Page 54 of Dark OZ

He grabbed her hips, flipping her effortlessly so that she was facing him. “Just do something for me.” A second later, he was painting her lips with a swipe of pie filling, making them glisten a deep shade of red. Thea seemed too shocked by the sudden change in position to protest, her eyes wide and her breathing quick.

Crowe bent low over her, tracing the path his finger had taken with the tip of his tongue, then claiming her mouth in a deep kiss. I expected her to claw and fight her way out of his grasp, but instead, she melted into the hand bracing the back of her neck, and her hips twisted to curl into his body more. She nearly started purring for him, sounding so purely sexual it made the hair on my arms raise. Damn me to hell, she was something to watch. Even Danny was stunned into silence and staring her down with greedy hunger.

When they broke apart, Crowe remarked, “Now I have a basis of comparison for later.”

Brazen fucking bastard, but she was eating it up. The girl looked downright enraptured with him. It did have me curious, though. I reached over and took a small taste. The filling was more tart than your average cherry pie, with just an edge of sweetness. It didn’t taste like any woman I’d ever known, but it did remind me of something. A lingering flavor that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It was earthy—almonds or some other nut, maybe? I smacked my lips. What a curious flavor for in a pie.

I threw a few twenties on the table. Sherri could deal with the bill. We’d lingered here too long as it was. “You two just gonna gaze at each other all night? We still have a wizard to appease.”

Thea blinked at Crowe, her expression hazy. “Have your eyes always been so blue? They’re beautiful. Like tiny pools of starlight.” She brought her fingers up to skate them through the blonde strands that were hanging low over his eyes. “And your hair it’s so soft.”

Was she fawning? It was so out of character that I stopped what I was doing to look back at her. This couldn’t be real. There was no way kissing Crowe was that mind-alerting, but the wildcat girl, who I’d personally watched blow up an entire construction yard, was admiring his face like it was a masterwork hanging in the Oz damn E.C. Museum of Fine Art.

I snapped my fingers between their faces a millisecond before they started kissing again.

“Right. Right.” Crowe shook off the lust, clearing his throat. “Come on, Gorgeous. Let’s go.” He pulled her out of the booth. The moment her feet hit the ground, she tumbled into him. Crowe barely had the time to catch her before she fell all the way to the ground.

“Whoopsie.” The word bubbled out of her on an effervescent giggle. “Damn, you’re strong.” She stroked Crowe’s bicep as he curled his arms around her. “It’s all these muscles. I want to lick them.”

“Fuck yeah, baby.“

“Fuckno.” I gave them both a push towards the exit.

Crowe ignored me, not that I really blamed him. Why would you want to when Thea’s hands were roaming and stroking everywhere they could reach. “You can lick any part of me you want.”

“We’re leaving.”

“Dibs on backseat.” Crowe lifted Thea into his arms with a long and completely inappropriate kiss for standing in the middle of a restaurant.

“Not fucking likely,” Danny sniped back at him. “There is no way in hell I’m letting whatever the fuck this is happen while I’m in the car. You’re sitting up front. I’m taking back. Also, she can walk. There’s no reason for the mid-air humping.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and squinted. “Why in the hell is it so fucking bright in here? Let’s go. These lights are giving me a headache.”

Chapter 24

Itracedthestitchingalong the collar of Crowe’s shirt. It was beautiful. I thought he was wearing a plain black T-shirt, but now, in the light of the parking lot, I could see true colors. An entire rainbow lived in each shadow, shimmering as his muscles shifted beneath the fabric. It was plush but not as smooth as the skin peeking out of the collar. I could spend my entire life stroking that skin.

We were still walking across the parking lot. No, that wasn’t right. Crowewas carryingme across the parking lot. When had he picked me up? The heat of his arms beneath my legs made them feel like they were gloriously on fire. I always felt like I was igniting whenever he touched me.

His lips dipped to mine. Fuck, he tasted good. The lingering taste of the sugary pecan and caramel was too wonderful to ignore. I licked at the edges of his mouth. I don’t think I’d ever tasted anything so marvelous.

“Oz damn, Thea. What’s gotten into you?” The deep tones of Crowe’s voice radiated out in colorful sound waves, rolling over my skin like a warm blanket of electricity.

“Not enough,” I said, my voice low and husky. I needed more. I wanted to feel everything everywhere. Brushing my fingers up his neck, I stroked the crow inked against the side of his head.

The bird blinked his beady black eye, ruffling its feathers as he stretched his wings wide.

“Hello, birdie.”

The bird swiveled his head, saying, “Did you just call me Birdie?” His voice matched Crowe’s perfectly.

“You can talk,” I gasped.

“Of course I can talk.”

I ran my fingers through his downy undercoat. The crow snapped at me, and I recoiled my hand before I lost a finger. One taloned foot at a time, the bird broke free of his tattooed confines. Feathers rained down on us, their velvety surface brushing my skin as the beautiful bird soared over the parking lot.

Nick clicked the security button on the car. The cab lights blinked, momentarily blinding me in a flash of instant sunlight.

“Ahh!” I pushed the heels of my hands into my eyes. The fireworks exploding behind my eyelids refused to fade. Beside me, Danny loosed a string of curses, covering his eyes too.

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