“You okay?” I ask when the cab’s warmer.
“I’m fine.” He turns the heat down and shifts into reverse, flashing a quick smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
We slip out of the parking lot and turn onto the street leading to the inn. Did I misunderstand him? Is he dropping me off instead?
But no, he keeps going, cruising past the Applewood Inn, which is glowing like an eerie Christmas snow globe, its front lawn guarded by a skeletal Santa and bone-thin reindeer frozen mid-prance.
Streetlights blur past as he speeds up, golden halos swallowed by the foggy air. As we slip out of downtown, he drives with one hand on the wheel, the other resting palm-up on the seat between us.
I reach over and slide my fingers against his.
He curls his hand around mine with a sure, possessive strength that makes me feel like nothing bad could ever happen when I’m with him.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Declan
The house feelsdifferent with Emery beside me. The floorboards don’t creak as loud. The shadows don’t cling as tight. Even the river in the distance sounds calmer, rolling steady against the bank, soothing something inside my chest.
I unlock the door and step back to let her in. She brushes past me, coat draped over her arm, cheeks still pink from the cold. Her eyes move over the entryway like she’s worried she shouldn’t admire it too much.
“Want me to warm up your cocoa?” I ask, holding up the nearly empty paper cup.
“No.” She clutches her stomach. “I think I’ve had enough.”
“I’m going to toss these.” I lift the cups in the air. “Go ahead and hang up your coat, make yourself comfortable.”
“I’ll just follow you.” She falls into step behind me, only stopping briefly by the hall closet to drop her coat on a hook.
Her boots thud softly against the antique rugs as we move through the living room, dining area, and into the kitchen. She continues to the windows over the sink. I keep the lights off as I toss the cups in the trash can, then join her.
“You like the river view?” I ask. From here you can barely make out the black river water sliding through the darkness down below.
She reaches out, tracing her fingertips over the glass.
Her sleeve shifts, falling down her arm, revealing the faint green shimmer pulsing beneath her skin.
My stomach tightens.
She turns her head, peering up at me with a soft, gentle expression. “It tingles.”
“That’s probably not great.”
She presses her lips together and smooths her expression so fast, it seems she’s trying not to worry me. That’s admirable but impossible.
“Nothing major. More like it wants me to know it’s paying attention.” Her lips flicker into a quick grin.
I step behind her, closing the distance enough that her back brushes my chest as her breathing picks up.
“Still not great,” I murmur.
Her breath hitches. “I’m fine.”
“Did you have fun tonight?” I ask.
She turns, her body dragging against mine, the friction shooting sparks to every inch of me. She loops her arms around my neck and stares into my eyes, sweet and earnest. “I had fun with you.”
The faint glow pulses near my cheek where her sleeve has slipped to her elbow. I lower my head and skim my lips over her wrist. The mark brightens, a soft shimmering thrum against my mouth, as if reacting with pleasure to my touch.
