Lady of the Night (Downworlder Series, #3)

Chapter Twelve: Part Two: Picture Perfect

The gentle sway of my body pulled at the consciousness of my mind. I scrunched up my face a little in annoyance. I wanted to sleep a little longer. The past couple of weeks had me always clinging to the edge of exhaustion, "Quinta, wake-up..." The voice was smooth and soft. My body continued to sway and I let out a small rumble, hoping to get whoever it was to leave me alone. I needed sleep and to be left alone.

My eyes fluttered open as the rocking of my body continued, "Quinta. Wake up." The voice was firm now, sounding on the verge of a growl. I heard the familiar accent and my eyes popped open, the haze of sleep disappearing from my mind. I remembered myself and where I was. I must have fallen asleep while I had waited. I felt embarrassed that he had caught me in such a vulnerable state. He pulled back from me.

I stared up at Miles, forgetting myself for a moment. I simply feasted on the sight of him in his black t-shirt, leather jacket thrown over his shoulder with one hand. I hadn't realized how hungry I had been for him until he was standing in front of me. My eyes drifted to his lips and my stomach fluttered, remembering how they had felt, how they had tasted. It was the fact that they were pressed into a grimace that shook me from my ogling.

"Where were you?" The question tumbled from mouth.

"Out." He unlocked his front door and pushed his way into his apartment, stepping around me as if I was nothing but an obstacle in his way. I awkwardly rose up from the ground, following after him. I watched him throw his jacket onto the couch, never looking in my direction, "What are you doing here, Quinta?"

I sucked in a breath, preparing to give him the speech I had been practicing in my head while I had waited for him. I was hit with a distinctly feminine scent. My mouth snapped shut and my beast growled low as I took in another deep breath. He had been with a female, and from the smell of it not that long ago. White hot jealousy rolled through my veins, and I glared at the back of Miles head as he fished a bottle of water from the fridge.

"You stink." He turned to me with a dry look, and slight confusion. My beast wanted to track down the female he had been with and tear out her throat. I pushed back against her, curling my fingers into tight fists as I continued to glare at Miles, "You could at least have the decency to shower off before going into public, instead of subjecting other people to the stench of whatever over perfumed females company you keep."

"You really don't have a right to be upset." He remarked.

"I'm not upset. I was just giving you a tip for the future, you know if you cared to be courteous of the people around you." I shrugged my shoulders, trying to come off as though I didn't care but I did care. The stench of the other female hung between us like an invisible line drawn in the sand. My stomach twisted into knots. I could taste the venom of my jealousy on my tongue.

"Uh-huh." Miles twisted off the cap of his water, tossing it onto the counter, "You don't see me complaining about the stink of males on you. In fact, if I recall correctly the night we met, you were with one of your males. So don't start playing jealous now. It's not like you care anyway, right?" He gave me a pointed look before taking a long drink.

I ground my teeth together, eyes narrowing, "That's my job, prick. What's your fucking excuse?" He was being an ass. I wanted to turn around and walk out the door but I wasn't here for me. This was for the kids, I had to remind myself of that. However that didn't stop the niggling of guilt that entered my stomach. I hadn't returned to work but I had sidled up to my fair share of males, flirting and touching to add to the fantasy of the brothel, to keep all eyes off of me. I resisted the urge to smell myself to see if their scents lingered on me. I narrowed my eyes further, I still had a reason and he was out with some female like I didn't even exist.