Page 12 of Tempt

“Nice to meet you, Luca.” The way the words shape on his lips tells me he’s intrigued by me, that he likes the way I look. I’ve seen it before—when rich older men are on the hunt for pretty people like me who live at the gym and won’t put up a fuss about how much time they have to spend on dates.

And I might have even been interested if I wasn’t standing next to the monster who seems to have rearranged my entire world. But a part of me wants to lean in. To smile. To flirt. To make Eissa jealous. Would it matter to him?

I feel the slightest, almost angry twang in my head and I know it’s him. But the feeling is gone before I can do anything about it.

My shoulders tense as I prepare to sign something else, but before I get the chance, there’s a heavy, inhuman hand on my shoulder. I glance to the side and see Eissa’s gaze boring into mine. That heavy feeling in my head is back—him. His presence. And I’m nearly overwhelmed by the way he refuses to let my attention be on anyone else but him.

A far fucking cry from the way he left me.

“Come,” his lips say, and I feel the pulse of the word in my head. When I refuse to budge, he lifts his other hand and repeats himself in sign.

I tense and attempt to pull away, but his hand lands back on my shoulder, claws digging into my skin. It’s not enough to make me bleed, but if I put up any more of a fight, I will. And I get the distinct feeling Eissa might like that.

And fuck me, but I might too. In spite of everything, I want to be his.

‘Come,’ he signs, and this time, I obey.

We move away from the floor, the glow of the machines fading until there is almost nothing, just a corridor I hadn’t noticed before. The walls are dim, lit by a few sconces with low-burning light.

He stops the moment we’re far enough away from the casino floor that I can no longer feel the rumble of machines beneath my feet, and he withdraws his hand, leaving me shuddering at the absence of his touch.

I blink up into his rainbow-colored eyes, my body unable to move. I want to lift my hands and cuss him out for being such an asshole, but I can’t. The moment stretches between us, silent, still, sharing breath and nothing more. For just this second, it’s peaceful.

And then he shatters it.

‘Why are you here? What do you want from me?’

‘Do you remember anything from last night?’

He stares for so long that I think, for just a second, maybe I really was nothing to him. And then he lifts one hand and nods his fist. ‘Yes.’

The word might be short and sharp, but the way his hand trembles just a little tells me that it wasn’t nothing to him either.

I take a breath, and on the exhale I can feel some kind of noise rattling the back of my throat. ‘I didn’t follow you here. I was playing the slot machines, and you happened to be here too.’

His head cocks, his face unreadable.

‘I’m glad we ran into each other. Your friend, Dorian…’ I fingerspell his name slowly, letting each movement roll off my fingers with a purpose, ‘is very good-looking. Do you think I could get his number?’

His gaze narrows. ‘He doesn’t sign.’

Yes. Jealous. Just as I’d hoped. So why doesn’t it feel as satisfying as I thought it would? ‘I could teach him a few very useful phrases. Enough to get by. What do you think?’

‘He is not interested in you.’ He shows fang when he signs.

I smile. ‘I didn’t get that impression.’

His tail unwinds from his leg and whips out from behind him, almost as if he lost control of it for a moment. After a deep breath, he straightens his shoulders, and it curls back around him, tighter than before.

Neither of us says anything, the two of us facing off for a long, drawn-out moment. And this time, I’m the one who cracks and breaks the peace.

‘Why did you act like you didn’t know me?’

His eyes widen just a fraction before he shrugs. ‘I do not know you.’

‘Liar,’ I sign sharply. ‘Are you ashamed that I’m human?’ He gives me no answer. ‘Or that I’m Deaf?’

It’s barely noticeable, but at that, he flinches.