Cursed (Enchanted Gods #1) - K.K. Allen Page 0,49
around my waist and guides me closer. “I think we’re square now, aren’t we?”
He winks at me, and I know I’m blushing furiously. “We are. We’re good.”
Rose raises a brow before a hint of a smile plays across her face. “Good. Then that means I’m forgiven too. I was getting quite tired of the cold shoulder, dear.”
Alec and I laugh while Rose spots the red box. “Oh, a gift. I’ll put that with your other things.” After snatching it from his hand, Rose leans in so only I can hear. “You feeling okay?”
What a strange question. I nod, wondering if I appear to be pale or sick. “I feel great.” It’s the truth.
“Good, good.” She darts a look up at the clock then back to me. “Meet me on the beach at noon.” Then she walks away like as if that wasn’t a strange request.
“What’s next, birthday girl?”
My eyes find the floor-to-ceiling windows of the great room, and instantly, I want nothing more than to escape to the outside. I don’t even think twice about reaching for Alec’s hand and dragging him through the patio entryway.
We stop near the pool, and I release his arm. “Sit with me?”
Before he’s even responded, I kick off my heels and sit at the pool’s edge. I slide my feet into the water, letting them fall against the wall. Alec has to remove his shoes and roll up his jeans first, but he follows my lead.
“So where are your better halves today?” I tease.
He chuckles. “If you’re talking about the dynamic duo that is Iris and Ava, they’re shopping.”
“And they didn’t need you to hold their bags?” I bat my lashes at him jokingly.
“Oh, they did,” he teases back. “But I told them I had more important things to do, like get the Summer Girl to forgive me so we can finish what we started during our last swim.”
A flashback of our kiss sends a blast of heat through me. “You actually told them that?”
He squishes his face and shakes his head. “No, I left out the details, but this is a small town. They’ll figure out who I spent the day with eventually.”
I groan. “And then I’m in for it.”
Alec chuckles. “No, you won’t be ‘in for it.’ I know those two can be a little much, but they’re harmless. They just don’t take to new people well, I guess.”
I tilt my head. “Didn’t you say you moved here not too long ago?”
“Yeah, but I’m a guy. It’s different.” When I roll my eyes, he gives me a sideways grin. “Besides, they glare at all pretty girls. You should take it as a compliment.”
I bite down on my lip. “So you think they’ll warm up to me?”
He makes a face. “I hope so, but I was just trying to tell you that I think you’re pretty—in case you missed that part.”
The comment catches me off guard. I let out a nervous laugh as my pulse quickens. I can’t remember the last time a guy called me pretty—especially by anyone as attractive as Alec.
His smile melts me to my toes. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m bad at flirting.”
I let out a quiet laugh. “No, I guess I’m just bad at realizing when someone is flirting.” The embarrassment lingers. My cheeks are hot, and I know I’m red all over for the millionth time today.
I look in every other direction except at Alec, afraid that if I look into his eyes one more time, he’ll see the girl I was back in Silver Lake. The loner. The loser. The weirdo. Up until now, I’ve done a good job of leading a semblance of a normal life. Maybe it won’t be so bad here after all.
He starts to move in, and my breath hitches in my throat. I don’t know why I’m a thousand times more nervous than I was before our first kiss, but my heart is hammering, my pulse feels like it’s zooming a million miles a minute, and everything feels hot. Too hot.
His fingers twist through mine, then he’s pulling me closer and closer, until his lips are nearly touching mine.
A flash of something above catches my eye, and I glance up at my balcony to find whatever was just there is gone. That was strange. But I don’t have time to think about it long.
“Kat.”
My name is just a faint sound, even though I know it’s coming from Alec beside me. I shake my head, trying to rid my mind of the