My spine became a lightning rod, hit by the pure energy that was Huck's voice. Turning, I found him hovering just a foot away. I hadn't heard him approaching.

My stripper-fighter was also a ninja, apparently. “W—what are you doing here?” I asked, glancing side to side. “Where's Eliza?”

Pointing, he indicated the other cart of groceries nearby. “She ran to use the restroom, told me to come find you and meet her upfront.”

Breathing through pursed lips, I nodded and said, “Okay. Well, then...” His eyes went back to the candy I held. Anxiously, I set it in the top basket. “What's wrong? Am I not allowed to buy candy?”

One step, and he was towering over me. “It's not that. I was just making sure I remembered the brand you liked.”

Tiny sparks went off in my head. “Why?”

“To buy you some, obviously.”

I didn't know what to do with my hands anymore. Grabbing the cart, I let it go, then grabbed it again. “That's nice, but... I'm actually allergic to hazelnuts.”

His eyes narrowed. “Then why buy those truffles?”

Fuck, I should have just lied. “Forget about it. You don't need to know why I do everything, Huck.”

In that tight aisle with no one around, he bent close to me. So close I backed up, plastic rattling. Bags of candy shifted, jostled by the pressure of my spine.

I should have smelled sugar everywhere.

Huck overpowered it all.

Half-closing his eyes, he reached for my cheek—stopped the last second. “Need is a funny word. Zoe, I want to know why you do everything. I want to know what drives you, what goes on in that lovely head of yours.”

Those strong fingers finally came down, resting on the space between my neck and shoulder. I jumped so violently that a candy bar toppled free, sliding across the floor. How could he do this to me? Saying things like that, acting so invested... it was fucking with my head.

With my poor, tired heart.

“Huck,” I whispered. Only air came out, so I began again. “Huck, listen. You're wasting your time with me.”

“I can't imagine anytime with you would be wasted, babe.”

Blush was my new favorite color, apparently. “Why are you doing this?”

His voice rolled, liquid silk. “Isn't it obvious? You excite me, Zoe.”

I excite HIM? Huck is the one wrapping me up in HIS energy. I'm innocent, I'm not doing anything to excite him!

Prickles ran down my veins. I silenced my internal thoughts, distracted by the warmth of his palm gliding over my skin. “You literally just met me yesterday.”

“All the more reason to want to get to know you,” he chuckled.

“Believe me, there's nothing about me that you want to know.”

Lowering his head, his eyes were cast in shadows. “Let me be the judge of that. Any woman who can get my blood pumping like you is worth learning about.”

Moisture left my mouth. This was too much. There was a thread forming between us, tying us closer and strangling the part of me that was scared of what Huck might do. Another trouble-maker meant to leave scars in my life.

Another person to betray me and leave me shredded.

But then... if I was so used to it, why did it matter? My future, my present, it was all on the precipice of falling apart.

One more wound in the heart of a corpse would do very little.

Closing my eyes, I let myself sink into the caress of his hand. It was as if he was touching each individual freckle, creating a galaxy on my flesh. I wanted him to discover all of my constellations.

Part of me... part of me wanted him to learn how right I was. That my expectation of him chucking me aside would be made real.

I was Zoe Lillith, and I was not worth knowing.

I was worth forgetting.

Let him learn, I told myself. Temptation made giving in so easy. I could justify all of it. With him blowing air on my skin, whispering in my ear, I could do it. I could shrug off responsibility and let him be the one who felt the burden.

I could say, I told you so.

What a bitter satisfaction that would bring.

Opening my eyes, I stared at Huck and imagined him seeing me for what I was. If he learned all my flaws, would he still smile so much, would he still want me? Was he strong enough?

Was anyone?

The person I'd been wasn't worth loving. The many damaged men who had promised me sweet things while they took what they wanted from me had shown me that.

What I needed wasn't pretty words, it was someone to help me. Help me for real.

And it wasn't going to be him, no matter what he promised.

But giving in... god, it would feel so fucking good.

Maybe... just for a little bit...

Another bag of candy fell, jolting me from my reverie. Looking down, I spotted the truffles in my cart. They were as good as a punch to my gut. What am I doing? Shaking my head, I gently pushed Huck away.

He resisted, challenging me... but finally, he stepped back. “What did I do?” he asked.

You didn't do anything. Not yet. You're paying for the mistakes of everyone before you.

My mistakes, too.

The smile was hard to force. “Nothing. It's fine, I just think we should head upfront before Eliza wonders where we are.”

“We could let her wonder,” he teased.

I'd love that so much. I didn't dare speak the words. Making my attraction real was a spell waiting to petrify me.

I pushed my cart down the aisle. My speed was fast, I didn't slow down; didn't risk looking back. Huxton was too good at breaking down my walls. When I had space, I could rebuild them.

But if what had happened back there was any measure, I was growing weaker by the minute.

By the fucking second.

Spending more time with this man was the worst thing I could do.

But right then?

Time spent with Huxton Blake was my only hope.

- Chapter Seven -

Huxton

The sun crumbled and fell. It weighed too much, my mind alone couldn't will it to stay high in the sky. I wanted to guarantee that I could sit here for hours, enjoying the laughter and warmth of a dinner with friends. It was so... normal. I didn't remember the last time I'd done something like this.

Eliza had cooked us food, plied me with beer and funny stories.

Of course, my attention—even when I wasn't looking—was forever on Zoe. She fidgeted with her meal, sometimes meeting my stare before skittering away to look down at her plate.

I was trying to make sense of her. It was proving difficult.

In the store, I'd come close to kissing her with the smell of chocolate and candy-canes surrounding us. It would have been easy, she'd given all the right signs. All the way up until she'd opened her eyes and looked at those truffles...

Then it was done.

Zoe had closed off to me.

If she was trying to manipulate me into wanting her, she was doing a fucking good job. She'd become this ethereal creature, a wish just out of my reach.

I'd never had to be so patient before. She was testing my limits. The sensual woman who had peeked through at her party was in there somewhere. The distrust coating her surface was confusing, but it was just that; a coating.

The real Zoe—the Zoe that had grabbed my back and rolled her curves against my hips—she wasn't afraid of me. She wanted me.

And I wanted her.

Once I figured out what was pressing between us, what her castle walls were made of, I would crush them to dust and look at the wild, wicked girl behind those crystal eyes.

Eliza said something, I caught the end of it. I'd been drifting in my head.

“...still free. Okay?”

She was staring at me, so was Zoe. I sat up and winced. “Sorry, what?”

Rolling her eyes, Eliza waved her glass of wine at me threateningly. “I said, we can watch a movie if you want. Zoe has to leave in a few minutes, but I'm still free.”