“Right, right. Gee, Seven, I’m having trouble making a case for why I should reconsider turning my life into a pretzel to have sex with you on the sly. Am I supposed to be impressed by how you somehow roped Godmother into putting me on this case—”
He stops walking and whirls to face me, grabbing my arm so that I can’t ignore him. “How about because of the chemistry? The kiss we shared. The kiss you returned after you said you forgave me. How about because I can’t stop thinking about you?”
I bark a laugh. “Teenage me. The me you think you remember.”
“No, woman.” He gives me a little shake, his eyes sparking with flecks of gold in the sunlight. “You,now, the pixie who was clever enough to survive and raise a daughter on her own. The one who has no problem mouthing off to my father even though he’s kicked her in the teeth. I can’t stop thinking about the woman who’s half my size and even less lucky but won’t take an ounce of shit from me or anyone else, who’s brave enough to stir up answers about a murder that I wasn’t able to find even though I run the godsdamned security office! The one who never backs down from a fight and would do anything for her kid. I’m talking about the woman I kissed and the one who kissed me back.”
Gods, the fire I’ve ignited in his soul is such a turn-on, I almost let my feelings slip. But my warrior raises her spear and strokes the head of the tiger that waits by her side, all my luck, all my power, defending what’s left of my heart.
“Oh that,” I say with a breathy laugh. “I thought we said everything that needed to be said on the subject.”
He studies me for a moment, his eyes narrowing, and then the corner of his mouth lifts. He drops my arm, and we begin walking again. “Right. You told me all about it. The world we live in, leprechauns and pixies, dirty little secrets, yada, yada, yada… Thing is, I think that’s all talk. I think you want to give this thing a go as much as I do. As I recall, you heldsomethingagainst me Friday night, and it wasn’t a grudge.”
My mind immediately sends me a brilliant memory of my body flush against his. “I guess I let the music and the liquor get the best of me,” I blurt.
“You hadn’t been drinking. You never had a chance, and we’d left the music behind in the Dragonfly.”
“I was tired. Thinking about the past made me nostalgic,” I toss out.
“You were wet for me, and your tongue promised things your body longed to deliver.”
My cheeks burn at his words, and I can’t help but inhale sharply at the truth in them. I can’t think of a witty comeback, so I go for the low hanging fruit. “Maybe you just got lucky. There was a lot of it flowing that night.”
A deep growl rumbles in his throat, and he scowls at me. “I did not use luck to get you to kiss me. That was all you, Sophia, and you know it.”
“I definitely felt your luck in that room.”
“After. After you kissed me back and only for your pleasure.”
I scoff mercilessly, my warrior pounding the end of her spear against the floor of my inner cave. “I guess we remember it differently,” I say coldly.
“That’s it,” he says under his breath. Before I can react, he’s taken me in his arms and his lips crash against mine.
I try to maintain my cool, try to tamp down my emotions and keep the warrior front and center, but my blood heats. It isn’t luck that makes me return the kiss. There’s no rush or tingle against my skin. Pure, old-fashioned passion rolls through me. I open for him and welcome a deeper kiss. His hands are in my hair. Mine are on his stomach, pressed flat and skimming the hard planes of his torso. He’s hard and lean. I can’t get enough. Without breaking the kiss, he finds my hips and tugs me against him. The feel of his cock, long and thick between us, is unmistakable. Gods, he really was born lucky. As I lean in, I feel light, and my left foot lifts behind me, my wings fluttering.
I’ve all but melted into him when he suddenly pushes me away with both hands. I’m adhered to him so thoroughly, I can almost hear a pop as the kiss breaks and I’m left cold and wanting, the weight of my backpack perceptible again.
I make a noise that sounds like “MMMhuhwah?”
He tips his head and slants me a purely masculine smile. “It’s settled. It wasn’t luck.” He turns and starts strolling toward the mountain again.
ChapterTwenty-Four
Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get. —Ray Kroc
Icatch up to him once my legs agree to obey. I’m livid. He’s toyed with me one too many times. “Are you saying that kiss was some kind of experiment?”
Now a self-satisfied grin has taken over his face. “You claimed I used luck to get you to kiss me. I simply proved that no luck was required. Youwantedto kiss me. You enthusiastically kissed me back.”
My mouth drops open. “You asshole!”
“An asshole you enjoy kissing.” He bounces a little on his toes. Did he just skip? Oh my gods!
I grumble, but I can’t deny it. Instead, I just lower my head and shuffle after him, keeping space between us. “Didn’t enjoy it,” I mumble, but it’s so obvious I’m lying that my cheeks burn hotter.
“Don’t worry, Sophead, I’ll do it again soon. I have every intention of making up for lost time with you and proving to you that we belong together.”
Still a little dizzy, I murmur, “This again. Are you kidding me?”
