Page 114 of Shadowed Steel (Heirs of Chicagoland 3)

Connor nodded his approval. “If you’re a good vampire, there’s a spinach smoothie waiting at the end of our run.”

I narrowed my eyes as I took him in from the gorgeous planes of his face to the planes of his abdomen. “Is that how you look like that? Spinach smoothies?”

He lifted a brow, put his hands on his hips, tapped the diagonal muscles at the edge of his hips. “Like this?” he asked, but there was no modesty in the tone.

“I figured it was just magic.”

He snorted. “Magic doesn’t hurt. But no, it’s work. You train plenty; so do I. So let’s get to it. Be down in five.”

“Who’s the bossy one now?”

“The prince, of course.” Then winked before closing the door again.

“Be down in five,”I mimicked and threw my legs over the side of the bed.

“I heard that,” he called out.

Damned shifter hearing.

***

Because he was right, and I did need to burn off some energy, I got dressed, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and met him in the kitchen.

He glanced up, gaze taking in the sports bra and runningshorts I’d donned, and the skin left bare against the late summer heat. “On second thought,” he said, voice gravelly, “maybe we should make other plans.”

“Your plan was just fine,” I said.

He looked me over again. “It definitely has its upside.”

“Mm-hmm. Why you stalling? Are you nervous about running against a vampire with super strength and super speed?”

He snorted. “Bring it, dead girl.”

Can and will, I thought, and smiled.

“Two legs or four?” he asked.

“Two,” I said.

“In that case...” He pushed off, ran down the hallway toward the front door.

“Damn it,” I said and followed him.

We were both snort-laughing by the time we got to the door and were through it, made it down the steps and to the sidewalk. The air smelled of rain, but the sidewalks were still dry. It hadn’t come yet, but it would. The storm would break, and carry away the last of summer, the dregs of heat and dust, and escort in the chill of fall.

We reached the street and both paused for a sobering moment, to check for magic and enemies, to see if they’d found the town house, found us. But the night was quiet, the few sounds made by humans. Most were inside, waiting for the rain to fall.

But not us. Not when the night was here for the taking, and we had freedom left to spend.

“Go,” I said and took off in front of him.

I heard him curse and push off behind me, catch up in seconds. We both ran hard, not yet full-out, but enough to challenge each other. Down one dark street, turning the corner, and sprinting down the dark sidewalk, laughing even as we breathed harder,pushed harder. He began to outpace me—his damned legs were longer, and he was literally built for running, at least in wolf form—so I accelerated, and nearly beat him to the entrance of a small park at the end of the street.

Nearly.

He slapped the wooden sign first, then looked back at me, grinned in victory.

Chest heaving, I grinned back. Both of us had hands on our hips, bodies gleaming with exertion under the rising moon.

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