“Millie! Where have you been?” She pulls back, her face beaming with excitement. Her dimple cheeks are ripe with pink blush and glitter, and her pointed nose crinkles with her smile. She’s literally the cutest person I’ve ever met.
“What do you mean?” a second voice asks, joining us a moment later. It’s Jill, Emma’s sister. “She was here two weeks ago splurging on the new line of lingerie we got in.”
“Two weeks too long!” Emma huffs.
“So, what brings you in? We were about to close for the night,” Jill asks, ignoring her sister. She’s the exact opposite of Emma. Tall, athletic, and heavily tattooed. In a way, she reminds me of a modern-day Morticia Addams. If it wasn’t for their eyes or matching dimples, which Jill has pierced, then no one would ever know they’re related.
“I, uh, well, I was hoping you could help my friend out,” I say, struggling to find the right words. I shift to the side and grab Gray’s arm, pulling him forward. “He needs some new clothes.”
Jill whistles. “What in the actual fuck is he wearing?”
“Jill!” Emma covers her mouth in an attempt to hide her shock, but really, I can tell she wants to laugh. She follows up with a breathy, “That’s so rude.”
“I don’t care. It’s rude to walk in here looking like you’ve raided the dumpster behind the Goodwill.” She rolls her eyes and scoffs.
“It’s nice to meet you, too. My name is Gray,” he says without missing a beat. Jill gives him a far less scathing look as she appraises him. She must see in him what I do, which is the irrefutable beauty hidden behind the poorly fitted clothing anduncut hair. When she drops the stony look from her face, I feel myself relax. The scowl, I’ve learned, is permanent.
“I’m Jill, and this is my sister Emma,” she says, sauntering over to us. Emma gives a small wave. “What happened to you?”
Gray doesn’t answer. Instead, he defers to me with a curious look.
“He lost his home,” I start, surprised by how easily the lie rolls off my tongue. “In a fire. A huge house fire.”
Emma gasps. “That’s awful!”
“Indeed, it was,” Gray agrees. “So awful that I’ve put it from my mind. I hardly remember it at all.”
“And what? You’re just helping a stranger?” Jill asks. I bite my bottom lip, knowing full well that I’ll never get over this bridge without paying the toll.
“He’s not a stranger. Gray is a friend from college.” I give his arm a quick pat and smile through the lie as hard, and as sincerely, as I can. “We recently reconnected.”
“Are you dating?” Emma asks bluntly. She has all the wonder of a wide-eyed child in her expression. She isn’t so innocent, though. I know her well enough to guess that she’ll flirt and hit on Gray while we’re here. He strikes me as the type to flirt back, so I’ll be at the mercy of their banter the whole time we’re here.
I open my mouth and stutter, “We aren’t—”
“Millie doesn’t date, Em.” Jill sighs with exasperation heavy in her tone. She turns on her big chunky heeled shoes and gestures for us to follow. Emma hops into step and trails after her. “Come on then. Let’s get the guy a few decent pieces and then burn that atrocity.”
“Clothes sound good, but let’s not burn anything.” I laugh nervously. Part of me feels like burning a dead man’s clothes is inviting bad juju.
“What? Afraid dear old Henry will come back from the grave for his stuffy box of moldy belongings?” Gray’s voice is like abreath against my ear and neck. He’s there one second and then gone the next, blurring ahead of me without a care in the world. I slap a hand over the cool spot where my neck and shoulder meet, shivering from the sensation. Did I imagine it, or did his lips actually skirt across my skin when he was talking? My stomach tightens and a warm rush of heat floods into my cheeks. He’s definitely the type to flirt back.
Keep it together, girl, I tell myself.He’s a vampire. They’re supposed to be flirty and charming.
The mental pep-talk isn’t helping. I know what he is, but for some reason, that knowledge has no walls when it comes to Gray. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s his voice, or maybe it’s the way I can still feel his teeth in my neck, sucking the blood right out of my veins. For whatever reason, part of me craves that feeling again. I know it’s an insane thought, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting a repeat of what happened between us in the attic. The memories are still fuzzy and I want to fill in the blanks.
I’m too curious for my own good.
“Millie! Are you coming?” Jill’s voice rises above the racks and shakes me from my thoughts.
“Yes!” I call back and quickly follow after, altogether burying the fantasy deep inside my mind. A mantra takes it place:No biting.
It feels like someone is watching me, though I can’t tell from where.
About thirty minutes into browsing the menswear with Emma and Gray, I wandered off on my own. I was right to assume that Emma would dig her heels in. Before the first shirt was pulled off the rack, she had her hands on his arms, his chest, and his stomach. I’ll give her props, though, she did ask his permission before she did anything.
“I just want to get an idea of what size you are,” she had said, and he nodded his approval. The flirting that followed was just too much. Of course, Gray leaned into it, too. I could tell he was enjoying every second of the attention, so I excused myself. I was far enough away that I didn’t have to hear their chatter, but close enough that I could still see him.
Just in case, I’d told myself.Wouldn’t want him sneaking off for a snicky-snack from Emma’s all too willing throat.
