Aurelius slid into the backseat beside me and closed the door.
“We can go,” he said to the driver. An instant later, the car pulled away.
Glancing out the back window, I watched the mansion slowly shrink as we cruised down the long driveway, leaving behind the beautiful and expansive grounds. After only a few moments, the house and the mountains vanished from sight.
The drive back home didn’t take long. In fact, it seemed to fly by faster than was natural. Aurelius and I sat in companionable silence. I wondered if the same thoughts were going through his head. I was undeniably attracted to him. No other man had ever elicited such a reaction out of me. He was gorgeous, smart, kind, funny, and easygoing. Everything you could imagine. He was like a paper cutout of the perfect man. This had truly been the most magical thirty-six hours of my life. Soon, it would all seem like a dream.
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” he finally asked as we turned into my neighborhood.
“You’ve done more than enough,” I said. “Please. I don’t want you going home thinking you’ve ruined my life or anything.”
“Whew, that’s a load off,” he said, pretending to wipe sweat from his brow. “I was nervous.”
“Jerk.” I laughed and nudged his leg with my foot.
“We’ve arrived, my lord,” the driver said as we pulled up outside my apartment complex.
Aurelius got out first and held the door for me, then walked me to the entrance. He was tense, acting awkward. If my instincts were right, he was uncomfortable.
“This is me,” I said, turning to face him.
“I suppose it is,” he murmured, then turned to gaze into my eyes. “I’m… I’m going to miss you. That might sound strange. Forgive me, if it does.”
Shaking my head, I touched his arm. “I’m going to miss you too.”
He cleared his throat and nodded toward the mountains. “You know where I live.”
“Is that an invitation?” I asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Not if you don’t want to. I mean, I’m sure you have a lot going on.” Aurelius’s voice was uncharacteristically strained. Normally controlled and precise, he was almost stumbling over his words now.
“Maybe I will visit sometime,” I said, though I doubted that would actually happen. As much as this connection between us had formed over the last day and a half, he was still the prince of dragons. He would slowly forget about this sad, non-shifting shifter woman. That was fine, though. I’d still have the memories.
He gave me a brief smile, and relief flashed in his eyes.
“Good. I’d like that,” he said. “Well, I guess this is it.”
Before I could react, he leaned forward, his face mere inches from mine. He was going to kiss me. His lips would press against mine, feather soft, before becoming more urgent. Maybe the tip of his tongue would slip along my bottom lip. It would be hot and steamy, and his body would rub against mine, heat melding together until we were one. I was ready for it.
God, I was dying for it.
His lips bypassed mine and landed chastely on my cheek.
“Have a good day, Brielle Laurent,” he said as he slowly walked backward to the car, not taking his eyes off me.
Suppressing the disappointment, I waved at him.
“Good bye, Aurelius Decimus,” I said.
With one final-was that longing on his face?-look, Aurelius got into the car, and it pulled away. As I stood there, Idid feel like everything that had happened was nothing more than a dream. It was already fading into memory. Sighing heavily, I walked inside and made my way up to the penthouse.
It wasn’t until I was in the elevator that I realized I’d never informed Delphine that I’d be spending an additional night away. My time with Aurelius and his friends had sent everything else fleeing from my mind.
Delphine rushed at me as soon as I walked in.
“Where have you been?” she nearly shouted, and I could see the fear in her eyes. More shame washed across me for making her worry.
“I’m sorry. Things got away from me. I should have let you know.”
Delphine, having possibly noticed something in my tone or the look on my face, frowned at me.
“Elle? Are you all right? You look sad. Did something happen while you were gone?”
“It’s fine,” I said, waving her off. “Uh, I’m going to go change and lie down, okay?”
Before she could answer, I hurried toward my room.
“Elle, are you sure nothing is wrong?”
I turned and gave her a sad smile. “No. Everything’s fine,” I said, then closed the door.
I hated lying to Delphine.
BRIELLE
Iwas usually off on Mondays. I’d set up a schedule with Lorraine so I’d have a three-day weekend each week. Usually, I liked this arrangement. I didn’t actually need any money, and the extra day off gave me time to run errands, read a book, see a movie, or do extra chores around the apartment. That particular Monday morning, however, I did not want an extra day to stew in my thoughts.
I’d spent the rest of Sunday afternoon and evening thinking about him. It had only been a few hours, but I missed him like crazy. Not just him, but Vince and Rasp as well. Delphine could tell something was up with me, but thankfully, she let me wallow in my misery. Talking about it would only make things worse.
The first thing I did when I woke on Monday was call Lorraine.
“Good morning, this is Sew You Like It. How can I help you?”
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