Page 23

Chapter 23

Nova

D amn, she was actually sweating.

Nova grabbed a bottle of water and tossed it to Dex before grabbing one for herself. She used the bottom of her shirt to wipe the sweat from her face, feeling good after burning off some of the adrenaline-induced energy she’d had.

It wasn’t as good as fighting for her life, but it was fucking close.

“How do you feel?” Dex asked. His eyes dropped to her abs and then back up like he thought she wouldn’t notice the quick inspection.

“Tired. So why do they all have that eyebrow cut?” Nova dropped her shirt and drank the water.

“‘Cause it’s hot?” Dex gave her a look that basically asked what planet she was living on. “I’ve been thinking about doing it, but I don’t trust myself with a razor near my eyes.”

She leaned against the counter and considered his eyebrows. “It would fit your face. With all the earrings in your ears, I’m surprised you don’t have a pierced eyebrow too.”

Dex grinned at her. “Facial piercings can get ripped out in a fight. My face is too pretty to risk that.”

He wasn’t wrong.

“I could do it,” she offered, pulling her hair back. Nova needed another shower after three hours of that shit, but she had to admit she’d loved every second of it.

Dex was the kind of guy who somehow knew exactly what she needed when she herself didn’t even know what it was. It was kind of weird, but she also loved it.

“I don’t know if I trust you with a razor blade near my eyes either.”

She tossed the empty water bottle into the recycling, irritated he was right. Nova had tried to kill him in her sleep, threatened him with a knife, and he’d seen her kill a guy. There was no reason for him to trust her.

Dex must have picked up on her emotions somehow despite her scent charm because he shrugged. “It’s just hair. It’ll grow back if you mess up.”

Nova froze, staring at him in disbelief. “Do you have a death wish?”

His grin made her heart flutter. “Yes.”

Well.

“All right.” She went to her boots and snatched her smallest knife. “Sit on the couch.”

Dex actually hesitated when he saw the blade.

“You can change your mind.” Nova smiled, testing the edge. Still sharp enough to fillet flesh before they’d even realized it had happened.

“Hey, I’m not a quitter.” Dex sat down, still looking wary. “I just don’t know why I have to sit.”

Nova walked up to him, and gestured. “You’re tall as shit. How else am I supposed to do this? Now scoot your butt down and rest your head on the back of the couch.”

His eyes flashed. Did Dex like when she told him what to do? Nova bit the inside of her cheek as she tried to ignore how much that turned her on. She’d never been more grateful for scent charms in her life.

Now, how was she going to do this?

Dex was massive, and she needed to get really close to his face to make sure she didn’t fuck it up. Nova would feel like a total asshole if she accidentally shaved off an entire eyebrow.

She climbed up onto the couch and considered the angle. Nope, this wasn’t going to work.

“Okay, just…sit on your hands.”

Dex glared at her. “There’s no fucking way.”

Nova chewed on her lip, trying to figure out if this was even going to work. “Fine, put them flat on the couch and don’t move unless I hurt you.”

The desire that flickered in his eyes nearly made her forget to breathe. But then it was gone, and Nova wondered if she was imagining things or just projecting.

He followed her instructions and she quickly straddled him just like she would anyone when sparring. The position made her taller than him and she studied his eyebrows with a critical eye, trying to decide which one would look better.

Instinctually, she twirled the knife in her hand while she thought and then flipped it before going for his left one.

“You really know how to use that thing,” he muttered, but Dex didn’t move a single muscle.

Nova honestly didn’t even think he was breathing.

“Shut up or I might slip.” Using the sharp edge as gently as she could, she did the outline first. Then Nova cleaned up the center, keeping the line thin so it didn’t look stupid. “I’m going to do two.”

He looked up at her, and Nova couldn’t help her smile. Something about the way he was watching her, trusting her – it was making her melt.

But they were supposed to be just friends.

“Don’t make it gay,” she told him, cleaning up the second line so it was just as pretty and thin as the second.

“This is honestly the farthest from gay I’ve ever been.” His voice was deeper than before and she could feel the subsonic growl in his chest against her own.

Nova closed her eyes as she tried to keep things from getting more heated. Once she had her shit under control, she opened her eyes and gently blew the hair off his face. She studied his eyebrow, smoothing the hair down with her thumb. “It’s done.”

“How does it look?” Dex asked, arching it at her like he was modeling the new look.

Nova froze when she realized what she’d done.

“Does it really look that bad?” He sounded almost worried she’d made him ugly, as if that would ever be possible.

“No, it’s not that.” Nova couldn’t help it, she rubbed her thumb over the two lines again, knowing this had been a huge mistake.

Her other hand touched the scar on her own eyebrow, where it was cut naturally.

What was wrong with her?

“Hey, we match,” Dex chuckled.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t even thinking. I shouldn’t have?—”

Dex grabbed her wrists before she could start freaking out. “Look at me.”

Nova dropped her gaze from his eyebrow to his eyes and she felt her heart start pounding.

Fuck, he was so hard to resist.

“It’s okay. I don’t mind,” he told her. “Now, if you could please get off of me so I can see it, I would appreciate that.”

Nova couldn’t believe this kind of person even existed. “Why are you so patient with me, so understanding? I’m—fuck, I’m literally crazy.”

Dex released her wrists and settled his hands on her hips. “You are definitely weird, but I think crazy is a stretch. We all have our issues, and I spent my entire life having to learn how to control mine. I like you, so I’m willing to be patient with you.”

“I like you too, Dex.” Nova sighed and started to get off of him. She needed to get ready to go soon too.

But his hands tightened on her hips, and Nova couldn’t move.

“Do you?” he asked, studying her face like he might find a different answer there.

“I just said I did.”

“And are you attracted to me?” He yanked her forward against him so she could feel his hard dick and Nova gasped.

That single sound seemed to unleash everything Dex had been holding back. He moved, flipping her over so fast it took a second to figure out she was on her back now with him above her.

“Are you attracted to me?” he asked again, pressing his hips into hers, studying her eyes as if he could see the truth there.

Nova couldn’t lie anymore. “Yes.”

Dex glared down at her. Somehow her answer had only irritated him. “Then why do we have to be just friends? Can’t we be friends who also do something about their attraction for each other?”

Really, after everything that had happened, he was still interested in her? Was he some kind of masochist?

Definitely shouldn’t have climbed on top of him.

“I don’t date,” she said, losing herself in those golden-brown eyes, in the curve of his lips, and the sharp cheekbones. “So, there’d be no point.”

“Friends with benefits doesn’t require dating.” Dex leaned down and dragged his lips against her neck, licking the sweat from her skin.

Nova couldn’t breathe. All she could think about was how he was above her – between her legs. It had been too long since anyone had touched her like this, and never anyone who actually seemed to care about her. “Dex, I can’t.”

His growl made her shiver, and Nova felt her control slipping. She was going to lose her mind if she didn’t get him off of her soon.

“Why not? I just want to understand.”

Nova forced herself to look at him, to see what was going through his head. Something in his gaze softened and she reached up to hold his face.

His skin was so soft and smooth.

She rubbed her thumbs against his cheeks and the way he closed his eyes to lean into her touch made her fucking heart break.

“I can’t act like I don’t have feelings for you,” she whispered, feeling the tears burn as the truth of that kicked her in the gut. “Pretending we could be friends with benefits is almost as stupid as pretending we could just be friends.”

Dex leaned down and softly kissed her forehead. “Would dating me really be so bad?”

No.

The confidence in that thought was terrifying.

Dex was Nephilim which meant she should be fucking scared of him just for that. The power he had could kill her in an instant, and yet he’d done nothing to scare her ever since the first moment she’d laid eyes on him.

He’d killed for her.

At every turn, he’d protected her, and Nova didn’t think it was just because he thought she was attractive.

“I might have to leave,” she told him, not sure what else to say. There was no other reason that even made sense in this situation. “I can’t make serious life choices based on a guy I really like, and I don’t think I could leave you if we started dating.”

Finally, the truth

Nova closed her eyes, hating herself for having to fucking be like this.

“I can respect that.” Dex shifted, pulling her into a sitting position beside him. He ran his hand through his hair with a sigh and then adjusted his sweats.

Nova immediately got up and grabbed her boots, yanking them on.

She wanted to cry, but not in front of him. She was done breaking down in front of Dex.

Grabbing her coat and keys, she checked the time. Sun was already down, and she hadn’t even noticed.

“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” she told him, zipping up her coat. “But I’m a fucking mess, and there’s no reason you should have to deal with that.”

He arched that slit eyebrow at her. “I’m the only one who gets to decide what I will and will not deal with.”

Nova couldn’t stop staring at him.

Fuck, he needed to stop saying things like that.

On a whim, she crossed the room and kissed his cheek. Nova didn’t trust herself to do more than that and still be able to leave. “I’ve never had anyone treat me the way you do.” She hugged him then, trying not to fixate on the fact he didn’t hug her back. “I need some time to figure things out.”

Nova left before she did anything else stupid, yanking her hood up so no one could see her eye. She traced the scar on her eyebrow. For some reason, knowing Dex had a matching mark made her hate it less.

Her hand dropped and she shook her head.

There was work to do, and she needed to figure out exactly who Dex was before she fell head over heels for him.

If it wasn’t already too late.