Chapter Normal Friends

Kind of hot. No! Not hot.

He shrugged. "You could always take the car to the car wash. It would be a lot easier."

"Car washes are a waste of money."

"True," he said slowly. He knelt down and began cleaning a spot I'd missed on the fender around the tire before tackling the roof of the car. "You need new tires. These are about bald and winter's crazy around here." I didn't care about my tires. I couldn't figure out why he was here, talking to me, when the last time we'd spoken, he'd acted like I was the antichrist and practically had me pinned to a tree, talking about ways to get dirty. And why hadn't I brushed my hair this morning?

"Anyway, I'm glad you were out here." He finished with the roof in record time and picked up the hose. He flashed a half grin at me and started spraying the car with water, the suds running down the sides like an overflowing cup.

"I think I'm supposed to apologize."

"You think you're supposed to?" Daemon faced me, eyes narrowed against the bright sun, and I barely dodged the spray of water as he tackled the opposite side of the car.

"Yeah, according to Dee I needed to get my ass over here and make nice. Something about me killing her chances of having a 'normal' friend."

"A normal friend? What kind of friends does she have?"

"Not normal," he replied.

He preferred "not normal" friends for his sister? "Well, apologizing and not meaning it kind of defeats the purpose of apologizing." He made an affirmative noise. "True." I stared at him. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," he dragged the word out, working his way around the car as he continued to rinse off the soap suds. "Actually, I don't have a choice. I have to make nice."

"You don't seem like a person who does anything he doesn't want to do."

"Normally I'm not." He moved around to the back of the car. "But my sister took my car keys and until I play nice, I don't get them back.

It's too damn annoying to get replacements." I tried to stop it, but I laughed. "She took your keys?"

He scowled, returning to my side. "It's not funny."

"You're right." I laughed. "It's freaking hilarious."

Daemon shot me a dirty look.

I folded my arms. "I'm sorry, though. I'm not accepting your not-so-sincere apology."

"Not even when I'm cleaning your car?"

"Nope." I smiled at the way his eyes narrowed. "You may never see those keys again."

"Well, damn, there went my plan." A begrudging smile toyed with the corners of his mouth. "I figured that if I really don't feel bad, then at least I could make up for it." Part of me was annoyed, but there was another part of me that was amused - reluctantly amused. "Are you normally this warm and sparkly?"

He headed past me and turned the water off.

"Always. Do you usually stare at guys when you stop over, asking for directions?"

"Do you always answer the door half-naked?"

"Always. And you didn't answer my question. Do you always stare?" Heat infused my cheeks. "I was not staring."

"Really?" he asked. That half grin was there again, hinting at dimples. "Anyway, you woke me up. I'm not a morning person."

"It wasn't that early," I pointed out.

"I sleep in. It is summer, you know. Don't you sleep in?"

I pushed back a strand of hair that had escaped my ponytail. "No. I always get up early."

He groaned. "You sound just like my sister.

No wonder she loves you so much already."

"Dee has taste...unlike some," I said. His lips twitched. "And she's great. I really like her, so if you're over here to play big, bad brother, just forget it."

"That's not why I'm here." He gathered up the bucket and various sprays and cleansers. I probably should have helped him sort things out, but it was fascinating watching him take charge of my little cleaning project. Although he kept tossing me the odd half smile, I could tell this little exchange was awkward for him. Good.

"Then why are you here, other than delivering a crappy apology?" I couldn't stop staring at his mouth when he spoke. I bet he knew how to kiss. Perfect kisses too, ones that weren't wet and gross, but the kind that curled toes.

needed to stop looking at him in general.

Daemon placed all the supplies on the porch steps and straightened. Stretching his arms over his head, his shirt rode up, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of muscles. His gaze lingered on my face, and warmth blossomed in my belly. "Maybe I'm just curious why she is so enamored. Dee doesn't take well to strangers.

None of us do."

"I had a dog once that didn't take well to strangers."

Daemon stared at me a moment, then laughed. It was a deep, rumbling sound. Nice.

Sexy. Oh God, I looked away. He was the kind of boy that broke hearts and left a long line of them shattered behind him. He was trouble.

Maybe the fun kind of trouble, but he was also a jerk. And I didn't do jerks. Not that I did anyone.

I cleared my throat. "Well, thanks for the car thing."

Suddenly, he was right in front of me again.

So close that his toes almost touched mine. I sucked in a sharp breath, wanting to back up. He needed to stop doing that. "How do you move so fast?" He ignored the question. "My little sis does seem to like you," he said, as if he couldn't figure out why.

I bristled and tilted my head back but focused my gaze over his shoulder. "Little?

You're twins."

"I was born a whole four minutes and thirty seconds before she was," he boasted, his eyes meeting mine. "Technically she is my little sister."

My throat felt dry. "She's the baby in the family?"

"Yep, therefore I'm the one starved for attention."

"I guess that explains your poor attitude then," I retorted.

"Maybe, but most people find me charming."

I started to respond, but made the mistake of looking into his eyes. I was immediately snared by the unnatural color, reminded of the purest, deepest parts of the Everglades. "I have...a hard time believing that." His lips curved slightly.

"You shouldn't, Kat." He picked up a loose section of hair that had escaped my clip, twirling the hair around his finger. "What kind of color is this? It's not brown or blonde." My cheeks itched with heat. I snatched my hair back. "It's called light brown."

"Hmm," he said, nodding. "You and I have plans to make."

"What?" I sidestepped his large body, dragging in a deep breath as I gained some distance. My heart was pounding. "We don't have any plans to make."