Changing Beauty (The Deadly Beauties Live On 2)

“Um… No. Not me. You can, though,” I tell her, still a little breathless.

Thad’s eyes meet mine from across the room, and a wicked smile takes form when he catches me staring. Okay, gawking would be a more accurate depiction.

“Fine. I will,” she says, and I force myself to look away from the entrapping gaze.

She stands, adjusts her cleavage to be more pronounced, and she struts across the room to head toward their table.

Don’t look, Ros. Don’t look.

I look. I’m a weak, pathetic human being, so I look.

Jenny puts her hand on the tattooed guy’s shoulder, and he grins up at her before shaking his head. Apparently he lets her down gently, because she walks away with a smile on her face. Thad’s eyes meet mine once again, and I curse myself for looking like a teenage girl with a crush.

“His name is Zee,” Jenny says, plopping back down beside me.

“Whose name is Zee?” I ask, ripping my eyes away from Thad once again.

“The hot guy with all the tattoos on his arms,” she reminds me, tossing her red hair over her shoulder. “He said he’s working right now—even though I’m not sure how this is considered work—but that they’re having a party in a few days. We’re totally going.”

“Um… sure,” I croak, still rattled by Thad’s lingering touch that won’t seem to go away. My body shouldn’t be responding this much to such simple contact.

“This is going to be a hell of a year,” she gleefully adds.

I’m not going to that party. My focus will stray from the important stuff, and I sure as hell don’t need someone like Thad toying with me.

Sweet. I’m sweet. And he admitted that’s not for him. No sense in torturing myself over someone who doesn’t find me all that appealing. Besides, Pine Shore may not be huge, but it’s big enough that I don’t bump into familiar faces too often.

It’s really unlikely I’ll ever run into him again.

Chapter 2

THAD

“You know you love me,” I tell Alyssa, making her smile despite the fact she’d like to rip me a new asshole right now.

She shifts in my passenger seat as I cut the wheel, slinging us around the curve, heading toward Kane’s old Pine Shore house.

“You’re an asshole. I can’t believe you told Ella that.”

Her anger is back, but I’m too damn charming for her to stay mad at for long. “Ella needs to get her freak on. She’s one of us—shifter. She has more creatures in her than any of us do. Well, besides you and Kane, obviously. Going to a nude beach will really help her get over that weird modesty thing. And sex is a must. Get over it.”

She glares at me, and I laugh loudly, knowing damn well she’d love nothing more than to cut my balls off.

“Kane is going to be furious.”

“Nah,” I say, swatting the air in front of me. “Ella’s too sweet and new to her change to go through with it. No worries. But she really can’t keep carrying around a robe every time she goes for a shift run. It takes the freedom out of it.”

“I still carry around a robe,” Alyssa points out.

That has me snorting out a laugh. “Only because you know Kane would kill someone for looking at your naked body. I swear. You’re all crazy. Once you’ve seen one immortal body, you’ve seen them all.” Then I purse my lips. “Well, that’s not correct. My body is by far more impressive than any other immortal’s.”

I wink at her for good measure, and she rolls her eyes, unable to stifle her grin. As soon as we reach the lake house, Dice pulls up behind us. It’s strange to be back here after all these years, but this is where the most attacks have been recently. Something’s brewing at the shore.

Kane’s house is mostly glass, but the dark cedar that frames it is what makes me like this house. And the fact it’s right on the lake. But all the glass offers too much exposure to someone like me. I need solid walls, blinds, curtains… all the coverage I can get for my shifts, because I shift a hell of a lot.

The line of other lake houses extend down each side, all of them prominently taking up the lakefront. Gage’s old house is right next door, which should be interesting. Kane is still not doing too well with the fact Kimber is with Gage—his wife’s ex.

Kane still views Kimber as his daughter, even though she decided to be his father-in-law’s daughter instead. Damn, our lives are crazy fucked up and confusing.