“Did she just leave with some strange guy?” Sebastian gaped at the door.
“It...seems that way.” That didn’t seem like the Briar thing to do. “I’ve never seen him before.”
“I think he was in the store a few days ago. He bought stuff.”
“Maybe she knows him, then,” I said. “Maybe he’s an old friend, back in town.”
“Maybe he’s a serial killer,” Sebastian said. “We should follow them. Make sure they’re okay. And then we could arrest him. Citizen’s arrest because he’s a serial killer. I bet there’s an A.P.B. or something on him. We should call the cops.” He picked at his nachos. A layer of broken corn chips lay across the platter with cheese and veggies that had been sitting there for an hour. At least he hadn’t reached for the phone, so I knew he wasn’t serious about the police thing.
“Briar can take care of herself,” I said. I hope.
“Why is it all the girls went home with stupid douche bags tonight? First Noelle, and now Briar.”
I’d reached my limit on drinks awhile ago, and had been drinking only water since to avoid getting any more than buzzed, therefore it was easy to hold my tongue. I avoided any mention of how he could have been going home with Briar if he’d been more observant.
“You should probably get a cab home,” I said. “I think our ‘party’ is pretty much over.”
“Do you think...” He glanced at me. “I should just get over Noelle?”
I sighed heavily. I disliked being asked for love advice; I never knew what to say. “You should follow your heart.”
“That’s...kinda cheesy.”
“If you love Noelle, I’m sure Briar would be happy to keep working with you on getting her back.” And if she’s going to be moving in with me, some work will equal rent money.
“Well...” Sebastian seemed to be chewing on his words. “Okay, do you think you can like more than one person at once?”
These kids were killing me. I wished I had some of Briar’s ability to speak without thinking or caring.
Before I could think to answer tactfully, a voice interrupted me.
“Look into my eyes...”
We both turned to see the figure singing on the stage.
“You will see...”
Alastair had the microphone in a vice grip. Sweat had clumped some of the make-up on his forehead. His eyes were huge and unblinking as he sang in a nasally voice—they dominated his head.
“What...you mean...to-ooo meeee...”
I’d have been embarrassed for him, but Briar had used up most of my cringing for the night. I turned back to Sebastian.
“I should probably go home,” he said.
And so should I. We both rose, and I took Sebastian outside to make sure he reached a taxi safely.
The King of Cups tasted like Whiskey Sour.
I kept calling him that in my head. Sometimes I’m bad with names. Considering we were walking up the steps to my apartment to hook-up, I figured I’d better make an effort to remember his.
Toby...right, that’s his name.
Inside my apartment, my gaze went immediately to my phone. The light on the cradle blinked, so there was definitely a message there.
I wanted to check. It could be Devlin. It could be...well, probably someone other than Devlin. But...
Toby reached for the light switch before me and flicked it on, flooding the living room with light. I felt subconscious suddenly. All the beer had worn off and the situation was getting awkward really quickly.
I set my keys on the coffee table. I opened my mouth, to offer him a drink because I wasn’t sure what else I was supposed to do.
Hands grasped my shoulders, and he spun me around and kissed me. Caught off guard, I took in a rough breath. His fingers sank into my hair possessively and the kiss deepened. Different lips than Devlin’s, different technique, different everything.
But I adjusted to the change quickly. I twisted my arms free to strip off his shirt, and kicked off my shoes. My hands settled on his chest, feeling the taut quivering muscles there, and my fingertip brushed a nipple ring. That was hot.
A growl of desire sounded in his throat. I backed up towards the bedroom. He followed, yanking our clothes off as we went. The back of my knees hit the edge of my low-sitting bed. His fingers dragged down the zipper of my jeans, then grasped the top and peeled them down. I fell back on the bed and lifted my legs for him to pull off the rest of my jeans. The remainder of his clothes followed, and he stood at the end of bed, very naked.
“There are condoms in the jewellery box on the dresser behind you,” I said.
Toby gave me a crooked grin and made no move to get one. He moved forward, hands running up my legs, and crawled towards me. His lips found my knee, then my inner thigh, as one hand travelled higher.
I leaned my head back and sighed—the physical contact felt so good, and I ached for more.
“Behind you,” I repeated.
“Aw, I’m clean—I promise, sweetheart. Want a note from my doctor?” His fingers played over my panties. “I’ll get you one.”
I grinned. “I’m not worried about something your doctor would be looking for.” I placed my foot on his chest and firmly pushed him into a standing position. I stretched my leg out to keep him at bay and his back hit my dresser.
“Honey,” he began. “Really, I’m clean—”
“I’m a little more concerned about catching lycanthropy,” I said.
A beat of silence, then, “Huh?”
“You’re a werewolf.”