A long one.
He didn’t say anything as he turned and stormed back over to the sofa. Cool air swept in and writhed up my forearms in the absence of him.That’s what I thought.
“And you’re going, are you?” he growled.
“Is that any of your business?”
“Whilst I’m tethered to you, it’s my fucking business.”
“Okay, yes, I’m probably going to go.” I rolled my eyes at him, before ambling over to the sofa, waffles in hand, and dropping onto the seat next to him. “He is the only person to show the remotest bit of interest in me.”
“That’s not a justifiable reason to go. Do you even like him?” Thallor scoffed. The sound was jarring and rough.It’s not like you’re interested.
“I don’t really know. Isn’t that what the date is for? To work that out. He’s good-looking, so hypothetically speaking, if it turns out that his personality has all been a lie, and the date ends in a tragic dumpster fire, I can always still sleep with him.”
I couldn’t tell if I was reading into it, but I could have sworn I saw Thallor’s jaw tense, the sharpness of his canines more pronounced than they had been moments ago.
“Don’t sleep with him.”
“Why not?” I laughed.
“Because it should mean something.”
“You cannot be serious?” I laughed. “Fucking is just as enjoyable asmaking love.Probably more so. The last thing I need on my plate is more messy feelings.”
“You’re too young to be this cynical,” he drawled. Says the male whose face could be found under disgruntled in the dictionary.
“Isn’t lust meant to be one of the levels of Hell? Think of this as a foolproof way to get me there,” I mused before taking a bite of my slightly undercooked and still-a-little-frozen waffle.
“There are other ways to earn your place in Hell.”
“And yet, this sounds the most enjoyable.” Letting go of my previous annoyance, I flashed Thallor a toothy grin. One that earned me nothing but an icy, cold glare in response.
“What makes you think it would be enjoyable? From the messages I’ve read, he doesn’t seem to put much effort into anything at all.”
“Are you saying it would be more enjoyable withyou?” I taunted, putting my plate down before turning to look at him. I could see the tinge of blush that crept up the side of his neck and onto his cheeks, swallowing up his freckles in a sea of pink.
When he didn’t respond, I just smirked. “Was this thedirectnessyou were talking about?—”
Before I could spit the rest of my sentence out, my whole body tilted, careening backward until I was pinned to the deep, worn cushions of my forest green sofa. Before I could fully process what had happened, Thallor was staring down at me, hands braced on either side of my head and caging me in a wall of muscle.
I stammered, trying desperately to work out how I had come to be in that position. Unlike anything I’d ever felt with Jude, which was charmed and slightly amused, Thallor’s presence felt like molten heat. He lit something inside me that surged outward across my skin like wildfire. It coursed up my back andthe sides of my neck until it settled on my cheek in a bright red flush, betraying everything I was feeling on the inside.
My hands moved instinctively, pressing up on the muscles of his chest as he smirked down at me. A look that was as devilish as it was devastating.
“Do you want me to show you, Sterling?” he rasped as he leaned a little lower and whispered into my ear.
“I…I…” I could barely get the words out. A part of me–a traitorous part lacking both intelligence and common sense–screamed out, dying to sayyes.But the other part of me, the sliver of self-preservation that lingered at the corner of my mind, knew it was a bad idea. It knew I would be utterly ruined if I let myself go there. I could barely hear my own thoughts, the two sides of myself arguing whilst my pulse reverberated in my ears.
Before I could even make a decision, Thallor pushed up, pulling me with him until we were back in the sitting positions, where we had been only moments ago. “I didn’t think so.”
We didn’t say much to each other after that, but for days afterward, I couldn’t stop thinking about what it would have been like if he had shown me after all.
CHAPTER TWELVE
It was amazing what aneverythingshower, and a good hair day could do for a girl’s confidence. I was wearing a long-sleeved, form-fitting black top with a deep neckline. One that I was hoping would earn me a few more tips. I had paired it with a satin-green, midi skirt covered in a delicate floral pattern. I had donned a trusty black belt and layered a few necklaces to round off the look. I had tied my hair in a high ponytail with wispy bits hanging from the sides.
My snivelling prick of a boss, or more commonly known as Orson Hobb, had sent Nick a string of rather abrupt and abrasive text messages before telling us he was coming intoThe Bootmakertoday. Which meant actually putting some effort into my outfit today, because in Orson’s mind,that is what he hired me for.
