. You deserve a man who can give that to you, and I’m sorry I’m not him.”
