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Jaxi’s heart nearly exploded in her chest at finding her fantasy bodyguard sitting at the island. “Good,” she gasped, hurrying to the fridge and opening it. “I was about to go looking for you.” She began pulling food out and setting it on the counter. “I was a bit rude to you and thought, you know, the night is still young and not lost if we don’t allow it to be. I’m not a chef or anything,” she said, avoiding his eyes lest she fall into them and make a love-struck fool of herself. “But I can wield a spatula as good as anybody.” She pulled one from the jar of cooking utensils and waved it in the air, demonstrating.

He sat with his forearms on the counter, studiously investigating the meaning of her freak show.

She continued on, determined to paint the moment with all the colors present. Curiosity, fear, joy, excitement. And lust wrapped inmystery. “I’m really surprised at how well they stocked these fridges,” she said, keeping the tone easy and conversational, something he either knew nothing about or hated. Maybe both.

“I don’t eat.”

She paused, egg carton mid-air.

“At night,” he added. “Usually,” he further added.

She continued on her mission, her guts a-churning at that little addendum. “At night, huh,” she mumbled, getting mayonnaise and lunchmeat next. “Statements like that will get the otherworldly police after you.”

He continued watching her—least her peripheral said he was. “Otherworldly police.”

She gave him a glance and grin. “What planet are you from? I never did ask.” She pulled a stick of butter from the pack, finding his digging gaze all over her.

“Earth,” he answered finally, his sincerity making her laugh.

“You’re funny,” she said, unhooking one of the pans hanging above the stove. “I knew you were hiding good stuff.” She found the cabinet with spices and tiptoed in her indecent sleep shorts to peer at the shelf.

“Always too short. I need a stool,” she complained, glancing over her shoulder, finding his gaze exactly where she’d hoped. Her heart pounded when his stare remained locked on her butt, a hard edge to his features that could’ve been mistaken for anger. But there was something else, something that defined the look. It was hungry. And it burned all her private parts till they tingled and ached.

She blindly took things from the cabinet and transferred them next to the stove.

“Why do you think I come from another planet?”

His tone matched the look she’d seen. Deep. Thick. Hot.

She realized in that second that he was the one. He was the one she’d give her virginity to.

“What are you looking at?”

Her breath froze at realizing she wasstaringat him. She swallowed. “I was… your eyes,” she went with, tearing her gaze away. “You might be hazardous to cook around,” she realized, turning on the stove.

“Why?”

Why. This was good. He was talking. Trying. And seemed genuinely clueless. But it was a legitimate question. One she’d usually never have an issue with answering. It was why she was still single. No man could tolerate her honesty. “Many reasons,” she began, smearing butter onto the skillet.

“How many?”

How many, notwhatreasons. Interesting. But that was the difference with him. There was no arrogance or falsehood, all brutal honesty, like it’s all he knew or was trained to be. “Why don’t we count them together,” she suggested with a smile, opening the carton of eggs and cracking one into the pan. “First reason: you’re drop dead gorgeous. How I’m standing here andnotdead is an abstract painting in impossible motion. And two,” she hurried before she lost her nerve. “You’re like an addictive puzzle I want to figure out which requires me to look at and examine closely which is…bad manners outside of my work.”

“I don’t care where you place your eyes, Miss Juniper.”

She nodded, cracking another egg into the pan. “You sound very genuine and sincere and yet,” she murmured. “I hear much more, the same way I see much more in colors, and taste much more in textures, and feel much more and smell muchmore than most ever will or do. And yet, with you, I’m running into… barriers that are locking me out.”

She lightly sprinkled salt, casting a glance up and finding him laying into her with that hot, hungry stare.

“Tell me what youcansee?Human.”

Human. She giggled on that one. He was playing now, and that was good. A crack in the ice façade. “I can see a man who has a lot to hide. Many secrets he’s holding that make him…very angry. More than angry.Furious,” she corrected, a smile twitching on her mouth as she peeked at him.

Chapter Four

Lust wound its way around Kaos’ vocal cords, forcing him to stifle it. His little paradox stood there, poking every inch of his powers with her words. And now her body was in on the assault. With every exchange, he realized there was somethingexclusiveabout her. And this difference was… threatening. But how, in what way, and why? And who was threatened? Her or him?