She freezes. I wait, as her heart beats once, twice, three times. “For now,” she whispers.
I’ll take it. Inhaling her delicious scent, I scatter kisses along her shoulder and neck. When she tilts her head to the side to give me more room, I smile against her skin.
A throat clears. “I hate to interrupt, but I need to get in there.” Luca doesn’t sound sorry at all. He sounds like he’s chewing on gravel, and the only new information I get from his words is that the wall I pressed Celine against is actually a door.
I laugh. “My apologies, friend. I got carried away.”
Celine blinks, glancing over my shoulder at Luca, then shoves me away roughly. I stumble to the other side of the hall, and my cock stiffens at how easily she moves me.Gods... Let her be this rough with me allthe time.
“He’s insatiable,” she says, her voice husky, but missing the annoyance I suspect she was going for.
“I bet he is.” Luca drops both hands to her hips to nudge her away from the door. The move is possessive and practiced. He’s marking his territory. “If you don’t mind,” he mutters.
Celine narrows her eyes, her jaw clenching. “I don’t love your tone,” she says, following Luca into what appears to be a storage room. I trail after them and close the door behind us.
“Yeah? I don’t love watching you get humped in the hallway while I’m trying to do my job.” Luca shrugs. Celine’s mouth drops open, then her wings begin to smoke ominously. “No. Nope. Absolutely not. Celine, I swear to the gods, if you set the fucking smoke alarm off again, I will lose my shit.”
“You’re an asshole,” she snarls. “This was your idea!”
Already, I’m less bored. Grinning, I sit on one of the nearby crates to watch them square off. This is the most entertainment I’ve had in ages. Neither of them even glance at me.
“Umm, no the fuck it wasn’t,” Luca scoffs. “I suggested you ask him for a fucking favor, not let him gnaw on your fucking neck while you grind on his fucking thigh.”
My, my, that’s an excessive number of F-bombs. He must be quite upset.
The silence that follows is more than tense.
Celine’s eyes shoot daggers at Luca as he digs around in a crate of liquor and refuses to look at her. The longer he ignores her, the more her wings glow. The snowy white feathers transform into a mesmerizing blend of reds, oranges, and yellows—burning embers brought to life. Standing, I pop the smoke alarm off the wall and remove the battery... just in case.
“You’re not the boss of me, Luca,” Celine says, her voice dropping to a poisonous, seething whisper. “You might be my manager here, but I decide who gnaws on my neck. I decide who gets to touch me. And I certainly decide who I fuck.”
Luca rises from his crouching position, a bottle of whiskey clenched in one hand and a bottle of vodka in the other. When he spins and glares at her, her wings erupt into flames, perfectly matching her fiery red hair. Gods. She’s magnificent.
“Celine—”
“And let me tell you something else, you judgy prick. If I want to fuck him”—She points at me angrily—“then I’ll fuck him. And it’s none of your damn business.”
“Please do,” I interject. “Whenever and however you want.”
“Stay out of this,” she snaps. I nod agreeably and shut my mouth, happy to watch the fireworks from the sidelines.
Luca closes his eyes and takes several deep breaths. “You’re right,” he finally says. “It is your business. Sorry I bothered you.”
His tone is flat. Celine’s wings droop in response, the flames burning out. I squint, intrigued, as particles of ice gather on the feathers instead. If Luca notices the change, he doesn’t mention it. Instead, he steps carefully around Celine, keeping his hands to himself as he leaves the supply room.
That upsets her. I frown and point at the door. “Do you want me to drag him back? I’m happy to encourage him to issue a better apology. Perhaps on his knees...”
“No,” Celine says, shaking her head as if she’s trying to erase whatever’s inside it. “Things with Luca are?—”
“Complicated,” I finish her sentence, smiling to assure her that nothing about what happened bothered me.
“Not really,” she insists. “We’re friends and coworkers. That’s it. Disagreements happen. It doesn’t mean anything.” She winces visibly as she speaks, her eyes fluttering closed.
“I’m not arguing with you, angel,” I say softly, deciding to back away before I scare her off. “I will inquire about the orphans right away. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to call me if you need me for anything else.”
I reattach the smoke detector, then kiss her knuckles beforeshe can protest. Her eyes are far away. Whatever is going on in her head is bothering her a lot more than she’s willing to admit. I don’t want to leave her in this supply room with that crushed expression on her beautiful face, but I trust my instincts. Every one of them tells me if I push too fast, she’ll retreat.
So I leave the Fang for the night, the moon winking at me as I walk the dark streets. While I enjoy the coolness of the night air on my face, it makes me long fiercely for the sun. I haven’t felt its warmth since I was turned. It’s hard to think about with any clarity.
