Page 307 of Flirting with Darkness

She’d hesitated too long on the phone though and her dad had demanded she abort mission and head back. It was no longer safe for her, not when she would hesitate if Dex ever came face to face with her monster.

What would she do if he was the one she ended up hunting?

Nova closed her eyes, hating herself.

Her first mission and she’d already fucked it up. Gianna would be so pissed at her.

“I never met my real dad,” Dex said, breaking into her thoughts. “My uncle raised me.”

That just made her feel even worse.

Nova bit her lip so the tears welling in her eyes didn’t spill down her cheeks. “Can we watch the next episode now?”

“Sure.” But he didn’t sound sure.

Thank fuck for scent charms.

The show started playing and she forced herself to focus on it so she could get her shit together. It was a good show and the concept was fascinating. But the space between her and Dex felt like a canyon. She was cold and she couldn’t figure out what she was going to fucking do.

Her dad was right, she should leave.

But she should also be a professional and ignore how she felt personally. That was the right choice. She couldn’t quit every mission she got when she wanted to fuck someone.

Stupid fucking boy in his stupid fucking loose tank top. He was practically taunting her to look at his nipple piercings and she didn’t think he even realized it.

The heater was on though and she was finally warming up.

Nova stood and peeled off her coat, tossing it on the couch as she headed for the kitchen. She needed some more alcohol. If nothing else, it would help her forget how miserably she’d already failed.

“Tell me what’s wrong.” The growl in his voice told her he wasn’t going to let her push him away this time.

Nova ignored him and grabbed another bottle of vodka, yanking the cork off without even trying.

The buzz was just starting to hit her. She was a hunter, which meant her metabolism was much, much faster than a witch’s, but still nothing compared to whatever Dex was.

She threw back the bottle and snarled when he yanked it out of her hand. The alcohol spilled all over her. Nova whirled around and suddenly found herself pinned against the counter.

He wasn’t touching her anywhere, but his arms caged her as he gripped the marble and he waspissed. “Tell me.”

“Thanks for that, asshole.” She flicked his nipple piercing.

Dex froze and she ducked under his arm, yanking off her stupid shirt. She held it in her hand, not sure what to do with it now. Was there a washer somewhere?

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Dex snatched the shirt from her hand and went into what she assumed was the guest bathroom. She could hear him throw it in the washer and start it before coming back out.

He threw another shirt at her hard enough she actually stumbled backward when it caught her in the face. “I could ask you the same question,” she muttered.

“What’s wrong withme?”The way he stressed the word, Nova knew she’d managed to piss him off even more.

“Yeah, you.” Nova yanked his shirt on and tried to ignore the way it smelled.

Reaching under it to take off her soaking wet bra was probably a bad idea, but she didn’t want to be cold anymore. She pulled it out with a little maneuver and enjoyed the way his eyes widened. Nova walked around him and tossed it into the washer too before heading back to the couch.

He didn’t grab her like she expected him to.

“Maybe I’m pissed that my friend is upset and using unhealthy coping mechanisms to deal with it.”

Touché.

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