Tags:
Fiction,
adventure,
Romance,
Fantasy,
Contemporary,
Paranormal,
France,
London,
teen,
best friend,
angel,
first love,
Mother & Daughter,
first kiss,
cancer,
sarcasm,
redemption,
sad,
play with me,
piper shelly
often that the tune wouldn’t get out of my head.
The door opening opposite me didn’t disrupt
my low singing. But when my mother’s blond friend came out and
leaned one shoulder casually against the column in the middle of
the hallway, the hum died in my throat.
“Hi,” he said with a compassionate look that
made me once again wish the traitor, Quinn, had taken off those
damn handcuffs so I wouldn’t look like such a complete idiot.
Lips pressed together, my fingers waggled in
a feeble greeting. The mere sight of this man sent a quiver of
excitement to my stomach.
“That was quite an
interesting… situation in there.”
With an evil grin, I hoped to send the
message Mind your own crap, buddy . Out loud, I said sweetly,
“Glad you enjoyed the show.”
“I didn’t really.” He wrinkled his nose.
“Getting involved with Laurel and Hardy in there wasn’t your best
idea. Even a smart girl like you might get hurt in a fight with
those two.”
Yeah, sure. My eyes narrowed to
slits. But his words warmed my heart in an unfamiliar way.
The young man nodded his chin at my tied
hands. “They look a little uncomfortable.”
And they bloody well were, but I shrugged it
off like it was nothing unusual. “The latest fashion. You heard the
judge, I wear them quite often.”
A teasing smile that spiked my blood
pressure played around his lips. “Shall we take them off?” he
said.
He had to be kidding. “Unless you’ve got
teeth like a hacksaw, I don’t see how that would work.”
He crossed the hall to me, pulling a
key-ring from his pocket. He squatted, leveled his eyes with mine,
and shook the keys in front of my face. The friendly jingle of
metal filled the high hallway.
My mouth fell open. “Whom did you get those
from?”
“Chief Madison.”
“You stole them from Quinn?” I pulled my
hands out of his reach.
“Of course not.” The blond god gave me a
pointed look. “I asked for them.”
Why would this guy ask my officer friend to
release me? Frowning, I concentrated on the safety pin in my jeans.
“Quinn wouldn’t free me when I asked him to.”
His intense blue eyes locked with mine. “I
had to solemnly swear to keep an eye on you. Now hold still.” Cool
fingers curled around my wrist to steady my hand while he unlocked
the first cuff. Sparks tingled on my skin, my hand trembled
slightly.
Why would he give his word to an officer,
just to free me? Why even care? He’d do well to stay behind that
door, holding my horrible mother’s hand instead of setting mine
free. With a click, the other cuff came off. I flexed my hands and
rubbed my burning wrists. The shackles had left bright red lines on
my skin.
“Better?” He tilted his head and arched one
beautiful brow.
My head bobbed, but I found no breath to
answer.
“Okay then.” He used my knees to push
himself up and stretched to his full height.
He probably expected my gratitude following
his selflessness. My gaze focused on the ripped hems of his jeans,
my lips remained sealed.
When he turned on his heel and marched off
to the left, I glanced up. “And now you’re going where?” The words
shot out before I could stop myself.
“Bathroom break.” His arched brows dared me
to object.
My lower lip threatened to pop from between
my teeth as I chewed on it. Don’t speak ! “But you’re
supposed to keep an eye on me.”
After studying me for a couple of seconds,
his expression softened even more. “You’re not going to get me into
trouble.”
A balloon of warmth exploded in my chest. I
let him take another stride away from me. Two. Three. Four. “How
can you be so sure?” Shut the hell up, Jona. “According to
everything you know about me, I’ll probably be gone when you get
back.”
A shrug of one shoulder and his beguiling
smile struck me silent. “I trust you.” A moment later he
disappeared around the corner.
My chin hit my chest.
Trust me, my arse ! He must be
nuts if he thought I could be trusted. With a