23. Seraphina
23
SERAPHINA
“BEING THAT HOT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL”
When I wake, I’m still shaken from the encounter with the masked man. I know I’ll be unable to put on a brave face for Maggie, so instead, I slip out of the apartment before she wakes, my mind on a massive vanilla latte from the shop around the corner.
My mind is a mess of memories and fragmented dreams as I stumble into the coffee shop. I’m so lost in my own head, I don’t notice when I run smack dab into the back of a tall, muscular man.
He whips around, and my heart stops as I take in the cut features of Orion Adair. A strand of wavy black hair falls over his forehead, and it takes every ounce of control not to reach out and brush it back.
I bet his hair is soft. Soft and silky and ? —
“Brandy. What a pleasant surprise.” The smile he gives me reduces me to a drooling puddle, and for a moment it’s all I can do not to let my jaw hang open in awe.
It should definitely be illegal to be this hot…
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” My eyes are stuck on his lips—puffy and red, like he’s been biting them recently. Maybe a girlfriend? The thought causes my stomach to flip strangely, and I quickly shake it away.
Orion laughs like I told the joke of the year, and I find myself smiling back, caught up in the intoxicating sound of it. His aura swirls in magnificent dark hues, the sheer beauty of it catching me off guard once more.
“How did everything go last night? Any monsters under the bed?”
His words—so similar to the one the masked man uttered last night—has my heart thumping in my ears. But that’s ridiculous. “No problems.” I drop my eyes as I utter the lie. “I slept like a baby.”
“ Wonderful. ” He says the word with such gusto, but that smile of his doesn’t reach his eyes. “I’m so glad to hear it, Brandy.”
I nod, a strange guilt clenching my chest as he uses that fake name I gave him so long ago. The man woke out of a dead sleep to come and look around my apartment just because I was worried about a noise. Surely, he’s earned enough trust for me to give him my real name.
I clear my throat, heat creeping up my neck as I force myself to look him in the eyes. “I guess I should probably tell you now… my real name’s not Brandy.”
“ What?” He gasps dramatically. “ No. ”
I roll my eyes, though I can’t deny the smile tugging at my mouth. “Shocking, I know. It's just… I’m wary of strangers.”
“As you should be.”
We stare at each other for several seconds that seem to stretch into hours, but when he blinks, the spell is broken. “Well, I should be going…” Still, he doesn’t move from the spot.
“Shouldn’t you…?”
“Oh. Yes, of course.” His pupils blow as he stares deep into my eyes. “Call me if you run into trouble, okay?”
“It’s a promise.” I stick out my pinky for some godforsaken reason. We both stare at the gesture with wide eyes as I wait for the ground to swallow me whole. But then, he does the strangest thing—he hooks his calloused finger with mine.
“Pinky promise,” he says, leaning in and kissing his thumb. His eyes are bright and expectant, holding a dare. With a huff, I duplicate the motion, and he takes the opportunity to place a kiss square between my brows.
I reel back with a horrified expression, and he throws his head back in a laugh. “Sorry. I just always wanted to do that.”
“What?”
“Kiss your forehead.” His face breaks into a smirk. “You have a very kissable one.”
I frown. “You’re really weird—has anyone told you that?”
“More so than people who haven’t.” He smiles like that’s a good thing. “At least I’m memorable.”
Well… I have to give him that. “You’re right. I’m sure I’ll be seeing this interaction in my nightmares tonight and thereafter. Good day,” I say, trying and failing to walk away from him. He grips my arm, wheeling me back to face him, our lips coming within an inch of the others.
“We weren’t done.”
“Really? I was.” I smirk cruelly, ripping my arm from his grip. “Better places to be and waste my time.”
“You’re a cruel creature, Seraphina. ”
I stop mid-step, realizing with horror that I never actually got around to telling him my real name. “Wh–what did you say?”
“You heard me, little dove.”
My blood runs cold at the nickname—at the same one the man in the woods used. But it can’t be. It’s not possible. He’s a police officer, for God’s sake.
Or is he?
He grins, and I’m brought back to that night at the Drunken Hound. The way he looked so calm—like a coiled viper, waiting for the perfect moment to snap. “Your heart is racing.”
“Is it?”
He leans in, brushing his lips ever so gently against the tip of my nose, my forehead, then my mouth. My eyes widen in alarm as his lips part, revealing perfect straight white teeth bared menacingly. Before I have the good sense to react, he lunges forward, taking my bottom lip between his teeth and biting down. Hard.
“Unfh!” I rear back on instinct, causing his teeth to drag along my inner lip, cutting a shallow gash. His eyes roll back in his skull as he pulls my whole lip in his mouth, sucking greedily on the blood pouring from the wound, animalistic sounds rumbling from deep in his chest as he drinks me in. “Unfh!”
He finally pulls away, his tongue darting out to the corner of his mouth where a drop of my blood is dripping to his chin. It’s a sinful sight—one that shouldn’t have my body reacting in the way it does.
“You’re so sweet,” he whispers. He reaches for me as his pupils blow, chasing away the sky-blue living in his gaze—and I’m helpless to do anything but melt beneath his molten touch. “Taste.”
His lips press against mine hungrily, his arms encircling my back as he clutches me against his chest possessively. His tongue swirls against mine expertly, coating my own taste buds in the metallic tang of my blood.
What the fuck am I doing?
The thought breaks the spell this haunting man put me under and I rear back, pressing my palms forcefully against his chest in an attempt to gain some much-needed space. “What the fuck are you doing?” I ask, narrowing my eyes at him like I wasn’t just sucking his face off a moment ago.
Orion tilts his head, his dimple popping as a smirk tugs at his lips. “Do I make you nervous, Seraphina?”
“Wha—No!”
“Then why is your heart still racing?”
“It’s not.” I glare at him, finally pushing out of his grip and backing up a few feet for good measure. “Stop avoiding the question.”
He steps forward, closing the space I worked so hard to get. “It’s pretty self-explanatory, don’t you think?” he whispers, reaching out and taking my chin between his thumb and forefinger. “I was doing this…”
His mouth crashes against mine again, and though I try to fight against it, my mind turns to sawdust as raw electricity crackles in my veins.
But just like that, he pulls away, taking his intoxicating lips with him. Without a word, he exits the coffee shop, not even bothering to look back. I’d almost believe the kiss never happened, if it weren’t for the jealous looks the barista is currently giving me.
I stare at the door he disappeared through, my fingers reaching up to touch my lips.
I know it with absolute certainty now—Orion Adair is a dangerous man. One I should definitely stay away from.
So why does that thought cause me distress?
I step through the apartment door, my lips still buzzing from the kiss at the coffee shop. Maggie raises her head over the back of the couch, her brows furrowing as she takes in my expression.
“Did something happen at the coffee shop?”
I open my mouth, but my words get caught in my throat. What do I tell her? That some random guy kissed me? She wouldn’t buy that, and then I’d have to explain how I know Orion—but more importantly, I’d have to tell her why I felt comfortable enough to let him put his lips on mine. I’d have to explain how he gained my trust, and that means telling her about the intruder.
No. For just this once, I’ll have to lie to Maggie. “Nothing happened. I just slept weird.”
Maggie’s frown eases, replaced by an ecstatic smile. “You slept? That’s great, Nina!”
I plop down next to her on the couch, resting my ear on her shoulder. “Eh. I had to use the benzos, so I’m not sure if that counts.”
She elbows me teasingly. “A win is a win, Nina. A win is a win.”
“I trust your judgment.” I lean my full weight against her as I allow my eyes to rest. “You gonna be okay by yourself tonight?”
“Always! You gonna see Ivan?”
“I am. The tigers need new flooring in their room, and Ivan asked to see me for double my rate, so I said yes.”
She wraps her spindly arms around me, tugging me tight against her as her body begins to shake. “Just be safe, okay Nina?”
I pull back to look at her. “Of course. I just said I would… is everything okay, Magoo?” Sure, I’m used to her worrying sometimes, but lately it’s been every time I go out. I wonder if it has something to do with that serial killer…
“Look, I’ll even pinky promise.” I hold the finger out but Maggie doesn’t take it, only buries her face in my shoulder and hugs me tighter. “Swear you’ll come back, Nina. You have to come home, no matter what happens. You have to remember.”
“Remember what, Maggo?” I ask.
But she just shakes her head, a sad little smile tugging at the corner of her mouth as she releases me. “Nothing. I’m sorry I’m such a worry-wart lately. Just… be careful tonight, okay?”
“Always.”
I frown as Maggie stands from the couch, not even looking back at me as she disappears into her bedroom. Taking that as my cue, I head into my own room and start getting ready for my meeting with Ivan.
I have to put out one fire at a time.