Page 276

“Ready, gorgeous?”

She drew a deep breath, then blew it out slowly. “I’m nervous,” she confessed.

He took her hand into his and laced their fingers. “I’ll be right there with you for all of it,” he vowed. He lifted her hand to his mouth, kissed the back of it, and added, “Forever.”

She smiled, those stunning, ocean-blue eyes twinkling. Rain began to fall as she surged up onto her toes, tipping her face skyward. Darien bent down, their mouths brushing as she whispered, “Forever,” and kissed him.

91

The Early Bird

BRONTE, STATE OF KER

“Pass the syrup, please?”Paxton asked.

Shay lifted her eyes from her plate and clashed gazes with Roman. He was staring at her from across the table, the arousal in his eyes—no gold this morning—suggesting he found her far more mouth-watering than he did the food on his plate.

“Pass. The.Syrup?”Paxton repeated.

Roman snapped out of his trance with a blink, his abrupt change in expression so comical, his brother might as well have dumped a bucket of ice-cold water over his head.

Shay clamped her lips together to fight a smile.

“Sorry,” Roman said, clearing his throat. “Here.” He passed the syrup to Paxton.

“Thanks,” Pax muttered.

Shay tore her eyes off the Wolf of the Hollow, who was unabashedly staring at her again, and scooped the last of her hash browns onto her fork. She had to put a stop to these dirty thoughts that were spinning through herownhead, most of them memories of their fun against the wall of the Blue Gables motel last night, or someone at this table was going to call her out.

It would probably be Dean, who hadn’t stopped smiling since the moment they’d sat down, as if he were indulging in some inside joke they weren’t aware of.

The Early Bird was swarming with the breakfast rush. There were so many people, both inside and outside the restaurant, that they’d decided to dine in two separate groups, so whoever wasn’t eating could stand watch. Bobby, Nash, A.J., and Jacob had already had their turn and were currently outside, talking and laughing and smoking by the collection of muscle cars glittering in the sunlight. Once they were done here, the Death Dealers would be heading back to Tyrmouth, while Dean accompanied his nephews all the way to Angelthene. Roman had tried to tell his uncle that he didn’t need to trouble himself with driving that far, but Dean had merely told him he hadn’t come all this way for nothing—and that he was not a fan of wasting his own time.

Shay really liked him. Him and his inappropriate jokes were exactly what they’d all needed.

“So,” Dean said as he spread a thick layer of strawberry jam across his toast. “How was the pullout?” His wink was for both of them.

The small scar by Roman’s mouth indented as he fought a smile.

Shay’s face warmed. As much as she liked Dean and his sense of humor, it was far too early for this.

Pax said, “I slept on it. Roman doesn’t pull out.”

Roman choked on his toast. He coughed and banged a fist against his chest, his other hand reaching for his water. He took a sip, eyes watering, and squeezed out, “Excuse me?”

“You don’t pull out,” Paxton repeated, looking thoroughly confused by his brother’s reaction. “You’ve never heard that joke before?”

“Uhh…” Roman took another swig, his eyes meeting Shay’s over the rim of his glass. He swallowed and said, “I’m a little concerned where you heard this…joke…and what youthinkit means.”

“I heard it from Darien,” Paxton replied.

Shay’s brows bumped up, Roman’s doing the same as they shared a look.

Dean was quietly laughing and shaking his head as he devoured his food, enjoying this way too much.

“He said it means a person prefers beds,” Paxton said with a shrug. “I don’t really get it. Kylar laughed pretty hard at it, though.” He took a bite out of his last strip of bacon—the one he was clearly saving for the end of his meal.

“I bet he did,” Roman said around a startled chuckle. When he looked Shay’s way, they were both fighting the urge to laugh.