Protecting His Windflower (A Spirit Hunters Series Novel Book 1) by Temperance Dawn (best black authors .txt) 📕

“Hi!” her voice was low and dripped of sweetness.

“You look better. Did you get some rest?”

“Yes, I did.”

“I brought you some food. Like I promised.” He lifted the bag in his hand and caught the blush that crept up from her chest and spread up to her cheeks.

“That was so nice of you. Do you want to come in?”

Yes! he thought. “Sure. I have those latches for your window too. I’ll install those while you eat.”

“Okay.” Emily opened the door fully and led him to the small galley kitchen just off of the intimate dining area. He set the food on the counter. “It smells wonderful.”

“It’s from one of my favorite restaurants. I hope you like it. I realized when I ordered it that I didn’t ask you what you like to eat.”

Emily looked at him and gently shook her head. “Oh, I am not picky.” Her smile grew as she spoke.

“I’m glad to hear that. It’s Cony Island-style clam chowder.”

“Really?” Her brows pinched together slightly. Curiosity coated her tone. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

“It’s delicious,” Liam assured her. “It’s clam chowder only with a tomato base broth instead of the traditional cream base.”

Emily opened the bag, pulled out the soup, then opened the container. The smell of the steaming liquid wafted through the kitchen. “It smells divine,” she said while inhaling the delightful aroma. “What else is there?” she asked, her eyes brightened with wonder.

Liam couldn’t help chuckling at her enthusiasm. “Just a sandwich, but just as tasty as the soup, I promise. It has ham and turkey and cheese. There’s also the famous San Franciscan sourdough to go with the soup. I hope you like it.”

“Oh, I’m sure I will. Thank you…so much,” she said, turning to him.

“You’re very welcome, Emily. Now eat. Don’t mind me. I’m going to install these latches.”

“You should eat too!”

Liam shook his head while grinning. “I ate with the guys. I’m good.”

Emily watched as Liam installed the latches on her window. The heat of her stare on him caused his body to react, and he prayed he could relax and reverse the effect her attention had on him.

Not helping his situation, and not able to help himself, every time Liam would steal a glance in her direction, he hoped she wouldn’t be looking his way. She sat cross-legged on her sofa with a magazine in her lap and ate a bowl of soup while dunking the hearty sourdough bread in the broth. And once again, he thought about what it would be like to kiss her full, luscious lips. Even though he had just eaten, a different kind of hunger crept up on him, and he was certain it was not for the soup.

Liam hurried to finish installing the latches on her window. Being in such close proximity to Emily was beginning to drive him mad, and he needed to pull his head together. When he secured the last latch, he walked to where she was sitting on the sofa. He initially had no intention of sitting down, but he turned and sat on a whim, angling his body. “Did anything happen while I was gone?” He put his arm over the back of the sofa. Emily placed her empty bowl on the coffee table in front of them and turned herself to look into his eyes.

“No. Nothing happened. Trust me. Had I seen that thing again, I would have called you.”

“Good.” Liam felt relief that Emily hadn’t been disturbed by the anomaly while he was away. “I talked to my friends.”

“I figured you had. What did they say?”

“Well, I explained to them what I’d seen and what you’d seen. We all agreed to do an investigation if that’s all right with you.”

“Yes, of course. Will we be able to find out what is going on?”

“Hopefully. We just need to gather as much information about the property as we can first. See if there’s anything that might help us understand what we’re dealing with. It might take a little time. We have some local cases that we’re committed to. As soon as we get through those, we can focus more on this place.”

Emily nodded. “I’ll keep you up to date with what I find out. And I want you to tell me right away if anything else happens. You have my number handy?”

“Yes,” she told him. “I put it in my phone already.”

Liam’s heart rate spiked at her declaration. Emily stared at him with questions in her eyes. He wanted to ask her what she was thinking, wanted to know what thoughts danced around in her head. Knowing he needed to earn her trust first, pushing her too fast for information could cause her to clam up and hold onto the secrets he knew she was keeping, he tamped down his own desire to know everything in that moment. He had no idea how he knew. A feeling deep within him clawed at the surface. His instincts screamed that there was more. So much more. Despite it all, Liam committed to himself that he would go slow and be patient.

The flecks of gold in her brown eyes glistened, and he became lost in them for a moment. Not really knowing how to hold back, the words escaped his lips, “What are you doing tomorrow?”

Emily blinked in surprise. Had she been daydreaming about him too? The light flush of rosiness that spread across her chest and face told him all he needed to know.

“I—” she hesitated.

In an attempt to calm her nerves, he added, “I was wondering if you’d like to have a tour of the city.”

Emily’s lips curled up on one side. She tilted her head slightly, “Are you asking me on a date?”

“I am,” he told her firmly.

“You’re not already taken?”

“No. I’m single. I haven’t dated anyone in a long time.

Emily inhaled, and then exhaled. “Oh.”

“Did you think I was dating someone?” Liam asked her.

“Honestly, I figured there was no way you weren’t