But what if I’d read this all wrong? What if I should have raced to the nearest town and bought a miniskirt or some shit that looked feminine, at least? Was he expecting me to be wearing a lace thong?
I didn’t evenowna lace thong. Or a non-lace one. That was not practical fighting underwear, okay? Surely he knew that.
The pretty little daisies in front of his house seemed like they were judging me and my internal argument. The tilt of their flowery heads was obviously disapproving my lackluster wardrobe and unsexy undergarments.
I blew out a breath, closing my eyes as I tried to get a grip.
Which was why I didn’t hear the door open until a feminine throat clearing made me snap my eyes open, only to find hisdelightfulsister standing in the doorway, looking amused.
“Hey, V? Your… friend is here. She doesn’t look like she wants to come in, though,” Savannah added with a wicked glint in her eyes.
The heavy pad of his footsteps preceded him appearing at the door, and it took everything in me not to bolt up the path and out of Dodge.
“Elodie.” He said my name like no one else ever had, the sound sweet like fresh, warm honey. His lips curved into a smile as he squeezed past his sister—who was wearing a tulle skirt and sky-high heels, I noticed—to meet me where I was.
There was no hesitation in his hug, the way he wrapped me up in his arms and buried his nose in my hair to take a long, sensual drag of my scent.
I couldn’t hide the way I trembled as his own scent overwhelmed my senses. Woodsy and warm and delicious—if I smelled half this good to him, I understood why he wanted another hit.
When he pulled back, he didn’t let go of my arms.
“Come on. I know you’ve already met Savvy, but she has something to say to you before she leaves for the evening.”
“Oh. I don’t want to run her out of her own home?—”
He cut off my protest with a simple shake of his head. “You’re not running anyone out. She already had plans.”
He looped his arm around my shoulder when we stood in front of his sister, who looked like she’d choked on a sour candy now that he’d greeted me so warmly.
The moment of silence stretched between the three of us, tension building to the snapping point.
“Savannah,” he growled, the warning low in his throat.
She sighed. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? It seemed like you were rejecting V, and I’m protective. He’s my only family, and I don’t like bitches who think they can walk all over him because he’snice. I see that maybe I misread you at first. So, Iamsorry, and I won’t stand in your way. But if you hurt my brother, I will take you down, big-ass sword or not.”
Valens growled again, but she just laughed, grabbing a pretty pink purse from a hook just inside the door.
“You don’t scare me, Snuffaluffagus. I’ve got a hot date with a cold drink. Don’t wait up.” She shot him a saucy wink, nodded to me, and then slid into her car and drove off.
“She’s got a strong personality,” I murmured as Valens led me inside.
He chuckled, leading me to a seat at the island in their cozy kitchen. “You could say that. I’m sorry she stirred up trouble. I think sometimes I sheltered her a little too well from herowntrouble growing up.”
I shook my head. “No, strong isn’t a bad thing. The world needs all the strong women it can get.”
He studied me closely, as if he could read my mind and not just my lips, before eventually nodding and turning back to the stove. “I hope you like Italian?”
“If by Italian you mean red sauce, pasta, and good wine… Why, yes, I love Italian.”
“Excellent.” The man opened the oven and pulled out what looked like ahomemadelasagna, bubbling with cheese and rich red sauce that immediately perfumed the air.
“Oh my Goddess, that looks fantastic.”
The first real grin I’d ever seen painted his lips, and Goddess, it was even more stunning than the lasagna. The shape of his face changed completely with a real, true smile. It was softer, sexier. Even the hard line of his jaw couldn’t diminish the joy. I couldn’t look away. And was that adimplehiding under his beard? Damn.
“Yeah?” He leaned his hip against the counter as he studied me right back. “Are they not feeding you well at the enclave?”
I snorted, running a hand through my hair. “They feed us fine. We’re not starving, or anything. It’s just more of a newmaiden’s chore, cooking. And most of them are better with swords than whisks, and that’s not saying much.”
