Sapphire Flames (Hidden Legacy, #4)

by Ilona Andrews

Alessandro laughed, reached over, and stole a piece of one of the little orange peppers. Arabella’s eyes got big. Runa opened her mouth and Arabella clamped her hand over it. I gave Alessandro a sweet smile. “That’s not yours.” Take the bait. You know you want to. “Give me back my pepper. I mean it, Alessandro. You can’t have it.” Three, two, one . . . Alessandro winked at me and popped the pepper into his mouth. His gorgeous jaw moved. He froze. His expression locked into a harsh mask. “Don’t you want to say something suave?” I asked. “Go ahead. Flirt with me.” A red flush washed over his face. “What’s the matter, Alessandro? Do I make you nervous?” His eyes teared. I took pity on him. “Welcome to Texas. That ‘little bell pepper’ on fire in your mouth is called a habanero. The bathroom is down the hall, first door on the left. Don’t be a hero, Alessandro. Spit it out. I don’t have time to take you to the hospital.” “Dibs on holding his hair while he pukes,” Runa announced. “Fine,” Arabella said. “But I get to rub his back and make ‘there, there’ noises.” Clearly, she and Runa were the same person. Alessandro turned on his heel and marched out of the kitchen. I held it together until I heard the bathroom door close and laughed. Runa put her head down on the table and squeaked. My sister giggled, making snorting noises.