Obsidian

he spoke. I bet he knew how to kiss. Perfect kisses too, ones that weren’t wet and gross, but the kind that curled toes.

I needed to stop looking at him in general.

Daemon placed all the supplies on the porch steps and straightened. Stretching his arms over his head, his shirt rode up, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of muscles. His gaze lingered on my face, and warmth blossomed in my belly. “Maybe I’m just curious why she is so enamored. Dee doesn’t take well to strangers. None of us do.”

“I had a dog once that didn’t take well to strangers.”

Daemon stared at me a moment, then laughed. It was a deep, rumbling sound. Nice. Sexy. Oh God, I looked away. He was the kind of boy that broke hearts and left a long line of them shattered behind him. He was trouble. Maybe the fun kind of trouble, but he was also a jerk. And I didn’t do jerks. Not that I did anyone.

I cleared my throat. “Well, thanks for the car thing.”

Suddenly, he was right in front of me again. So close that his toes almost touched mine. I sucked in a sharp breath, wanting to back up. He needed to stop doing that. “How do you move so fast?” He ignored the question. “My little sis does seem to like you,” he said, as if he couldn’t figure out why.

I bristled and tilted my head back but focused my gaze over his shoulder. “Little? You’re twins.”

“I was born a whole four minutes and thirty seconds before she was,” he boasted, his eyes meeting mine. “Technically she is my little sister.”

My throat felt dry. “She’s the baby in the family?”

“Yep, therefore I’m the one starved for attention.”

“I guess that explains your poor attitude then,” I retorted.

“Maybe, but most people find me charming.”

I started to respond, but made the mistake of looking into his eyes. I was immediately snared by the unnatural color, reminded of the purest, deepest parts of the Everglades. “I have…a hard time believing that.” His lips curved slightly. “You shouldn’t, Kat.” He picked up a loose section of hair that had escaped my clip, twirling the hair around his finger. “What kind of color is this? It’s not brown or blonde.” My cheeks itched with heat. I snatched my hair back. “It’s called light brown.”

“Hmm,” he said, nodding. “You and I have plans to make.”

“What?” I sidestepped his large body, dragging in a deep breath as I gained some distance. My heart was pounding. “We don’t have any plans to make.”

Daemon sat down on the steps, stretching out his long legs and leaning back on his elbows.

“Comfortable?” I snapped.

“Very.” He squinted up at me. “About these plans…”

I stood a few feet from him. “What are you talking about?”

“You remember the whole ‘getting my ass over here and playing nice’ thing, right? That also involves my car keys?” He crossed his ankles as his gaze slid over to the trees. “Those plans involve me getting my car keys back.”

“You need to give me a little more of an explanation than that.”

“Of course,” he sighed. “Dee hid my keys. She’s good at hiding stuff, too. I’ve already torn the house apart, and I can’t find them.”

“So, make her tell you where they are.” Thank God I didn’t have any siblings.

“Oh, I would, if she was here. But she’s left town and won’t be back until Sunday.”

“What?” She’d never mentioned going out of town. Or family nearby. “I didn’t know that.”

“It was a last-minute thing.” He uncrossed his ankles and one foot started to tap an unheard rhythm. “And the only way she’ll tell me where the keys are hidden is by me earning bonus points. See, my sister has this thing about bonus points, ever since elementary school.” I started to smile. “Okay…?”

“I have to earn bonus points to get my keys back,” he explained. “The only way I can earn those points is by doing something nice for you.”

I busted out laughing again. The look on his face was awesome. “I’m sorry, but this is kind of funny.”

Daemon drew in a deep, disgusted breath. “Yeah, it’s real funny.”

My laughter faded. “What do you have to do?”

“I’m supposed to take you swimming tomorrow. If I do that, then she’ll tell me where my keys are hidden — and I have to be nice.”

He had to be kidding, but the longer I stared at him, I realized he was being serious. My mouth dropped open. “So the only way you get your keys back is by taking me swimming and by being nice to me?”

“Wow. You’re a quick one.”

I did laugh again. “Yeah, well, you can kiss your keys good-bye.”

Surprise shone on his face. “Why?”

“Because I’m not going anywhere with you,” I told him.

“We don’t have a choice.”

“No. You don’t have a choice, but I do.” I glanced at the closed door behind him, wondering if Mom was somewhere trying to listen in. “I’m not the one with missing keys.”

Daemon watched me for a moment, and then he grinned. “You don’t want to hang out with me?”

“Uh, no.”

“Why not?”

I rolled my eyes. “For starters, you’re a jerk.”

He nodded. “I can be.”

“And I’m not spending time with a guy who’s being forced to do it by his sister. I’m not desperate.”

“You’re not?”

Anger whipped through me, and I took a step forward. “Get off my porch.”

He seemed to consider it. “No.”

“What?” I sputtered. “What do you mean no?”

“I’m not leaving until you agree to go swimming with me.”

Steam should be coming out of my ears. “Fine. You can sit there, because I’d rather eat glass than spend time with you.”

He laughed. “That sounds drastic.”

“Not nearly,” I shot back, heading up the stairs.

Daemon twisted around, catching my ankle. His grip was loose, his hand incredibly warm. I looked down at him, and he smiled at me, as innocent as an angel. “I’ll sit here all day and night. I’ll camp out on your porch. And I won’t leave. We have all week, Kitten. Either get it over with tomorrow and be done with me, or I’ll be right here until you do agree. You won’t be able to leave the house.” I gaped at him. “You can’t be serious.”

“Oh, I am.”

“Just tell her we went and that I had a great time.” I tried to pull my foot free, but he held on. “Lie.”

“She’ll know if I’m lying. We’re twins. We know these things.” He paused. “Or are you too shy to go swimming with me? Does the idea of getting almost naked around me make you uncomfortable?”

I grabbed the railing and yanked on my foot. The b utthead was only lightly holding me, but my foot wouldn’t budge. “I’m from Florida, idiot. I’ve spent half my life in a bathing suit.”

“What’s the big deal?”

“I don’t like you.” I stopped pulling and stood there. His hand seemed to hum around my skin. It was the weirdest feeling ever. “Let go of my ankle.”

Very slowly, he lifted each finger while holding my stare. “I’m not leaving, Kitten. You’re going to do this.”

My mouth opened as did the door behind us. Stomach dropping, I turned to see Mom standing there in all her fuzzy-bunny pajama glory. Oh, for the love of God.

Her eyes went from me to Daemon, completely misinterpreting everything. The glee in her eyes made me want to vomit on Daemon’s head. “You live next door?”

Daemon twisted around and smiled. He had perfect white, straight teeth. “My name is Daemon Black.”

Mom smiled. “Kellie Swartz. Nice to meet you.” She glanced at me. “You two can come inside if you want. You don’t have to sit outside in the heat.”