He turned his green gaze on me and waited for my answer. The speech part of my brain ceased to function. All I could do was stare at him like an idiot.
“Yes,” Stella chimed in and gave me a push. “She’d love to walk with you and maybe even sit at the same table, regain her power of speech and exchange a few words.”
Stella was evil. I gave her a look that would have scared most Demons to death. I was Satan’s daughter after all. She just stuck her tongue out at me and giggled. She was going to pay later.
“Shall we?” Hayden asked.
“Um. . .sure,” I stammered and started walking toward the library.
“Dixie.” Hayden’s silky voice stopped me.
“Yes?”
“Do you want to bring some work with you?” His eyes twinkled.
I looked down at my empty hands and for the second time in a matter of minutes I wished I was dead. “Yes,” I replied in a very businesslike manner. I made my way back to my locker, squatted down and picked up the first two things my fingers touched. “Okay.” I smiled, having no idea what was in my hands. “I’m ready.”
“Great.” He grinned. “I was born ready.”
***
Sitting across from each other in the Demon Magic section of the library, I stared at my fingernails while Hayden stared at me.
“Dixie,” he said softly. “Look at me.”
“I can’t.” I continued my love affair with my fingernails. “I get stupid when I look at you.”
“I find that extremely flattering and very sexy,” he said.
My eyes shot to his and my stomach dropped to my toes. “No, you don’t.”
“I do.” He captured my chin in his hands and forced my gaze to stay on his. “It’s not every day that the most gorgeous girl I’ve ever seen in my life gets all flustered around someone like me.”
“Are you kidding me?” I gasped. “Someone like you? You're the most. . .” I slapped my hand over my mouth before I permanently destroyed any vestige of cool I might own by telling him I loved him and that I had memorized every single thing he’d worn to class—down to sock color—for the last three semesters.
“I’m the most what?” he asked quietly.
Change the subject, change the subject. “So why don’t you have a girlfriend?” Help me Cousin Jesus, did I just say that?
His grin was lopsided and the hottest thing I’d ever seen. “Haven’t found the right girl yet.”
“Oh.” I was usually more eloquent.
“I’m working on changing my status.” He let go of my chin and took my hands in his. I felt a tingle run through my fingers and all the way up my arms. Not only was I physically attracted to this guy, apparently I was chemically attracted too. “Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No.” I was caught in his web and couldn’t get away if my life depended on it. “I’m working on changing my status too,” I whispered. Was I flirting? Oh my Hell, I was. My sisters would be so proud.
His eyes flashed red with desire and his smile broadened in approval. “Am I in the competition?”
“Do you want to be?” I lowered my eyes and watched his thumb caress my knuckles. His hands were beautiful and strong, slightly calloused and very gentle.
“More than you’ll ever know,” he replied with such seriousness my eyes shot back up to his and my insides did a triple lutz.
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.