“Boss?” he rebuffs, crossing his big, beefy arms over his chest. “Diantha, can I speak to you privately?”
“No.” I laugh. “If you can say it to me, you can say it to Evie. Plus, you can sense there’s nothing wrong with her. I know you can, so knock it off.”
“Wrong withEvie?” Her eyebrows jump into a deep crease.
“Sense?” He curls his top lip at me. “It’s blatantly obvious she’s just a human girl.”
Evie turns her glare on Leo. “I’m awoman.”
“Listen, if Evie’s so obviously not a threat, let her come tonight. That way she can learn everything and maybe even help us.” I tighten my hold on my friend—the best friend I’ve ever had, really.
Leo drags his eyes up and down her petite frame—pausing for a moment on the iconic swell of Evie’s hips. She’s builtphenomenally.There’s no way to ignore her figure. “Fine. Where do you live?”
She snorts. “Like I’d tell you. I’ll be at Pandora’s Cup on Main Street.”
“I will pick you up at seven forty-five.”
“Fine,” she bites back.
“Fine,” he echoes.
“Awesome,” I say, feeling left out. “Everyone’s being so normal.”
The sun begins to set and suddenly my stomach is stirring like there’s a colony of monarchs living inside me. Short, brutal winter days might become my favorite.
When I open the front door, the carriage house is still quiet, the shades still drawn shut. Everything seems to be exactly as I left it. I pop on my headphones and unpack Leo’s tote bag, stowing everything in an empty cabinet.
Oddly enough, Orfeo’s cabinets are pretty stocked for someone who physiologically doesn’t need food. There are small jars of black truffle, tinctures of honey, dried bunches of herbs, and packets of mushrooms. His refrigerator has an entire shelf of slim cans covered in a bold, bright red logo that reads VITAMIN Pi. Otherwise, it’s all chilled bottles of white wine and soft cheeses wrapped in wax paper.
I use Leo’s ingredients to make myself a peanut butter sandwich and call it a day. Though the cheese is extremely tempting.
I give in to the urge to swing my hips to my music, though I’m rhythmically challenged. I even let a few warbly vocalizations out through my clenched teeth. Until I sense something behind me. I freeze, hand on the peanut butter jar I’m slipping into the cabinet.
I swallow, letting my energetic feelers roam.
The heat of eyes tracking me.Bearing into me.
I spin around, push my headphones back, but before I can make any noise, his mouth is on mine.
His hair is still wet from the shower, combed away from his face, water droplets sliding down his neck.
Orfeo breaks our kiss, lips curling into a smirk. “You shouldn’t have your music so loud.” With one hand, he holds the towel around his waist in place. With the other, he keeps a firm hold on my ass.
“You shouldn’t sneak up on people, scaring the shit out of them.”
His lips tug into a full-on, sideways smile. His gaze remains intense. “Ahhh, there is room for us both to improve.”
I thread my arms around his neck and yank him toward me, letting his hips guide me backward until I feel the countertop against my tailbone. “Did you sleep well?”
“As I always do.” He shrugs the question off. “Though it’s a pity I no longer find you in my dreams.”
“I dreamt of you too. Many times.”
“Did you?”
I nod, then bury my face in his skin, drinking down his scent and letting my lips roam over his bare chest. His skin doesn’t react to my touch the way a human’s might, but I hear his fangs extend and feel him growing hard against my inner thigh. He lets loose a deep, ragged breath, both of his arms wrapping around me. I find his pulse point and, though it’s weaker than mine, I press my tongue to it.
“Diantha,” he hisses, fingers tightening around the soft flesh of my upper arms.
