Page 47 of The Hallows Queen

Silence washes over us, and after a minute, I move uncomfortably in my seat. I clear my throat, pulling his attention back to me. “Did you think this was a date?”

“Yes,” he says, matter of fact.

I lean forward, resting an elbow on the table. “You wanted it to be a date?”

He mirrors me, leaning toward me. “Yes.”

I suck my teeth in thought, then narrow my eyes at him. “Is this a date?”

He chuckles, his eyelids fluttering with attitude. “Yes, Penelope. This is a date.”

My stomach flutters once again, butterflies exploding into greedy monsters that cut off my oxygen supply.Why does this feel like this?I stare at him, getting lost in the onyx of his eyes, and find the need to lean forward to kiss him pulling at my chest. Instead, I clear my throat again.

“I thought we talked about this.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “No, you talked, and I listened. After careful consideration, I decided to ignore you.”

I snort, sitting back in my chair. “Oh?”

He grins. “What is it you said? I’m aspoiled little rich boy who always gets what he wants?”

I laugh, loving our banter that comes so effortlessly. “Something like that, yeah.”

“Well…” He sits back again, leveling me with a look that makes my blood warm. “You should have known I wouldn’t give up, then.”

I can feel the sassiness inside of me bubbling up, and as much as I try to stamp it down, it isn’t in my nature to be submissive, so all I want to do is argue with him. “Always so sure of yourself, Hayden. What if I don’twantto be on a date with you?”

He rubs his palms together, then stands up. Circling the chair, he grabs the back of it so he can carry it around the table and place it next to me. When it’s a foot from me, he sits down again and faces me. I must have a look on my face that shows him exactly what I’m thinking, because when he leans toward me, he’s laughing.

“Penelope.” His voice is low, controlled. “I know you can feel what I do, no use in pushing it away. I want you, you want me. Stop being difficult.”

I laugh, which pisses him off enough that his jaw flexes. “I’ve given you no inclination that I’m interested in dating you. In fact, I’ve told you multiple times I don’t want to. We don’t even know each other.”

He reaches for me and runs a finger down my throat. I have to suppress a shiver at the light touch. “I know you love the beach, that you grew up in Luxington, that your dad has cancer, that when you dance, you get lost, like everyone else in the room disappears.”

I blink up at him, my chest rising and falling quicker.

He continues, his eyes never leaving mine. “I know that when you come, you like to have something to dig your nails into, that you scream loud enough to rattle the windows. I know you’re fucking beautiful. That even with makeup running down your face and your hair a mess, you’re the most beautiful girl in the room. I know you have an attitude that rivals mine, that you might be a bigger bitch than me, but you can also be soft. I know you’re broken, that you’re pushing me away because you think I’m going to destroy you – but it’s you who could destroy me, Penelope. I’d let you claw at me from the inside out, rip me apart and scatter the pieces if you wanted to.”

I’m barely breathing when he stops talking, my throat feeling dry and tight.

I clear my throat, then take a breath. “So, you know some things about me, but I don’t know you.”

“You know me.” He smiles. “I know you can feel me under your skin. Everything else, you’ll learn along the way.”

Just as I’m realizing how right he is, a server appears at our table to give us our food, and I lean back in my chair to end the conversation. Hayden’s eyes stay on me, though, like he’s trying to read the thoughts spinning around inside my mind.

When our slices of pizza are in front of us, we both thank the server as he walks away. I look out at the street, pretending I’m distracted by something, but I’m really freaking out inside. I can feel Hayden’s stare burning me, as if his gaze is stuck to me like a magnet, and I want to get up and run for my life.

After a minute, he grabs my hand. “Penelope.”

I look at him. “Let’s eat.”

It surprises me that he doesn’t push me, instead he nods and stops touching me. We both grab our pizza and eat in silence. It isn’t until both of our plates are empty that he finally talks again.

“Look at me.”

I do, finding his mouth curved into a smirk, which makes me chuckle. “What?”

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