Awakening Kiss (Watcher's Kiss Book 4) by Sharon Kay Page A

T-shirt pocket. “Sorry, I didn’t meant to pry.”
    “No, it’s fine.” She wasn’t embarrassed that her mom had been a single mother. Then again, she didn’t usually launch into the details with people she didn’t know well. Time for a subject change. “Hey, that gelato place is awesome.” She pointed to a booth up ahead. “It’s the best in the city. And you should always have something sweet at the end of a meal.”
    Again, Rhys insisted on paying and she let him. This was a date, after all, and she’d rather focus on him than discuss who paid for what. She stepped close to him as he guided her to a short stone half wall with a perfect view of the throng.
    Families loaded up strollers and backpacks to leave. Dads carried toddlers limp with sated, gooey expressions on their little faces, as a younger singles crowd moved in. Music got louder, and colored lights over the booths added a party atmosphere to the night.
    Rhys polished off his gelato in about five seconds flat.
    “You should have gotten some real food!” Enza admonished. “Well, you still can. No shortage of that here.” Across the way, her favorite deep dish pizza place served up huge, steaming slices. “Like that. And that new celebrity restaurant is serving octopus.”
    “Nah, I’m good.” He rested one foot on his opposite knee and chuckled. “Octopus. That’s kinda crazy. You ever had to make that?”
    “Yeah. In school we made everything.” She scooped a bite of gelato. “I did it for class, but that’s one item I don’t need to make again.”
    “What about baking? What’s your favorite thing you ever made?” He tilted his head, and she had the strangest desire to tell him anything he liked would be her favorite thing to make.
    “Hmm.” She tapped a finger on her chin. “That would have to be the wedding cake I made for my friend Ava. Three layers, each with a different filling, decorated in white and red—it was a Valentine’s Day wedding. And since she was a close friend, it meant more. I was more invested. Not that I’m not always but, you know.”
    “Exactly.” He turned toward her. “Certain things, you’re definitely in deeper with.” His gaze seared her as if he could see her darkest secrets.
    She froze, caught in the magnetic pull of his eyes. Chocolate brown, they alternated between puppy dog, soft and cute, and a hot smolder that she felt down to her toes. She’d never seen eyes like his. On a crazy impulse, she dipped her spoon into her gelato and raised it toward him. He kept his eyes locked on her and leaned forward, eating the sweet treat in one big mouthful. Not greedy, not slowly, just enough to let her know he would take what she offered without hesitation.
    Her eyes lingered on his lips as she dipped her spoon and took a bite for herself.
    Why had she been afraid of him? The reasons now seemed so distant and harmless. Because he talked about elves and creatures that should only exist in books? Okay, so maybe he fought paranormal things, like on The X-Files . That just made him one of the good guys, right?
    Suddenly she wasn’t hungry for gelato anymore.
    “Wanna keep walking?” He reached for her hand.
    Was she being that obvious? “Yeah,” she said, the word coming out more quietly than she meant. But he heard her, pulling her up.
    She held out her nearly finished dessert. “Want the rest?”
    A sexy grin tugged his lips up. “Always.” He devoured it in three scoops, then tossed the container. “Want anything else to eat? Drink?”
    “No.” She shook her head. His fingers were warm as they laced with hers. She didn’t miss the stares of women who passed them, eyeing Rhys like he was water and they were trapped in the desert.
    But he seemed not to notice, even pulling her close when a loud group of college kids careened into their path. Her body pressed up against his side and a jolt of heat zipped through her. It was familiar in a way, because she’d been laying on top of him at The