Page 48 of Shadow Hunter

Who the hell was he kidding?

He winced, and she crossed her arms over her chest, hoping she’d hit him where it hurt.

“Tiffany, please.” He lowered his eyes to the ground. “Please, let me do this.”

“Why?”

“Because I care about you. That’s why.”

A sharp pang hit her heart.

Maybe Mark would have wanted this. The two of them together, and her…

Happy. Well and truly happy. Whenever she was in his arms. For the first time in a long time. Maybe this was exactly what she needed to heal her broken heart.

Or maybe she was making excuses, trying to justify any connection so she’d no longer feel so alone.

Against her better judgment, she pulled away from Damon, slowly shaking her head as she started to walk down the alley.

To Damon’s credit, he didn’t follow her. His feet stayed firmly planted on the cold, wet ground. But it was his voice that stilled her. “I know you want to kill Caius as much as I do.”

She stopped in her tracks.

“And we both know you can’t do that without me.”

If looks could kill,Tiffany’s expression would have massacred an army.

Slowly, she spun to face him, her lips pursed tight and her amber eyes blazing. Her hands balled into fists, as she stared down the bridge of her nose at him, acting as if she were twice her size. He loved it when she was like this. Fierce and full of righteous fury.

It was sexy as all get out.

Despite the evening’s emotional turmoil, Damon was surprised he had to fight back a smile. He couldn’t help it. Facing off against Tiffany felt a little like having a Texas standoff with an angry kitten. But as innocent as she seemed, she was pissed, and that kitten had claws.

And she wasn’t about to let him forget it.

“Who says I need your help to kill Caius?” She crossed her arms over her chest, her weight shifting from the curve of one haughty hip to the other.

Damon bit back a pleased growl.

He knew exactly how delicious those hips could feel in his hands as he sheathed himself in her, how easy it would be for him to leave the mark of his fingers there from how hard she wanted him to take her, make her scream. He wasn’t prepared to give that up just yet.

Not without a fight.

Damon didn’t know what caused it, but something in the air between them shifted then, a silent emotional pivot. He may not be able to have her in his arms—yet—but hewouldhave her in his bed again, have this. Whatever this playful banter was between them. Neither one of them could resist it. Maybe then, she’d realize what she meant to him.

Because he would fight like hell before he was ever willing to give her up.

When he didn’t answer her question with any expediency, she waved a hand in dismissal. “You know what? I don’t have time for this. I don’t need your help.” She turned then, sashaying down the alley’s corridor. Leaving him scrambling for what it would take to get her to stay.

The words were out of his mouth before he’d even fully considered them.

“You wanna bet on it, Shortcake?” he called after her.

She turned and lifted a brow one furious at him once more. “Excuse me?”

Damon threw his arms out to the side, gesturing to the alley around them. “You. Me. Right here. Take your shot.”

Maybe he was being foolish, but…he didn’t think he needed for her to forgive him after all. Maybe all he really needed was to be a haven for her fury. Maybe that’s all she’deverneeded him to be. When the letters stopped. When he’d hurt her without meaning.

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