Page 17 of A Hunter Found
Their time at the salon took quite a bit longer than expected. Of course, an all-over color plus highlights took time, not that Morgan or Jamie complained. She’d felt guilty for keeping them just the same, but now, Sophia couldn’t stop staring at herself in any and every reflective surface she could find. Such an improvement. No more dull, lifeless gray. Her hair was once again brown with blonde highlights, blown out and curled so that it fell in big bouncy waves. She loved it.
She’d also insisted on paying for it herself despite the other women’s loud protestations. Morgan and Jamie were Kane’s friends, his former teammates, while Sophia was little more than an acquaintance to whom the Born vampire was being nice. She wasn’t about to take advantage of his generosity, especially when she’d done a lot more than get her nails done.
But what a difference her hair had made for her confidence. Sophia felt like she was walking taller as they entered the Mexican restaurant where they were meeting Kane, her smile brighter.
Kane was easy enough to spot, her eyes going straight to him as if she had radar. Pulling up short, Sophia couldn’t help but chuckle. “Is he wearing a sombrero?”
Both Morgan and Jamie laughed as well as they spotted Kane near the bar wearing a massive hat complete with colorful fringe. Jamie let out a hoot of appreciation. “I predict drunk darts in our future.”
“Drunk darts?”
Leaning in, Morgan explained in a whisper, “Vampires can’t get drunk, not really, so the two of them will occasionally spend time in a bar drinking, stumble about like they’re drunk, and then con some poor, unsuspecting human into playing darts for money.”
Laughing, Sophia shook her head. “Poor humans.”
Morgan shrugged, “They keep the wager pretty low, five or ten bucks, and it doesn’t usually last long. The humans tend to catch on pretty quickly.”
As they approached the bar, Sophia realized Kane wasn’t alone, had apparently invited her brother as well as Jamie’s mate, Archer, and Archer’s daughter, Cady – who was also wearing a sombrero, though a much smaller one.
Cady’s eyes lit up when she spotted Sophia, her excitement palpable. Poor kid. According to Jamie, the little girl had been wanting to spend time with Sophia, excited to meet the woman who controlled a dragon, but thanks to Sophia’s spectacular lack of control after waking, Cady and the other young ones had been kept well away.
Patting the empty barstool next to her, Cady bounced in her seat. “Come sit next to me, Sophia.”
As Sophia settled onto the seat, Jamie leaned in to ask the girl, “What are you drinking, sweetie?”
“A sombrero.”
Jamie’s eyes went round and Sophia chuckled as Archer mouthed, ‘It’s chocolate milk’ while Kane shook a pair of maracas and announced, “Drinking sombreros, wearing sombreros, and ready to eat tacos. Isn’t that right, munchkin?”
“That’s right,” Cady happily agreed.
Travis slid in on Sophia’s other side with a smile, his eyes moving over her face. “Your hair looks great, but you also look happy. I like seeing that sparkle back in your eyes.”
“I feel good,” she said. “I feel motivated. I’m excited to train.”
He nodded, though his happiness dimmed a bit at the mention of training. “Purpose is a good thing.”
Nudging his shoulder, she changed the subject. “I no longer want to bite your mate, sothat’sa good thing, right?”
Travis chuckled, his hand sweeping through his hair leaving some of the locks sticking up at odd angles. “Well, that’s a load off my mind.”
“Did I hear that right?” Morgan cut in, popping her head between theirs with a grin. “Did I earn the coveted Sister Approved badge?” And then louder, “That calls for a round of margaritas!”
Chapter Twelve
Kane couldn’t seem to tear his eyes off of Sophia. Finally, she had shed that ballcap and released that glorious mane of hair. Hair he wanted to twine through his fingers, bury his face in, have curtained around him as she rode him, screaming his name…
Stifling that thought before he did something stupid like walk over there and throw the woman over his shoulder to drag her off to the nearest dark corner – a foolhardy notion considering the beast she contained within that delectable body – Kane downed the margarita that was set before him and gave the maracas another cheerful shake. “I’m starving. Who’s ready for tacos?”
The question was met with resounding approval, and Kane purposely hung back as everyone made their way to their table so he could accompany Sophia. The call he’d made to Travis and Archer had been purposeful, if a bit sneaky, as now the numbers were two couples and a family unit, pairing him nicely as Sophia’s date, even if she didn’t know it. Oh, he had every intention of asking her out on a legitimate date, but he hadn’t been able to resist taking advantage of a situation when it presented itself. He was Born after all, and opportunistic was pretty much hard-wired into his species’ DNA.
“Did you have fun this afternoon?” he asked, keeping his voice down, though, for what reason, he wasn’t sure. It wasn’t like he was talking dirty to her, but for some reason, he wanted all his conversations with her to be private. Just him and her.
She nodded eagerly, her smile bright. “I did. Thank you for suggesting it.”
Practically beaming at the pleasure clearly written on her face, and the thought that he’d put it there, Kane had to clear his throat before he could say, “You’re welcome.”
“And I’m so glad you picked Mexican. I love tacos. I’m so hungry I could probably eat like twenty.”
