AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Romy
Just as Poppy promised, the fridge is fully stocked, and bags upon bags of clothes are sitting pretty on my new bed. Aisling is nowhere to be seen, and I suspect she’s hiding from me in case I unleash the same rage on her as I did on the sofa last night. Maybe that’s why everything she brought me is black—not that I’m complaining, it’s my favorite color—but perhaps she thought I should have a wardrobe that matched my mood. Or my soul. Both would be correct.
I peek inside the bags, reeling at the price tags and marveling at how clothes that aren’t made from polyester feel against my skin.
As I change clothes, I change my plan too.
Seven hours later, I’m leaning against the kitchen island in a black silk cami dress, plastic wineglass in hand. The pot of water on the stove hisses and bubbles, spilling over the sides and flooding over the marble counter.
I take another sip.
“You don’t strike me as the type of woman who cooks.”
My pussy clenches at the drawl behind me long before my brain recognizes it as dangerous. I didn’t even hear him come in. I was too lost in my thoughts.
In my plan.
Staring at the chrome extractor hood, I suck in a lungful of air and release it in a small hiss.
“I’m not. But I don’t have anything better to do.” I place the wineglass on the counter beside me. “Do you eat food, or are you a vampire?”
“What makes you think I’m a vampire?”
The ghost of his touch burns on my forehead. “I’ve only ever seen you drink blood.”
His throaty chuckle is so sinister that it makes me squeeze my eyes shut. Swallow the dryness in my throat.
“Are you going to greet me, wifey? Or am I to look at the back of your head for the entire evening?”
Slowly, I turn, guarding my heart as I do so. It’s a pointless exercise because it feels like God himself has snatched the air from my lungs when I see him.
There’s not a person on this planet who could deny the Devil’s handsomeness. He’s otherworldly gorgeous. His bespoke suit looks painted onto his muscular frame, the three undone buttons of his shirt a nod to his ever-present rebellious streak. It exposes the thick, tanned trunk of his neck, and I have the sudden urge to sink my teeth into it.
Perhaps I’m the vampire.
“Jesus Christ,” he groans, pushing himself off the island and dragging a knuckle over his jaw. It’s only as his greedy eyes wash over my flesh do I remember what I’m wearing.
“What’s the occasion?”
“Your funeral,” I reply without missing a beat.
“If that’s your funeral attire, sweetheart, I’ll kill somebody for you every day.”
His words shouldn’t send my mind in a spin, but they do. “Are you hungry?”
He opens his mouth. Closes it again. Suddenly, his eyes flash dark as they regard me. “What are you planning, silly girl? After yesterday, do you really expect me to believe you’ve decided to take on the role of doting housewife, just like that?” He emphasizes “that” with a click so loud it echoes off the cavernous ceiling.
The silence swirls around us, nothing but the pot hissing behind me. I take my time, picking up the plastic decanter—Aisling really went to great lengths to protect herself—and pour myself another glass of blood-red wine. “A lady named Poppy visited me today.”
Something clicks. I can tell because a knowing smirk flattens his Cupid’s bow. “And so she did. Tell me, how did you find my sister-in-law?”
Sister-in-law?I falter for a nanosecond, composing myself before Donnacha notices. “Very pleasant, actually.”
“And is she the reason behind this sudden change of heart?”
I pin him with a serious stare. “She told me that as long as I play your little game, you’ll give me the world.”
He watches me for a moment, searching my eyes before his gaze drops to my lips. Without looking up, he takes the glass from my hand, lifts it to his mouth, and drains it in one.
