“Dillan didn’t just kiss. He slow danced. We moved in sync. I wanted to lose myself in him. In his touch. Right then the world seemed like such a perfect place.”

“Who says you’ll get hurt again?”I pouted. “Have you met you?” “Right.”

“Smiling at me ruefully, Luka scratched the back of his head. “Yeah, I guess you can.” He sauntered toward the sliding doors. “I’ll be right outside if you need me. Call if you get dizzy.”“You’ll probably just hear a very loud thump.”He frowned at my joke. “Not funny.”“Luka?” He stopped. “Thank you for keeping an eye on me.”“Just…” He tsked. “Just don’t scare me like that again.”

“Ereaders were a great convenience, but nothing could beat the smell of a library and old books.”

“That was when I realized all love does is hurt people. It lulls you into a false sense of security, and then bam! You slam into a brick wall of pain. A shit ton of pain. Love destroys people to the point where they don’t even care who else they hurt in the process.”

“Protect that girl, Balthazar. She is an innocent in all of this.”“Why does she want Nikolas to gain his humanity?”“She believes they are in love.”The absurdity of D’s words hit Balthazar square in the gut. He would have doubled over if he didn’t find the reason pathetic. Thankfully, he managed to keep the laughter in his head.“Love? Nikolas?”

“Dillan didn’t just kiss. He slow danced. We moved in sync. I wanted to lose myself in him. In his touch. Right then the world seemed like such a perfect place.”

“He opened the door for me with an impassive expression. Oh, but he couldn’t fool me. I knew very well that he gloated inside. He had the right to. I’d be gloating aloud if I were him. I slid into the plush black leather seat and ran my hands over every surface I could touch after buckling my seatbelt. Awe, like a slow burning fuse, spread all over my body. My fingertips sizzled. It was one thing to hear Gramps talk and completely another to actually sit inside the fantasy.“Should I give you two some time alone?”
“What?”
His smile gave me unexpected quivers. “Stop molesting my car.”

“Dealing with Dillan being a jerk can mess up any saint on a good day. And you know I’m no saint.”