and snuggling, driving off into the night.
For the first time in his entire existence—far longer than even his earliest memories allowed him to contemplate—he knew exactly how they felt.
Her door flew open after he’d barely tapped on it, and she stood there looking up at him with an eager wide-eyed expectancy he found fucking adorable. “Okay,” she said before he could make a move. “You can totally say no if you want. Totally. But my friend called, and when I told her I was off early and, um, seeing you…she asked if we wanted to meet her for a few drinks at this club downtown we like to go to. I just thought, maybe it would be fun to hang out, dance…if you like that sort of thing. If not, that’s cool too. I said I’d ask. That’s all.”
He couldn’t stop grinning at her nervous excitement, at her babbling, at the way she practically bounced from one foot to the other. He so did not dance. But if it meant that much to her, hell, he could pretend. “Sure. We can do that.”
“Awesome! But will you tell me one thing first?”
“Anything.”
“Um…what the hell is your last name? I’m sorry, it’s just…I’d like to know.”
“All you had to do was ask.” He thought fast. “It’s Emmons.”
“Emmons. Ash Emmons. Great. And I’m Madeleine Dean, in case, you know, in case you were wondering.”
He clasped her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “Charmed, Madeleine Dean.” Oh, was he ever. She beamed at him, her blue eyes bright, her white teeth sinking into her plump lower lip.
“So, um…will you tell me some more about you?”
Great. She tugged him into her apartment and closed the door behind him, shutting out the rush of traffic and a gaggle of voices from the parking lot. “What do you want to know?”
“Like…do you live here?”
“No. I don’t.”
“Oh.” He saw her face fall even though she obviously tried to maintain an air of cheerfulness. “Where are you from?”
“Here and there. I move a lot.” Dammit, he had to do better than that. But she was already moving toward her bedroom, having accepted his nonanswer with good grace.
“Must be interesting. I’m going to take just a few minutes and change, okay?”
“All right.” Now he felt like an ass…and, in the grand scheme of things, that was ridiculous. “I live in Houston right now.” He’d been there on enough assignments to know it was a nice comparison to his true place of origin. He quite liked it.
“Wow!” she called from her room. “I never would’ve thought. You don’t sound like— But then, I guess you wouldn’t, since you move a lot. Duh. Are you here on business or pleasure?”
Business that has very unexpectedly turned into pleasure.
“Business.”
“The contract stuff you don’t like to talk about, huh? Sorry.”
He reserved comment and ambled over to the parrot’s cage, which she had rolled into the living room at some point. The bird was perched inside, utterly still and gazing impassively at him. His feathers were jewel green, except for an explosion of yellow around the face. “Demon,” he chirped.
“You know it,” Ash muttered. The almost intelligent, assessing way the bird stared at him was disturbing.
Madeleine emerged from her bedroom a minute later, wearing a slinky black top and jeans that hugged her curves in all the right places. Her hair was a wild, glorious cascade of curls. His mouth began to water. The bird wolf-whistled accordingly. She laughed and spied Ash standing near the cage. “Making friends?”
If he’d quit calling me out, sure, we’d be great friends. Yeah, the parrot’s name was supposed to be Demon, but…looking into those beady little bird eyes, he couldn’t help but wonder. Animals didn’t like his kind as a rule, but thankfully, most animals couldn’t talk.
“Hey,” Madeleine said, approaching him and reaching up to fiddle with the zipper of his leather jacket. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Well, I
For the first time in his entire existence—far longer than even his earliest memories allowed him to contemplate—he knew exactly how they felt.
Her door flew open after he’d barely tapped on it, and she stood there looking up at him with an eager wide-eyed expectancy he found fucking adorable. “Okay,” she said before he could make a move. “You can totally say no if you want. Totally. But my friend called, and when I told her I was off early and, um, seeing you…she asked if we wanted to meet her for a few drinks at this club downtown we like to go to. I just thought, maybe it would be fun to hang out, dance…if you like that sort of thing. If not, that’s cool too. I said I’d ask. That’s all.”
He couldn’t stop grinning at her nervous excitement, at her babbling, at the way she practically bounced from one foot to the other. He so did not dance. But if it meant that much to her, hell, he could pretend. “Sure. We can do that.”
“Awesome! But will you tell me one thing first?”
“Anything.”
“Um…what the hell is your last name? I’m sorry, it’s just…I’d like to know.”
“All you had to do was ask.” He thought fast. “It’s Emmons.”
“Emmons. Ash Emmons. Great. And I’m Madeleine Dean, in case, you know, in case you were wondering.”
He clasped her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “Charmed, Madeleine Dean.” Oh, was he ever. She beamed at him, her blue eyes bright, her white teeth sinking into her plump lower lip.
“So, um…will you tell me some more about you?”
Great. She tugged him into her apartment and closed the door behind him, shutting out the rush of traffic and a gaggle of voices from the parking lot. “What do you want to know?”
“Like…do you live here?”
“No. I don’t.”
“Oh.” He saw her face fall even though she obviously tried to maintain an air of cheerfulness. “Where are you from?”
“Here and there. I move a lot.” Dammit, he had to do better than that. But she was already moving toward her bedroom, having accepted his nonanswer with good grace.
“Must be interesting. I’m going to take just a few minutes and change, okay?”
“All right.” Now he felt like an ass…and, in the grand scheme of things, that was ridiculous. “I live in Houston right now.” He’d been there on enough assignments to know it was a nice comparison to his true place of origin. He quite liked it.
“Wow!” she called from her room. “I never would’ve thought. You don’t sound like— But then, I guess you wouldn’t, since you move a lot. Duh. Are you here on business or pleasure?”
Business that has very unexpectedly turned into pleasure.
“Business.”
“The contract stuff you don’t like to talk about, huh? Sorry.”
He reserved comment and ambled over to the parrot’s cage, which she had rolled into the living room at some point. The bird was perched inside, utterly still and gazing impassively at him. His feathers were jewel green, except for an explosion of yellow around the face. “Demon,” he chirped.
“You know it,” Ash muttered. The almost intelligent, assessing way the bird stared at him was disturbing.
Madeleine emerged from her bedroom a minute later, wearing a slinky black top and jeans that hugged her curves in all the right places. Her hair was a wild, glorious cascade of curls. His mouth began to water. The bird wolf-whistled accordingly. She laughed and spied Ash standing near the cage. “Making friends?”
If he’d quit calling me out, sure, we’d be great friends. Yeah, the parrot’s name was supposed to be Demon, but…looking into those beady little bird eyes, he couldn’t help but wonder. Animals didn’t like his kind as a rule, but thankfully, most animals couldn’t talk.
“Hey,” Madeleine said, approaching him and reaching up to fiddle with the zipper of his leather jacket. “I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Well, I
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