Page 110 of Heresy

Laughing because I know admitting this will bring up memories, I add, “And they love to fight as much as me.”

Her eyes return to mine, her mouth opening just a touch on a small inhalation of breath.

That spark is there again.

I feel it too.

And there is so much that is wrong about me feeling anything.

“Like the fight at Myth?”

Reluctantly, I nod again.

“Yeah. That was far from our first and probably won’t be our last.”

I expect her to press for more information about me, but instead, she returns her attention to the lake.

“Are we just sitting here, or can we get out and go look around the park?”

Opening my door, I step one foot out before looking back at her. “Promise not to run or do anything stupid? I really don’t feel like chasing you down.”

She smiles again, and what the fuck is that? I was expecting one of her cute ass glares. Seems I’ll have to work harder to earn those now.

“Even if I did run, I’d have no idea where I’m going. It’s not like we’re near a place where people could help me.”

She’s not wrong. Satisfied with that, I climb the rest of the way out of the car then round the front to open her door for her. I offer her my hand, but Brinley stares at it without accepting.

“We’re still not there yet, huh?”

Brinley shakes her head. “Not even close.”

“Well, at least you didn’t slap it away that time. I’ll take that as progress.”

She chuckles. “If you say so. I’ll still disagree, but whatever helps you sleep better at night.”

A sense of humor.

That’s new.

Don’t get me wrong. Brinley has it in spades when it comes to arguments and insults.

But this side of her, at least to me, is new.

Allowing her to take the lead, I follow at a snail’s pace behind her so she doesn’t feel threatened. Plus, from where I walk, I can observe her more closely, watch her in an environment where she appears to feel comfortable.

The constant rigidity of her muscles is gone. I can tell that even beneath the baggy clothes she’s wearing.

She steps carefully through the sand as we approach the lake, only stopping at the very edge where the water gently laps at the shore.

It’s like black ice out there for how still it is, the moonlight reflected so that it feels like a different world. A perfect mirror image, really, and even I’m taken by the beauty of it.

“I like this place,” Brinley murmurs.

Ah, hell. I can’t help myself. “Do you like me now too?”

“No,” she answers immediately.

“Damn. It was worth a shot.”

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