I don’t have the time to end him—andthis isn’t the place, either. Gideon will have my ass on a platter next to the duck for Christmas dinner if I’m arrested.
Calista spins, eyes wide, breath caught in her throat.
Contact.
We’re face-to-face for the first time.
She stares up at me, confused, ready to bolt.
“You okay?” I ask calmly.
She nods once. Doesn’t speak.
Good. She’s smart.
And beautiful. So, fucking beautiful.
She’s flushed, and I think about how she’ll look beneath me when I’m inside her. What she’ll look like when she comes.
I take a step back. Give her space.
“Ah…he was a mugger,” she says. She’s lying. I can see it.
“Okay.”
“Thank you for helping me.”
She doesn’t say, “Let’s call the police.”
She isn’t running. She’s talking like I picked up her groceries—like I did something mundane to help her.
“My pleasure.”
I can’t stop looking at her.
I want to kiss her. I’ve never had this desire before. This is madness.
You’re goingloco, Lucian!
“Ah…lucky you were here?” She’s asking a question.
“Yes.”
Her jaw tightens. She’s scared—but not in a helpless way. She’s assessing me, weighing my dangerousness against the one I just neutralized.
She wants to ask me questions, but she won’t. I know it. I knowher.
Are you following me?
Why?
Were you sent to kill me?
Then why did you stop that man?
Who are you?
“Let me walk you home.”
