“He gave her a slight, tight-lipped smile. The smile he typically gave people before he ate them alive.”

“The smile was still on his face, but his words were like the arctic winds. “You don’t talk to her. At all.” There was no stopping He-Man when he came out to play.”

“Is this what you do with your spare time?” he asked me, ignoring his sister.“What—are you deciding to talk to me now?” Smiling tightly, I grabbed a handful of mulch and dumped it. Rinse and repeat. “Yeah, it’s kind of a hobby. What’s yours? Kicking puppies?”

“I keep smiling, giving Ash a little wink before turning around. Daemon stood there with two cups, one eyebrow arched. "Bad little Kitten," he murmured.Grinning, I stretch up and kissed him.”

“Warmth slid through my veins as my body tensed in a welcomed, delicious way. My eyes fluttered shut as his lips brushed mine once and then twice, as if he was getting reacquainted with the feel of them. The slight, barely there touch was nerve racking. Cam shifted his weight onto his left arm and with his other hand, he spread his fingers along my cheek. He placed a kiss to the corner of my lips and the other side before sliding his hand back around the nape of my neck. His lips moved along my jaw, trailing a fiery path to my ear. A shiver danced along my skin, eliciting a deep, husky chuckle from him. His lips pressed against the sensitive spot under my ear, and a moan crawled up my throat. “Goodnight, Avery.” And then he kissed me—kissed me like he’d had right before he’d left the night of our date. Kissed me like he was a man starving for oxygen and I was the only air he needed to breathe. The hand around my neck held me there, raised up on my elbows as his mouth devoured mine. And that was the only word I could use to accurately explained how he kissed me. Cam devoured me.”

“No one is like you, Alex."I grinned. "I'll take that as a compliment.""It is." He nudged me again, and my grin gew into another ludicrous smile- the kind Caleb gave Olivia when they weren't tearing each other's heads off. "You're incredibly intelligent, Alex. Funny and...""Pretty?""No, not pretty.""Cute?""No."I frowned. "Well, then."Aiden's laugh sent shivers through me. "I was going to say 'stunning.' You're stunningly beautiful.”

“He was lounging in a cubicle beside an outdated computer, hands shoved into the pockets of his faded jeans. A wavy lock of hair covered his forehead, brushing against thick lashes. His lips curled into a half smile. “I was wondering if you were ever going to find me.” He made no move to clear up any space in the tiny 6x6 hole.I dropped my bag outside the walls and hopped up on the desk opposite him. “Embarrassed someone would see you and think you’re capable of reading?”“I do have a reputation to maintain.”“And what a lovely reputation that is.”He stretched out his legs so that his feet were under mine. “So what did you want to talk about”—his voice lowered to a deep, sexy whisper—“in private?”I shivered—and it had nothing to do with the temperature. “Not what you’re hoping.”Daemon gave me a sexy smirk.”