He bit his lip and tilted his head in thought. “On some other women, it doesn’t take much. But I stopped caring about what works on other women. I’m only concerned about one.”
I snorted before biting into one of the items on my plate. I closed my eyes and hummed in spite of myself. It was divine, as was everything I’d eaten of his.Don’t do it, Billie. Do not fall for him just because he can cook. Remember, he is cocky, and you don’t know what’s in his head. You can’t get comfortable around him.
Lila cleared her throat. “You guys should just get a room. I can feel the sexual tension rolling off you in waves.” She stuck her tongue out at me, and I glared back at her with an angry pout.
Daniel chuckled. “I’m very game for that. But my omega here sets the pace. We go as slow as she needs.”
I looked over to him, and he wasn’t smiling anymore. He actually looked earnest and unbothered by me moving so slowly with him. “No wonder you’re the leader. You talk a good game.”
He reached out a hand and wiped at the corner of my lip with his index finger. I froze, my body heating up from just that slight contact. Come on, now.
He then pulled his finger back and stuck it in his mouth slowly, his eyes intense. “I also follow through.”
I sucked in a breath, holding onto my chopsticks with a death grip. This guy was going to wear me down, and I might just let him.
CHAPTER15
BILLIE
Daniel drove us home, dropping Lila off at her apartment first, even though it was out of the way. He really was doing all the right things, and I was sure that Lila was already his biggest fan. Hell, she was all of their fans.
The ride back to my place was silent except for some R&B music playing from one of the music services connected to his car.
Daniel tapped the wheel as we stalled at a red light letting out a long-suffering sigh. “What am I doing wrong?” he asked, turning down the music.
What was he talking about? He was doing everything right. That was the problem. The guy had no flaws. Kai was silly. Ty was shy, and Lance was… awkward. “You aren’t doing anything wrong. Maybe I’m just intimidated by you. I’m far from perfect. I’m not just talking about looks, although it is a huge part of it. You just seem so damn cool. When you were all bloody and cut up from that fight, you looked stupid sexy. Do you even fart?”
He let out a loud laugh, and it turned into a cute snort that I found really charming. “I’m lactose intolerant, so yes, I pass gas. I just try not to eat things that would cause that. I’m not the smartest or even the strongest.” He sighed. “Look, Billie, I want you to like me. Maybe I’m trying too hard. I like to look like I’m in control. It makes me dependable. With all we’ve gone through, some of it our own faults, I need to be a source of stability. And as for looks, I use fae magic so I won’t be as distracting to regular people.”
Wait, fae had food allergies? No, that wasn’t the biggest revelation. This wasn’t his real appearance? Oh, now I was very intrigued. By distracting, did he mean he was even more gorgeous? What was he hiding? Was I going to be literally blinded by his beauty? “I need to see what you really look like.”
He gave me a sideways glance before looking back at the road. He didn’t look too happy about my demand. What the hell was he hiding? “I’ll show you when we get home,” he stated in a tight voice.
Nope, he was not a happy camper. He was the one who brought it up. Did that mean he wasn’t all perfect like I thought? Was he some kind of troll under the magic? Would that change the way I looked at him? No, I wasn’t that superficial. But there were limits, though.
When we got into my apartment, the first thing I did, before kicking off my shoes and taking my coat off, was turn on the entry lights and do a two-step. “Show me the unfiltered Daniel, please and thank you.”
He grumbled something unintelligible as he took his shoes off. “Will this really help you?”
I nodded eagerly. “Absolutely. How can I ever be relaxed around you if I don’t ever see the real you?”
I could see a struggle in his eyes as he considered my words. He had to know how important this was to me, but I’d have to not be a dick and stay grounded if it turned out he had three heads.
“Fine.” He took off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt, and my eyes widened.
Was he going to get naked to show me the real him? I was open to it. I stood in front of him with a closed-lip smile and crossed my arms.
He lowered his head and then raised his arms out to the side. Before my eyes, I watched as his normally buttery tan complexion grew pale, almost porcelain white. His hair grew long, reaching to his chest, turning an equally white shade. When he lifted his head, his eyes bled an icy blue, not even a pupil could be seen. His ears were slightly pointed, and tiny fangs appeared in his mouth. On his chest, toned abs, and arms were several scars of various sizes. Perhaps from a sword? He turned, and I saw even more scars on his back.
I sucked in a breath, my stomach going into a mass of confusing tumbles. He definitely looked otherworldly. And still damn hot. He was still tall and built like a swimmer. And he had abs I could wash clothes on if an apocalypse happened, and I had to resort to washing things that way. Every exposed part of him was still mouth-watering.
He tilted his head, and I couldn’t tell his emotions without seeing pupils. “See, not perfect.”
Tell that to my lower region. No, he wasn’t perfect, and neither was I. Not even the scars detracted from his beauty. I wanted to run my hands over his hard marble-colored skin, scars and all. His almost alien appearance was hauntingly beautiful, and I could feel myself getting lost in his glowing blue gaze. Finally, I decided that breathing was necessary and sighed. “You’re still pretty to me. All of you,” I replied before sticking my tongue out at him. “How’d you get your scars?”
I could see a glint of something behind his eyes. A sadness? He looked down at himself, running a hand over his chest. “There are a lot, aren’t there? Years of fighting. Some my fault. Some not. Do they bother you?”
His scars were all different. All sizes and shapes. There were so many it looked like the texture of his skin. I couldn’t comprehend how much physical pain he’d endured in his life.
