Chapter 9
Carter
Marcus:
She’s on her way.
Please, don’t be an ass, she’s having a rough time with all this.
Carter:
I’m not a beast.
I know how to behave.
Marcus:
Excuse me for looking after my friend.
Carter:
You’re excused, but don’t push your luck.
Marcus:
I swear if she comes back even more crushed, I’ll beat your ass.
Carter:
I’m more powerful than you, Marcus. Don’t make idle threats.
Marcus:
I don’t fucking care. Unlike you, I care about her. That’s enough motivation to land a few punches in your stupid face.
The sound of the coffee machine almost drowned the soft thud of the closing door. I forced my shoulders down, willing my heartbeat to slow down.
I haven’t seen her since I stormed out of Carrie’s office. Carrie, who not even two days later, didn’t hesitate to lecture me on the importance of keeping my cool and how overreacting to the slightest thing didn’t help anyone.
She obviously wasn’t the one who ended up with a mustache drawn with an indelible marker, so what did she know?
Careful footsteps echoed behind me and stopped, right where I knew was the open archway separating the kitchen from the corridor.
My hands tightened around the small cup as her sugary scent reached me.For fuck’s sakes.
“I’m sorry for invading,” she whispered, her voice broken. “Marcus—”
“I know.” I finally turned around, unable to resist the need to take a look at her. Her appearance was a far cry from what it’s been before Dimitri and Arc left. Turns out, a low level of energy did leave physical signs. “You can take whatever room you want. If you want to sleep in Arc’s or Dimitri’s, I doubt they’d be upset.”
Her throat bobbed as she gave a slow nod. My chest constricted at the sight. I’ve seen her low on energy before; that time she was attacked in the alley had been one of the most painful things to watch. The dark circles under her eyes, the slight tremors of her limbs, the dullness of her skin. And yet, those damn pheromones made it feel like she was the most beautiful thing to ever walk the earth.
For every. Fucking. One.
“I made you a coffee,” I said, placing the cup on the island between us. That damnisland.
I didn’t think I could everunseeit. Or unfeel it, for that matter. The way she looked, her skin glowing, eyes shining, lips parted as Dimitri’s teeth sank into her neck and savored her blood. Blood that I nowknewtasted better than Heaven itself.
I shifted closer to the island in the hope that it would conceal the bulge hardening in my jeans.Get a fucking grip.
