Death at Peony House (The Invisible Entente Book 2)
Page 28
Hunter reached for his wallet and pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. “Go nuts. One of everything. As long,” he said, snatching the bill out of Emmett’s reach, “as you get a bag of chocolate-covered pretzels just for me.”
“And chocolate caramels for me,” Daphne added.
Emmett grinned and nodded, then took the money and ran down the stairs.
The front door closed, and suddenly Hunter felt very close.
He eyed Daphne, his gaze scanning her face, lingering on where she knew her bruises to be.
His own visible injury had already begun to heal, so it couldn’t have been as deep as she’d thought. Under the collar of his shirt, the edges of a white bandage peered out, and she wished she could see the extent of the damage there as well.
“So about this strange and unusual,” he said, dropping his voice. “Are you still available for all those questions I need to ask?”
Daphne smiled and enjoyed the tingle of her magic as it stretched under his attention. “I’m afraid if I tell you, I’ll scare you off, Detective. And that would be a shame when we’re starting to get along so well.”
“You’re a mystery, Miss Heartstone, so I don’t think you could scare me off. Anything you told me would just motivate me to learn more.”
She chuckled. “Then ask all you want. I’m not going anywhere.”
He looked at her, and his smile faded into gravity.
“I want to know why you used me,” he said, and his gaze was so full of earnestness that new guilt swept over her.
She swallowed hard and dropped her gaze, but he ran his finger over her cheek to draw it back up.
“You’ve apologized and explained how it happened,” he said, “but back then I thought we stood a chance of going somewhere, and I want to know why you chose me to throw under the bus.”
“Because you made it easy,” she answered, and her mouth tugged down with the shame of it. “I’m so sorry, Hunter. You said there was a time you believed you could fall for me, and the truth is I felt the same way about you. I wanted you — everything about you. But my ambition was so strong, and I wanted power more. I saw how your desire for me would help me, and in the end, that’s all I saw. After the first time I stole evidence from one of your cases, I hated myself, but figured the damage was already done, so why not keep going? I damaged your career and threw away any possibility of us —”
She cut herself off and lowered her gaze again. This time, he didn’t move, his fingers still frozen against her cheek. Her heartbeat raced, and she stopped herself from imagining what she would do if he got up and left, if her confession chased him away.
“There’s a long way to go before we can get back to the beginning,” he said.
The softness of his voice startled her. She raised her gaze to his, and hated the seriousness of his expression. “I know.”
He stroked his thumb across her cheek, setting off fireworks in the pit of her stomach. “I know I should listen to Meg and run, but I find I don’t want to. Have you bewitched me?”
His lips quirked into a hesitant smile and she mirrored it, shaking her head. “I wouldn’t do that. I don’t want to hide anything from you anymore.”
“Is that why you trusted me with your secret?” he asked.
She nodded. “I knew I could. And you trusted me to catch Jack’s killer.”
“I needed to take the risk. To know for sure if you were telling the truth about how you’ve changed. And it seems you were. So now we’ve both shown we can trust each other. That creates a whole new foundation for something that had crumbled into dirt.”
Daphne’s breath caught, and she couldn’t look away from the swirls of green in his brown eyes. So warm and soft.
“So maybe I’ll keep some of my questions for now,” he said. “We can take our time and figure out the answers together.”
Her thoughts stumbled, and her smile widened. “I would like that.”
He skimmed his fingers along the bruise on the side of her face, and his touch set her blood on fire, the heat spreading under her skin and warming every part of her that had remained cold. His head tilted toward hers, and her breath stopped.
“Unless you give me a heart attack first,” he said. “And now I have two of you to worry about. A busybody journalist who walks on the wild side paired with New Haven’s most notorious pickpocket. God help us all.”
Daphne laughed. “Admit it, Detective Avery — you pretend like you’re dreading it, but in actual fact you can’t wait to find out what happens next.”
He leaned closer, and she smelled his aftershave and the spearmint on his breath. Her heart skipped.
After four years being buried under layers of resentment and ambition, she was amazed to find their attraction hadn’t dulled at all. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to take him into herself and find the peace she’d been searching for.
He brushed his lips against hers, so gently at first it might have been the rain falling and coating her skin. His fingers wrapped in her hair and drew her closer, his tongue tripping over her bottom lip. She leaned in and slid her arms around his neck, adding her warmth to his.
His other hand slid down her side and grabbed her waist, shifting her so her leg draped over his hips. The movement jarred her bruises and aches, but the pain was overshadowed by the pleasure of his fingers running under the hem of her shirt, brushing against her stomach.
Her own fingers traveled over the muscles of his chest and down his arms.
The kiss deepened. Then she brushed over the scratches hidden beneath the layers of cotton and he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers.
Her head was spinning, and she couldn’t catch her breath. He dipped his head and ran his lips across her neck, along her collarbone. She moaned and didn’t move, but he went no further.
“I think I’m going to like taking my time with you, Miss Heartstone,” he said, and the huskiness in his voice sent another wave of magic and warmth through her core and out to her fingertips. She ran her index finger along his jawline, and Hunter’s eyes widened at the tingle of energy.
She chuckled and caught his mouth in another kiss.
“I hope you’re up for it,” she said.
The front door opened and closed downstairs, and Hunter bowed his head, burying his forehead between her neck and shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him and held him, not wanting to let go yet — afraid that if she did, he would come to his senses and run after all.
But when he pulled away, he kept hold of her hand.
Emmett opened the door to the apartment laden with bags full of snacks.
“Good man,” Hunter said as Emmett tossed him his bag of pretzels.
Emmet stripped off his wet coat, threw it on the table over Hunter’s, and dropped down on the couch beside them.
“Did you run there and back?” Daphne asked, swallowing her disappointment at the interruption.
“Ended up at the gas station on the corner,” he said, and passed over her chocolate caramels, which swept away some of her frustration. “Not as great a selection, but the weather is shit. Did you guys notice it’s started snowing out there now? Crazy.” He propped his feet up on the table. “This movie better be something stupid and mindless.”
“Trust me,” Daphne replied. “I don’t think I could handle any more thinking tonight.”
Hunter grinned and handed her the remote from the end table.
She held his gaze, and in his look she saw his promise. From there, they could only move forward.
She leaned closer to him and switched on the movie. As the opening credits rolled, she thought about how smart she’d been to turn her life around. Every decision she’d made in the last eight months had led her to this point, and she was determined to keep climbing the upward path.
She just hoped she’d get a head start on whatever darkness was rising along with her.
Click here to read the beginning of Daphne's story in The Invisible Entente prequel novel
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Thank You for Reading
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Acknowledgments
When I first had the idea for the prequel novella, I knew these characters would grow to something bigger and better, but Daphne wouldn’t have come so far without help from some incredible people:
Thank you to Sue Archer, my editor, for making me feel like I really had something with Daphne’s story, and to Ravven the Cover Art Mage who gave her a face to go with her snappy personality.
Thank you to Captain Sinclair with the Vermont State Police’s Major Crime Unit for answering my questions and helping me get the details right.
Thank you to my beta readers, Meghan Gover, KL Schwengel, and Keri Lake, for helping me polish off the rough edges to make the final draft shine.
My everlasting gratitude to Kate Sparkes, my friend and partner in crime, who makes even the most stressful parts of this job fun and worthwhile.
Love and thanks to my growing family, who always find time to support me in the chaos of their own lives; and to Chris Reddie, my constant and shining light, for still feeding me and reminding me there’s life beyond the computer screen.
To my readers: your words of support never fail to make me smile and give me the necessary boost to keep me going. I couldn’t be luckier in those who pick up my books. I’ll see you at the next one!
Other Works by Krista Walsh
The Meratis Trilogy
Evensong
Eventide
Evenlight
The Cadis Trilogy
Bloodlore
Blightlore
Bladelore
About the Author
Known for witty, vivid characters, Krista Walsh never has more fun than getting them into trouble and taking her time getting them out.
When not writing, she can be found reading, gaming, or watching a film – anything to get lost in a good story.
She currently lives in Ottawa, Ontario.
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At the local Second Cup coffee shop … but only if you come bearing a White Mocha