He touched my right cheek, making me face him. “You do when it counts.”
Staring up at him, shirtless, vulnerable, and wounded, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. He had a knack for picking my walls apart brick by brick. It bothered me.
He took a step closer, casting a shadow over me.
“Stop,” I mumbled, fixing my eyes on the floor. He brushed a lock of hair behind my ear, sliding his warm hand to lift my chin so I’d have to look at him.
“Stop what?” he murmured.
“Looking at me.”
“Why?”
“That’s how Terrell used to look at me before we kissed.”
His lips parted to say something but I pushed past him, gathering up my duster from where it lay on the bed next to the dress.
“Get dressed. We have more ghosts to help.”
Chapter 23
In the three hours before I had to be ready for the event, we managed to cross two of the ghosts over to the other side. They were both locals of the area and had relatively simple final wishes. It didn’t do us much good, though, because we found another two ghosts not soon after—one of which had come from Canada. Michael called Gabriel again and he told us he would meet us at the hotel later tonight to discuss what we were going to do. Thus far, the plan would involve trying to find the sliver of the True Cross—whether the demons had gotten their hands on it or not. I didn’t like that plan. We needed a new one. There was no telling what they could do with that kind of power.
The silence in the hotel room was thick, stifling, and uncomfortable when I came out of the bathroom in the slinky dress. Luckily, the back didn’t dip down low enough to expose the bra band or the scars. Through the grace of God, I had managed to work the tiny blow dryer attached to the wall so my black hair was fluffy and glossy around my shoulders. I never wore it down except for special occasions. Lauren said it made me look girlier, which was why I rarely did it.
I could feel Michael’s eyes on me like twin points of heat on my spine as I slipped the rosary around my neck. He had every reason to be upset with my leaving, and I knew that, but it didn’t change my decision. To be honest, I didn’t want to go all that badly. I merely wanted to close the chapter on Terrell in the most definitive way I knew how. This way, we would have a real goodbye instead of me running out of his life like a coward.
“The dress looks good.” Michael’s voice was measured. I could only imagine what he actually thought, and thinking about it made me even more uncomfortable than I already was.
“Thank you.”
“So I don’t suppose I need to repeat the fact that this is a bad idea.”
I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. “Nope.”
“Good to know.” His tone overflowed with irritation. I thought about explaining the closure issue to him, but I’d feel silly saying it out loud. Instead, I put the finishing touches to my eyeliner and capped it, tossing it in my purse.
“Are you done?”
“I suppose I am.”
I zipped the purse in one quick motion. “Y’know, this passive-aggressive shit is getting kind of old, Michael.”
“Is it? Would you prefer the direct approach?”
I crossed my arms beneath my chest. “And what’s that?”
Michael stood, walking until he towered over me, though not as much as usual because I was wearing high heels. “I could make you stay here if I wanted to.”
I shrugged, feigning indifference. “Go ahead, big man. No one’s stopping you.”
He snorted, shaking his head. “Always have to have the last word, don’t you?”
“It’s one of my best traits,” I sneered, snatching up the purse and heading for the door.
He called after me. “I thought the dinner wasn’t until seven o’clock.”
I paused with my hand on the doorknob. “It’s six-forty-five. I’m gonna need a drink before the night’s over. Don’t wait up.”
I slammed the door behind me, heading for the back of the building that led out into an alley and down to a local bar. The night air was cool rather than cold, soothing the tension flowing through my skin. I kicked the door shut and exhaled, standing in the dimly lit alley and trying to figure out why I had a lump in the back of my throat. We had a fight. Big deal. It was perfectly normal. Okay, that was a lie. Most people wouldn’t manage to piss off an angel who was trying to protect them. I needed to apologize when I came back. He liked chocolate. Maybe I’d get him a Lindt bar as a peace offering. Hi, honey, sorry I made you mad by running off to a party with my ex-boyfriend to avoid thinking about how you’re getting under my skin.
I choked on a laugh at that last thought. “He’s gonna kill me for this.”