What an embarrassing slip of the tongue.

All throughout their walk, Wonder had waited for Anandur to wrap his arm around her, so she could lean against his strong body. This was the only intimacy he allowed, and she’d been looking forward to it, yearning for it.

It had been such a relief when her wish had finally been granted that the words of gratitude just slipped out.

Talk about pathetic.

She needed to salvage what remained of her self-respect. “Why would you say you don’t deserve my thanks? You gave me this.” She waved her hand in a circle. “I have new friends, Gertrude and Hildegard treat me as if I were their beloved niece, and I even got a makeover from a goddess’s daughter. I still can’t believe Amanda did this for me.”

Anandur chuckled. “She lives for stuff like that. But yeah, Amanda is cool. I like her a lot.”

“I’m still a little intimidated by her. She is so beautiful and confident and a professor on top of that. And she has great taste in clothes.”

“With how much money she spends on them it’s not difficult. The trick is to look amazing on a budget. Like me.” Anandur waved a hand over his plain T-shirt and Levi jeans.

He’d meant it as a joke, but the truth was that Wonder couldn't imagine him in anything else. The simple style he’d adopted fit his rugged good looks perfectly. He was too tall and too broad and too redheaded for fancy stuff. A man like him would’ve looked ridiculous in designer jeans or a suit and tie.

Gods, he was everything Wonder could’ve ever wanted in a man, except for his attitude toward her.

She wasn’t his little sister.

The thoughts he evoked in her were as far from sisterly as it got.

For several moments, they walked in silence with Anandur looking ahead into the night and Wonder trying to keep her heart from racing. It was hard to hide things from an immortal guy who could hear her heartbeat and smell her emotions.

Her desire for him.

But then she was an immortal too. Why couldn’t she figure out what Anandur was feeling for her? His real feelings, not the ones he was portraying.

Was he better than her at masking his emotions?

Or maybe her senses were not as sharp as his?

Or maybe she’d been so busy focusing on her own feelings that she’d missed on clues another immortal female could’ve picked up.

“Did you ask Amanda to style your hair?” Anandur asked.

“No, she volunteered, and then Carol joined in on the effort.”

“I’m curious about what prompted it. Did any of the guys invite you on a date?”

She didn’t need immortal super senses to detect the note of jealousy in Anandur’s voice.

The nerve of the guy.

If he wasn’t interested in her romantically, he had no right to envy others that were.

“And what if they did? It’s not like I have something going on with anyone else.”

Shit on a stick, she shouldn’t have said that. It was as if she was accusing him.

Well, she was. The big oaf was acting dumb.

Anandur sighed. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Gods, what a clueless male. Wonder felt like taking off one of her sandals and beating him over the head with it. Maybe it would clear the tangled mess he had up there, and she wasn’t referring to his hair, although that needed a trim as well. Birds could build a nest in there.

The guy needed a woman in his life. He needed Wonder. Except, he was too stubborn and opinionated to realize a good thing when he saw it.

She might be inexperienced, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t learn. Besides, relationships were about more than just sex. The two of them enjoyed each other's company, and they had plenty of things to talk about.

Even a young woman like her knew that it was a good foundation.

If only Anandur would open his eyes and see her for who she really was. Not a child, and not a teenager, but a grown woman who knew how to take care not only of herself but also of others.

If she didn’t do something about it, though, Anandur would keep playing his dumb game for gods knew how long.

Ugh.

Her anger rising with each passing moment, Wonder was ready to tell Anandur precisely what she thought about his supposedly noble restraint.

“I like it when you get jealous over me. That’s how I know you want me even though you like to pretend that you don’t.” She stopped and turned to face him. “You’re not fooling me, Anandur.”

His face looking pained as if someone had punched him in the gut, Anandur let his arm drop by his side. “Fates, Wonder, I’m not a saint. I can’t help being attracted to you. But for both our sakes, I’m doing the best I can to keep my hormones from taking control of my brain.”

Ooh, he was really making her mad.

Wonder put her hand on her hip and glared at the stupid male. “You’re doing it for the sake of some dumb notion you’ve gotten into your head that I’m too young for you. You’re not doing it for my sake, that’s for sure.”

She waved a hand over herself. “I did all of this for you, so maybe you’d finally see me as a woman.”

Indecision danced over Anandur’s handsome face. “What do you want from me, Wonder?”

“I want you to take me into your arms and kiss me. But if you’re not up to it, there are plenty of perfectly fine immortal males who would be thrilled to give me my first kiss.”

Wonder turned on her heel and started walking away. “Or the first that I’m going to remember,” she mumbled under her breath.

The whoosh of air coming from behind her was the only warning Wonder had before Anandur caught her elbow and flung her around. Caging her in his arms, he dipped his head but stopped an inch away from her lips.

Her heart beating a drumroll against her ribcage, Wonder could barely breathe. “Kiss me already. Don’t make me wait a moment longer.”