Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Lily
Song - Shapeshift, Dayseeker
“I’m coming!” I shout out of the window.
Jesus Christ. Declan didn’t warn me they’d be here at the crack of fucking dawn. I haven’t even had caffeine yet.
I jog down the stairs and stop short at the door, glancing down at my pink shorts and white crop top. Barely decent.
Covering my chest with one arm, I crack the door open.
Holy fucking shit.
I have to crane my neck back to meet his blue eyes.
“Uh. Hi.” I blurt out.
My heart thuds. Is he seriously the guy installing my cameras? I keep my hand braced on the door, not opening it any further.
And then I notice the black mask covering the lower half of his face.
“Declan sent me. I’m here to install your cameras.” His voice is rough. So quiet I almost miss it.
“You’re a bit early,” I light-heartedly complain.
My gaze drifts to the tight black T-shirt stretched over solid muscle, veins ridging across his forearms, while ink disappears beneath fabric.
“Did you set a time? I was sent here.” He lifts the black carry bag, the company logo stamped clearly across it.
“Okay. Sorry. I’ve just woken up, I’m a bit grumpy in the morning.”
He nods, and his eyes don’t leave mine. There’s something about the way he looks at me. Like recognition. Or restraint.
I open the door fully and step aside, forcing a smile. He follows me inside, filling the space behind me as we head toward the kitchen.
“Would you like a coffee? Seeing as it is…” I glance at the clock. “Seven a.m.”
“Please.” There’s an accent there. Something foreign. But the mask muffles it, blurring the edges.
I set a mug beneath the machine, press the button, then turn back to him, leaning against the counter.
“Why the mask? Are you sick?”
I fold my arms loosely. I can’t let the mask go. Because if just his body and presence make me react like this, what the hell would it do with his face?
I bet he’s handsome under there.
His eyes crease at the corners, as if he’s smiling under the mask. And I get the impression this grump does not smile often.
“Yes. Bit of a cold.”
I nod. Wow. A real conversationalist, but he is ridiculously attractive.
“Sugar? Creamer?” I lift the mug as the machine finishes.
He chuckles, and the sound slides straight under my skin. “Black is fine.”
I hand it to him. His tattooed fingers brush mine. Our eyes lock, and something tight coils low in my stomach.
“Thank you.”
I nod, suddenly aware of my pulse. Of the fact I’m staring.
“I don’t mind catching a cold. You can take the mask off.” I say.
I’d risk getting sick before Monaco just to see his face. It has me so intrigued that I can’t think about anything else.
He shakes his head. “I don’t want to make you ill. I’ll start outside first, then do your hallway after. It’ll take me a few hours, then I’ll need to connect it all up to your phone.”
“O-okay.”
“And Lily…”
I snap my eyes up to his, and shivers run down my spine. My thighs clench at the intensity of his stare.
“If you have a stranger come knocking at your door wearing a mask, please don’t answer it. Call Declan.”
I bite my lip; it feels like he’s trying to tell me off. And weirdly, I want to listen. Like, somehow, I’ll behave if he tells me to.
The way his eyes roam over me just makes my cheeks heat more. I don’t feel creeped out, I feel sexy. Wanted.
Then he shakes his head, as if he’s fighting himself. His head tilts, and he takes a step forward, and all the air is sucked out of my lungs.
“And if you do answer the door. You make sure you wear more clothes,” he tells me, his voice low and possessive as hell.
I blink at him, words not forming on my tongue. My body is reacting in the complete opposite way than I’d expect.
Because that possessive tone, it doesn’t push me away.
It wants to draw me closer to him.
He turns and heads outside without another word.
I stay there, leaning against the counter, heat creeping up my throat.
And for reasons I can’t explain, I know I’m not alone anymore.