Page 16 of Her Vampire, His Ruin

I’m not sure if it’s the glint of something murderous in his eyes or the sharpness of his attention, like a whip cracking across bare skin, but for a moment, I glimpse the hint of a monster. Oddly, I’m not afraid, though a little voice inside warns me that I should be. I wave my hand in the air, hoping to scatter the tension.

“I’m sure he meant nothing by it. So you are a gangster, then?”

“Something like that.”

Not an admission, but close enough. Right at that moment I hear Henrietta squealing, and I realise she’s been eavesdropping this whole time. I’m going to kill her.

“Noted,” I reply. “Now, getting back to my tits. I already told you they’re small, hardly worth the attention.”

“Oh, believe me, they deserve my attention,” Dorian says, the tightness around his eyes easing a little now that we’re back to our sexting, or flirting, or whatever this is. “In fact, I think⁠—”

“But,” I interject, glaring at Henrietta who has slid open the door and is flashing me her tits whilst simultaneously waving her arm at the laptop, indicating for me to do the same, “A hacker could be recording our conversation and before you know it I’m fired from my job as a primary school teacher because somehow I’ve gone viral for flashing my tits on that social media app all the kids are using these days.”

“This connection is safe. No one is watching.”

“Henrietta is,” I mutter, and she just giggles.

“Henrietta, can you hear me?” Dorian says, his voice doing that weird drop, like he’s swallowed some gravel and somehow turned them into diamonds. It’s sexy as hell, and I’m not at all surprised Henrietta’s attention is immediately focussed on him, or rather the back of the laptop given her position.

“Yes,” she instantly replies, her hands dropping to her sides and her t-shirt falling back into place.

“Could you come where I can see you?” he asks, and she immediately steps back into the kitchen, rounds the table and stands behind me. “Hello again, Hettie.”

“Hello,” she replies, absolutely riveted as he crooks his finger and motions for her to get closer.

She grips the back of my chair, crouching slightly so she can peer over my shoulder.

“Will you give Edie and I some privacy? I don’t want you listening to our conversation, or interrupting again. In fact, I think you should go to bed. It’s been a long day, and you’re tired.”

I pinch my lips together, smothering a smile because if he thinks my best friend is going to do anything he says, he’s going to be in for a surprise.

“Of course. Yes. Sleep sounds perfect, actually,” she replies, shocking me to the core.

“What the heck?” I mutter as she presses a kiss against my cheek.

“Night, Edie. I’m going to crash out in the spare room, is that okay?” she asks, not waiting for a response as she heads towards the door.

I narrow my eyes at my best-friend, wondering what she thinks she’s playing at. She doesn’t take orders from anyone, let alone a man. But she simply throws me a smile over her shoulder, steps into the sitting room and slides the door shut. A moment later, I can hear the familiar creak of the stairs as she heads to bed.

“What was that?” I ask, focussing back on Dorian.

“What was what?” he replies, a little too innocently for my liking.

“Are you some kind of hypnotist? Because I’m telling you now, I will not be amused if you attempt something like that with me. If I want to show you my tits, I will do that fully in control of my faculties.”

“I did not hypnotise your friend. I merely persuaded her. Some people are more susceptible to persuasion than others. That’s all…” He allows his voice to trail off as he takes another sip of his wine.

“I thought you didn’t drink alcohol,” I say.

“This isn’t alcohol,” he replies, twirling the stem of his glass so the liquid coats the inside, before slowly tracking back down to rest at the bottom.

“Next you’ll be telling me it’s the blood of your enemies.”

He just shrugs, taking a sip of his not-wine, and licking his lips in that provocative way of his. “So, Edie, that bra you’re not wearing…”

His gaze drops, and I’m not entirely sure how much of my chest he can see but when he starts unbuttoning his shirt, my nipples harden into points, betraying me.

“What are you doing now?” I ask, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible even as my heart thumps erratically in my chest.