Page 22 of Moody as a Minotaur

Our destination was on the outskirts of the town. The inn sat on the north side of the road and the lake was on the south. If Parker’s grandmother was heading out there, she could be on the trail that encircled the lake. At this time of year, most of the leaves had fallen off the various deciduous trees and shrubs that crowded the shoreline, but it’d still be tricky to see her through the tree trunks and bare branches. The full moon would help a little, but we could easily miss her.

“Okay. I’ll watch out for her over there. Just in case.”

It wasn’t ideal. It meant I had to look toward his side of the car. I tried to keep my eyes on the shadows and thetrees, but it was difficult. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see his profile as he kept his gaze on the road. He was frowning, and he kept biting his bottom lip. He looked more angry than worried.

If it was anyone but Parker, I’d have suspected he was the reason the hunters were here. It was too much of a coincidence that he knew these people. Some locals thought Parker would have to be unbelievably unobservant to live this closely with this many supes for so long and not suspect anything. People had been speculating for years whether he was just pretending not to notice, which is what Jake had done. I had never thought that was the case. I was sure he didn’t know about supes. Was I wrong about that?

Parker appeared upset tonight. Was it because the hunters were moving in on his hunt?

No. I couldn’t see it. Parker was… Well, Parker. He was the friendly face I saw every morning when I picked up my coffee. He was the pool shark who loved to whip my ass at the pub. He was the guy I dreamed about kissing every damn night.

My instincts would have to be fubar to have missed the signs that Parker was a hunter. No. No way. It wasn’t possible. I trusted him. He wouldn’t hurt me.

I dragged my attention back toward the lake trail and considered what would happen if—when—we found his grandmother. She hadn’t acted overly friendly with the young hunters at the pub, but I got the sense Parker’s Nana lived by her own set of rules. I bet she lied when it suited her. She could very well be another hunter. An experienced one.

I tried to suppress my shudder at the thought ofthreehunters wandering through town, but I must have moved enough to draw Parker’s gaze my way.

“You’re frowning,” Parker said.

“I always frown.”

“Not like that,” he argued. “You didn’t have to come with me, you know.”

“I had to…” Shit. I shouldn’t have said that.

Luckily, Parker didn’t seem to notice what I’d said. Or, if he had, he didn’t mention it because we were already at the inn. The gates, as I’d predicted, were closed and Gage was marching back and forth along the width of the driveway. Back and forth. Back and forth. His demon horns, which were always visible to supes, even when he was in his human form, glinted under the moonlight.

When Parker guided the vehicle alongside the gate, I rolled down the window since I was closest to Gage. Parker angled his body toward me, and I froze. He was all up in my space as he leaned over to talk to Gage.

His fingers brushed my leg as he braced himself on the center console. His face wasright therein front of me.If I tilted my head, my lips would brush against his temple. Or, better yet, I could press my nose into his ginger hair and breathe in his scent.

For a moment, I wished I could shift. When I was in my minotaur form, my senses were more acute and there were so many things I wished to know. Would his hair feel silky smooth against my lips? It looked silky. And shiny. And I bet my fingers would slip right through it. Would I detect more nuances in the timbre of his voice and the rhythm of his breathing? Would his skin tastesalty if I licked him? Would his scent drive me wilder than it already did?

“Have you seen my grandmother?” Parker asked, oblivious to the turn of my thoughts.

“No.” Gage frowned. “Do you honestly think she’ll come out all this way?”

When Parker shrugged, his elbow slipped off the console and slammed into my leg.

“Oh my God,” Parker said, pulling away. “I’m so sorry.” He rubbed my leg. I stared at his fingers gliding over my pants. His hand was way too close to…

It was rightthere.His little finger especially. If I wiggled a little…

Which meant I couldn’t. I couldn’t even breathe. Except he was looking at me like he expected me to say something.

I gulped in some air. “Fine,” I croaked out. “I’m fine.”

His gaze dropped to his hand. His eyes widened, and he yanked his hand away. “Fuck. I’m sorry…”

Even in the shadows of the vehicle, I could see his cheeks darken. From what I understood of humans, my sight would be better than his, so hopefully he couldn’t see that my face was probably the same color. Gage would, though.

I hoped the demon wouldn’t mention how flustered I was to anyone. Because… Uh… I was just unsettled because I’d been tasked with infiltrating the human hunter group. Nothing else.

A case of nerves. That’s all.

Parker and I… well, there wasn’t a Parker and I… or should that be Parker and me? Whatever. There wasn’t anus. That was the point.

I swallowed.