Jack and Djinn (The Houri Legends, #1)(56)

“Well, that’s good. I wouldn’t like to have any surprises come up later on.” She glanced down, saying, “If there is a ‘later on.’”

“Why wouldn’t there be?”

“Well, I left you a pretty big opening to ask me out, but you didn’t.” Leila bit her lip, chewed on it, scratched at a stain on the leg of her jeans.

Carson cursed himself for being so dense. “Yeah, I guess I missed the boat on that one. Is it too late?”

“You’ll never know until you ask,” Leila said.

“So…do you want to go out with me? For dinner? Sometime?” Carson was fumbling. He took a drink of water and tried to clear his head. “Sorry, that didn’t come out right. Lemme try again. Leila, would you like to have dinner with me?”

Leila shook her head and rolled her eyes. “You’re funny,” she said, a teasing grin on her face. “Yes, Carson, I would. I’m off this Tuesday.”

She was slipping forward again, touching her lips with her tongue, an invitation in her eyes. Or at least Carson hoped it was an invitation. He swallowed his nerves and allowed himself to lean forward, touching his lips to hers, slowly and hesitantly, giving her every chance to pull away, to tell him he’d misunderstood her. But she didn’t. Instead, she moved her hand from her leg to his, the other to his shoulder, and, moving toward, pulled him closer to deepen the kiss.

Her breath was cold, like a winter wind, and her lips tasted like cherry lip balm, and a hint of rum and Coke. He felt a rush of excitement run through him at her response, an absurd joy that she was kissing him back. Carson would have sworn that a breeze had kicked up to blow through his hair, ruffling his shirt and skirling Leila’s long raven-black hair to tickle his face.

Then he felt a quick, sharp pang of pain blast through the back of his skull, and darkness leaped up to swallow him. As he faded into unwilling unconsciousness, he heard Leila shrieking and cursing, and he fought to keep his eyes open, but it was no use.

The world went black and silent.