Libra Ascending: An Epic Urban Fantasy Romance (Zodiac Guardians Book 1) by Tamar Sloan (adult books to read .TXT) 📗

gravitate toward him, like he’s the magnetic positive to her negative. Now that he’s so close, and she can smell him and feel his warmth, his proximity is fogging her senses and stealing her focus.

And he’s looking at her with such intensity. Like she matters. Like she’s important. No one has ever looked at her that way. It makes her want to let down her walls.

“Good.” Tristan’s smile widens. Does he have any idea how charming he is? “I was hoping we could have lunch together today.”

Before Brielle can answer, Adalind interrupts with, “Uh, no, she’s already got a lunch date, dude. Sorry.”

For a split-second, Brielle is grateful for the road block her friend dropped. But the relief quickly fades as she realizes she needs to know once and for all what Tristan’s agenda is. She can’t keep being the rope in this tug-of-war between the massive red flags and her powerful attraction to him.

“I’m sorry, is your name Brielle?” he asks Adalind. “I believe Brielle is a big girl and can answer for herself.”

Adalind’s jaw drops and her brow creases, but Brielle interjects before Adalind can chew his head off.

“It’s alright, Adalind. Can we skip lunch just this once? I actually would like to talk to Tristan about something.”

Adalind scoffs and looks away, crossing her arms in silent rebellion.

“Great, it’s a date then. And Adalind, I’m not trying to steal her from you. We can all have lunch together.”

Brielle hardly even needs her lie-detection ability to know that his invitation is false and that the last thing he wants is for Adalind to join them. Brielle has to admit that she hopes Adalind doesn’t take him up on it. She won’t get anything out of him in front of an audience, and she’s not sure she wants Adalind to hear the things he may have to say.

“Whatever,” she huffs. “As long as I don’t have to sit with the drama club, I’ll be fine. Those guys never shut up.”

Brielle laughs, relieved that Adalind doesn’t seem too burned by Brielle picking him over her, even though that’s not exactly the case. The air needs to be cleared. And Brielle needs to know if Tristan is someone she can trust.

Brielle’s heart is bouncing off the walls of her ribcage like a nervous hummingbird as she waits for Tristan in the hall outside the cafeteria.

This isn’t actually a date, she tells herself, resisting the urge to tap her toes. This is just two friends having lunch at school. No big deal.

But her body seems to have a mind of its own when it comes to Tristan, and her heart continues to ping pong inside her chest.

“There’s the girl I’ve been looking for.”

Brielle turns around and Tristan is walking toward her, his smile having the same effect on her as headlights for a doe foolishly crossing a nighttime road.

“I was thinking we could eat on the lawn,” he suggests, waving toward the double doors that lead to the football field. “It’s a beautiful day.”

Brielle nods, hoping her smile doesn’t scream love-sick school girl. “Sounds good to me.” Being outside would get them away from the prying, accusatory eyes of Cassandra and Suki, and afford Brielle and Tristan the privacy to be more candid with their conversation topics.

She follows him out the double doors, her lunch bag in hand despite her complete lack of hunger. They walk quite a ways from the brick walls of the school, past the bleachers where a couple are sneaking in a makeout session. Heat rushes up Brielle’s neck at the fantasy of her and Tristan in their place, but she quickly shakes the thought away. She can’t allow herself to be blinded by her feelings for him. She needs to know the truth first.

“This spot looks perfect. What do you think?” He juts his chin toward a large oak tree by the fence.

The site looks a few notches more romantic than what she’d originally pictured when he asked her to lunch, but she shrugs. “Sure.”

When he sits up against the thick brown trunk, she hopes he doesn’t notice her knees quiver as they bend beside him. He withdraws a plastic Tupperware from his backpack.

“You bring your own lunch? I thought I was the only one left in our generation who did that.” She chuckles, lifting her insulated lunch bag.

“School lunches don’t cut it for me. I prefer healthier options. And no one cooks better than my mom.” He takes the lid off the container to reveal a dish of sautéed veggies and some kind of fish, and even cold, it smells delicious. There’s also a chocolate chip cookie cocooned in plastic wrap sitting on top of the concoction.

“And I suppose cookies count as a healthy food option?” she teases. “I’ve been eating right all along and I didn’t even know it.”

He picks up the cookie, unwraps it and raises it to his lips. “We all have our vices,” he says before taking a bite.

Brielle laughs, fingering her lunch bag and debating how to bring up the tenuous topic.

“So how are things going with your potential parents?” asks Tristan, catching her off guard. “You had a meeting with them a few days ago. Did it go well?”

Tristan’s genuine interest in her is one of the things that makes him so irresistible.

“Yeah, the meeting went well, and I’m supposed to have dinner with them tonight.”

“That’s great!” He nudges her arm encouragingly, and even that slight brush of their skin is electrifying.

“If it even happens now,” she adds, casting her gaze down at her still unopened bag.

Tristan frowns and tilts his head. “What do you mean?”

She sighs. “Last night at the library, they walked in on a…an argument between Suki and me. The scene did not cast me in a flattering light.”

Tristan’s brow smooths and he shakes his head. “Whatever happened with Suki, I’m sure that brief moment in time wouldn’t override the things they already like about you. Have they mentioned anything to you since about cancelling the