Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
"I thought I saw her, you see..." His jaw clenched. "But I could be wrong. She was in a car, and as you know..."
It hurt to hear the bleakness in his tone. I wanted to say 'sorry', but because I knew he hated even the smallest sign of sympathy, I simply let a respectful amount of time pass before clearing my throat and speaking again. "So...what was it that you wanted to tell me?"
"Ah, yes." His dark eyes gleamed. "There's been a man coming here of late."
"Oh." I hadn't really known what to expect from this meeting, but I definitely hadn't expected that.
"At first, I thought he was your stalker."
Zetes, I thought.
"But then I saw you with him—-"
"He's not a bad person," I reassured him. "While I wouldn't say we're friends exactly—-"
Joaquin smirked. "I'm certain he is more than that, querida."
I frowned. "What do you mean..." My voice trailed off.
The sun had already set, and with its crimson rays gone, so was the ghost of Joaquin, whose cursed soul was doomed to haunt only at daytime. I had asked him once, where he went every time darkness fell, and all Joaquin would tell me that it was a place where he deserved to be, for having so callously broken the heart of an innocent witch in his youth.
Tomorrow, I decided absently. I'll ask Joaquin again, and—-
Wait a minute.
All at once, I felt someone staring at me from behind, and I bit back a groan.
Not another dead stalker, please?
I was hoping I could take a little break before getting back to work, but...oh well.
With great power comes great responsibility, I reminded myself just before slowly turning to glance over my shoulder—-
"Boo."
The greeting, albeit drawled out in a soft, lazily pleasant tone, still had me nearly jumping out of my skin, and the moment Hadrian took the chair Joaquin previously occupied, and I saw the way his lip curled ever so slightly—-
Oh shit.
I had no idea what I had done, but one thing I was sure of: I was in big trouble, if the cool glint in Hadrian's silver eyes were anything to go by.
"Um...hi?" I tested a smile on him, but Hadrian didn't smile back.
"You seem a little too fond of your so-called stray," Hadrian said flatly.
It took me a second to understand what he was talking about, and a choked laugh escaped me. "That day..." I remembered how I had lied about waving hello to a stray cat, not knowing that Hadrian could see Joaquin as I did.
No wonder he kept talking about the "stray" back then.
His jealousy was really too cute for words, and unable to help it, I quickly stood up, and - uncaring of what other people might think - planted myself on Hadrian's lap. "I love you," I said sweetly.
Hadrian grunted.
Unwilling to be put off, I curled my arms around his neck as I leaned down to kiss him. Hadrian's lips were stiff and unresponsive at first, but I refused to give up, wooing him with little nibbles until finally, I felt his fingers curve around my nape—-
Finally.
He took over then, his tongue stroking hungrily against mine, and I willingly surrendered to the forceful passion of his kiss. By the time he raised his head, my lips were hurting in the nicest way possible, and I felt just the slightest bit dazed.
"I don't like seeing you alone with him," Hadrian muttered.
"Then I won't be alone with him again," I said easily. "I'll take Mary Priscilla with me next time."
Hadrian frowned. "Just like that?"
"I wouldn't want to see you alone with any other woman either," I explained.
He grunted at this, and I bit back a smile. That was still the sexiest sound ever, and I hated thinking about all those days I had been forced to forget it. But then, it had probably been a thousand times harder for Hades, seeing me live my life like he had never existed...
My heart squeezed, and a sudden, urgent need to speak the words seized me.
"I really love you, you know."
He took my hand and pressed his lips to my knuckles. He didn't say the words back, but the glitter in his eyes said enough.
"Come on." His voice was gruff as he gently lifted me off my lap. "Let's go home."
Hadrian held my hand as we walked back to our place at a relaxed pace.
"Hadrian?"
"Hm."
"Why didn't you come introduce yourself to me right away?" I blurted out. It had been bothering me for a while now, remembering how he had looked surprised and almost angry even, the "first" time we had met at the gym. "I asked Zetes if you were forbidden to do so, and he told me you weren't."
Hadrian didn't answer right away, and I tugged at his sleeve until he was forced to stop and face me.
"You won't let this go, will you?" he asked with a sigh.