"No." She took his hand into hers. "You've opened yourself up to me. Trusted me."
Sin grew silent as he realized she was right. He'd told her things he'd never told anyone else. But it was so easy to talk to her. Unlike others, she didn't seem to judge him for his past or his mistakes.
She made him forget to be guarded.
"I guess you and your mother will have a good laugh at me then when you talk later."
Her expression changed instantly to one of indignation. "I would never tell someone what you've told me here. Ever. What kind of person do you think I am?"
He didn't answer. "Perhaps we should go back to insulting each other. I think that was easier."
She shook her head at him. "Not easier. Just safer."
Damn, she was intelligent. Sometimes more so than was good for his peace of mind. "I like safety."
Kat laughed out loud. "This from a man who fights demons single-handedly? Are you really that afraid of me?"
"Unlike you, demons are easy." They didn't make him want to hold them.
"How so?"
"They only take your life."
She arched a single brow. "And me?"
You could easily take my heart. The truth of that seared him right where he stood. He hadn't felt like this in thousands of years.
Thousands.
Then again, he wasn't sure if he'd ever felt this way about a woman. He could barely remember courting his wife. If he'd ever had any feelings for her, they had been killed by her callousness.
But Kat...
She was honest and caring. Two things his wife had never been. When Kat touched him, his body reacted viciously. A single smile from her could make his entire being burn. One touch from her hand and he was undone. It was terrifying to think of how much power this one person had over him. How one single gesture from her could affect him so profoundly.
Still, she held that playful look on her beautiful face. "You didn't answer me, Sin."
He stepped away from her. "Answer you about what?"
"Why you're afraid of me?"
Could she be more relentless? Unwilling to confess his feelings, he gave her a flippant response. "You command two demons with barbecue sauce. Who in their right mind wouldn't be afraid of you?"
She tsked at him. "Why are you hiding?"
"Who says I'm hiding?"
"That nervous look you keep casting to the door like you're wanting someone to come through it and rescue you." She made bock-bock animal noises at him as she bent her arms and flapped them like wings.
Sin was aghast by her actions. "You're not seriously calling me chicken?"
The playful look on her face was extremely attractive. "If the beak fits..."
He should be angry, but a foreign part of him was amused by her audacity. "You live to taunt me, don't you?"
"We have to live for something, and I have to say it's quite amusing to watch the confusion in those gorgeous eyes of yours. They just sparkle whenever I nettle you."
He was stunned by her unexpected compliment. "My eyes are gorgeous?"