Whoa Betty, I needed to slow down or I was going to tackle him to the ground and see if his lips were as soft and tasted as good as they looked. My entire body thumped like a heartbeat and the need to lean into him was overwhelming. I disengaged my hands from his and tried to regain some composure. His smirk made me think he could read every thought in my head.
“I’d like to take you to dinner,” he said, watching me closely.
Stella was going to freak. “But you don’t even know me.” I really wished the idiotic dumbass in my brain would stop talking.
“We could remedy that,” Hayden leaned in.
Hades, he smelled yummy.
“How?”
“Well. . .” He took my hands again. "We could ask each other questions.”
Damn, I was hoping he would say we could play tonsil hockey.
“What’s your favorite color?” he asked, drawing me back in.
“Green,” I quickly replied. The heat crawled up my neck as I realized I’d chosen the color of his eyes.
“Why’s that?” He tilted his head, very aware of my reasoning. I couldn’t speak. “Mine is gold,” he offered. His emerald green eyes bored into my gold.
“Is it hot in here?” I gasped as I pulled my hands back and put them in my lap.
“Nope.” He grinned, quite pleased with himself. “Tell me what you like.”
“Well. . .” I needed some noncombustible territory here. I wasn't about to tell him I liked the way he filled out his jeans or that his mouth was beautiful and the way his muscular arms looked in his long sleeve t-shirt was making me weak. Nope, not going there. I decided to tell him about the real me. Which would probably end with him walking away in boredom, but. . . “I like animals, especially strays. I love to run. I adore my family and I read constantly.” I knew my tone was defensive, but I couldn’t help it. I waited for him to glaze over and fall asleep.
“I love to read,” he offered quietly.
“You do?” I was surprised.
“Does that shock you?”
“Well. . .” I bit my lip in embarrassment. Hot guys could read too.
“Is it because I skip school, wear ripped jeans and go cliff diving that you think I’m illiterate?”
“That’s not what I meant,” I sputtered. My cheeks burned. How many times could a person want to die in one afternoon?
“Dixie, I’m teasing you,” he said gently.
“Oh. . .okay.” He had to think I was such a dumbass.
“I think you’re amazing and beautiful and sweet.” He walked around the table and sat right next to me. “I love to read. I collect first edition books. I have some that are thousands of years old.”
That piqued my interest. “Like what?” I adored old books. My father’s den was loaded with them. I’d spent a great amount of my childhood curled up in his den reading till my head spun.
“I have an original bound copy of The Beginning of Time.”
“Holy Hell, I didn’t know that even existed.”
“It does. I’d love to show it to you if you’d like.”
“I’d like.” I smiled. “What’s your biggest fear?” I asked. Now that the door was open, I wanted to know a few things about him. He might be hot, but maybe I wouldn't like him. Maybe he was a jerk. . .
“My biggest fear,” Hayden repeated as he ran his hands through his thick blond hair. “My biggest fear is being alone through all eternity.”
Damn, that was deep. I was going to say spiders.
“What’s something you dream about doing?” He changed the subject to something far lighter.
I took a long pause while I considered my answer. The first thing that came to my mind was silly, but if he could be that honest, so could I. “Flying,” I answered shyly. I knew Demons couldn’t fly, but that’s what I dreamed of. “I’ve always wanted to be able to fly. Sometimes when I run and I feel the wind race around me and through me and in me I pretend I’m flying.”
He was quiet for a moment, just watching. “Perfect,” he murmured softly. “Please, Dixie, let me take you to dinner tonight. I promise I’m a good guy and I like you a lot.”#p#分页标题#e#
“Hayden, do you know who my father is?” I assumed he did, but maybe not.
“Yes Dixie, I absolutely know who your father is.”
“And that doesn’t. . .um, bother you?”
“No, should it?”
Was he crazy? Everyone was terrified of my dad. Wait. . .Didn't Satan tell me to start being promiscuous? Something I had no intention of doing, but a date. . .I could go on a date. I wanted to go on a date. I’d never ever been on a date. No one had been brave enough to ask me. I wanted to go on a date with Hayden, and against all odds he wanted to go on a date with me.