I waited. And waited.
“Oooh,” she cooed. “I have to get these.” She pulled a satin negligee from the rack behind me and ran her fingers over the expensive material.
I looked at her like she had lost her mind. “Who the hell are you going to wear that for?” Because that was the whole point of those skimpy things, right?
She shrugged her dainty shoulders. “A lady never kisses and tells.”
“I’m your best friend.”
“You are also dating my overbearing, hotheaded, impulsive cousin. Not to mention the two of you have some kind of alien-bond. My secrets are no longer safe with you,” she informed me.
I thought about that for a moment. “Right. Don’t tell me. The less I know the better. For the both of us.”
Her pretty brows drew together like she was thinking too hard. “Man, this scheming stuff is hard work. Let me pay for these, and then we can get down and dirty.”
I wasn’t sure what she meant by “down and dirty” and whether I should be frightened or relieved.
Hearing the cha-ching of a credit card made Lexi’s whole demeanor change. Her dimples sparkling on both of her cheeks as she looped an arm through mine and led me toward the exit. “So, first thing first. We need a way to get Emma alone—without Chase. That is our biggest obstacle.”
“I’d say he is a ginormous obstacle,” I grumbled, pausing.
She shook her long hair. “Don’t be such a buzz kill. There are two of us and only one Chase Winters.” She didn’t have tell me that. “How hard can it be to ditch him?” she asked.
I sunk against a wall lined with lacy bras. “We’re doomed.” And as if to seal my impending failure, an entire rack of black bras rained down on my head.
Lexi snickered. “I’m telling you. It’s a sign. You should have totally gotten that thong.”
I pulled Lexi out of Victoria’s Secret as fast as possible before someone noticed the mess I’d left behind and banned me from the store. Lexi, of course, started laughing loud and uncontrollably as I tugged her along.
Planting my butt in one of the chairs in the food court, I gave her the stink eye. “Lex, I swear. If you hauled me to the mall just to shop, I’ll murder you.”
She was utterly unfazed by my threat. “And I’m supposed to be the violent one. Of course I didn’t. That was just an added bonus.”
I dropped my head onto the table, not caring about the amount of germs I was subjecting myself to. “Seriously, what are we going to do?” Propping my elbows on the table, I leaned my chin on my hands. “I can’t stand another night knowing that Chase is out there combing the woods, looking for Travis. I hate thinking that either one of them could get hurt.” I might not be Travis’s biggest fan right now, but he was still my friend. I had to do everything I could to fix this, even if it was going to make a certain half-demon extremely angry.
A gleam of determination flickered in Lexi’s aqua eyes. “Don’t worry. I’ve got a plan.”
Oh goodie gumdrops.
***
The doorbell rang, and Mom looked to the front entrance and sighed. Untying the apron at her waist, she ran a hand down her caramel hair, smoothing any loose pieces.
I sat at the table smirking, already knowing who waited on the other side of the door. We might see each other every day, but it didn’t stop the excited anticipation from bouncing in my stomach. And of course the tattoo at my hip radiated whenever he was near.
My mom might have been irked by the disturbance, but it was a much welcomed reprieve from the awkward conversation she had started. “Chase, what a surprise,” Mom said, not really sounding surprised. She leaned on the doorframe. “I swear you can smell my cooking. We just sat down.”
He gave her a heart-melting grin. My insides sang, and I wasn’t even on the receiving end, but, Lord, I knew how devastating it could be.
She waved him in. “You might as well come in and take a seat.”
“Thank you, Ms. Morgan,” he said.
She crossed her arms and gave him that mother glare I knew far too well. For once I was glad it wasn’t aimed at me. “What did I tell you? It’s Chloe. Cut the formalities. You practically live here anyway.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, stepping inside, his lips still curled.
She shut the door. “Oh God, that’s worse.”
He winked at me. I think Chase enjoyed ruffling Mom’s feathers.
“Don’t think that smile of yours is going to save you,” she said as she went back into the kitchen to gather a plate for Chase. It was twice the size of ours. “Actually, it’s a good thing you came over.”
Crap on a stick.
I did not like where this was going. Not. One. Bit. I quickly glanced around the room, trying to think of an escape.
She set his plate in front of him and took her seat across from us. “Angel and I were just talking about sex.”