She remembered the night a few days ago, when she’d fallen asleep on the floor, only to awaken on her bed, and her heart skipped a beat. “No-no,stop,” she grumbled at the stupid organ that couldn’t care less about her demands. “That angel is not for us.”
This was her downfall, always drawn to the dangerous type. First Kas, who turned out to be a malevolent asshole, and now Lore, a dreamy but frustrating asshole.
For the sake of her sanity, she had to stay away from him. But, of course, at the mere thought of the jerk, heat pooled in her core. God, she groaned, stumbling into the bathroom and into the shower stall, clenching her inner muscles. She turned on the water to icy…
A half-hour later, the churning heat and arousal had subsided a bit. Her teeth clattered, and she shivered as she hastily changed into her new clothes, then stalled. She didn’t want to go downstairs, but hunger gnawed a hole in her belly since she hadn’t eaten last night.
Blast it. She wasn’t going to hide from the darn angel, who confused her even more with his little acts of thoughtfulness, like lighting the fire she didn’t need.
Downstairs in the sunken living room, sunlight poured through the windows. It had to be around midday.
At the silence engulfing her, hope rose. Lore wasn’t around. Maybe she could have a stress-free meal with no one watching her, no new rules to follow, and no stupid training schedule stuffed down her throat.
The scent of coffee brewing saturated the air as she entered the quiet kitchen. Did Race come by again?
Frowning, Nia poured herself half a cup of the steaming brew. While she wasn’t a fan of it, she’d drink it if she had to. She topped it with milk from the fridge and grimaced at the murky dishwater in her cup. She didn’t see Race as a weak coffee lover, more like a consumer of the paint thinner she suffered through the other day…
Did Lore make this?
Nah! Dismissing the thought, she opened the plastic container on the counter to find a scrumptious chocolate cake decorated with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and cherries. Perfect.
With no sharp knives about, she grabbed a butter knife from the dish rack and cut a slice. The rich, decadent aroma had her salivating. She scooped it up. Crumbs fell as she took a huge bite.
God! Sooo good?—
“When you’re finished, meet me outside.”
A spasm of coughing erupted as the cake went down wrong. So sure her lungs would burst, she dropped the dessert in the container, dived for her mug on the table, and guzzled the tepid coffee.
When she could breathe again, she dashed her watery eyes and glared at him. “Must you do that?”
“Are you all right?” A frown creased his brow.
“Do I look all right?” She coughed again, drinking more of the horrible beverage to soothe her sore throat. “And about meeting you outside?” She grabbed the hem of her sweater and wiped her eyes. “It doesn’t work for me.”
“Why not?”
Nia released her sweater, her gaze lifting to his hard, handsome face.
Because you confuse me!
She blurted, “And have you criticize my fighting skills again? Yeah, no thanks.”
Now if he could just take his sexy ass out of the kitchen, then she could enjoy her breakfast in peace. She found a box of cereal in the cupboard and grabbed a bowl from another shelf.
“I thought you might like to get out of the abbey for a while.”
Ohhh,no. She didn’t trust this…this accommodating, almost friendly side of him. But darn, if it meant getting away from the mountain for a while…
Her resolution to stay away from him crumbled into pieces.
“Fine. But one insulting word about humans, and I swear, I won’t just stake you this time. I’ll carve out your heart and feed the pieces to the birds.”
He stared at her for an endless second, then shook his head and finally nodded. “Noted.”
Nia side-eyed him as he walked out, so sure she glimpsed a tinge of amusement in his striking eyes. Nope, it was probably her inane attraction to him messing with her head.
With no time to eat her cereal, she grabbed her half-eaten slice of cake and stuffed it in her mouth. As she chewed, she glanced at the cold coffee and shuddered. “Youdon’t tempt me one bit unless I’m choking.”
