Everything came back in a rush.
Ithadn’tbeen a dream. More like a waking nightmare.
Liar,she thought, scolding herself. If last night was such a nightmare, why was her body still begging for his touch? Why was the burn in her thighs such a delicious reminder of what had transpired in this very bed?
“Because you’re certifiable,” she whispered. “That’s why.”
Slowly dragging herself to the windows, Charley slid open the tapestries. Outside, the lush grounds were velvety green carpets, mist rising from the river like steam from the bath.
Charley took a moment to bask in the early morning sunlight. Sometimes she forgot how different everything looked outside the imposing steel-and-glass metropolis she called home.
What a difference a day makes.
Twenty-four hours ago, she was sitting in a hotel room prepping for the job, Rudy’s warnings playing on repeat in her head.Believe me when I say there is no room for error on this one, Charlotte…
She’d promised him—promised herself—she wouldn’t screw up.
Last night, when she’d found the stolen goods from her father’s cache, she’d made a second vow—that she’d follow the trail and expose her father’s killer, no matter how long it took, no matter how great the risk.
But how could she keepeitherpromise when the man at the center of it all was an immortal vampire king? One who’d rocked her world, rocked her body, and—with every passing minute—was coming dangerously close to rocking her heart?
* * *
Dressed in the leggings and button-down flannel she’d packed in her overnight bag, Charley grabbed her stuff and headed for the kitchen downstairs, ready to call an Uber and say a final goodbye to Dorian Redthorne.
She found him bent over the stove, sprinkling herbs into a pan of scrambled eggs with a concentration that had her biting back a smile and rethinking her plans.
“I hope you’re hungry, love,” he said without turning around, still focused on his culinary creation. Of course he’d known she was there—in addition to his other superpowers, Charley realized he probably had a superior sense of hearing and smell.
“I could eat,” she admitted.
Just a little breakfast, some coffee for the road, and then I’m outta here…
“Have a seat.” He nodded toward a sunny breakfast nook at the other end of the kitchen, the table already set for two.
“No brooding vampire princelings this morning?”
Dorian laughed, finally turning to face her. Gone was the formalwear, the suits she’d gotten so used to, replaced with a pair of dark gray sweatpants and a white T-shirt that clung to every muscle, his hair a beautiful mess, his eyes bright.
God, what a thing to wake up to…
“That’s what Aiden calls them too,” he said, still grinning. “They’re up and about—we’re just not the sort of family that crowds around the table for pancakes and Saturday morning cartoons.”
“So I gathered.”
He transferred the eggs to a serving platter, then brought it over to the table, making a few more trips for the rest—Belgian waffles, fresh berries, bacon, roasted potatoes, cinnamon buns, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and coffee. The whole spread looked and smelled even better than her favorite Manhattan diner breakfasts, and when he finally sat down across from her and gestured for her to dig in, she was overwhelmed with the same deep sense of comfort and familiarity she’d felt sharing hot dogs in Central Park—the kind of familiarity typically reserved for couples who knew each other so intimately, words were no longer required.
Total fucking fantasy.
It wasn’t self-pity—just par for the course in her line of work. Don’t get too close, too attached, too hopeful.
It hadn’t been a problem for her before. But now, Dorian Redthorne was giving Charley a taste of what she’d been missing out on… and she wanted more.
She didn’t know whether to smile or cry. So instead, she poured herself a mug of coffee from a silver carafe and said, “I can’t believe you made all this. It smells amazing.”
“And here you thought I was just a pretty face with a huge—”
“Waffle iron, by the looks of things.” Charley reached over and carved off a slice of waffle, then took a bit of everything else, quickly loading up. She eyed the strawberries, but there was no more room on her plate.
