CHAPTER 5 MANNY
MANNY
“Oz! Did you see that?” I staggered over to the kitchen table and sank into one of the chairs. After healing Cora, the adrenaline from my fright had used up what energy I had left. I stared at my hands again. The flames hadn’t hurt. I couldn’t even feel them, so what were they?
I glared at Oz, intending to shout more about the fire, but he handed me his phone, a worried expression on his handsome face. Shit. I immediately felt guilty. “Thanks. Uh, sorry for yelling.” I took the phone.
We resonated. We’re compatible romantically. Usually manifests as sparkles, and I don’t know why it was so intense. But we’re connected now.
My eyes went wide, zooming in on the fucking romantic connection strung between us like a tightrope.
“Holy shit.” I’d started to see people’s magical cores about a month after Jackson gave me their magic, but it’d been a couple of months after that before I could see connections between people.
I still couldn’t get over how cool it all was.
I handed Oz his phone back as I studied the thin, glittering line arrowing from my chest to his.
What did this mean, exactly? I was attracted to Oz for sure.
But was he attracted to me? I’d been jealous of Rory’s connection with Shane and Ellis, sharing their emotions and speaking mind-to-mind.
If I started dating Oz, would we end up with something similar?
Not that I was dating material for anyone, much less someone as amazing as Oz.
Tentatively I put my finger against the thread.
I’d never tried touching one of my connections while I was in the same room with someone.
I both couldn’t feel it and could feel it at the same time.
There was no resistance, but my fingertip registered a faint thrumming that echoed in my chest. Oz made a surprised noise and put his hand to his upper belly.
Huh. I dropped my finger. I didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.
He pointed at the chair next to me and raised his eyebrows. “Shit! Yes, please sit down. Sorry.” I shoved it away from the table with my foot.
He sat and started typing on his phone. His hands were big, but his fingers were long instead of thick. He handed the phone over. Why is your magic so different? How do you feel about the connection with me?
I sighed and rubbed my face. “The first one is a long story.” I held up my hand. “I will tell you, I promise. But for your second question, I’ve never had a romantic connection before. I don’t know much about them.” He nodded encouragingly. “My friends are bonded. Is it like that?”
He held his fingers apart about an inch to indicate a small amount. I handed him his phone but he was able to speak. “It’s the first step toward a bond. Right now, it’s not permanent. If we didn’t spend any more time together it would die.”
I clapped my hand over the spot where the connection entered my body. “No! I don’t want it to die!”
He smiled again, then gestured between us. “See our other connections? They’re all family and friends. Those connections are much more solid. They grow more permanent over time. The stronger the relationship, or the more intense the connection.”
Now he pointed it out, I could tell which of each of our connections were more permanent.
I had two sibling connections, Rory and Pia, and the others were friend connections.
Oz had way more than I did. “You have three parents? Plus two siblings. That must be nice.” I felt a wave of almost grief that I’d never be magically connected to Mamá.
Oz tilted his head. “So, how do you feel about a romantic connection with me?”
I hedged. “Well, it’s obvious we’re attracted to each other. I mean, right?”
He hesitated, then pointed at himself, and at me, before nodding. He cocked his head in my direction and raised his eyebrows.
My face burned. “Yeah. I mean, yes, I’m attracted to you. You’re hot.” I looked out the window before turning back to him. “But romance? Like, dating? My life is a mess right now. Is... is that something you’d want?”
He typed on his phone again, so I took the time to study him.
I’d immediately registered how handsome he was when we’d met yesterday.
I adored big men, and he had to be six foot six inches at least, bigger than Ellis’ brother Arch.
Oz’s features were more rugged than sharply defined, but that just made him sexier.
His eyes were almost as black as his hair and beard.
Yeah, I’d do him. I’d even date him if my life was less of a shitshow right now.
I couldn’t tell what Oz’s shifter side was, but I was sure he wasn’t a wolf.
He felt different than Rafferty, Harrison, Cassandra, and the others.
I’d been to the packhouse-slash-apartment complex, so I knew the pack included Wonders other than wolves, but Oz was the first non-wolf to be assigned to my protection detail.
What was freaky was, if I examined Oz like I was planning to heal him—and boy, did he have some nasty PTSD going on in his brain—I got the distinct sense that his animal side was examining me back.
At least it was giving off friendly vibes, not suspicious ones.
I’d hate to be connected to someone and have half of their soul not like me.
Oz passed me his phone. I was kidnapped and only released a few weeks ago. I have nightmares and I can’t talk most days. Is that something *you’d* want?
For what seemed like the hundredth time in this one conversation, I gasped.
“You were kidnapped? The trafficking ring?” He nodded.
I grabbed his hand, ignoring the much-smaller sparks shooting from where we touched.
“How horrible. I’m so sorry you had to endure that.
” I scowled. “And for the record, you having PTSD-type symptoms doesn’t have any bearing on whether I’d want to date you or not.
You’re hot as fuck, and you’re a good person. Those things are why I like you.”
He smiled. Not the polite, professional smile I’d seen up to now. No, this involved his whole face, his eyes, and his shifter side as well. My attraction to him dialed up to eleven. He squeezed my hand. “I think you’re hot as fuck and a good person as well.”
I grinned back. I couldn’t help it. I should’ve told him to run, to stay away.
He deserved someone who was in control of their life, not me who barely kept all my balls in the air.
Someone who wouldn’t possibly put him in danger from the same people he’d only recently escaped from. But I wasn’t that selfless.
His gaze dropped to my lips. “Can I...?”
“Yeah. Please.” I wanted him to kiss me more than just about anything. My dick was already interested, and the kiss hadn’t even started.
I put my hand on his arm as I leaned forward. He leaned too, tilting his head, and I tilted mine as I moved to meet him. But before our lips could touch, an alarm blared from Oz’s phone, and he jerked back, eyes wide. Dammit!
He grabbed the phone. “The front gate’s being opened.” He tapped the screen, then he frowned before showing me the live feed from the cameras on the front of the house. “Do you know them? They have the gate code.”
I sagged in disappointment. No kisses for me.
Rory, Shane, Ellis, and Pia. All coming up the steps to the front porch.
“Yes, they’re my friends, and Shane owns this house.
” I sat up straight, my eyes pinging around the kitchen.
I wasn’t ready to tell them about my healing abilities.
“Shit!” I jumped up and grabbed the blender off the counter.
The magical residue from Cora’s treatment earlier was still coating the inside.
I stuffed it into the cabinet under the counter.
I’d clean it later. Everything else appeared as usual.
“Okay, it’s fine. Um, don’t tell them about the healing, and don’t tell them you’re my bodyguard.
” Loud knocking came from the front door.
I turned and started to head there, but Oz touched my arm.
“Mr. Moreno—”
I held up a hand. “Under the circumstances, you’d better call me Manny.”
He smiled again. Shit, that kind of sexiness should be illegal. “Manny.” His lips shaped my name, and I thought I might get dizzy from the sheer sensuality of it. “I think your wig is crooked.”
I blinked. “What?” More knocking from the front door. Rory was yelling something about me needing to wake up or they’d come in anyway.
“Your wig. Hairpiece? It’s kind of tilted.” He held his hands up around his head, one higher than the other.
“Fuck! Okay, you stall them. I’ll be out in a minute.” I shoved Oz in the direction of the front door and ran to the bathroom.