Read The Genie's Witch (Dirty Djinn) for Free Online Page A

rights.”
    “Nothing bad. He only wanted to make sure you were a good girl.”
    “You’re joking!”
    “And that my family would be proud.”
    “Seriously?”
    “Yep.”
    Even if that had been the conversation, what kind of man admitted it? Didn’t guys run screaming in the opposite direction with that type of thing? But not Tig, and he wasn’t finished...
    “Since you’re too rude to ask, I will tell you how I answered him. I told him that you were a rare beauty, inside and out. Nothing? No response?”
    A few responses, all silent. Giddiness and pride ranked high among them. “Well...”
    “I told him that with time and patience, we’d grow into an unbreakable match.”
    “Tig, I—”
    “Too much?”
    Hell, yes, too much. And, no. Mostly yes. Somewhat. “You’re an unusual man.”
    “I’m choosing to take that as a compliment.”  He dipped his pinkie into the tzatziki sauce and brought it to his tongue. “It’s close.”
    Yes, food. Much, much safer. “According to you, but you’re not Lebanese. I happen to think it’s fine.”
    “I’ve been there more times than whoever made this has. I can promise you that. I’m not saying it’s bad, but I’ve made better.”
    “Made?”
    “You should see my other talents.” He ran his tongue across the dough. Then, almost as if he remembered something, he froze, coughed and wiped his mouth. “Where to next?”
    “We could catch a movie.”
    “Eat. I’ll check.” He picked at his food while scrolling through movie times on his phone. She took a more leisurely pace, savoring each gooey, tastebud-tingling bite. 
    “Horror flick. Starts in ten minutes. No, don’t rush. I’ll go get the tickets, you finish eating. Be right back,” he said and took off.
    There was a marked sense of loneliness at his exit and it pissed her off. Falling for a man she didn’t know had to be the dumbest thing in the world, yet she couldn’t stop imagining a future with him.
    Nothing wrong with a harmless daydream, but how to play it? How to make sure it stuck?
    Aim for the hard to get act? That ship sailed when she’d thrown her legs over his shoulders on the plane. Giving the milk away for free hadn’t been too detrimental to the cause. And technically, he’d been doing the milking with no real work from her at all.
    Her hand flew to her mouth at the memory of what he’d done to her...and the hope that he’d do it again. That’s how he found her.
    “What are you smiling about?”
    “Nothing. What are you holding behind your back?”
    “Glad you asked, Dinah. Close your eyes.”
    “Why?”
    “Answering defeats the purpose. Close your eyes. I’m not going to hurt you. I can’t.”
    She did, because for some crazy reason, she completely believed him. Something cool, slick, and heavy danced across her neckline before settling into place. Shaky hands rose to her throat and her eyes fluttered down to see a very large rock.
    “There’s a jewelry store across from the movie theater. A chocolate diamond, they called it. It looked good on the woman on the sign, but I knew it’d look better on you. Do you like it?”
    For the first time since they’d met, they’d stumbled across an uncomfortable silence. Her heart fluttered and she shook her head. “It’s too much. You can’t buy me a diamond necklace.”
    “Of course I can. I’m rich.”
    “You’re not that rich.”
    “Pretty sure I am. This is the part where you say thank you.”
    “This is the part where I tell you to take it back.” The thing had to be worth several thousand dollars. Was he insane? No one bought strangers jewelry.
    No one but Tig. “The chain matches your bracelet.”
    “My bracelet is silver. Plated, at that. I got it for twenty bucks.”
    “It still matches,” he grumbled. “Platinum, silver, whatever.”
    “Tig, you don’t have to buy me.” His head jerked up at that. The almost heartbroken look on his face reduced her to about one inch tall. “I only mean...it’s