of my heart shattering.” His face twisted in mock pain. He gripped his sweater so tightly it left behind divots. Next to him, Gabriel rolled his eyes.
“Come on, Az.”
“Fuck off,” Eden enunciated each word, trying not to sound as amused as she was. “The water’s not even blue, jackass.”
She turned toward the stairs to the boardwalk and the guy grabbed her arm. Even through the material of her thermal top, his fingers were frigid. He offered up another smile and shrugged. “‘Storm-tossed’ seemed a bit cliché.”
Her lips twitched before she could stop them.
“Was that a smile?” He dipped a bit, studying her face.
She fought the treasonous grin, managed to smother it away. “Are you kidding me with this?”
She met his eyes for the first time. He jerked forward suddenly, more of a stumble than a step, as if she’d yanked him closer by some invisible string. She should have shot off some comment about staying out of her personal space but the retorts vanished, her thoughts melting away like scorched snowflakes. It was almost too bad his pick-up lines weren’t as pretty as his eyes. Their color like cooled anger. Blue sea glass.
“Wow,” she whispered. He looked equally stunned, his smile bringing out dimples so subtle she hadn’t noticed them until now. How could she not have noticed them?
“Az, stop.” The voice was faraway. She didn’t bother to really register it at all, just let it slide by as she sank deeper into those eyes. Nothing’s wrong, she wanted to say. Everything’s perfect.
“I’m not doing anything, Gabriel,” he said slowly. She couldn’t take her eyes off Az. A tingle started deep in her chest. She gasped as everything inside her seemed to come back to life, shift into place.
“Who are you?” Az asked, his words coming honey slow.
“No one,” she managed. “Nothing.” She hesitated before she ripped her gaze away, dizziness rolling in as the connection broke.
A pressure at her elbow held her upright as she slumped, unsteady. It was the blond one, Gabriel.
“I’m fine, it’s just…” She pulled her arm away slowly, trying to get her bearings. What the hell had that been? Az reached out to her, concern in his eyes. She stepped back, unsure and off-kilter.
“You look kinda shaky,” Gabriel said. He’d moved aside, but looked ready to step in if her legs gave out. Luckily, they seemed to be in working order again.
“Dinner,” she said. “I haven’t eaten yet.” Wasn’t even hungry, her brain spat out, let alone starving enough to hallucinate some dreamy lost-in-his-eyes stare down with a stranger. She pushed away any contradictions, forcing the excuse into reality. Just hungry. Which didn’t do much to explain how different she’d felt.
How alive.
“Would you let me take you out to dinner, then?”
She glanced up at Az, expecting the same rush when their eyes met, not sure whether to be disappointed when it didn’t come. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not?” He offered her a tentative smile. His hand hovered there between them, looking more orphaned as the seconds passed. But he didn’t move, a picture of patience as he waited. “Tell you what. You don’t smile, and dinner’s off.”
“Don’t smile?” She stared at him in confusion. “Easy enough. Why the hell would I have dinner with you, anyway?”
“Because I’m an amusing young gentleman wooing you into a better mood. Because, with your high standard of pick-up lines, I think you’d be able to hold a decent conversation.” He shrugged, his eyes dancing. “Because I’m paying?”
Eden crossed her arms, rubbing her lips together to crush his victory before it fully formed.
“Did I just see one?” He tilted his head, eyebrow raised. “Was that a yes?”
“Damn it,” she said, giving up, letting the smile break loose.
His own grin brought back the dimples.
CHAPTER 2
“I’ll take whatever’s most expensive, please.” Eden handed the menu back to the waiter without opening it, waiting for Az’s reaction.
“Actually, now that you mention it”—he didn’t break her gaze as he returned his own menu—“expensive sounds wonderful. I’ll have the same.” When the waiter retreated, Az leaned over the table, lowering his voice. “Out of curiosity, what are we eating?”
Eden shifted forward. “I have no idea.”
Az laughed, pulling back and draping his arm across the back of the booth. “So, awkward, but you haven’t told me your name.”
A list of fakes scrolled through her mind, but in the end she figured the least she could do was give him her real one.
“Your name is Eden?” The grin slid away. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”