Earlier this year, she’d let one of her coworkers at the magazine set her up with a cousin. They went to dinner and a movie, her hopes high. He’d held her hand, and she’d felt no sickness. So, when he’d walked her to her door and bent down to kiss her, she hadn’t resisted...and ended up vomiting in a flower bed mid-tongue-swab. After that, she’d been too embarrassed to answer his calls and text.

“Nola,” James said when he noticed her. He smiled and leaned in, planning to hug her.

Bane stepped between them, telling James, “You will not touch the girl.”

The golden god towered over the human.

Color draining from James’s cheeks, he reared back, hands up. “Sorry. My bad.”

“You did nothing wrong,” Nola assured him, flicking Bane a behave glance. “Nice seeing you again, James.” Wanting everyone to walk away rather than crawl, she moved to another line.

Bane followed at a much slower pace, his aggression spiking. If he lost control of his temper, he would transform into Drogo. People would post pictures and videos all over the internet, and combatants wouldn’t be the only ones hot on their trail.

To keep her warrior calm, she stroked his spine, petting him the same way she’d petted his beast. But she did no good, his muscles knotting with tension.

“Your jealousy is cute and all,” she said with a teasing tone, “but I promise I’m not planning to fall on his penis...anytime soon.”

He pursed his lips. “Tell me about him.”

“There’s nothing to tell. We only went on one date.”

“I should have killed him,” Bane hissed.

“Shh.” In a soft but fierce voice, she said, “You can’t go around threating innocents. Or killing innocents!”

“Actually, I can. You prefer that I don’t.” He pushed the cart, and they moved up the line. “Is he the type of man you usually find attractive?”

Once upon a time, yes. But, if she were being honest, she’d admit things had changed. She craved intensity and heat. Fire. God help her! “Why do you care?” Would he cop to the truth?

He worked his jaw. Rather than answering her question, he changed the subject again. “You once mentioned you write. Do you write what is true, or what is false?”

Uh, why did he want to discuss her job? “I write whatever my boss tells me. Or I did. He fired me. Anyway. I wrote things people hope are fact but could be fiction. I’m unsure.”

Bane went still. “A man burned you?”

Sigh. “I meant, my boss told me I couldn’t work for him anymore.”

He relaxed the slightest bit. “Do you write what you believe to be true?”

Cheeks heated, she admitted, “I’ve never tested my theories.”

“But you want to?”

After she’d given up on love? No. But here, now? “Yes.” So badly. “Why?”