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“Sure,” I agree, my skin prickling. “I’m just surprised to seetheCyril Chancellor has blessed this small shop with his very presence. Should we expect a blessing from your uncle next? Maybe a year of good fortune?”
He sneers silently at mytotally funnyjoke. “I see your mouth is determined to get you in trouble today.”
“Well, you know. If you aren’t tempting fate or poking the bear, are youreally alive?” My phone goes off again, and I glance down at it, seeing Ezra asking me for an answer.
“It’s Ezra, right?” His correct assumption makes me look up sharply.
“Are you tapping my phone now?” It comes out sharper than I intend because that would mean that he knows about my calls.
Or is involved in them.
“Nah. But Ezra is loud and not good at keeping secrets. He’s been talking about inviting you to something recently, and by the speed of those messages–” My phone going off interrupts him, and he raises a brow as if proving his point. “He’s impatient today, by the way. I’d answer him.”
“Feels weird with you breathing down my neck.”
“Oh,Wendy. This isn’t me breathing down your neck. But I can if you like? I’m more than happy to show you what that would actually feel like.”
My mouth opens just as his brows raise, only a little. As ifinvitingme to let him do it. I shouldn’t. He knows I won’t or thinks I won’t. And by his actions, it feels like he’s waiting for me to back down so he can prove some kind of manly dominance.
But I’ve never been one to back down, so I smile wryly. “Okay. Please correct the error of my ways. I’ll wait for you so that you can come behind the counter andshow mewhat it’s like to have you breathing down my neck.”
I expect him to look alittle bitsurprised, so when he only grins and his eyes narrow, I’m a little bit disappointed. Cyril strides around the counter, standing behind me and reaching around my body to press his hands against the counter on either side of me, pinning me there.
Sucking in a deep breath, I do my best to absolutely ignore him and pick up my phone. A second later, Cyril rests his chin on my shoulder and moves one arm to stroke over the back of my neck, exposed by my hair that’s up in a loose bun. His fingers stroke over the newly healed tattoo, but I continue to ignore him.
Don’t give him a reaction, I chant silently, reading the messages that are, in fact, Ezra prodding me for an answer.
“He’ll start calling soon,” Cyril says, fingers still skimming the tattoo so much that I have to fight back a shiver.
“Should I go do sketchy shit with them?” I ask, showing him the messages.
Cyril only snorts. “You’re not really looking for my advice,” he points out. “You’ll do what you want, either way.”
“Yeah, but I like tonotfollow your advice,” I say. “So tell me what you’d do if you were me, so I can do the opposite.”
He meets my eyes and heaves a sigh. “I’d go if it were me. YoulikeEzra and Arlo, and they’d like to take you on a field trip. There will be blood, you know.”
“I’ll somehow make it through.” I hesitate, then go on. “Are you just telling me to go, so Idon’tgo and mess things up for your Lost Boys?”
“No, Wendy.” He pulls my hair down from its bun so he can run his fingers through it. “I’m telling you to go because I think you shouldgo. If that’s what you want, then do it.”
“No talk about me messing up? No threats about sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong? I’m shocked, Cyril.”
“What can I say? You’ve worn me down.” He lets out a soft chuckle and pulls away as I answer Ezra’s text, going back to lounge on the other side of the counter. “Anyway, I just came to talk.”
“No, you didn’t.” I finish telling Ezra that Iwilldo sketchy shit with him tonight and when I’ll be ready to go, and then put my phone down again. Thunder rumbles outside, shaking the windows, and Cyril justlooksat me.
“Excuse me?”
I hesitate. “Well…you don’t just come tocheckon me unless I’ve done something wrong, I feel like? So why would you be here now?”
“Do you want me to leave?”
“No!” I say it too fast to pretend that it’s anything other than empathetic, and a soft smile flits across his face.
“I thought I’d ask if you’d like to go out withmesometime. I know I’m not as charming as my boys and maybe a little less nice than them. But it doesn’t mean I like your company any less.”
I don’t say that the only times he’s indulged in my company, he’s been threatening me or shoving me up against vertical services with a hand around my throat and a growl in his throat. Not that I mind, of course. I like his brand of unnecessary roughness, and he’sperfectin his way.
