“You done for the day? Or did you want to wipe Crash’s face with the floor once more?”
“He’s going to be okay, right?” I asked, glancing down again at Crash, who was staring off into la-la land. My fingers and arms were still tingling with a power that both frightened and thrilled me.
Zane gave a halfhearted shrug. “He’ll live, if that’s what you mean. And if he doesn’t, no one will miss him.”
My eyes tapered to a glare.
“He’s joking,” Zander assured.
“Is he?” I mumbled, unconvinced.
“We can’t really be sure, can we?” Zander winked.
“You’ll want to do him in yourself, Brother, once Piper tells you what Crash was up to last night,” Zane blabbed.
I clenched my jaw. What a narc. “People in prison get shanked for less.”
Amused, Zander started walking backward toward the stairs. “Then for Crash’s sake, she better fill me in on the way.”
The mysterious Irish lilt in his tone piqued my interest. “On the way where?” I asked.
“You’ll see,” he said.
Any place would be better than here. I was done with the training yard. “Now might be a good time to tell you I hate surprises.” I glanced over my shoulder at Zane before we left. He was looming over Crash. Shadows surrounded him, so I couldn’t see his face. As much as I wanted to get out of here, I thought twice about leaving him alone with a dazed Crash.
Chapter 10
“How’s it going? The training?” Zander asked when we were comfortably sitting in his car, a convertible of sorts.
“Just peachy,” I answered, hanging my arm on the window ledge. “My butt has become quite acquainted with the mats.”
Zander laughed softly. The balmy breeze played with the curls at the nape of his neck. “We’ve all been there.”
Reaching behind my head, I tugged the hair tie from my ponytail and shook out my hair, letting the wind whip through it. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Are you kidding? When we were growing up, Zane made it his personal mission to best me at everything.”
That I could believe. “He does seem like a try-hard.”
Zander laughed, and it was a nice sound. Just nice. No tingles. No heart palpitations. No blood rushing. Those were only reserved for the rare times Zane truly let go.
He pulled up to Inside Scoop, a local ice cream shop. Nothing fancy, only a walk-up window with outdoor seating, but the lack of bells and whistles had no impact on the taste or the local joint popularity. TJ and I had come once for a nighttime treat. My little brother had a weakness for ice cream. I had a weakness for anything sweet. I wasn’t picky.
“This is a nice surprise,” I said, smiling.
His gaze flicked to the left, meeting mine. “I figured you deserved a treat. And it gives us a few minutes alone.”
For more than a moment, I’d forgotten that Zander and I were supposed to be seen together. The smile on my lips lost some of its luster, but I kept it firmly in place. Then I saw the buckets of creamy goodness and my stomach rumbled. Any feelings I had about Zander and me took a back seat to ice cream. There were so many choices. Mountain berry, coffee and donuts, and my personal favorite, ooey gooey butter cake. I settled for a cherry vanilla waffle cone dipped in chocolate sprinkles. What was ice cream without sprinkles?
I trailed behind Zander as he steered us away from the cluster of empty tables and toward a spot under a tree. If it wasn’t for the fifties music playing softly in the background, the silence between us would have been unbearable.
Things were already strange between us. He was my fiancé and I knew next to nothing about him, other than he was a reaper and had an extraordinarily hot brother. None of the little things like what his favorite color was or favorite food. I didn’t even know his middle name.
I dug into my cone like a girl who starved herself. Apparently, I had worked up more of an appetite than I thought. And man was it delicious. He dipped his
“He’s going to be okay, right?” I asked, glancing down again at Crash, who was staring off into la-la land. My fingers and arms were still tingling with a power that both frightened and thrilled me.
Zane gave a halfhearted shrug. “He’ll live, if that’s what you mean. And if he doesn’t, no one will miss him.”
My eyes tapered to a glare.
“He’s joking,” Zander assured.
“Is he?” I mumbled, unconvinced.
“We can’t really be sure, can we?” Zander winked.
“You’ll want to do him in yourself, Brother, once Piper tells you what Crash was up to last night,” Zane blabbed.
I clenched my jaw. What a narc. “People in prison get shanked for less.”
Amused, Zander started walking backward toward the stairs. “Then for Crash’s sake, she better fill me in on the way.”
The mysterious Irish lilt in his tone piqued my interest. “On the way where?” I asked.
“You’ll see,” he said.
Any place would be better than here. I was done with the training yard. “Now might be a good time to tell you I hate surprises.” I glanced over my shoulder at Zane before we left. He was looming over Crash. Shadows surrounded him, so I couldn’t see his face. As much as I wanted to get out of here, I thought twice about leaving him alone with a dazed Crash.
Chapter 10
“How’s it going? The training?” Zander asked when we were comfortably sitting in his car, a convertible of sorts.
“Just peachy,” I answered, hanging my arm on the window ledge. “My butt has become quite acquainted with the mats.”
Zander laughed softly. The balmy breeze played with the curls at the nape of his neck. “We’ve all been there.”
Reaching behind my head, I tugged the hair tie from my ponytail and shook out my hair, letting the wind whip through it. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Are you kidding? When we were growing up, Zane made it his personal mission to best me at everything.”
That I could believe. “He does seem like a try-hard.”
Zander laughed, and it was a nice sound. Just nice. No tingles. No heart palpitations. No blood rushing. Those were only reserved for the rare times Zane truly let go.
He pulled up to Inside Scoop, a local ice cream shop. Nothing fancy, only a walk-up window with outdoor seating, but the lack of bells and whistles had no impact on the taste or the local joint popularity. TJ and I had come once for a nighttime treat. My little brother had a weakness for ice cream. I had a weakness for anything sweet. I wasn’t picky.
“This is a nice surprise,” I said, smiling.
His gaze flicked to the left, meeting mine. “I figured you deserved a treat. And it gives us a few minutes alone.”
For more than a moment, I’d forgotten that Zander and I were supposed to be seen together. The smile on my lips lost some of its luster, but I kept it firmly in place. Then I saw the buckets of creamy goodness and my stomach rumbled. Any feelings I had about Zander and me took a back seat to ice cream. There were so many choices. Mountain berry, coffee and donuts, and my personal favorite, ooey gooey butter cake. I settled for a cherry vanilla waffle cone dipped in chocolate sprinkles. What was ice cream without sprinkles?
I trailed behind Zander as he steered us away from the cluster of empty tables and toward a spot under a tree. If it wasn’t for the fifties music playing softly in the background, the silence between us would have been unbearable.
Things were already strange between us. He was my fiancé and I knew next to nothing about him, other than he was a reaper and had an extraordinarily hot brother. None of the little things like what his favorite color was or favorite food. I didn’t even know his middle name.
I dug into my cone like a girl who starved herself. Apparently, I had worked up more of an appetite than I thought. And man was it delicious. He dipped his
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