The first thing I noticed when I saw her get out of the sleek, black car was her beauty. I would have to be blind not to notice.

That face, those pouty lips, those luminous eyes. I had spent decades surrounded by Hollywood starlets, but none of them came close to her.

She had a sort of magic that hung in a cloud around her, like perfume, and it drew the attention of strangers as they walked past.

She didn’t notice any of them. She only had eyes for me.

The next thing I noticed was her brother. What the hell was this?

My temper had been infamous in my circle and well beyond for as long as I’d lived in LA. I was the guy who everybody wanted to be friends with, if only to taste the lifestyle I enjoyed, but that adoration came with a price. And I had known it, and I had loved it.

The fear even my friends felt toward me. The almost comical deference of everyone from the guy who washed my cars to the staff at my favorite restaurants. They knew how volatile Gentry Duncan was.

Stories about me were legend in the underworld in which I’d traveled.

That familiar stirring of rage began in the pit of my stomach. I hadn’t felt it in weeks, not since my humiliation back in LA. I didn’t know whether to dread it or welcome it. At least one part of me hadn’t disappeared when I lost my powers.

This isn’t you anymore, I reminded myself, but that voice was nothing compared to the growing roar of frustration as the two of them approached.

I shoved my hands into my coat pockets before tightening them into fists. What I used to do with those hands…

“I think there was a misunderstanding,” I said, looking straight at him without saying hello to her first. “This was supposed to be dinner for just the two of us.”

“And she explained to you that I provide protection for her. That means everywhere she goes,” he growled.

Oh, what I would’ve done to him. I would’ve loved every second of it and replayed it for my amusement again and again.

Maybe I’d have set his shoes on fire for starters and laugh while he screamed and jumped around. Or I’d sic a few dozen rats on him—it was New York, so there were bound to be plenty nearby. Or I’d make the skin bubble and melt off his smirking face until he writhed and shrieked in agony

But no, I couldn’t do any of that. Not a single thing like that.

Instead, I turned to her. “Do you feel that you need protection from me?”

“No, but it would make him feel better if he could wait outside. He won’t be coming in with us.”

That was something, anyway.

I held his gaze—at least, I thought I did, though there was no telling with him wearing those ridiculous sunglasses.

Who wore sunglasses after sunset?

Assholes, that was who.

Men who felt the need to intimidate others with their appearance.

I had always kept in shape and knew my way around a boxing ring, but I had never tried to lord my physical strength over strangers.

Because you didn’t need to, a nasty, taunting voice reminded me as I opened the restaurant door for her. You had your powers. You were nothing but a stupid, petty little bully. Do you think anybody you sparred with would’ve dared knock you out? Stop kidding yourself.

I tried to shake it off, just as I had shaken it off throughout my cross-country drive. There was little else to do when traveling down seemingly endless stretches of empty highway other than get lost in thought.

“I’m sorry about him,” she whispered once we were inside.

“I’m sorry if I caused any trouble with him, for your sake.” I helped her with her coat and swallowed hard at the sight of her body in a sweater dress which hugged her like a second skin.

It covered everything while promising so much. I could’ve fallen to my knees and worshipped her then and there—not only for being the most exciting, most arousing creature I’d ever set eyes on, but because she understood what so many women didn’t: leaving things to the imagination was far sexier than the alternative.

She shook her head, unaware of how I wanted her. “No. I just really hope you understand. Things were… pretty terrible for a little while, and it’s better for me to have him around. Not just for my physical safety, either. He makes me feel better here.” She tapped the side of her head.

My heart softened. “I feel like a jackass. I should’ve thought before I reacted. It’s just that I saw him and thought you didn’t want us to be alone.”

“I want that. I want it very much.” She swayed a little, closing the distance between us.

I picked up the scent of her hair, and her skin and desire reared its head again.

She awoke a part of me I hadn’t given thought to since the disaster at the club.

It had been weeks since I’d even looked at a woman, much less thought about one the way I was thinking about her.

Then again, she was special.

We took our seats and wiped our hands with the hot towels a smiling server offered.

I couldn’t stop glancing at Vanessa, studying her. She couldn’t possibly know what was going through my head…could she?

I wouldn’t have imagined it if she hadn’t kept glancing at me, too.

Her cheeks went pink when our eyes met. “You probably think I’m rude,” she murmured.

“For looking at me? I was looking at you, too.”

“It’s just that…” She heaved a sigh. “This is going to sound ridiculous.”

I snorted. “Try me. You might be surprised.”

“I don’t know. This is pretty crazy.”

“Please, go on.”

She sighed again. “I feel like I know you from somewhere. I told you it was crazy.”

“It’s not. I feel the same way.”

“You do?” Her face lit up.

“I don’t normally sit down with a woman after she spills coffee all over me,” I grinned. “Even if she is the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen.”

She took the compliment with ease, like a woman who’s used to being called gorgeous and didn't bother pretending she doesn’t know it. “I didn’t think things like this could happen. You know. Meeting a person and feeling that instant connection. This sounds stupid. I should stop talking.”

“Don’t.” I could’ve listened to her all night. All week.

Her voice was like music. Every movement was as graceful as water cascading over rocks or a bird taking wing.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “I’m not used to meeting men who don’t want something from me.”

“Is that who your brother is protecting you from?”

She chuckled, but looked away. “Something like that.”

There was deep fragility in her, something broken.

I wished my protective instincts didn’t react as strongly as they did when I noticed the flash of pain that twisted her mouth into a grimace. I wanted to promise to protect her. She didn’t need her thick-necked brother to do it for her.

I would keep her from the filthy, nasty world. It wasn’t good enough for someone like her, someone so perfect. Maybe that was what my dream meant. I was supposed to hold her away from the rest of it, to carry her away to something better.

Geez. Who was I turning into? Some lovesick poet?

“The world can be a terrible place sometimes,” I muttered, looking down at my menu.

“Oh? You know that, too?”

“Do I ever. Life in LA isn’t always as glamorous as it’s made out to be. There’s a big, dark underbelly.”

And you used to live in the heart of that underbelly. You used to thrive on it, didn’t you? Maybe you should tell her about that. Tell her about the pain you caused, the lives you destroyed on a whim.

She might like to hear about the homeless man you set on fire, all because he stepped in front of your car when you were in a hurry. She’ll definitely want to spend time with you after you tell her that story. She’ll offer to have your children when you recall how you laughed at the poor, miserable wretch while he burned.

I didn’t really like who I used to be.

What was I even doing with her? I didn’t deserve anything as good as her, not after what I had done. It was like remembering somebody else’s life. Like I had been under a spell for all those years, sleeping in a quiet corner of my mind while another being—a dark, vicious, soulless being with endless hate, endless need to cause pain—took over my thoughts and actions. The moment Dominic stripped me of my powers, all of that had fallen away. I was ashamed of that person. That monster.

She would never understand.

“I’ve heard some stories,” she offered with a rueful smile. “I think everybody has. All the young hopefuls whose dreams were crushed out there. All the scandals covered up back in the old days. Especially when the people involved were powerful enough to sweep things under the rug.”

“You’re a student of Hollywood history?” I asked.

“Something like that. I enjoy reading about the past.” She looked down at the menu.

I couldn’t shake the impression that she was holding something back, but dismissed it as my imagination getting the better of me.

A movement outside caught my eye.

Her brother, pacing back and forth in front of the window. Reminding me of his presence.

“He’s intense,” I observed.

She didn’t need to ask who I was referring to. “Yes. By nature. It’s easier to let him think he’s the biggest dog in the room, if you get what I mean.”

“I don’t know how easy that’ll be for me. I’m used to being the big dog in the pack.”

“Are you?” She raised a playful eyebrow to go with a playful smile. “I should warn you. I’m a pretty big dog, too.”

“You don’t look so big from where I’m sitting.”

“Yes, well, appearances can deceive.” She held my gaze as she sipped from a glass of water, and I was sure she could see into my core.

An illusion, of course, and one which I was glad of. She wouldn’t like what she saw there. Even so, a part of me stirred to life. I shifted in my chair, grateful to the table for providing cover.

The air crackled around us and I knew only one thing for certain:

I had to be alone with her. Without her brother or anybody else. Just us.

Even then, I felt Holden staring at me through the window. Silently shutting me down.