“It’s stuck,” she complains, turning her back towards me. The sequins catch the light, shimmering against her skin. “Please? I can’t reach.”
I swallow hard, jaw tightening. “Fine.”
I pinch the zipper between my fingers and tug gently until it loosens, exposing the smooth skin of her back and a black delicate bra clasp. It would only take a pinch of my finger and thumb to unhook her. “There,” I say roughly. “All done.”
She sighs in relief, completely unaware of the war going on in my head.
But she doesn’t stop. She stands, wobbling on her feet, and the dress slips down her shoulders.
I catch it before it falls completely, gripping the fabric to keep her covered. “That’s enough.” My voice comes out sharper than I intend. “Get into bed.”
“But I’m hot.”
“Yeah, well, that makes two of us,” I say, gritting my teeth. The lace on her bra barely covers her cherry-red nipples, and I’m wondering if she has matching panties. Fuck, please let her be wearing matching panties.
I’m a sicko. Creepy, filthy Chiefy sicko. I take a step back before I accidentally touch her inappropriately. My son would never forgive me. I’d never forgive myself.
She giggles, clearly not catching the meaning. “You’re funny, Chiefy.” Then the drops the dress, letting it pool at her feet. “Oops.”
“Sera,” I growl, but my gaze has ideas of its own and drifts down over her round stomach, wide hips and a plump little pussy covered in a scrap of lace.
I ball my hand into a fist and bite my knuckles. It would be all too easy to have my way with her. I remind myself she’s drunk. She’s not thinking clearly. She’d hate me tomorrow. Not to mention she’s young enough to be my daughter.
I point to the bed. “Get in.”
She flops back dramatically, her tiara rolling off the bed and onto the floor. “Are you gonna tuck me in?”
“Yes.” I pull the blanket up to her chin, hiding any temptation. “And then I’m gonna leave before you test my patience any more.”
Her lashes flutter. “You like me though, right?”
I let out a slow breath, my hand frozen over the blanket. “Go to sleep, Sera.”
She smiles sleepily, eyes drifting shut. “That’s not a no…”
“I like you, the same as any of my son’s girlfriends.”
She pouts. “But I’m not his anymore.”
And that’s the problem. “Get some sleep.” I bend down on instinct and kiss her forehead, just like I would when my son was little. Only Sera isn’t little, and she’s far more dangerous than any house fire I’ve ever walked into.
“Night, Chiefy,” she whispers, already half gone.
I linger a moment longer than I should, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest, before forcing myself to turn away.
At the door, I pause, her tiara glinting on the rug, a fallen crown for the town’s drunken princess. I pick it up, set it carefully on the nightstand, and whisper to the dark, “Goodnight, vampire princess. You’re gonna be the death of me.”
Chapter One
SERA
“Seraphina, can you pass the roast potatoes?” Drake says from across the table.
I lift the warm dish, but Flint reaches for it.
“Careful, it’s hot.” Flint’s calloused fingers graze over mine, and it’s ridiculous how such a small touch can make my pulse stutter. The man’s practically a furnace. Broad shoulders, soot-dark stubble peppered with grey, steel-coloured eyes that shine like molten silver when he looks at me. He probably doesn’t even realise what he does to people.
What he does to me.
