AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Eustice?” My voice echoes through the open room, but she doesn’t answer. Where the hell is she? I flick my wrist, exposing my watch and groan, louder and longer than I intended.
Fuck. She’s off tonight. Bingo with her grandkids. Which means… Damn it all. I sigh.
“What’s—”
“Come with me.”
“Okay,” Lucy murmurs, pressing her side against me. It feels far, far too good. I jump out of the way, and the hurt on her face punches me square in the gut.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean—New places scare…me.”
I stop walking and slowly wipe my hand down my face, struggling to keep the growl in. Karma is a nasty, nasty bitch.
“It’s alright.”
I release her elbow and hold out my hand. It’s a charged offering, apparently. She stares at it, chewing her lip until the most beautiful smile forms. It’s like the sun itself has burst into being at midnight.
“Thank you,” she says, with a breathy lilt that makes me want to—
Nothing. It makes me want to do absolutely nothing at all. I quickly snag her hand and tug her along behind me, slowing a bit when she limps. I swear on my own life, if I hadn’t already killed Chuck, I would find him, chop him into tiny pieces, and feed him to the strays. Whatever Mayhem did with his body wasn’t brutal enough.
“It smells nice in here.”
“What?”
I twist a shocked glance over my shoulder as I jam my thumb against the elevator call button.
She sniffs the air again, smiling wider. “The smell. It’s clean. I like it. What do you do here?”
I guess holding my hand has given her courage, because there’s far less fear in her voice. A voice that rings through this space with precision and grace.
“This floor,” I take a long breath as the door slides open, “is our venue. Concerts, private shows, and the like.”
“You have more than one floor?” She blinks her lashes up at me, adjusting her hand in mine until it fits somehow even more perfectly.
We step inside and I hit the top one of only three buttons.
I nod, jaw tight. “My loft is upstairs.” The door opens with a ding and I catch her gaze. “The floors below the venue are completely off limits. You aren’t allowed anywhere near them. Do you understand?”
She nods, her eyes widening, and I’m overcome with the desire to kiss her. It’s such a shocking impulse, I snatch my hand away and storm into my sanctuary. A sanctuary about to be defiled by purity.
“Wow,” she breathes. “Look at that view!”
I stop mid angry stride and watch her every step as she threads through my space, around my tables, past my art, and between my couches, her shoeless feet leaving imprints in my plush white rug.
“It’s so pretty.”
Why is she so excited? This is the least-spectacular view I have. Nothing at all like the safe house we kept upstate. All you can see from here is the front of some building under construction for who knows how long. But she’s being genuine.
She rests her palms on the frame and presses her cheek to the glass, staring down 57th Street. “Do you know what’s up there?”
She’s talking like she’s lost in a dream. I adjust my tie and stroll over until I’m beside her, locked in her siren’s call, straining to see what she does. “No,” I murmur, “I rarely pay attention to the outside.”
“Carnegie Hall.”
“Ah. Never been. Seemed pointless, since I host so many shows here.” I lean back and let my gaze trail from the top of her head down, stalling on the bruise, and a scrape below that. I scowl and storm toward the kitchen.
“I’ve always wanted to go. Mom kept promising to take me one day, but…”
