“Try me,” he challenged, bringing me out of my thoughts.
I shook my head, still smiling. I couldn’t stop my heart from beating erratically and the warmth settling low in my belly. “Really, sir, it’s silly.” I averted my gaze, my grin widening as I looked at the decorations and how they made his home that much homier. It no longer held a coldness and had more personality now. “It’s just that you look grumpy all the time, and I thought about how some people have aresting bitch faceand thought about you having a resting grumpy face.”
His fingers dug deeper, and his eye twitched.
“I’m sorry,” I rushed out in a whisper.
His hold on me loosened, and he stepped away from me. My shoulders sagged as he turned around and left the room without another word. That must’ve upset him, and I wanted to kick myself for telling him.
After a few minutes of hoping he would return, I cleaned the room and went to my bedroom to get ready for bed. I hoped he’d come into the room and punish me for whatever reason.
An idea popped into my mind, and I grinned. If I touched myself and was a little louder than normal, maybe he’d get fed up and storm into the bedroom and replace the toy with his mouth.
That was exactly what I would do.
Ichose to be alone with my thoughts for the evening, leaving Emma behind at the house. I went to my most recent haunt, nursing my scotch on the rocks at the bar. Everyone was happy and had a good time with friends and family, while I sulked with no company.
Emma’s inability to remember anything had been weighing on me daily. She’d look at me like I was a stranger and an anomaly she couldn’t figure out. Despite that, she was still her sweet, eager-to-please, sunshine self.
“Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye and Kimbra played through the speakers, reminding me of Emma. It was one of her favorites and grew on me until I enjoyed it. Tonight, I wanted to change the song to escape the feelings it brought.
“Fucking sap,”my demon growled.
“You’re in the same fucking boat, asshole,”I snapped back in my mind.
He showed razor-sharp teeth that could terrify almost anyone—particularly humans—but I understood it as a grin.“When are you going to tell her about us, hmm? Do I need to take matters into my own hands again?”
I sipped the scotch.“Don’t you fucking dare. I don’t want you frightening her again.”
“Me? Frighten her?”He scoffed.“Somewhere in her mind, she remembers us. The little one just needs a push, is all.”
By “push,” he meant being extremely rough with her. My demon had no gentle bone in him; the same could be said for me.
“You lack faith in me, Dimitri. I can be gentle if I want.”
This time it was me who scoffed and rolled my eyes. Movement caught my eye, and I turned toward a woman who had taken the seat next to me. Of all the empty seats at the bar, she chose to sit beside me. I wanted to snap her neck and kick her lifeless body aside so I had space once more.
The powerful scent of alcohol from a strong perfume wafted off her and stung my sensitive nose. It overpowered what the fragrance was supposed to be. My temples and forehead began to throb with a headache that not even my scotch could chase away.
Demon cackled and licked his pulled-back lips as I imagined all the ways I could kill this woman.”I like that.”
Of course he did.
I lowered my gaze to my hands resting on the wooden bar. Its fine coat of clear paint made it shine in the dimly lit room. The surface had some marks, possibly from someone using a knife to carve initials and drawings so they could leave a piece of themselves behind for memory’s sake.
“Mr. Volkov?”
I tensed, turned to the woman beside me, and found her staring at me with surprise. She looked like she was in her early thirties, with a heart-shaped face, dimples on her cheeks, and bright blue eyes. Her blonde hair cascaded past her shoulders in beach waves, trailing to her ample breasts squeezed into a tight black corset top. It was an odd clothing choice for December, but it was none of my concern. I looked back at her feminine face, recognizing the lust in her eyes as she stared at me. Before I met Emma, I would have targeted this woman to hunt and fuck until I had quieted my inner demon.
“Do I know you?” I asked with no emotion in my voice.
She fluttered her eyelashes like it’d help her look more alluring to me, but it only made her look like she had something in her eye. Musky arousal drifted from her and filled my senses. I could smell the wetness seeping into her underwear, and the desire to snap her neck returned.
“I’m Mia. I started working at your company recently.” When I didn’t askwherespecifically she worked, she clarified anyway. “I’m filling in for Susan at the visitor’s desk.”
I shifted my attention away from her and went back to silently drinking, hoping she got the idea that I didn’t care and didn’t want to talk to her. Mia’s shoulders drooped in defeat, and she turned to her drink.
“I heard about the accident you were in. They say it was pretty bad and that your assistant was in the hospital for a while,” Mia said before she sipped her fruity cocktail.
