In time. I’ve been reading the Codex again.
Of course you have.
Remind me what it says about humans? That we’re banned from doing exactly what we’re doing right now?
Yes.
Fantastic.
Sign me up for banishment and eternal torment with you then because I’m fucked.
I’ll put your name on the list.
Take care of her.
I will if she’ll let me.
A hand on my arm breaks me from the conversation. Juniper is smiling as she tries to take her coat from my arms, and my knees give a little at the sight of her bright eyes gazing up at me.
I don’t entirely know what comes over me. It’s like I can’t resist, like I’ve forgotten that we’ve only just met.
I take her chin between my thumb and forefinger, bend my head, and bring her mouth to mine.
Fuck me running, her lips are soft.
It’s as automatic as if we’re done it a thousand times. As if picking her up after work is our routine, and the kiss is simply an acknowledgment of how much we missed one another.
Heat spreads down my arms. My legs weaken. It’s soft, barely lasting more than a couple of seconds…
And yet it feels like the beginning of forever.
“Oh,” she whispers once we part, her eyes widened at me.
I swallow, tongue darting out over my lips. “Sorry, that was?—”
“It’s fine,” she says, and I can see her chest heaving. “Ah… Let’s go then.”
Shit.
Did I just fuck this up?
I hold out her coat, and she turns to slip her arms into it. She’s blatantly avoiding my eyes when she pivots to get Pack on her leash, and when she’s ready, I get the door in a hurry.
“Juniper,” I call out when she walks past me.
The door closes at my back, and Juniper finally looks at me.
“I just fucked up my chance tonight, didn’t I?” I ask.
Her eyes soften, and she looks like she’s going to laugh. “Not entirely. You just caught me off guard.”
“In a bad way?”
Juniper begins walking toward the street. All I can do is stare after her, wait for her to tell me I haven’t completely ruined this. I don’t know if I’ve ever been this obviously nervous.
I don’t like it.
Shit, is this how Nick feels sometimes?
