Page 6 of Smoke and Mirrors
3
MELODY
“You nervous?” Connor teased.
I checked my mascara in the mirror again, stepped back, and straightened out my clothes.
“A little,” I admitted. “I’ve never been on a real date before.”
“Seriously?” he stared at me in disbelief. “If I’da known that, I would have wined and dined you way sooner.”
“You still can.” I flashed a smile at him over my shoulder. “After we get your new prosthetics. Those are more important.”
“Fuck that,” he grumbled, sliding his hands around my waist as he pressed a sensual kiss to the back of my neck. “You’re more important.”
“I like you healthy and not in pain,” I informed him. “You’re less grumpy that way.”
“I always find a reason to be grumpy,” he chuckled with a playful swat to my ass. “And I need a miracle to afford new legs anyway. I’m definitely not waiting that long to make my girl feel special.”
“You already make me feel special.” I spun in his arms and kissed him deeply, not caring that I’d have to reapply my lipstick. With my hands wrapped around his strong neck, my lips and tongue told him without words exactly how I felt.
We parted breathlessly, pausing for half a beat.
“And if a miracle is what we need, then we’ll make it happen.” With that, I turned back to the mirror and popped open my lipstick tube.
“Ah, to be eighteen and full of hope again,” he laughed. My age was his favorite jab at me whenever I tried being positive.
“You never know,” I said, carefully applying the red pigment to my lips. “We did find people who can turn into animals after all.”
Right on cue, three raps came to the trailer door and my heart jumped into my throat.
“Sup, Hunter. She’ll be right out,” Connor greeted.
With a final check over myself as they small-talked, I swallowed my nerves and left the bathroom.Why am I so nervous, anyway?I wondered. It wasn’t like this was a blind date. I already knew Hunter.
“Hey,” I greeted, hoping my nerves didn’t show through my smile. “Long time no see.” Damn, that sounded a lot less stupid in my head.
“Indeed.” He returned my smile, giving me every indication he didn’t notice or care how lame I was. “You look really nice, Mel.”
“Really? Thanks!” I was just in shorts and a tank top but they were the nicest thrift store buys I owned. “So do you.”
He traded the T-shirt for a gray button down that accentuated his tall, lean frame. The sleeves rolled up to his elbows showed off the slender, corded muscles of his forearms.
“I clean up nice when I got somewhere to be,” he remarked with a lopsided grin and held his hand out. “Shall we?”
I nodded, and he took my outstretched fingers with a firm but gentle grip as I stepped out of the trailer.
“Have fun, kids. Don’t do anything that I wouldn’t do,” Connor called after us.
“So, do everything! Got it,” I shot back over my shoulder.
My boyfriend just laughed and closed the trailer door as I left for my carnival date with another man.
“Wow, he’s really not bothered,” Hunter mused as his fingers laced through mine. My heart collided against my ribs at the touch.
“Did you expect him to be?”
“No, I know he’s a man of his word. I’m just more used to humans being so possessive of their mates. It’s surprising when they don’t treat their partners like property.”
