I get up and race to the door. I peer out the peephole and let out a shocked gasp when I see who is on the other side. My hand flies to my mouth, and I turn to Luke with enormous eyes.
“I knew I smelled dog,” he says cryptically as he stalks to me with his shirt off, fly down, pants precariouslyclinging to his hips.
Shit! I have no idea what the protocol is in this situation. Do I pretend I’m not home? Do I answer the door and introduce them? Hiding in my closet seems like the best choice at this moment. Maybe a portal to another dimension will emerge to swallow me whole. Or the building could collapse. Anything but this.
Luke glances from me to the door, expectantly. I guess I’m opening the door. I reach out and grab the doorknob, stalling, dreading the confrontation. Luke’s eyes are on me, waiting.
And honestly, it’s not like I’ve done anything wrong. In fact, I realize I haven’t done shit wrong. And I won’t be ashamed of spending time with someone else. Feeling my ire rise, I whip open the door.
My anger fades the second I see the shocked look on McHottie’s face. It’s identical to the one he had when he discovered us together in my waking dream in the stairwell.
Luke leans into me and wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me into his side. He drops a kiss on top of my head, drawing the other man's gaze, and says flatly, “What can I do for you,chien?”
McHottie’s eyes narrow and his hands clench into fists. The air smells like ozone and sulfur, causing my eyes to scan the clear blue sky for an impending storm. But I see nothing.
He swings his eyes back to me, saying, “I was hoping we could talk.”
“I’m sorry, now’s not a good time,” I say.
His face falls at my words and then hardens as he swings his gaze back to Luke. He goes to step forward but abruptly stops, his eyes darting to my open door. He huffs and shakes his head, fuming.
Shooting a last dejected glance back at my face, he turns and heads down the stairs without another word. I reach out my hand toward him and go to step forward, to call after him and apologize for what, I don’t know, when Luke grasps my other wrist.
He tugs me back inside and closes the door, slowly backing me up against it. I had been so excited to explore Luke and see where this could go, but right now, all I feel is immense disappointment.
I’m not even entirely sure why. But that whole interaction had been a major lady boner killer. So now here I stand, with a hottie in retreat and a hottie in front of me, most definitely not the Lieshe sandwich I had fantasized about.
Luke cages me against the door, and instead of feeling turned on, I feel trapped. When I don’t react, he steps back and lifts my chin gently toward his face. His eyes look back and forth between mine as if he is trying to read my mind.
Eventually, he says, “Who was that,mon petit chou?”
“My new neighbor,” I say, but it comes out more like a question. I’m surprised when he leans in and gives me a tiny kiss on my nose and then spins around. He walks back to the couch, pulls his shirt on, and fastens his pants.
“Thanks for the drink.”
“Luke,” I start. But I don’t know what to say. I’m torn between asking him to stay and letting him go. He decides for me.
“À plus.” He gives me a half smile and walks to the door. I follow him, locking the door behind him. I guess I could have tried to stop him, too.
But I’m not sure that I want to right now with this hollow feeling in my chest where all the intense attraction had been just a few minutes ago. I walk back to the couch and flop down, curled on my side. I can still smell Luke on my sofa. Cinnamon layered in with the bouquet of so many roses.
I look at the vase on the coffee table in front of me and frown. The roses are all wilted–petals falling as I watch. That’s strange. Glancing around the room, every other arrangement is just as beautiful as when I found them. Had Lucifer had been chewing this bunch, too?
I wonder why McHottie had shown up. I wonder why Luke had left. Until ultimately, I wonder no more and let sleep claim me, a nap the perfect escape from this strange day and my fruitless thoughts.
It was all I could do not to clap my hands in delight. I knew I smelled dog below the stench of all those damn roses. Sure, it had been petty to zap the ones on the coffee table, but I hadn’t been able to help myself. They were all I could see behind the head of the little one who looked like she was ready to devour me in her desperation for love.
My face twists at the word, like it is a sour, bitter thing in my mouth. Love is a stupid concept humans use to justify violence and lust. Love, pure love, does not exist. I learned that eons ago.
Lieshe, though, that’s a taste I could get used to. Her innocence is intoxicating, her corruption so delicious I can taste it high on my palate, like the tickle of champagne bubbles. So much better than the other times I’ve sampled her.
I knewhewould be furious when he saw her door. I only wish I could have seen his face when he saw the same raven I traced on her back. Things couldn’t have been scripted more perfectly if I had tried.
This time, I will win. There is no doubt in my black, scorched heart.
I.
Will.
