She hadn’t expected it, wasn’t prepared for it, but was glad that he did it.
“We’re always working,” he said as he broke the kiss. “After what just went down in New Orleans, who knows when we’ll get to do this again… especially after you meet the president.”
“That’s why I’m glad you came… why we got to do this.”
She snuggled in close to him, breathing in his fantastic scent, not caring that it was laced with whatever Fae shots he’d done. She didn’t care if a tux was foreign to him-he looked damned good in it. Didn’t care if he was a man of few words and didn’t possess the eloquence of some of his rivals. He was hers and she was his.
“With all this insanity going on,” he said after a moment, nuzzling her hair, “I never got to get you a birthday present. I had it made… but never got to go back and get it. I know that sounds lame, but you know I am no liar. Baby, I’m sorry… Happy birthday anyway. I’ll make it up to you.”
“I know you are no liar,” she said, cupping his cheek and looking up into his eyes. “This, right now, you being alive and laughing and dancing the night away with me, is the best birthday present in the world.”
“There were a lot of times I didn’t think either one of us would make it… I feel like Bradley did at the hospital all the time. I just never tell you how broken I would be if you never came out of the shadows.”
She brushed his mouth with the pad of her thumb and inclined her head. “There’s a really big bank of shadows over there by the pillars. Wanna get out of here and really celebrate my birthday?”
A slow half smile tugged at his cheek as he spun her around and danced her into the nothingness.
L A Banks
L. A. Banks, a native Philadelphian, is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. Wharton undergraduate program. With many awards to her credit, Banks also holds a masters of fine arts degree in film and media arts from Temple University. She is currently at work on the next book in the series. She lives in Philadelphia with her family.
