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I felt my air being slowly cut off. Well, shit. I definitely didn’t expect this to happen tonight. With my one free arm, I tried hitting him, but he had pressed his body against mine so tightly that I couldn’t get any kind of leverage on him, so my fist was practically useless.
“That’s it. I like it when they struggle. I like it when they beg me to stop.”
Perhaps my smart mouth wasn’t the attribute I thought it was. My mind was racing as I was trying to figure out how to get away from him when I heard the door to the back room open. Footsteps were approaching. No, multiple footsteps were approaching. One last feeble attempt to hit him and suddenly he wasn’t there anymore, and I was on the ground coughing and gasping for air.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and instantly panicked. I scooted away as quickly as I could.
“Whoa, whoa, Persephone. It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. You’re safe now.”
I raised my gaze and was met with those blue eyes once again. They were darker in this light, but showing nothing but concern, as he reached out to me one more time. This time, I didn’t move away. He put one arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into his chest. I realized I was crying. He gently stroked my hair and told me everything was going to be all right.
The next thing I knew, he hooked his other arm under my legs and picked me up, carrying me back to the kitchen. It was empty when we walked in. He walked over to one of the food prep tables and sat me down on the table.
Standing in front of me, he produced a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to me, his hands never leaving my thighs. I stared at his hands while I wiped the tears from my face and tried to compose myself.
I felt his hand gently under my chin. He raised my head and tilted it all the way back so he could look at my neck.
“You’re going to have a gnarly bruise tomorrow.”
“Perks of being a redhead. You can look at me hard enough and I’ll bruise.”
He chuckled softly and I let out a laugh as well. It might not be the healthiest coping mechanism, but humor made everything better for me. I’d endured some hard times and made it through because I never lost my sense of humor.
Adrik tenderly wrapped one of my loose curls around his finger while he scanned my face, concern still in his eyes.
“Redheads have a special place in this world. Legend has it they stole the fires of Hell and that they carry the mark of Cain.”
“It’s all true. I also steal souls, but only on the weekends. Work has been busy lately and I have a surplus of souls, with not enough storage space right now.”
A wide smile came across this face as he laughed. Good grief, this man was handsome. I found myself smiling in response to his laughter and in that brief moment I had forgotten the events that led us to this moment.
“You are a unique woman, Persephone.”
“Yeah, that’s true too. Redheads are only 2 percent of the world’s population and of that 2 percent, only 2 percent have an eye color as unique as mine. So, basically, I’m a unicorn.”
I looked into his eyes as I was talking. His smile faded slightly and the intensity returned. He stared into my eyes long enough that I got nervous. I dropped my gaze and started fidgeting with my hands.
My body does this weird thing in response to trauma. It’s like I’m shivering, but I’m not cold. Of course, this was the moment that started up. My therapist had informed me years earlier that it was a somewhat normal trauma response. It hadn’t happened in years, so I wasn’t expecting it to start. I couldn’t get away from Adrik fast enough and he felt my legs shaking.
“Are you cold, solnishko? I can get you my jacket,” he said, his hands running up my arms to cover my bare skin.
“No, it’s…I’m fine,” I said as I hopped off the table. “I should get back to work. Thank you for helping me.” I folded my arms under my chest and walked out of the kitchen without looking back.
The past always has a way of showing up at the most inopportune times.
When I walked back into the meeting room, it was completely empty. Everyone had vanished. I can’t say I was disappointed by this development. I busied myself with gathering up the empty glasses and the few plates I hadn’t managed to clear already to take them to the kitchen. I heard Max whistling as he’s walking down the hallway toward the back room.
“Hey, why did everyone leave in such a hurry?” he asked as he walked in and started to help me clear the tables.
“No idea,” I said. I kept my gaze down, as I was once again on the verge of tears, trying desperately to keep them in so I wouldn’t cry in front of Max. I hated crying in front of people.
“That was weird. I saw two of those giant bodyguards that came in last take a very drunk guy out front and beat the living shit out of him, then walk back inside like nothing happened.”
I dropped the glass in my hand and looked at Max, wide-eyed.
“They did what?”
“Yeah, it was comical. And somewhat sad. But mostly comical. I think it was one of the guys you said was always an asshole to you, so I may or may not have cheered as the bodyguards came back in the restaurant.”
