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“There’salways a but with you.”
True. “But that small possibility that youwere wrong, given what I could see…it wasn’t worth the risk.”
His gaze turned serious. “Iknow.”
She stared. “You do?”
He’d argued tooth and nailwith her each of those times, before stomping away in a manlyhuff.
“I researched them.Followed them. Bad guys. Every single one.”
“Is that why you quitarguing with me any other time I stopped you?”
“Yeah.” She thought hemight leave it at that, but after a long beat, his lips quirked.“Thankfully, my job isn’t finding fated mates, though I stumbleacross them from time to time. If you had tried to stop me pairingone of those rare couples, I would have argued harder. But my jobis just to help humans get out of their own damn way and findsomeone who would make them feel…good or whole or seen.”
Elodie melted a little,remembering the red book in his office. Chance was a good man. Nodoubt about it. “You want to know how I know the charm is a show?”She pointed her fork at him. “You care too much about your pairingsworking out for that to be all you are. So I’ve known this aboutyou since the first time we met.”
He hadn’t turned on thelights in here, but even in the dim, the color flaring up his neckand into his face was unmistakable. “Chance Eroson…did I make youblush?”
“No,” hegrumped.
Elodie chuckled. “I did.” And it wasadorable.
He only grunted by way ofreply. “So…we’re both masters of illusion.”
Something she’d alwaysrecognized. While she didn’t exactly understand his faith in love,she still respected the talent and skill that went into theillusion of who he was and the practice of what he did. And shecould see mutual admiration in his eyes as he gazed at her, or evenwhen he’d fought with her. Chance, maybe more than anyone,understood the games she played to lure men. Hell, he might evenplay those games better than she did, because her heart wasn’t init, while she suspected he did everything with his heart. He was…akindred. The other side of her coin.
She liked him.
If she was being honest, she’d always likedhim.
“I still don’t get thatwhole love thing,” she murmured. “Humans are terrible.”
Chance’s smile widened.“Are you teasing me, Elodie Sirenian?”
“Maybe.” Just alittle.
He chuckled and the soundshot warmth straight through her to her heart. Directhit.
* * *
They’d fallen asleep on the couch.
Chance stared down at thetangle of Elodie’s white-blond hair as he blinked himself awake.After eating, they’d done mundane things like clean up and brushtheir teeth and dress for the night. The woman sprawled on top ofhim hadn’t emerged in sexy lingerie, but in a t-shirt and baggypajama pants with her hair piled in a messy bun on top of herhead.
He’d give anything to seeher like that every single night.
It also, of course, meanthe hadn’t been able to keep his hands off her. Forget the effectsof his arrow. This was entirely her effect on him. Period. So he’dbent her over the arm of his couch and fucked her until she’dscreamed her pleasure. Then cuddled her in his arms and they’dtalked. About anything. About nothing at all.
Hell, they’d both fallenasleep watching a Hallmark Valentine’s romance movie—Chance’s pick,not Elodie’s. He grinned at how she stopped complaining when hestarted his “good parts” watching technique.
“What are you doing?” she’dasked when he started fast forwarding.
“Skipping to the goodparts.”
“The romance?”
“Exactly.”
