“This is gonna sound dumb.”
“I bet it won’t.” He reached for her hand. “Try me.”
“I feel a connection to her. Not like I can talk to her, but just….I feel her. Like she’s here somehow, maybe in a different building on campus. The feeling is almost tangible.”
“That’s not dumb. I think that’s pretty normal.” His voice was soft as he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.
Relief washed over her. It felt good to describe her emotion out loud, and his acceptance of it meant something to her. “Thanks for not thinking that was weird.”
“Never.” A smile teased his lips. “Despite what I said yesterday about not believing in ghosts, I think family connections stay with us. No matter what.”
“I agree.” She took a deep breath. “I need my shoes.”
“Or I could carry you.” His face was completely serious.
She burst into giggles. So funny. It was the perfect thing to say to relieve the tension. And with that physique, she didn’t doubt him. “Duly noted. But I’ll be right back.” Still grinning, she turned and headed into her bedroom.
Kneeling on her floor, she reached under her bed for her sexiest non-dance heels. The dance shoes were gorgeous, but they all had suede bottoms made for dance floors, not for Illinois’s snowy winters. Here they are . She pulled out the box containing her black snakeskin peeptoe platform heels and slid them on. Perfect. Four inches taller, she walked back out.
Mathias’s eyebrows shot up when he saw her, and he cleared his throat. “Yeah, those are a good choice. Keep those on.”
For later. His unspoken words hung in the air like a tendril of smoke. Had she imagined it? Or hoped it? Her throat went dry and her heart hammered in her chest.
“Okay.” She’d wear them whenever he asked, if he asked like that. But he hadn’t asked. He’d ordered her. Whatever. He was her arm candy for the day. She’d make the most of it.
She opened the hall closet to grab her black cashmere car coat, but he beat her to it. He pulled it off the hanger and helped her into it, settling its light weight on her shoulders, his hands lingering a second longer than necessary.
Making quick work of the buttons, she turned to him. “Ready.”
“I’m glad you were free today.” His eyes bored into hers.
“I’m glad you asked.” She winked and walked into the hall. How she was speaking coherently, she didn’t know. But she needed to get outside, draw a deep breath of cold air, and clear the lust out of her head. Or else the two of them, and her shoes, might stay in the apartment all night.
T HE T HIEF
T HE THIEF HID IN THE thick evergreen trees, well away from the huge mansion. She had a mental map of the property, thanks to the casing she and Sebastian had done earlier. A stone wall ten feet high surrounded the place. The only entrances were the iron gate at the front and a small service gate at the rear of the property.
The guards at the front gate checked the identities of the arriving guests, scrutinizing them, searching their bags. Heavy spells blanketed the estate, preventing anyone from using magic to transport onto or off of the property. Foot traffic was the only method allowed. Several feet behind the guards stood sentinels with hellhounds straining against their choke chains. The home’s narcissist owner, Mulvari, didn’t do anything in moderation.
The thief grinned at the challenge. Gifted with the ability to cloak herself in shadows, she was at the top of her game. Pulling off a heist like this, against an egocentric bully like Mulvari, would rock.
Of course, she couldn’t share it with anyone but Sebastian. The vampire who had raised her and taught her everything she knew was concealed in the trees to her right, ready to create a distraction when she needed it.
Wrapping herself in the blackness of the night, she walked toward the gate as a large group of guests arrived. One hound snarled and whirled around, snapping in her direction.
“I bet it won’t.” He reached for her hand. “Try me.”
“I feel a connection to her. Not like I can talk to her, but just….I feel her. Like she’s here somehow, maybe in a different building on campus. The feeling is almost tangible.”
“That’s not dumb. I think that’s pretty normal.” His voice was soft as he rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.
Relief washed over her. It felt good to describe her emotion out loud, and his acceptance of it meant something to her. “Thanks for not thinking that was weird.”
“Never.” A smile teased his lips. “Despite what I said yesterday about not believing in ghosts, I think family connections stay with us. No matter what.”
“I agree.” She took a deep breath. “I need my shoes.”
“Or I could carry you.” His face was completely serious.
She burst into giggles. So funny. It was the perfect thing to say to relieve the tension. And with that physique, she didn’t doubt him. “Duly noted. But I’ll be right back.” Still grinning, she turned and headed into her bedroom.
Kneeling on her floor, she reached under her bed for her sexiest non-dance heels. The dance shoes were gorgeous, but they all had suede bottoms made for dance floors, not for Illinois’s snowy winters. Here they are . She pulled out the box containing her black snakeskin peeptoe platform heels and slid them on. Perfect. Four inches taller, she walked back out.
Mathias’s eyebrows shot up when he saw her, and he cleared his throat. “Yeah, those are a good choice. Keep those on.”
For later. His unspoken words hung in the air like a tendril of smoke. Had she imagined it? Or hoped it? Her throat went dry and her heart hammered in her chest.
“Okay.” She’d wear them whenever he asked, if he asked like that. But he hadn’t asked. He’d ordered her. Whatever. He was her arm candy for the day. She’d make the most of it.
She opened the hall closet to grab her black cashmere car coat, but he beat her to it. He pulled it off the hanger and helped her into it, settling its light weight on her shoulders, his hands lingering a second longer than necessary.
Making quick work of the buttons, she turned to him. “Ready.”
“I’m glad you were free today.” His eyes bored into hers.
“I’m glad you asked.” She winked and walked into the hall. How she was speaking coherently, she didn’t know. But she needed to get outside, draw a deep breath of cold air, and clear the lust out of her head. Or else the two of them, and her shoes, might stay in the apartment all night.
T HE T HIEF
T HE THIEF HID IN THE thick evergreen trees, well away from the huge mansion. She had a mental map of the property, thanks to the casing she and Sebastian had done earlier. A stone wall ten feet high surrounded the place. The only entrances were the iron gate at the front and a small service gate at the rear of the property.
The guards at the front gate checked the identities of the arriving guests, scrutinizing them, searching their bags. Heavy spells blanketed the estate, preventing anyone from using magic to transport onto or off of the property. Foot traffic was the only method allowed. Several feet behind the guards stood sentinels with hellhounds straining against their choke chains. The home’s narcissist owner, Mulvari, didn’t do anything in moderation.
The thief grinned at the challenge. Gifted with the ability to cloak herself in shadows, she was at the top of her game. Pulling off a heist like this, against an egocentric bully like Mulvari, would rock.
Of course, she couldn’t share it with anyone but Sebastian. The vampire who had raised her and taught her everything she knew was concealed in the trees to her right, ready to create a distraction when she needed it.
Wrapping herself in the blackness of the night, she walked toward the gate as a large group of guests arrived. One hound snarled and whirled around, snapping in her direction.
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