Incipient A Dark Paranormal Romance - Bianca Scardoni Page 0,80
more nurturing and maternal?
Or maybe it just brought out more of her crazy…
I was seriously spiring.
Pushing my panic away, I tried to reason with myself remain calm. I’d made it clear to her that the Council was not going to let this baby be born and she’d even seen the Horseman with her own eyes. Surely that had to be enough to make her think twice. Nobody in their right mind would be stupid enough to believe they were carrying an innocent human baby when the entire supernatural world was gunning for them.
Except maybe Nikki…
“Just ignore her,” I said, doing my best to keep the fear out of my voice. “You don’t have to go just because she texted.”
“Yeah, I guess.” He thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. “But I probably should go.”
“Why?” I shrieked.
“She needs to know that me and her are over, for good, and it’s better I do it in person.”
“Is it?” I shrugged nonchalantly even though I was freaking out inside. “Texting seems fine to me.”
Trace studied me for a moment and then cracked a smile. “You’re not worried about me seeing her, are you? Because you don’t need to be, Jemma. I’m not interested in Nikki.”
That was true. He’d had plenty of chances to re-hookup with Nikki—before, during, and after my arrival in Hollow Hills but he never bothered. Something that would have been a clear message to literally anyone else, but not Nikki. Nope. That moron was holding out hope until the cows came home.
But that wasn’t why I was dreading this meetup.
“I just think she’s going to read too much into it. Knowing Nikki, she’ll probably convince herself that you wanted to do it in person just to see her again. She’s seriously crazy like that.” I mean, I wasn’t lying and there really wasn’t a nicer way to put it. Nikki was cray-cray and that was well before her pregnancy hormones kicked in.
“Why don’t we go together then?” he offered as he hooked his finger under my chin to draw my attention back to him. “Anything I have to say to her, I can say in front of you.”
“I can’t,” I said, though I was certain I wouldn’t go even if I could. If by any chance Nikki was planning on keeping Trace out of this pregnancy fiasco, she’d certainly have second thoughts about it after seeing me there with him. “I need to go see the Senior Magister at Temple,” I added as I slipped my arms into my bra straps and then fastened the back.
“Right now?” he asked, concern knitting his eyebrows.
“Yeah. I think he has some news about the Horsemen,” I said as I picked up my crumpled blouse and shoved my arms through the sleeves. “Maybe they finally translated the Sang Noir.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “You think that’s why they’re calling the meeting tonight?”
“Maybe.” I shrugged because I really didn’t know the answer to that. Whatever it was, it felt big and judging by the knot in my stomach, I wasn’t going to like it. Pulling on my underwear and then wrapping my skirt around my waist, I looked up and met Trace’s eyes.
He was watching me with far too much interest for someone that had literally just sampled the entire merchandise in my store.
“Why don’t you put off this Nikki thing until tomorrow?” I suggested, figuring it would buy me some extra time to think of a plan, or you know, pay the crazy witch a visit myself and gag her with her own sock.
“Uh-huh. Whatever you want,” he said as he licked his lips like a warning.
“Trace?”
He pushed forward and grabbed the back of my neck, dragging my mouth to his. Fire singed my insides as he kissed me heatedly, a prelude to something so much more, but I quickly broke off the kiss and scooted backward on the bed.
“I’m going to be late,” I reminded him as I rushed to fasten the buttons on my blouse.
He stilled my hands and then prowled toward me. “So be late then,” he said, his voice low and husky and impossible to resist. The mischievous glimmer in his eye made me shiver deliciously as he pressed my back against the bed and covered me with his hot as hell body.
Despite my earlier protest, my traitorous limbs immediately locked around his waist as he parted my lips apart and tasted my tongue, my own hands greedily making their way back into his hair.