Page 39 of Fallen to Thievery
He shrugged and smiled. “Hunter believes it’s because I think too much.”
I smirked at the affectionate look he had when speaking of Hunter. It was so different from the cold, guarded expression he always had around me. “I don’t know. You don’t look like the thinking type to me,” I dared to tease.
Grayson clutched at his chest. “You wound me, Princess,” he mocked.
I grinned at him, feeling a little lighter. I gave him a mock sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “No worries, I’m sure you have other attributes to make up for it.” Why was I being so bold? I just touched him.
Mischief sparked in his eyes. “I’d say I’m rather proficient at keeping my hostages warm at night.” He smirked at me.
Was this the real Grayson? I tried my best to scowl back at him, concentrating hard to keep the corners of my mouth down. I’ve been grinning like a damn fool the entire morning.
But so is he, so… shut up.
“Proficient? That’s abigword!” I praised him, like I would a toddler.
He raised an eyebrow at me, shaking his head, but didn’t respond.
“So… you and Hunter grew up together?” I changed the subject.
He gave me a quick glance and stepped around a thorny bush. I recited the name of it in my head.
“Yes. An…oddpairing, but inseparable.” A small, adoring smile tugged at his lips.
I found my own treasonous lips pull into one, mirroring his. With every word that he uttered, he’d become more human, less monster in my mind. “Tell me,” I urged, thirsty for every drop of himself he was willing to give.
He shrugged, as he always did. As if the subject ofhimwas boring and uneventful. “Hunt was a scrawny kid with a big mouth. Made himself a lot of enemies.” His smile widened at the memory, pulling on my heart. “And I was the unhinged one. I fought all his battles for him. At least the ones that’d resorted to fists.” His smile didn’t falter, but his eyes grew darker. “And sometimes he would start fights just for me. Have you ever heard the sound of someone’s nose breaking?Verysatisfying.”
A shudder ripped through me. And just like that, the monster was back. His eyes were fixed on me, gauging my reaction, searching my face.
He opened his mouth to say something but walked right into an enormous spiderweb. Too distracted by looking at me that he hadn’t noticed it.
He ripped at his face; a string of curses flung from his lips. A large spider was swept from his face onto his chest. It skittered over his shoulder and disappeared into the neckline of his t-shirt. In a move so fast that I almost missed it, his bag and shirt were off, flinging the spider to the ground. It scurried off into a small shrub.
The sight of his wide eyes and muscled chest heaving up and down, snapped the too tightly wound strings in my body, and I laughed. I heldon for dear life to my walking stick, doubling over as I laughed. This large, scary man, who enjoys the sound of noses breaking, was bested by a spider.
But with one look at Grayson, I quickly tried to swallow that laughter. His expression was unreadable as he glared at me.
One shouldn’t laugh at your captor.
He didn’t look angry, but not knowing what to expect next was worse.
“You should laugh more,” he said quietly, shocking me. He pulled his shirt back on and eyed me slyly, a smirk spreading across his lips. “It’s pulchritudinous.”
I frowned at him as he pulled spiderwebs from his face, and continued walking. “Did you just make that word up?” I teased. I had no idea what it meant.
He shrugged and pulled on a strand of hair that had come loose from my braid.
I swatted at his hand, and he flicked my nose in retaliation, which I decided to ignore to prevent a war. “So, if you’rethatsmart, why didn’t you become an engineer or doctor or something?”
He lifted his head and watched a flock of birds flying high above us, migrating to warmer places. “I am a doctor,” he said absentmindedly, adjusting the bags on his shoulders. “I have a PhD in Astrophysics.” He shifted his attention back to me. “I had a normal life, Ava. But white picket fences are not for me.”
I gawked at him, my feet stopping involuntarily. He stopped too, and waited, expectantly. I shut my gaping jaw and started walking again, Grayson following suit.
“Would you tell me about it?” I peered up at him, giving him puppy eyes, as much as was socially acceptable for a grown woman. The weirdness of how comfortable I had suddenly become made me take a step to the side, widening the very small space between us.
He smiled and licked his lips, the action distracting me for a second. “There’s not much to tell. I went to university, got my PhD and was a professor for three years. Was bored out of my mind and then turned to a life of crime.” He shrugged nonchalantly, while my jaw was on the ground once more.
“A professor? You?” I tried my best to keep my tone polite.
