“What else?”
Her lips pursed. “Tell me what you like about me.”
He blinked, clearly surprised by the topic switch. “Everything.”
There was so much conviction in his tone that he left no room for doubt. “Even if I told you that twice in my life I’ve hacked off Ava’s hair, just because I was mad at her?”
His brow furrowed. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“I’m confessing my sins so you can reevaluate what you like about me.”
“I won’t ever—”
“I’ve also done every drug out there except Onadyn,” she interjected. “And the only reason I’ve never done Onadyn is because it turns your skin blue for several hours, and blue isn’t my color. Also, I went through a pyre phase and torched a school, as well as my parents’ summer home. Oh, and I once stole a twenty from a homeless man. ’Course, he deserved it for kicking a robo-dog. Machines have feelings too, you know, but I still kept him from eating for God knows how many days.”
Hector’s golden gaze no longer crackled with tension, had softened with wariness. “Interesting, but why do you think any of that would make me reevaluate what I like about you?”
“It doesn’t?”
“No.”
Her heart fluttered, a thousand tiny butterfly wings in flight. “All right, then. What would you change about me?”
Another round of confused blinking. “Not a damn thing.”
More conviction. Much more. He meant that, liked her just the way she was. Wasn’t judging her. Further proof: he’d never tried to change her. He’d only ever tried to protect her.
She would have him. Fight for him.
In her mind, they’d just proven they could be together intimately successfully, but okay. He required more evidence. Problem was, he planned to push her away. Again. For her own good. Well, not this time.
She would do the pushing. Not away from her, but toward a commitment. She would have him, and that was that.
“Just so you know,” she said. “Nothing happened with Corban. I refused to let him inside my house, so he took me to a restaurant. We talked for an hour before I left his ass there. I went to my mother’s, went to a cocktail party with her, thought briefly about committing a murder/suicide, then stayed the night with her. The reason I was still in a dress was because I refuse to keep clothes at her house and had to buy something for the party. That was all I had to wear home.”
He listened, his shoulders sagging with relief. “Thank you for telling me.”
“That’s what people in a relationship do.” There. She’d said it, and he could deal.
He flinched. “Well, now I have to tell you something.”
Annnd, here it comes. The “it’s not you, it’s me” speech again.
“You know one of the reasons I pushed you away before. My arms. Here’s another. Dallas had a vision of the two of us sleeping together, as well as a vision of the two of you sleeping together.”
A searing flood of confusion. “A vision?”
“Yeah. He’s psychic.”
Psychic. “Okay.” Once she might have snorted at such a claim. Having worked with otherworlders, having dated one, and seeing their abilities firsthand, she’d pretty much believe anything. “I guess he got it right because I just slept with you.”
Hector’s nostrils flared. A return of his arousal? “The problem is, Dallas will either be destroyed or saved.”
“Destroyed or saved, because I slept with you?”
“Yes.”
“How will Dallas be destroyed? Or saved?” she added before he could correct her. Just like that, she understood why Dallas and Devyn, Dally’s best friend forever, had acted so strangely around her yesterday.
A muscle ticked in Hector’s jaw. “We don’t know.” “You just know it’ll happen.”
A stiff, grim nod.
“Because I slept with you,” she reiterated. “Don’t worry. Dallas gave his permission for us to be together.”
“Oh, well, if Dallas gave his permission, then by all means,” she said dryly. “Let’s get married and have a thousand babies.”
His teeth flashed in a scowl. “Look, I just wanted you to know where my head was at.”
So she’d back off and give him some space? Not gonna happen, darling. I’m coming at you guns blazing.
On her nightstand, her phone beeped, signaling a text had just come in. “Get dressed, and we’ll head to work,” she said, walking over and palming the device.
“We don’t have to decide anything about our definitely committed relationship right now.”
“Noelle—”
“Don’t even think about denying we are involved in a committed relationship, Hector. We are. Well, you are at least. I’m allowed to fool around with other people if I so choose.”
Silence. Good. Maybe he’d learn he would live a much fuller, richer life if he just sucked it up and gave her what she wanted, when she wanted it.
“You are not fooling around with anyone else,” he finally growled. “Not even Don Carlos.”
“Fine. But it’s on you if he kills himself over the sorrow of losing me.”
“Word on the street is, he’s already moved on and is dating someone else.”
“He is not. He loves me!” When she reminded herself they were talking about her imaginary lover, she forced herself to utter a put-upon sigh. “Well, I hope you’re proud of yourself. You just got exactly what you wanted. You and I are only seeing each other.”
As he strode into the bathroom, muttering under his breath about naughty girls who fought dirty, she read what Tits McGee had to say. Guess what? Fangs R in!
Ava and McKell forever, she thought, a sudden pang in her chest. She replied: Told U! She was happy for the lovebirds, she really was. And she wouldn’t feel sorry for herself, that Hector was intent on resisting her. She was better than that. Sometimes.
I bet U look hot! U doing well? she typed next.
Do look hot, but tired w/ a raging thirst.
Take it out on McKell.
Already on it!
Of course she was. Ava liked dishing revenge as much as Noelle did.
Tits McGee: So… U think anymore bout turning?
Took her a moment to decide on the proper response. Not yet, got case, miss you tho.
Miss you 2. BTW, case would B solved already if I were there.
Brat.
Slacker.