AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Across town,” was the only answer he was getting.
The elevator doors opened, and we stepped out into an elaborate entryway with a marble floor and light fixtures with a flickering gas flame in them. The black double doors were wide and shiny. I took it all in as I slowly followed him to the entrance. He pressed a code, and the right door opened.
“My stove is electric,” I said.
He glanced back at me. “If it’s damaged, Maegan will make sure it’s replaced.”
I shook my head. That wasn’t what I’d meant. “My stove isn’t gas. Neither is my heating. But you have gas lanterns. How … when did the building get gas?”And does the building have carbon monoxide detectors?
“It had the gas lines already. They were just capped off and not being used,” he replied, then stepped back to allow me to enter his penthouse.
“What the fuck took you so long? I’m starving, and you haven’t got shit to eat,” a male voice called out.
Dean sighed heavily, as if he was annoyed or had possibly forgotten he had company.
Before he could reply, Kiro Manning appeared in the entrance, holding a beer in one hand and a bag of chips in the other. He held up the chips and beer. “This is shit food, Dean. Get yourself together, man.”
“Brielle, this is Kiro, my uninvited guest,” Dean said, then nodded for me to follow him as he began walking toward Kiro.
My gaze swung back to Kiro Manning, and I found him staring at me with interest. Kiro didn’t age. He was one of those men who had seemed to stop the aging process at around forty.
“I see. Your need to own an apartment complex in hell makes more sense now,” he drawled suggestively.
“Don’t.” Dean’s tone was hard, and the warning in it was clear.
However, the amused smirk on Kiro’s face said that he didn’t care. Kiro didn’t seem to care about much. He had a persona that he’d held his entire career in the business. Kiro was the bad boy.
“This is the kind of midlife crisis I could be a part of,” Kiro said and winked at me.
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. I was sure he expected me to gush or fangirl. He wouldn’t get either from me. My days of being starstruck were over.
“Ignore him. Come with me. I’ve got beer or sodas you can choose from,” Dean said to me.
I moved then toward Dean, suddenly feeling like he was the lesser of the two evils even though, deep down, I knew they were the same. Dean was just smoother with his approach. Kiro appeared threatening in a way that wouldn’t bring violence, but it could be unsettling. I wasn’t into older men these days, but like every female in the world, I had my own opinion on who the best-looking Slacker Demon was. Dean Finlay had been my choice since I was in junior high. Of course, back then, I hadn’t met him and had no idea what a jerk he could be. Clara was a Kiro fan. This would be a dream come true for her.
Clara had seen them in concert seven times. One time, when I had almost gotten in but didn’t, was as close as I’d gotten to seeing them in concert. That night was enough for me. Things changed for me after that. My life had altered and would never be the same. With it, my perception of Slacker Demon had changed as well. I no longer cared for their music. The memories it brought me were some I wanted to put behind me.
Dean led me into a kitchen that was the size of my apartment and opened the door to a fridge that had a television on the front of it. I stared in amazement. I’d seen commercials about fridges like this, but never had I seen one in person.
“Help yourself,” Dean said, stepping back and waving a hand at the fridge.
It was full of food. Kiro had said he didn’t have anything, but there was more food in here than I bought for Cam and me in a month.
I walked up to the fridge and took out a diet soda, then stepped back. “Thanks,” I said to Dean.
“Want anything else?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No, thank you.”
He grabbed a bottle of water, then closed the door.
“Sorry about Kiro. With all the shit downstairs, I forgot he was here. I should have warned you,” he said to me.
“Thanks for the drink, but I can go back downstairs. I don’t mind waiting down there,” I told him.
He frowned. “No. You need to sit down and relax. Kiro is harmless—for the most part.”
I wanted to reply,What? I’m not his type either?But I simply gave a curt nod. There was no reason to dwell on that comment or let him know I cared that he’d said it.
