Free hidden talents by Emma Holly Page B

tables roped off on the broad sidewalk. It reminded her so much of Mikos that she stopped in her tracks.
    Adam stopped as well and put his warm hand on her shoulder. Ari didn"t pull away. She liked the way it felt.
    “Are you hungry?” he asked. “Do you want to go in?”
    “I was a hostess in a restaurant like that one.”
    “Were you?”
    She felt him watching her face but didn"t turn to him. At the nearest table, a paper napkin fluttered in a metal holder. If she answered, would it count as sharing? “I worked my way up from busgirl. I liked it. It was peaceful.”
    “I can"t imagine working in a restaurant as peaceful.”
    “Mikos had its dramas, but they were never very important. Two months ago, Blackwater told the owner he"d beat him senseless unless he fired me.”
    Adam"s hand stroked her spiky hair, though he said nothing. Ari fought the tears that wanted to rise in her eyes. “Mr. Mikos was a nice man. He"d save things from the kitchen for me to take home to my roommates. Little treats he knew we couldn"t afford. Max was addicted to their baklava.”

    “Did something happen to your boss?”
    “No,” she said, grateful for it. “I just can"t see him anymore. He wanted to go to the police, but I knew they couldn"t protect him from someone like
    Blackwater.”
    “Ari.” He turned her to him, making her look at him. “I"m not the sort of police you"re used to. My men and I are going to make sure this turns out all right.”
    Maybe he would. He certainly seemed to believe it.
    “I"ve never met anyone like you,” she confessed.
    He smiled, a hint of wistfulness in it. “That makes two of us.”
    He was beautiful to her then. Ari was pretty, she supposed. She did what she could to make her looks interesting. Adam seemed interested at least. When his fingers slid around her face, his eyes turned heavy and followed them.
    “Ready to go home?” he asked.
    His voice was husky and - God - the lust that tightened inside her was
    powerful. It heated and clenched not just her pussy but every muscle from head to toe.
    Ari had thought she was a normal woman when it came to sex, but clearly more than half of her had been asleep until now. She nodded, unable to answer.
    Adam must have sensed why. His eyes flared at their backs, and he caught her hand in his before turning back toward his house. The part of her that had never had a romantic boyfriend loved how sweet and unthinking the gesture was. Adam liked her, and therefore he held her hand. Of course, the way he squeezed her fingers made her worry she"d combust.
    “Where do your parents live?” she asked, fumbling for a distraction.
    “They"re dead,” he said. “They worked together in Portal Management.
    Something went wrong and they were caught in an explosion.”
    “I"m sorry,” she said, surprised how much she meant it. “Were you close?”
    “Yes.” His fingers tightened on hers again. “I feel lucky for that. They"ve been gone for a couple years.”

    His profile was sad but calm. He grieved, but it hadn"t destroyed him.
    Awareness tugged at her mind. Maybe the loss hadn"t destroyed him, but it had done something.
    “You said it"s been a couple years since you had a girlfriend,” she blurted. He turned to her in surprise. “Sorry, I shouldn"t have -”
    “No,” he interrupted. “I guess that probably is the reason I haven"t dated anyone seriously. My parents ... my parents had the kind of relationship people write love stories about. They defied their folks to marry each other, and to go into the work they did. Portal Management is too close to doing magic for most weres. They consider it contrary to our heritage. But my folks felt it was their calling, the way they were meant to serve.”
    “Were they good parents?”
    “They were wonderful.” Adam wagged his head and laughed. “Sometimes
    they joked that a cuckoo had snuck me into their nest. We could be pretty different in our attitudes, but as much as they loved each other, they