Page 261 of Black Reign

And the impossible man I fell for before I ever saw his face looking at me like he has no intention of looking away.

I slide my hands slowly down his chest.

“Fine.”

“Fine?”

“Dinner.”

His mouth curves.

“Good.”

“But you're kissing me again afterward.”

His eyes darken.

“That sounds less like a request.”

“I learned from you.”

His hand closes around mine.

“Dangerous.”

I smile.

“So I've been told.”

He leads me toward the fire.

And this time when I sit beside him, there is no inch between our hands.

No hesitation.

Xavier laces his fingers through mine.

I curl closer under his coat and robe, still tasting honey and healing balm and him.

Outside, London disappears behind the rain.

Inside, Ghost is no longer a ghost.

And that might be the most dangerous thing that has happened to me yet.

The food arrives twenty minutes later.

Too much of it.

Naturally.

Xavier has apparently decided kidnapping requires carbohydrates.

There is soup, roasted chicken, potatoes, vegetables, bread still warm from somewhere downstairs, and the scones he already ordered because apparently one bakery delivery was not enough. There is also a chocolate tart that looks obscene.

I stare at the table.

“How many people are you expecting?”