“No, it was how hesawme. He’s from a different world than I am. It would be easy for him to look down his nose at me. You probably don’t realize this as a human, but pixies aren’t always taken seriously.”
“I’ve heard.” Dark Stranger smiled at me, but there was nothing condescending in his tone. He seemed legitimately empathetic with my situation.
“When he looked at me, it was like he saw me, beyond the wings, beyond the labels. Like straight into my soul.”
He scratched the side of his jaw and chewed on his straw. “I bet I can guess what he saw.”
I giggled. He’d known me less than fifteen minutes. This should be good. “Okay. Let’s hear it.” I straightened and squared my shoulders.
“You are… someone who doesn’t settle for what’s handed to them. You’re a fighter. I bet you’d rather try something ten times and fail over and over, rather than not try at all.”
Snorting, I turned on my barstool so that my knees were facing him. “How could you possibly guess that?”
His eyes flicked up to the ceiling. “Well, you’ve just had your heart torn to shreds, and you’re here in this meat market offering it up again. Either you’re a glutton for punishment or you truly believe only those who take risks reap the rewards.”
“Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong. I’m not offering up my heart. After tonight, I’m not even sure I have one.”
“Then why are you here?” He had to lean toward me as another song started and the music seemed to grow louder.
“To forget. I want to lose myself. I don’t want to care anymore. I’m tired of it. I’m tired of it all.”
“You say you want to lose yourself, but you’re beautiful and young. There’s a lot about you worth keeping.”
“You don’t know what it’s like here.”
He ran his pinky along my arm from my wrist toward my elbow. “I know something special when I see it. You pixies, you’re known for your illusions, but you, you’re as genuine as they come. Whatever happened tonight, you’ll survive. You’ll come out on top.”
“You’re surprisingly deep for a human,” I said,and achingly attractive. For the first time that night, I didn’t feel like something scraped from the bottom of Seven’s shoe. The way Dark Stranger was looking at me, I felt beautiful andwanted.
“Take me somewhere and make me forget,” I said, loading my eyes with heat and desire. I was a virgin, but Seven and I had done other things. Everything but sex. I was ready for more. I wanted more, wanted to wipe Seven and our pact from my mind.
He licked his lips and swirled the ice in his empty glass. “What exactly do you have in mind?”
The alcohol and rhythm of the music mingled, turning me brazen. Before I could lose my nerve, I wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and met the stranger’s mouth with my own in a wicked, shameless kiss. His mouth was as dark as the rest of him, lusciously warm and soft. But it was a human kiss. There was no rush of luck to curl my toes. Still, a delicious weight formed low within me.
When I pulled back, he looked crestfallen. “No,” he said.
I jolted as if the word hit me on the chin. First Seven rejected me, and now this stranger in a hookup bar was turning me down? It was too much. “No? After that kiss?”
“You’ve been hurt. You’ve had a few drinks. I’m not the type of guy who takes advantage of women.” He swiveled away from me and leaned his back against the bar.
I huffed my frustration. “I’m not drunk. All I want is to have some fun and make this night not so… hellish. But listen, if you’re not interested, I’m sure I can find someone else.” I hopped off the barstool and turned toward the crowded dance floor, sweeping the scene for anyone who looked interested. My gaze locked with another human’s, this one in a flannel and a ball cap.
Dark Stranger’s hand landed on my elbow.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“No names,” I said. “It will just complicate things.”
He nodded his agreement. “Come upstairs with me. We can… talk.”
He took my hand and led me to the adjacent hotel. I’d never been there before and had to stop myself from gaping as we rode the shiny mirror-and-brass elevator to the top floor. I wanted him to kiss me again, like before, but he just stared at the doors. Was he truly planning to bring me back to his room just to talk? Honorableandachingly sexy. There was something about him I justwanted.
We reached the penthouse and he placed a hand in the center of my back to usher me inside. I paused in the foyer to take in the shiny surfaces, the fireplace, the sitting area. He left my side and moved to a wet bar against the far wall.
“Now tell me more about yourself. What’s your favorite book?” He grabbed two glasses and a decanter of amber liquid.
“You took me back to your room to ask me about my favorite book?”
