hell just froze over glare. “What do you want?”
“To save you.”
I frowned, startled. That wasn’t the answer I expected.
“Are you a Witch Hunter?”
He laughed. “No, I am most certainly not a Hunter. I’m a Protector.”
“A what?” I scrambled my brain cells trying to force them to remember if I’d ever heard of a Protector before, but I came up with nada.
“A Protector,” he told me solemnly. “I’m your Protector, Melinda Rose James.”
“How do you know my full name?”
“Because…hmm, I think you’ll have to go out with me if you want any more answers, my little Rose.”
I rolled my eyes. I thought for a second we might actually be getting somewhere, but no. He just had to go and ruin it, didn’t he?
“Why would I even want to go out with you?”
“Because I’m exceptionally handsome?”
Well, he was, but still. “High opinion of yourself?”
He grinned, and I felt my knees go all weak. I leaned against my car for support. Warp drive, speed five had ignited with that smile, and I wasn’t prepared.
“Very.” He smiled rakishly and then leaned into me. “So will you have dinner with me, Miss James?”
His scent engulfed me, and I wanted to sit and just inhale it. His smelled of books and mahogany and strangely enough, stone. My dad used to tell me that stones didn’t have a scent, but they did, even if it was hard to describe. At least, I could smell it. It’s dark and comforting all at the same time.
“You’re turning out to be very stalkerish, you know.” I opened my car door, forcing him to move. I breathed a little easier when he wasn’t so close.
“So you’ll go out with some strange guy to help him make a girl jealous, but you won’t go out with me?”
How in bloody hell did he know that?
He laughed at my dumbfounded look. “There are so many things I could tell you, Melinda, if you’d just agree to go out with me.”
My hinkey feeling went on high alert with that statement. The Fates knew what he could do to me if he got me alone. Then the hormones in the same breath wondered what he could do to me if he got me alone. I shook my head, confused. The guy knew way too much.
“Why is it so important that you get me alone?”
“So I can ravish you?” he questioned in a completely devilish voice.
How could he go from serious and dangerous to arrogant and teasing in the space of five seconds? If he meant to keep me off balance, he was doing a right and proper job of it.
“No one is ravishing me today.” I got in my car and rolled down the window. “When you decide to be honest with me, we’ll talk.”
He bent down so he was eye level with me. “Trust me, Rose.”
“I don’t know you,” I told him, my heart beating wildly at the predatory look in his eyes.
His lips twitched. “When you decide to trust me, we’ll talk.”
“How can I trust you if I don’t know you?”
“Exactly,” he said, grinning. “You need to get to know me so you can trust me. Let me take you to a movie, and we’ll get to know each other.”
I should have known he’d come back round to that. Before I could say anything, someone cleared their throat behind Xavier. He turned his head enough for us to see Brandon standing there. He was frowning at Xavier.
“Mel, you okay? The guy bothering you?”
Xavier gave him a curious look and then stood up. I expected him to smart-mouth him, but to my surprise, he didn’t. “Bothering is putting it mildly,” Xavier said with a laugh. “I am trying to get her to agree to go out with me, but so far no luck.”
“Then maybe you should take a hint and leave her alone.”
That came from Sebastian, and he definitely had an edge to his voice. My eyebrows shot up at the level of testosterone coming off him. His eyes were hard, and I saw a hint of the darkness swirling in them I’d seen in Mandy’s. That boy could hurt someone.
“No, guys, it’s fine,” I told them to try and head off trouble. I wasn’t sure exactly
“To save you.”
I frowned, startled. That wasn’t the answer I expected.
“Are you a Witch Hunter?”
He laughed. “No, I am most certainly not a Hunter. I’m a Protector.”
“A what?” I scrambled my brain cells trying to force them to remember if I’d ever heard of a Protector before, but I came up with nada.
“A Protector,” he told me solemnly. “I’m your Protector, Melinda Rose James.”
“How do you know my full name?”
“Because…hmm, I think you’ll have to go out with me if you want any more answers, my little Rose.”
I rolled my eyes. I thought for a second we might actually be getting somewhere, but no. He just had to go and ruin it, didn’t he?
“Why would I even want to go out with you?”
“Because I’m exceptionally handsome?”
Well, he was, but still. “High opinion of yourself?”
He grinned, and I felt my knees go all weak. I leaned against my car for support. Warp drive, speed five had ignited with that smile, and I wasn’t prepared.
“Very.” He smiled rakishly and then leaned into me. “So will you have dinner with me, Miss James?”
His scent engulfed me, and I wanted to sit and just inhale it. His smelled of books and mahogany and strangely enough, stone. My dad used to tell me that stones didn’t have a scent, but they did, even if it was hard to describe. At least, I could smell it. It’s dark and comforting all at the same time.
“You’re turning out to be very stalkerish, you know.” I opened my car door, forcing him to move. I breathed a little easier when he wasn’t so close.
“So you’ll go out with some strange guy to help him make a girl jealous, but you won’t go out with me?”
How in bloody hell did he know that?
He laughed at my dumbfounded look. “There are so many things I could tell you, Melinda, if you’d just agree to go out with me.”
My hinkey feeling went on high alert with that statement. The Fates knew what he could do to me if he got me alone. Then the hormones in the same breath wondered what he could do to me if he got me alone. I shook my head, confused. The guy knew way too much.
“Why is it so important that you get me alone?”
“So I can ravish you?” he questioned in a completely devilish voice.
How could he go from serious and dangerous to arrogant and teasing in the space of five seconds? If he meant to keep me off balance, he was doing a right and proper job of it.
“No one is ravishing me today.” I got in my car and rolled down the window. “When you decide to be honest with me, we’ll talk.”
He bent down so he was eye level with me. “Trust me, Rose.”
“I don’t know you,” I told him, my heart beating wildly at the predatory look in his eyes.
His lips twitched. “When you decide to trust me, we’ll talk.”
“How can I trust you if I don’t know you?”
“Exactly,” he said, grinning. “You need to get to know me so you can trust me. Let me take you to a movie, and we’ll get to know each other.”
I should have known he’d come back round to that. Before I could say anything, someone cleared their throat behind Xavier. He turned his head enough for us to see Brandon standing there. He was frowning at Xavier.
“Mel, you okay? The guy bothering you?”
Xavier gave him a curious look and then stood up. I expected him to smart-mouth him, but to my surprise, he didn’t. “Bothering is putting it mildly,” Xavier said with a laugh. “I am trying to get her to agree to go out with me, but so far no luck.”
“Then maybe you should take a hint and leave her alone.”
That came from Sebastian, and he definitely had an edge to his voice. My eyebrows shot up at the level of testosterone coming off him. His eyes were hard, and I saw a hint of the darkness swirling in them I’d seen in Mandy’s. That boy could hurt someone.
“No, guys, it’s fine,” I told them to try and head off trouble. I wasn’t sure exactly
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