Page 4 of Moonlight Hearts

We were in his SUV with the heat on to keep the chill at bay.October had been cold already, and November had already seen some snow.

“Kitty-cat got your tongue?”Soyer tapped the gearshift with his index finger as he slowed to take a right turn.His nail polish looked like he’d just reapplied it earlier.

“Huh?”

“You’ve been zoning out.Are you okay?Would you rather we go home?We can order ice cream in if you like.”

“No.We can go get ice cream.”

“Even if nothing will be open?”

I looked at him.He kept his eyes on the road, but he was smiling.“I know you know a place.Or a person.Or you bought an ice cream parlor just for me and forced the employees to clock overtime for tonight.”

He clicked his tongue and glanced at me.His black eyes were full of humor.“Amory, I hadn’t even considered buying an ice cream parlor, but I like the way you’re thinking.I’d expect nothing less of the manager.”

“Oh, come on.”

“What?”

I bit the inside of my cheek.“You don’t have to placate me.”I was looking at the back of my hand, flexing my fingers.The ring finger had been broken not too long ago, but it was fine now.My ring fit perfectly.“It’s because I never really trained for management, right?”

Soyer went quiet for a moment.It sounded as if he was holding his breath.

“Are you fucking—my heart, is that what you took away from this meeting?”

“You’re making it nicer.More upscale.The diner, I mean.And I love that!Kasey is amazing.And everyone else we hired, they’re all so good.”

He snorted.“I just ordered a hundred extra plates for Levi to break.And I beg of you, please don’t fucking do stuff like this when I’m driving and can’t hug you.Dwayne and I are not kicking you down the ladder.We’re just making you take a fucking break, all right?”

“You’re angry.”

He pressed his lips together and stopped at a light.It was green, but this early, there was no one behind us.He turned to me.

“Look at me.I’m not angry at you.Never have been, never will be.You’re too perfect for that.You’re also too perfect to spend all your time at work instead of with me.I’m selfish, Amory.I think I’ve mentioned that before.And you agreed to marry this very selfish man.Obviously I want you all to myself, and I’ll use any leverage I have to get you.Also, Dwayne really didn’t like the fact you weren’t taking any time off, and he was about to blame me for it, so I joined forces with him instead.Got it?”

Soyer wasn’t going to lie to me, I knew that.And rationally, I’d already known everything he said.But sometimes something snagged on even the smallest doubt or fear I carried in my heart, and then it grew and bloated and almost overpowered me.Soyer had said that was probably normal after the witch.It still sucked though.It felt so real.

“I know.”

He reached out and cupped my cheek.“I know you do.I’m not angry, okay?And I really do like the idea of buying you an ice cream parlor.I’ll talk to Dwayne about it.”

I made an undignified noise.“No, you can’t!”

I caught the mischievous glimmer in his eyes.“Says who?”

I wiggled my fingers in front of his face, showing off my ring.“Your fiancé.”

He froze, his gaze heating and growing more intense.He got like that a lot, and I never knew why exactly or when it would happen.

“Amory.Must you trigger my rampant libido like this?Don’t answer that—I know you can’t help it.”He faced the road again and continued driving.“Really need that ice cream now.”

I thought he was going to take me to some random corner of the city again, the financial district maybe, but no.I tensed when I realized where we were.

“The bodega?”

“Yup.”

I gripped the edge of my seat as Soyer pulled the handbrake and turned off the engine.“We’re…going inside?”