Page 1132 of One More Kiss

The invitation to tag along must have meant more to Griffin than I realized because he smiled in response. But not just any smile--the smile.

It was different from the deviant curve of his lips and devil may care attitude that drew me to him the night we first met. No, this one was private, reserved for me, and far more dangerous.

The smile that settled onto his lips held the power to melt the block of ice that had encased my heart since the day he walked out on me—and the other parts of me that I had locked away.

Parts that yearned for one more touch, one more kiss.

For the love of the Goddess, Morgan, gird your loins and get your shit together. You cannot screw this up.

Orly got the jump on me again, dodged down another alley, and then out of sight.

I was sensing a pattern. One that would land me behind a desk pushing paper and processing other detectives reports or worse, put an end to my career at the AMA. I needed to bring Orly in and put an end to his black-market business for good.

With one last trick up my sleeve, I removed the amulet hanging from my neck, pricked the tip of my right index finger, and rubbed a small drop of blood across the face of the crystal to invoke the charm.

"Tracking spell?" Griffin asked, reaching for the magical GPS disguised as an antique family heirloom.

"I thought you wanted to help." Old wounds and my temper got the better of me and I smacked his hand away from the amulet with more force than the gesture warranted. "You know better than to get your fingerprints on it. You'll scramble the signal."

"I'm sorry," Griffin uttered the two words in the English language - or any language, for that matter - that I never expected to come out of his mouth.

Two words I waited months to hear and were powerful enough to knock my world off its axis. It was a shame he hadn't said the words when they would have meant something.

"Wow. I've been waiting a long time to for you to say that. I wasn't sure I'm sorry was actually in your vocabulary."

We're not doing this. We are not doing this. Focus, Morgan. Focus.Easier said than done with my ex hanging around.

The tracking charm warmed in my hand and began to glow, bringing my attention back to what mattered: serving the warrant and making the arrest. The light shifted from a soft amber to bright orange as it zeroed in on a location.

"He's not moving. It looks like he's hiding in the theater down on Main Street." I started down the alley, heading back toward the main drag when Griffin grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"Hang on a second." His grip loosened and his hand slid down my forearm until his fingers intertwined with mine.

Nope. Absolutely not. We have been down this road and know exactly where it leads. Heartbreak. Do not be lured in by eyes the color of storm clouds, a strong jaw, and chiseled abs.

"I'm supposed to be working. You're supposed to be helping." Every warning bell and whistle went off in my head and I tried to shake my hand free of his.

"Just listen to me. Please." Griffin pleaded, but he released me. "I screwed up, okay? Is that what you want to hear? There is so much pressure, so many expectations dating a Byrnes, but I shouldn't have listened to your father when he told me I wasn't good enough for you."

The desperation in his voice was the straw that broke the broom. Ten months of bottled-up anger, heartache, and suspicion that my family had played a major role in our breakup burst free.

"Oh my, Goddess. Now, Griffin? You want to do this now?" I pushed against his chest, forcing him to step back and put a little distance between us. "It took the better part of a year for you to offer an apology. Your timing sucks. As usual."

"Yeah? Well, I waited a long time for the right time to talk to you, Morgan." Griffin raked his hands through his chestnut hair, gripping the roots for a moment before his fingers combed through the ends. "Trust me, it doesn't exist."

"I find it hard to believe that you couldn't have found one opportunity that wasn't in a disgusting alley and in the middle of a run?"

A year ago, I would have swooned over his apology, fallen into his arms and turned my back on the pain he caused the morning I came home from a double shift to an empty apartment.

But too many moons had passed for that.

"Why couldn't you just send flowers or a card like a regular guy?" I tapped the crystal, willing it to send me a ping with Orly's location and a reason to walk away from Griffin that didn't give the impression I was still hung up on him.

"Because I'm not a regular guy and you are not a flowers kind of girl."

As much as it pained me to admit it, Griffin wasn't wrong.

The most powerful warlock born outside of the old bloodlines, nothing about Griffin - from his well-defined abs to his tousled brown hair and five o'clock shadow or his ability to wield magic - was regular.

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