Page 49 of Fangs with Benefits

‘Are you going to kiss me, Elijah?’

‘Friends kiss, right?’ I ask. ‘Friends with benefits certainly kiss.’ My lips are very close to hers now, centimetres away, her exhales ghosting over mine. ‘Those are indeed the benefits of which people speak?’

She gives the slightest nod, her eyes on my mouth, and it’s all the permission I need to bring my mouth over hers. Evening commuters pass by us, cars honk at one another, and my hand slips behind Molly’s neck while I kiss and kiss her.

Molly pulls back abruptly before either one of us can deepen the kiss further, then presses a quick peck to my lips and steps away completely. She readjusts the strap of her work bag and blinks a few times as she composes herself. I don’t have a mirror, but I would guess I look as awestruck as I feel.

‘Night, Elijah,’ she says, turning away from me. ‘Goodnight, Molly,’ I say, and watch her retreat into the building and then the elevator, looking back over her shoulder at me only once as she goes.

Text thread with Matt Lemming

17 October 2026

Matty: Hey Molly, it’s Matt. Hope you’re well. Was just thinking about you. Would love to catch up over coffee. Free this week?

3 November 2026

Matty: Hi Mol, happy birthday. I got two tickets to that Virginia Woolf event in Midtown starting next week. Thought you might want to check it out with me? Let me know.

[read 3 November 2026]

Chapter 18

Molly

Yesterday I waited for Elijah to come into work so I could yell at him. I was queasy and anxious about the confrontation that was to ensue. Today, my stomach is flipping for an entirely different reason.

I keep thinking about the kiss–both kisses, actually. The night on Devi’s balcony was overwhelming, like I put my mouth on the plasma globe my brother had in his room in the early 2000s. It was intense, touching him like that for the first time.

Then last night, outside of my building, he was fervent, almost desperate, even in just the short moments his lips were on mine. It’s dangerous business, kissing Elijah Thorne.

I glance again at the office door, then shake my head and squeeze my eyes shut tight. Be fucking normal, Molly. This is Elijah I’m thinking about, the man who reads monster smut on his lunch break and may never know the difference between ‘reply’ and ‘reply all’ on an email thread. He’s my most incompetent colleague.

Though, that doesn’t quite feel fair any more–he’s been learning. He keeps a journal with detailed notes; he refers to it before asking me questions, often placing it in front of me and pointing to something for me to clarify before trying to manage a task himself.

He’s not useless, he’s just… learning. And old. At this rate, he’ll be more useful than Ryan by the new year.

So, fine. Elijah is my ancient, sometimes infuriating, hot, vampire coworker. There. Nothing to get all buzzy fingertips and stomach butterflies about.

‘Hey,’ someone says behind me, close to my ear. I yelp, whirling around in my desk chair to find a bright-eyed Elijah, coat still on and bag slung over his shoulder like he’s just walked in and had to stop by my desk first thing. He’s wearing a green knit scarf, and his black baseball cap has been replaced with a navy blue one that says Read More Books in a gothic font. It makes me grin.

‘Didn’t mean to scare you,’ he says, still leaning quite close to me. Close like when he asks me a question, but usually I’m not smiling like a fool when he’s asking me about work.

What is wrong with me?

I attempt to wrangle my face into something neutral. ‘I like your hat.’

‘Me too. I got it from that bookstore.’

‘The one where they’ve been peddling you erotica?’

‘The most respectable establishment in this fine city,’ he says, and I’m back to trying to wipe the stupid smile from my mouth. ‘Happy birthday, Molly Marie.’

‘Marie’s not my middle name.’

‘Anne, then?’

‘June,’ I admit. ‘And thank you.’