Page 44 of Taken for Granite
“I think five might be overdoing it. I mean, we shouldn’t get cocky, but just wait until you see the wings and tail we’re planning.”
“Wow. I’d love to see that.”
Tas glared at Juniper and said, “No.”
“No?” Juniper asked sweetly. Watching the waitress flirt with Tas and his complete obliviousness was such a delight. A treat for the ages.
“I only display my tail to my pebble.” His amethyst eyes held hers with such intensity she felt sure he was saying more than his words conveyed. Juniper blushed, not entirely sure why but willing to go with the delighted feeling of having Tas call her his woman.
“Oh. Well, I can take your orders now.” The waitress shifted from foot to foot.
After giving their orders, Juniper nudged his foot again with her own. “You should consider dialing back the pretty.”
“Explain.”
“All this.” She gestured to her face and waved her hand in a circle. “You’re too good-looking. You can alter your disguise to look like anything, yeah? Try looking less like one of Michelangelo's angels and more like us mere mortals.”
He huffed. “I have tried various guises in the past to different degrees of success. The elderly are practically invisible and useful for going unnoticed in a crowd. An exaggerated feature, such as a large nose, focuses attention and makes identification almost impossible. But this,” he waved to his face, “I find that humans are more compliant to my wishes with this appearance.”
“In other words, you like to be pretty because life’s easier,” she said in a teasing voice. “Oh, you vain creature.”
He tensed and Juniper instantly knew she said the wrong thing.
“What? What did I say?”
“Is that what I am to you? A creature?”
Her stomach sank with the realization that “creature” was the term the Rose person used on the phone. “No. No! I wasn’t thinking. It’s a turn of phrase, a stupid one. I’ll be more thoughtful.”
He narrowed his eyes and then snorted. “I will believe it when I see it.” His words were harsh but did not hold malice.
“Wow, vain and arrogant. It’s kind of impressive the way you pull it off, man.”
“I am not a man.”
“I know, but I’m trying to get the right vocabulary here. Fella? Gentleman? Proud peacock?” She sipped at her coffee, waiting for his response.
“I am your male,” he said, voice low and just insistent enough to melt her panties.
“Stop that,” she said, squirming in her seat.
“Stop what?” He blinked, amethyst eyes wide and innocent.
His grin betrayed how much he enjoyed winding her up. Juniper changed tactics. “Did you mean that? Calling me yours?”
The cocky grin vanished. He leaned across the table and cupped the back of her head, resting his forehead against hers. “You are mine, Juniper Bouvet. Do not doubt that. Tell me that I am your male.”
That uneasy fluttering feeling returned. She was his, and she knew it, but they’d part ways soon, and she knew she’d never see him again. She tried to hold back the tears pricking at her eyelids.
Emotions sucked.
The waitress arriving with their meals before Juniper could answer, ending the moment.
Five days. It had been only five days since she opened the back of the van and a gargoyle leaped out at her and changed her entire world. Then, more insidiously, five days since her sister was taken. Guilt overcame her as she had no right to feel any sort of way about Tas, not with Chloe gone.
Back in the van, she couldn’t bring herself to turn the key in the ignition.
“Juniper? Is the vehicle disabled? My knowledge of mechanics is limited, but perhaps I can inspect the engine for damage.”
