Page 11 of Unmasked Prophecy

“Come on.”

I follow him inside. The place is quiet—faded booths, cracked vinyl, the air thick with grease and coffee. A couple of old folks share pancakes near the window. The woman behind the counter greets Talon with a smile that tells me he is a regular here. Flicking her long blond hair over her shoulder, she walks over, putting her hand on his shoulder.

“Talon, how are you darling?”

He grins down at her, and the sight nearly takes my breath away. Talon isn’t the kind of man to smile, let alone grin, and seeing the way it transforms his face has me sucking in a breath. I’m standing there, staring up at him like a lovestruck teenager.

“I’m good, Maria. This is Nia. You got any of that good ice cream?”

Maria winks at him. “You know I always keep some for you, honey. Sit down, I’ll get two cones.”

He nods, then looks to me. “You like ice cream?”

I blink, and my cheeks burn with embarrassment. “I’ve never had it.”

His face hardens like that physically hurts him. “Today is your lucky day then.”

Talon leans against the counter, arms crossed, watching me as I stare around the room.

“Booth or table?”

I stare at him. “Ah, booth?”

Pushing off the counter, he leads me to a booth, and we sit down. He’s still staring over at me, his expression unreadable.

“Just ask, Talon,” I say, rubbing my arms, feeling slightly chilly.

“You really never been allowed ice cream?”

“No. We only ate what was grown on the land. That’s it. That’s where it ended.”

I glance away, staring around the room, looking anywhere but at him.

“One day soon, Nia, they’ll pay for that.”

I don’t answer him.

Maria returns, handing me a cone with a rich chocolate ice cream inside. My eyes widen as I take it, and up close I can see it has big chunks of brownie inside it. At least, that’s what it looks like.

“Chocolate brownie, your favorite,” she smiles at Talon.

He winks at her.

I bring the ice cream to my mouth, sliding my tongue over the cold, sweet treat. My eyes widen as my taste buds explode. This...this is incredible. I lick it again, chewing the chunk of brownie that falls into my mouth and moaning as I swallow it.

“Guessin’ that’s a good sign,” Talon murmurs, staring at my lips.

I nod, enthusiastically. “I’ve never tasted anything like it.”

“Glad you like it. You ever been to the beach?”

I blink at him, then shake my head.

“Good, we’re goin’ there next.”

We are?

My heart stutters with pure joy.

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