Page 80 of Monster Among the Roses (Fairy Tale Quartet 1)

t look good, not the other way around. Her hair was pulled up and her arms were delicate and bare. She did nothing to hide her scars. I loved that.

Her blue eyes met mine, and I could only shake my head, unable to think up the proper words. “You look so…” She’d finally reached us, and I still couldn’t say anything sufficient, so I reached out, snagged her waist with one hand and pulled her against me to press my mouth to hers.

“Okay, enough of that,” Henry announced, slugging me in the arm, even though he was laughing good-naturedly as he did so. “I had to tug some tricky strings to get this reservation for you.”

I dragged my lips from Isobel’s but still didn’t look at her father. Lifting the single blood-red long-stem rose I’d been holding behind my back since I’d come inside, I said, “This will never be as lovely as you, but at least you can be comforted in the fact I stole it from the best rose garden in the state.”

Her mouth fell open before she cracked off a laugh. “You stole one of my own roses to give me.”

I wiggled my eyebrows. “And I took off all the thorns too.”

Not the least bit offended by my thievery, Isobel reached for one of my hands only to turn it so my palm faced up. When she caught sight of the scratch marks I’d given myself, she shook her head and smiled. “Still can’t accomplish it with gloves on, I see.”

“Never,” I admitted, grinning back.

Henry glanced between us, clearly having no idea what we were talking about. “I swear, you two speak your own language.” Then he let out a sad smile. “Annalise and I used to do that.”

“Oh, Dad.” Isobel turned to hug him. “Don’t get sentimental. I didn’t bring any tissues.”

Her teasing worked. He sniffed out a laugh and motioned us toward the door. “Eh, enough of that. Get out of here already. Have fun. And be safe.”

She kissed him on the cheek and opened the front door. I lingered a moment to send her dad a serious nod before murmuring, “Thank you, sir.”

He clasped my shoulder. “Thank you.”

At the truck, Isobel was already reaching for her door handle. I shouted her off it, dashing down the steps until I was at her side and could open the door for her. “You gotta give me my moment here,” I said, holding out a hand to help her climb up into the cab of the truck.

With a laugh, she shook her head. “You and my dad, I swear. We’re not going to the royal ball, you know.”

Well, it certainly felt like it. It felt as if I’d just helped a princess into my truck. To me, we might as well be in some kind of freaking fairy tale.

When I climbed behind the wheel, she was flipping down the visor to check her lipstick. I winced. “Sorry. I guess I didn’t think about how I would mess up your lipstick.”

After wiping one corner, she sent me a grin. “Trust me, I didn’t mind.”

My eyebrows lifted. “So you don’t mind if I mess it up again, later on?”

She flipped the visor back up. “Oh, I’m counting on it.”

My body stirred with warmth. Suddenly, I was looking forward to what we’d do after dinner much more than I was the actual meal. But the idea of being seen in public beside this fetching lady kept me from suggesting we skip the food and go straight to dessert.

My first experience with valet parking was awkward; I totally forgot to tip the attendant, so Isobel had to. Flushing, I leaned in as I took her elbow to escort her through the front doors to murmur a grateful, “Thank you. I’m used to being the one getting tipped, not the other way around.”

“You’re fine,” Isobel started to reassure me, only to slow when she glanced over. Her lips parted with surprise. “You’re nervous.”

My brow felt damp and my skin was clammy. “Hell yes, I’m nervous,” I hissed. “I don’t belong in a place like this.”

She stopped walking entirely so she could turn to face me fully. My cheeks heated with embarrassment because someone was waiting to hold the door open for us, and it was bringing us undue attention.

Isobel didn’t seem to care. She kept her voice low and discreet when she said, “I promise you are more worthy to be here tonight than anyone else.” Then she smiled. “And your presence is the only thing keeping me from experiencing my own nerves.”

My gaze caught hers. I don’t know why I’d totally forgotten to worry about her. This was only her second outing in the past six months, and we hadn’t even gotten out of the truck the first time we’d left Porter Hall.

Feeling like a dick for not thinking about her, I raised her hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles. “I’ll keep you on the level if you can keep me calm.”

She gave a dignified nod. “Deal.”

So we entered the restaurant, where the maître d' showed us to our table in the back tucked into a darker corner. I assumed he was trying to provide us with something romantic and private, where Isobel and I could talk and focus on nothing but each other.

---