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I grinned at her then heard the jingle of the bell over the door. “Duty calls.” I headed out the door, trying to resist grabbing one of the thick chocolate chip treats. When I lifted my head, plastering on a smile, it was short lived.
A larger-than-life man had walked in through the glass door. Arman. He was a tower of explosive heat, turning the coffee shop into Dante’s Inferno. The thought matched the way the sun added a vivid glow of orange around him, an aura of the fire and brimstone bursting from deep inside. I held my breath, fearful I’d be caught in an instant cataclysm. I’d wondered where I’d be the next time he waltzed into my life, accepting the fact there would be no advance warning.
I hadn’t anticipated so much desire or the anger that was almost impossible to control. I wanted to lunge toward him like a Ninja ranger, tearing him apart limb for limb. It wouldn’t matter the consequences or if he tossed me into a cage. It would be well worth it. And here I was frozen to the spot.
Arman was scanning the small shop as he removed his sunglasses. He looked incredible with his windswept hair cresting against his broad shoulders, devoid of the confining jacket and tie, the casual dress a surprise.
Other than the rapid flutters of my heart as I stared at him like some lovestruck high school girl.
I’d been expecting him. Somehow I knew he’d discover my attempt at treachery.
Meanwhile, I was frozen in place, a mixture of anger and utter terror languishing in my system. All while awe and desire ripped apart my core. As he slowly turned his head, my breath caught in my throat. His eyes were a mixture of intrigue and passion, the darkness ebbing through him like a constant live wire.
His every step was methodical as he walked closer, and I began to quiver, yet I refused to allow him to see even a glimmer of fear. Predators won the moment they gathered the stench. I eased the tray of cookies to the counter, giving him the same hard onceover. But within seconds, the coldness of his eyes turned into something even more dangerous.
An obsession.
As if he’d been waiting, biding his time. Watching and craving. Now there was no doubt the predator had emerged from his lair, prepared to strike.
And there was nothing I could do but watch the horror unfold.
He said nothing for a few seconds, closing the distance to the counter and lifting that beautiful head of his to stare at the menu. The aura around him was so vibrant I was caught in a web, incapable of doing anything but waiting for whatever he had to say to me.
I dragged my tongue across my lips, my throat already closing off from the lack of steady breaths. Forcing myself to return to reality took a few seconds longer, but I managed to place my palms on the counter, spreading out my fingers. Allowing the anger to take hold drove away some of the fear. “Would you like something from our menu?”
Goddamn it, when he smirked, I wanted to wipe the expression off his face with an acid-soaked rag.
“I’ll have a large black coffee, the darkest bean you have.” Why was it that everything out of his mouth sounded sultry, sexual? Or maybe my mind had already dropped into the gutter given his omnipotent presence. In my mind I want to see him as nothing but a miscreant, but for the briefest of time I’d seen something inside of him, qualities that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
As if he was a little lost, haunted by the memory of the woman it was obvious he once loved. There was nothing on the woman with the initial of S that I could find. While there was no gate around his house, not a single reporter or photographer had caught him with a telephoto lens. That meant he had his guards keep watch on his property. Was he hiding or protecting something?
When I didn’t respond right away, he leaned over the counter, his sizzling breath instantly skipping across my jaw. It made me shiver.
“Are you alright, princess? You seem flushed.”
I swallowed hard and spun around toward the coffee machines with enough force I was pitched into the sharp metal edge. Wincing, I yanked a cup from the stack of them, hating myself for trembling in his presence. If only I could loathe the man, then reacting to his sudden appearance would be much easier.
Sensing his continued stare brought butterflies into my stomach, but by the time I placed the lid on the top of his scalding coffee, I was almost able to get control over my emotions. There was even a tiny part of me that almost left the lid ajar. That would allow me to innocently trip, spilling the brutally hot contents all over his fine linen trousers. Ouch.
But the professional inside of me couldn’t do it. Or maybe I knew I’d place Amy in harm’s way, the brutal bastard destroying her business as punishment. “Here you are. That will be four-fifty-five.” I pushed it across the counter, making a point of concentrating on ringing the purchase in the register.
“Cheap for such a delicious brew.” As he pulled out his wallet, I did what I could to ignore it. He tugged a bill from in front of several others, all hundreds. If he thought he could impress me with money, he was sorely wrong. He finally lifted his gaze as he slid a single hundred-dollar bill across the counter. “Keep the change.”
It was my turn to smirk. “No tips needed. I’m just a lowly server.” I pushed it back across the counter; of course he ignored my actions, already taking a step away. But his eyes pierced mine. He wasn’t just undressing me with them. He was slathering every inch of my nakedness with chocolate syrup.
He opened the lid, taking a deep whiff. “You’re not a lowly anything, princess. Far from it.” When he turned around, I was curious as to his next move. Would he pull out his weapon, although I wasn’t certain if he had it on him.
“You think you know me, Arman, but far from it.”
“I do know you, princess, because you’re exactly like me with a single exception. You care about the people around you, which makes you soft inside, vulnerable to the sadistic desires of a very bad man like me. And I can’t wait to be the man who peels away every layer, exposing the tender innocence inside, which is exactly what I plan on doing. That’s the moment you’ll belong to me.”
The man was nuts if he thought I’d give him the time of day let alone allow myself to surrender. “Fuck you.”
“I assure you that will happen, sweet and luscious princess. But only after you beg me to.”
CHAPTER13
Raven
