Page 15

S aturday morning in the suburbs. The sun is shining. The humidity is crippling—and I’m in bed with one of the most gorgeous men I’ve ever seen. Bonus—he gives off a calming cool as I move closer to him.

Reggie looks different when he’s asleep.

All stretched out and sleepy, less the quiet, stern protector, and more.

.. vulnerable. Like me. I can see every inch of thick, bulging muscle.

His shirt’s rolled up to just under his abs, and there are all kinds of muscles, scars, and sigils on his gray body, sacred words in Hebrew that I cannot read, faded gray on gray.

Do not think about dragging your tongue along the almost invisible lines, the sacred, holy lines on this divine warrior. Do not, do not, do not. He is forbidden in every sense of the word...or he should be.

My gaze travels lower. The low-riding black sweats have shifted in his sleep—and they’re straining with what people crudely call “morning wood.”

My face heats, and I turn studiously away, trying to be good.

But bad girl thoughts pursue me. Morning wood? More like morning redwood. So big. Matteo was tall enough, and the relevant parts of him were proportional. He was plenty big for me, especially since I was new to pretty much everything he wanted to teach me.

I can’t help but wonder what Reggie could do with that equipment. Does it have special powers, like the rest of him? Would he ever want to...try anything? With me? I know that I tried a ton of new things with Matteo—and I blush from some of the kinkier ones—but that was built up over a year.

I would do anything Reggie wanted, instantly.

Probably because, see above—vulnerable. And desperate for physical comfort and distraction.

Suddenly, I want to convince Reggie to take a risk with me, even though parts of my brain scream it’s a dumb idea. Other parts of me scream that I want to make his eyes pop with the realization that the “good girl” persona comes with a side of “good in bed.”

Wrapping my lips around that long, thick bulge and showing him that I have no problem trying to take him all the way would be just the start.

Except that my masterpiece just rolled over and sat up. “Morning. Guess we’d better head out and hit the grocery store. Nothing in the fridge but ice cubes. You need to eat.”

In spite of my disappointment, I smile. Married life.

“Right. Let me grab something to wear.”

“Take your time. I’m going to check the house and the outside. Won’t be a tick.” He smiles, and I catch the adorable faint trace of his accent again.

I feel a prickle of anticipation as I start unpacking my suitcase, putting things in the walk-in closet and chest of drawers.

Should I be feeling a thrill of excitement about wandering through the grocery store on Saturday morning instead of climbing on Reggie's cock and riding him until we both come? Probably not, but I can’t help it.

This is the “real” I want.

And there’s always tonight.

THERESE WEARS CHIC black shorts and a teal tank top that makes her look like a beach goddess.

Every head in the grocery store turns. More than one guy checks out her hand.

I put my arm over her shoulders possessively, glad we’re both sporting rings.

Luckily, no one I know is out and about in the produce aisle of the Pine Ridge Fresh Mart this morning.

I’m spared a stumbling excuse for a bit.

Teri slides her arm around my hips, head turning to look behind us. “Those high school girls are burning holes through your clothes!” she hisses angrily.

“What? Nonsense.” I shake my head and cast a casual glance over my shoulder. I’ve lived here for years, part of the background. Unnoticed unless your pipes burst.

But sure enough, a quartet of girls is staring. Some blush and giggle when they meet my incredulous gaze.

They notice me.

Something has changed. Maybe it’s something in me—some spark? Something that gives me more form, more presence in the human world?

I shake my head and wash that thought away. It’s Teri. She’s stunning. They’re wondering how some big clod like me ended up with a honey-toned goddess like her.

“Staring? Not at me, at you. Same for half the men in this store. They’re all wondering how I got so lucky.”

“Homicidal exes for the win,” Teri mutters with a wry smile.

She makes me laugh, even in the dark moments. “Delgado was an idiot,” I mutter back, my head close to her ear.

Therese looks up, a flash of surprise and pain in her eyes shooting daggers into me.

I’ve seen a lot of people in pain. I’m not an ass about it, but I don’t usually stop and get all cuddly about it, either.

Therese erases a lifetime of calmly carrying on.

I pull her closer to me, pushing our cart with one hand.

“That’s not on you, Teri. He fooled the world.

A trusting, kind heart is easy to deceive—and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Hope and a willingness to seek the good are beautiful qualities that too many people lose. ”

“Are you sure you’re not confusing hopeful and kind with idiotic and naive?” she sighs, grabbing a box of cereal.

“No, I’m not. I’ve been in a lot of tight spots over the years.

I’ve seen men far worse than Delgado. The person who can make life brighter, even for a second, is the kind you hold onto.

He... he should have changed his career if it meant keeping you.

He should have changed allegiances, should have changed his life if it meant keeping you.

” That’s all I can say in public. Therese’s hand hesitantly slides into my back pocket as we walk along.

It’s her silent way of saying thanks—and making it hard to walk.

“Too much?” she asks, one eyebrow climbing high, drawing attention to the apple of her cheek and the crooked grin she risks giving me.

“I’d expect nothing less from you, Mrs . Gray.”

“I have a feeling you might have severely underestimated me, Mr. Gray.” She emphasizes the word mister with a squeeze on my cheek, hand staying firmly in my pocket.

“How do you mean?”

“If you’re good, I’ll show you later.”

“Excuse me.” An older woman with her hair in a sharp, uneven bob passes us, glaring. I hear her growling under her breath, “Get a room.”

“We’re doing things right,” I sigh. “We’re pissing off cranky Karens.”

Therese grins at me. I grin back. That little buzzing in my chest can’t be silenced, and it’s like a symphony. The whole world has new sounds, and the empty spaces in my mind are filling in.

The assignment I didn’t want to take is turning out to be fun—and so much more.

CHIPS AND GRANOLA BARS go in the cart. Some steaks. Canned soup. Pasta, milk, cheese, eggs, bread, butter, and the basics for a few days. “Do newlyweds eat out more?”

“Not if they’re honeymooning at home,” Therese shrugs and looks at the coffee. “Do we have a coffee pot?”

“Yes, and you’re an angel. I’m semi-coffee-dependent. Sometimes it’s the only thing pulling me out of hibernation.” I grab for a bag of my favorite roast and find my hand covering hers. “This is my favorite.”

“Mine, too. I wonder what else we have in common,” she whispers, walking ahead of me.

I swallow the drool that forms when I watch her hips sway, carrying her a few steps ahead of the cart.

Is she leading me on? Thinking of me as just a final fling? There have been others who’ve clung, looking for comfort. I always rebuffed them, kindly but firmly, genuinely wishing I felt something but finding nothing there.

It’s not like that with Teri. If she wants to give me a chance... by God, I’m going to take it. It’s not the most altruistic thought I’ve ever had, but it’s there all the same.

The thing inside of me.... I know what it is, even if I’m afraid to name it.

A soul.

Souls have mates. Could she be mine? She has to be, for she put this spark in me.

Teri thinks I’m saving her, but she could be my salvation. Something my kind rarely finds.

“Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

“Oh, no. Everything is good. Very good,” I reassure quickly, snapping back to reality.

“You got quiet.”

“Just thinking.” Thinking about how I could make Teri see that she’s meant to be mine. That I’m serious about her. That I’m even willing to leave town with her if that’s what it takes.

SATURDAY IS FUN. I’M not supposed to be having fun. I’m supposed to be fearing for my life and waiting to hear from agents about the degree of life-fearing I should indulge in.

The nearest grocery store to the little house is one of those big chain stores, a Fresh Mart—and according to him, it is the only one in this semi-secluded mountain town.

Reggie and I giggle and flirt our way around the store.

I ask if he needs to go down the aisle with light bulbs and tools to keep up the “fixing up the love nest” charade, but he shakes his head.

We turn down the aisle where they sell antacids and painkillers.

“My allergy medicine.” I grab a box. “As soon as September starts, my eyes turn pink and my nose runs. I look like a miserable rabbit.”

“A cute rabbit, my honey bunny.” Reggie kisses my ear, a light, innocent little kiss that turns my insides into a puddle of lava.

My eyes land on the next aisle as we turn the corner. Pads, tampons, and condoms. We both stop walking. “I... Are we trying for a family?” I ask in a whisper. “In our story?”

“Maybe after we find a place that’s uh—in a school district we like.” Reggie’s hand hesitates next to the condoms, then he lets it fall to the side.

“Do monsters and humans ever have children?” I whisper.

“Often.”

“What about golems?” I ask, staring him in the eye without flinching.

“I believe they could.”

I take the pack of condoms and dangle them over the cart, that lake of lava rising to my cheeks.

Reggie licks his lip. “Is that wise?”

I put down the pack and watch resigned sadness fly across his features before he can hide it.