Not Your Ex's Hexes (Supernatural Singles, #2)(22)
“You look like my sister. You sound like my sister, and yet…”
Behind her glasses, Olive rolled her eyes and disengaged when they reached their table, taking the chair on the opposite side of Vi.
Harper glanced over her shoulder. “Go get yourself a demon, witch.” She gently pushed Rose off-kilter.
Taken off guard, Rose stumbled right into a pair of strong arms.
Callused fingers gripped her hips, gently slipping beneath the hem of her cropped shirt as her own braced on a sturdy chest. Her body instantly reacted, goose bumps erupting over every inch of exposed skin, more developing as she slowly glanced up into Damian’s gray eyes.
His lips twitched. “Do I throw you off balance, little witch?”
More than he knew …
She cleared her throat. “New shoes … and it’s Rose.”
He glanced to her sensible ballet-style flats before flashing her a knowing smirk. “Sure…”
She narrowed her gaze on him, annoyed as she pulled away and instantly felt the loss of his body against hers. “You’re an ass.”
“But what an ass, am I right?”
Her eyes widened as their traitorous friends and family chuckled. “How did you…”
He pointed to his ears. “Shifters aren’t the only ones with good hearing. Demons can hear pretty well, too.”
“Well, good for you, but it still doesn’t negate the fact you’re an ass with a seemingly decent rear end. When someone wants to help you, the appropriate response is ‘thank you.’ Or at the very least, ‘thank you, but no thank you.’ You don’t growl like a feral animal and then stalk away like an overgrown man-toddler.”
“I’m confused. Am I an ass, a feral animal, or a man-toddler?”
“At the moment? All three … and the list grows with every sentence that comes out of your mouth. I mean, what jerk won’t even listen to an idea that might help the animals under his care?”
Damian’s jaw muscle ticked away. “And now we’ve added ‘jerk’ to the list.”
“If the shoe fits…”
“I’d be more than happy to continue this conversation after we’ve solidified the last details of the Bonding Ceremony. That is why we’re here, isn’t it? To go over how things will run on Vi and Linc’s big day?”
Vi cleared her throat, barely suppressing a grin. “I’m good with waiting so you guys can straighten this out.”
An idea struck, one so brilliant it should’ve emitted a golden glow over her head. “Let’s play a game.”
Folding his massive arms across his chest, Damian cocked his head. “Something tells me your idea of a game and my idea of a game are a hell of a lot different, babe.”
“Pull your mind out of the gutter, doc. I’m talking pool. If you win, I’ll keep my nose out of your business. When I win, you listen to my idea for the sanctuary … and I mean listen. With an open mind and without that scowl on your face. Think you can handle that?”
“When you win?”
“Yes or no?”
His gaze slid over the antique billiards table in the back of the room. “And how can I trust you won’t use Magic to win?”
She snortled. “I don’t need to use Magic to beat you at pool.”
“Awfully sure of yourself.”
“Of course. Why, aren’t you?”
His lips twitched as he held out a hand as a gesture to make their way to the pool table. “After you…”
Rose brushed past him with a wink. “Warm up those listening ears, doc, because I’m about to beat the pants off you.”
As she reached for the triangle to rack the balls, a wall of heat warmed her back. She sucked in a sharp breath as his mouth brushed against her ear. “That sorta sounds like an incentive for me to lose.”
The triangle slipped from her hands. Damian’s low chuckle sent a horde of butterflies straight to her lady bits, a distraction she couldn’t afford if she planned on winning this bet. And she did.
Her heartbeat thundering, she reminded herself of everything that was at stake. Animals’ lives. Mari’s Sanctuary.
The taste of victory coated the back of her tongue, and it tasted a hell of a lot like vanilla.
* * *
Low chuckles dragged Damian’s eyes away from Rose to where Bax and Adrian laughed openly while the others got comfortable at the nearby booth, looking like they were preparing to watch a Broadway show.
The Guardian Angel shook his head as he leaned against the wall. “You’re such a newb, Adams. You should’ve just listened to her.”
“Is that your way of telling me I made a deal with the devil?”
“The devil? Nah.” Bax smirked. “You would’ve had a small chance of coming out on top if you had.”
Well, fuck.
Rose waited expectantly from the other side of the table, her delectable mouth pulled up into a coy, knowing smirk.
Double-fuck. That definitely wasn’t the face of a woman concerned about losing.
“Are we doing this, doc? The sooner you accept your fate, the sooner we can finish the plans for this Bonding Ceremony … and then the sooner you and I can have our sit-down.” Rose sweetly handed him a cue. “You can break.”