“How are you going to come into my office and demand things?”
“You literally do it daily. Come on, I want to see.” He sat back down in the chair and gave me his best pouty face. He widened his eyes and frowned. I sighed and handed over the pad. He grimaced and laughed. “Is it really that bad?”
I laughed. “It is. You really need to work on trying to look more…normal.”
“I can’t help it!” He exclaimed. “I’ve spent the better part of three decades killing people as my job. It’s not exactly easy to keep friends.”
“Well, definitely not if you look at everyone the same way you looked at me that first time we met.” I giggled.
“You’re a good artist. I see why you want to go to school.” He began flipping through the book, stopping at random pages.
“Thanks. Art is the one thing I feel like makes me somewhat human still.” I frowned. He shot a look at me from the top of the notebook. Those eyes. God, they were gorgeous.
“I get that,” he said and flashed me the candy in his mouth.
So that was why he always had them on hand.
“How was the trip? Arsenio didn’t really give me any details.”
“He shouldn’t have. You already know too much,” he muttered.
“You two are so dramatic.” I rolled my eyes. “I don’t care enough about what you do in your spare time to rat you out.”
“That’s not what we’re concerned about. We’ve spent the last twenty years without anyone knowing who we were, and it’s best to keep it that way. There’s a reason the people who discover who we are—end up dead.”
“Is that a threat?” I blinked. He shook his head.
“It’s a promise. Arsenio was doing you a favor by ending it with you. He shouldn’t have said anything in the first place.”
I relaxed back in my seat and put my feet up on my desk. Desi cocked an eyebrow and pushed his chair back to do the same from the other side. He continued perusing my sketchbook.
“You should do some stuff for my place. I’m getting my own apartment. I’ll need to decorate.”
“No more crashing with Arsenio?” I grabbed my laptop out of my bag and set it on the desk. “You wanna watch a movie?”
“Make it a scary one. And yeah, we talked about it over the weekend. If I’m staying around, I should get my own place. He’s already found me some blood-friendly places.”
I went through the list of movies available, clicked on a classic slasher from the eighties, and put the volume low. “The more and more I think about it, I’ve decided there’s no way you’re Lust. You’ve gotta be Sloth.” I said after a while. He rolled his eyes and looked at me again.
“I thought you were thinking Pride last time?”
My stomach tightened, remembering that conversation in his office. How he teased me before pulling away, leaving my body aching and my mind screaming.
“Pride is definitely my second guess. You’re so cocky, and yet, so aloof.”
“I enjoy hearing your theories. You can guess all night. I’m not telling you.” He chuckled. His voice was low and rumbly. It made me smile.
“You’re too cute for one of the meaner sins,” I continued.
“Cute?”His eyes went wide, and he took his feet off my desk. “You think I’m cute? Bunnies are cute. Butterfly tattoos above a chick’s ass are cute. I amnotcute.” He was pointing vehemently to his chest.
I opened and shut my mouth in amusement. I wasn’t even sure what to say. He was so passionate about this, which only made him—cuter.
“You’re cute.” I shrugged, crossing my arms. “I don’t know what else to tell you. You’re adorable even.”
“Wow, adorable.” He flicked his tongue across his lips, and my stomach flipped. He put his hands on his hips and paced the small space in front of my desk.
“Is that what you thought when I pulled you into that room and kissed you after beating the shit out of your boyfriend? That I was adorable?”
