She padded barefoot into the living room and sank onto the cushion next to him, her heart sinking along with her body. If she didn’t get herself together and fix him, he’d become an animal permanently. No more gazing into his deep, jewel-green eyes. No more pep talks from the Easter Bunny. No morekissingthe Easter Bunny…
Her sinking stomach fluttered.
She’d told him everything last night, laid out all her flubs and screw-ups before him like a buffet of reasons for him to squash his growing feelings for her and run away.
But he’d stayed.
Not just stayed. He’d acted on his feelings and kissed her. And what a kiss it was. She closed her eyes to play it over again in her mind, her lips curling into a smile of their volition. He’d been gentle yet purposeful, his body and his energy making certain she understood there was nowhere in all the realms where he would rather be.
For a moment, she’d felt the same way.
She sipped her coffee and gazed at the sleeping bunny, wariness tightening her eyes. The last time she’d caught feelings for someone, she’d caused a catastrophe. She had no right to entertain the idea of having a romantic relationship with Pete.
Then again, Pete’s catastrophe had already happened. Maybe, if she treaded carefully, she could…
“Why don’t you take a picture? It’ll last longer.”
Destiny shot from the couch and covered her mouth. “You can talk. And in bad clichés!”
The rabbit wiggled his nose, making a snickering sound. “I’ve been talking to you for days.”
“Not in your rabbit form.” She waved a hand toward him. “Regular shifters can’t talk in their animal forms.”
He stretched out his front paws, sticking his furry backside into the air like a downward dog pose. Then he shifted his weight forward and yawned. “I’m not a regular shifter, remember?”
Destiny’s eyes widened as his rabbit form morphed into the tall, sexy, fully clothed (unfortunately) man. No, not unfortunately. If she were going to see him naked, she’d rather be the one to disrobe him. Slowly. Piece by piece until the anticipation consumed her. Was it getting hot in there? She fought the urge to fan herself.
“Good morning.” He flashed a lopsided smile. “Got any more of that delicious-smelling coffee? Is that a hint of hazelnut I detect?”
“It’s pecan.” She returned the smile, unable to tear her gaze away from his glittering, otherworldly eyes. One look in the mirror should prove to him he was no run-of-the-mill shifter.
“Mind if I grab a cup?”
“Oh. Yes, I’ll get it for you.” Finally, she snapped out of her trance and scurried to the kitchen to pour him a mug. “I usually have yogurt with fruit and granola for breakfast…when I’m not binge-eating éclair filling. Is that okay with you?”
“Either sounds delicious.” His voice came from right behind her, making her jump.
Coffee sloshed onto the counter, and she set the cup down before spinning around to face him. “You move like a ninja.”
“Sorry for scaring you.” He pulled a few paper towels off the roll and cleaned up the mess. “How did I end up sleeping on the couch? Last night is foggy.”
Her stomach did a weird flip-floppy thing before her abdomen clenched. Last night was foggy? Did he seriously not remember her pulling all the skeletons out of her closet and letting him dance with them?
Did he not remember the kiss?
She swallowed the thickness from her throat and refilled his mug. “You passed out like Crimson said you might do. I gave you a blanket.” She handed him the mug.
He sniffed the contents, smiling before taking a sip. “It tastes as good as it smells. That reminds me of something.” He flicked his gaze to hers before dropping it to her lips. “Did we kiss last night, or did I dream it?”
A maniacal giggle bubbled up from her chest, and she pressed her fingers to her lips. She could tell him no. Let him believe he dreamed the whole thing. That would be the responsible thing to do. Experience told her mixing business with pleasure worked out as well as baking with salt instead of sugar.
But that would be a lie. Unlike the seraphs in middle management and above, earthbound angels were quite capable of fibbing. Sometimes they had to tell little white lies to help guide people to make good decisions.
But lying to Pete, whether it would help their situation or not, felt wrong. Something deep inside her soul wouldn’t allow her to utter a single falsehood to this man.
“I hope it wasn’t a dream.” He arched a brow, holding her gaze.
“It was real.” She cleared her throat and turned to the fridge, busying herself with making breakfast. “I have to go down and work on a few cakes that are being picked up today. Hopefully a bit of normalness will help me think of a way to restore your memories. Though, if Eostre herself couldn’t do it, I’m not sure what help I’ll be. At the very least, we need a way for you to cross realms so you can deliver the eggs.”
