Page 288 of Midnights
“Okay, so those weren’t yourexactwords, but close enough.” He chuckles.
I shake my head, rubbing the back of my neck as we make our way into my office. He strolls right past me, dropping into the chair across from my desk.
“What the hell happened to you?” I give him a once-over, noticing how he looks like he went ten rounds with a wrecking ball.
He shrugs, brushing it off like it’s nothing. “Just a job that didn’t exactly go as planned. Had to… improvise. You know how it goes.”
His tone is too casual, but something’s off. What the fuck is going on around here?
But before I can push, he changes the subject. “Anyway, how’d it go last night?”
I sink into my chair, explaining the lights, and the way they blew apart. His expression shifts as I open the laptop, and when he leans in behind me, there's a stiffness there. His usual easy front slipping, just for a second.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I ask, watching him closely.
He doesn’t meet my eyes, which tells me everything I need to know. He’s hiding something. The real question is, will he tell me.
“Yes, Mom, I’m fine. Will you press play already?” His voice is easy, but his body is still tense.
He watches in silence, and I can see his jaw tick like he's thinking too hard. I don’t fucking buy it. Not with the dark circles under his eyes, the tight set of his jaw and the way he won’t meet my eyes. Yeah, something’s definitely up.
I drop it—for now. We've got other shit to deal with, and if he wanted me to know right now, I'd already know. I lean back, fingers tapping the desk before going still. "Did you find anything else?"
“I did, actually.” He stretches his arms behind his head, like this is just another day at the office. Like he’s not lying to my fucking face. “I found a few more rabbit holes, and I’m confident one of them is going to lead us where we need to go.”
“Good.”
He's bent over the screen one second, then straightens the next, sharp and abrupt.
“You got things handled here?”
There it is again. That edge in his tone, thin and distant, like his mind's already somewhere else.
My eyes narrow, but I nod. “Yeah, go. Let me know what you find.”
“Will do.”
He’s already moving, not waiting for my answer. I watch until his footsteps fade down the hall, swallowed by silence. He's hiding something, and I'm going to find out what it is.
Chapter 49
So High School
Raven
Ever since that dream, I've been a wet, sopping mess. A slow-burning wreck of want, and need. Every cell in my damn body is attuned to him, and every glance he’s thrown my way is only making it worse.
It’s pathetic, really. I’ve been practically drooling over him like some hormonal teenager, like I’m starved. And maybe I am.
Something shifted while I was gone, I can feel it. It seems like something else woke up right along with my magic.
God, I missed him.
The banter. The glares. The way he looks at me like he’s one breath from devouring me whole. And those stupid fucking dimples, making it harder than it should be to keep hating him.
I still don’t want a relationship, but I’ve basically let him walk right in the front door. And the worst part is, I don’t even hate it.
That’s the terrifying part. I have no idea where he fits into this strange, new discovery that is my life. Everything's changing so fast. My magic, my identity, the lines I swore I wouldn’t cross. And somewhere along the way, I’ve developed feelings for this annoyingly beautiful man.
