Read On Wings of Magic for Free Online

men.”
    “Sure. Oh, I could rant and rave about not being valued for who I am instead of what I look like, but what good would that do? My way is much easier. And there’s no harm done.”
    “I don’t know about that.” Seriously, he went on. “By being what people expect you to be, you don’t give anyone the chance to see the real you.”
    Interested in spite of herself, she frowned thoughtfully. “But how many people really care what’s beneath the surface, Hawke? Not many,” she went on, answering her own question. “We all act out roles we’ve given ourselves, pretend to be things we’re not—or things we want to be. And we build walls around things we want to hide.”
    “What do you want to hide, Kendall?” he asked softly.
    Ignoring the question, she continued calmly. “It’s human nature. We want to guess everyone else’s secrets without giving our own away.”
    “And if someone wants to see beneath the surface?”
    Kendall shrugged. “We make them dig for it. You know—make them prove themselves worthy of our trust. Of all the animals on this earth, we’re the most suspicious of a hand held out in friendship.”
    Hawke pushed his bowl away and gazed at her with an oddly sober gleam in his eye. “Sounds like you learned that lesson the hard way,” he commented quietly.
    She stared at him, surprise in her eyes, realizing for the first time just how cynical she’d become. Obeying some nameless command in his smoky eyes, she said slowly, “I’ve seen too much to be innocent, Hawke. Whatever ideals I had … died long ago.”
    He stared at her for a moment, then murmured, “I think I’d better find a pick and a shovel.”
    Suddenly angry with her own burst of self-revelation, Kendall snapped irritably, “Why?”
    “To dig beneath the surface.” He smiled slowly. “You’re a fascinating lady, Kendall James. And I think … if I dig deep enough … I just might find gold.”
    “What you might find,” she warned coolly, “is a booby trap. I’m not a puzzle to be solved, Hawke.”
    “Aren’t you? You act the sweet innocent, telling yourself that it’s the easy way. And it’s a good act, very convincing and probably very useful. But it isn’t entirely an act, is it, honey? There is an innocent inside of you, hiding from the things she’s seen.”
    “You’re not a psychologist and I’m not a patient, so stop with the analyzing,” she muttered, trying to ignore what he was saying.
    “You’re a romantic, an idealist,” he went on as if she hadn’t spoken. “But you hide that part of your nature—behind a wall that isn’t a wall at all. You’ve got yourself convinced that it’s an act, and that conviction keeps you from being hurt.”
    Kendall shot him a glare from beneath her lashes. “Now you’re not even making sense,” she retorted scornfully.
    “Oh, yes, I am.” His eyes got that hooded look she was beginning to recognize out of sheer self-defense. “A piece of the puzzle just fell into place.But it’s still a long way from being solved. And, rest assured, Kendall, I intend to solve it.”
    “Is this in the nature of another warning?” she asked lightly, irritated that her heart had begun to beat like a jungle drum.
    “Call it anything you like.”
    “I could just leave, you know.”
    “You could.” The heavy lids lifted, revealing a cool challenge. “But that would be cowardly.”
    Knowing—
knowing
—that she was walking right into his trap, Kendall snapped, “I’m a lot of things, Hawke, but a coward isn’t one of them!” And she felt strongly tempted to throw her soup bowl at him when she saw the satisfaction that flickered briefly in his eyes.
    “Good,” he said briskly. “Then we can forget about that angle, can’t we? And get down to business.”
    “Business?” she asked wryly. “That’s one I haven’t heard.”
    “Well, I would have called it romance, but I didn’t want you to laugh at me.” He grinned faintly. “Men are more