Finding Fire

Chapter 8

Anna was very proud when she held back her scream at finding Nicolas waiting right next to the door to her apartment. He didn't look too pleased with her either.

"Where were you?"

She raised her eyebrows at his angry tone. She was tired from the long day and night she had. Even though she'd been bracing herself for this confrontation during the two-hour trip from Abigail's, she wasn't prepared to see him at her door.

"I was wherever I want to be." She tried to move past him to unlock her door, but he stood stubbornly in her way. At the moment, she really wished she had her gun. "I've only known you for one day, and yet I'm already very sick of you. Now move," she ordered, trying to muster up as much authority in her tone as possible.

She wasn't surprised when he didn't budge. Instead of making some futile effort to move him, she wrangled her hand around his back and tried to locate the keyhole. This pressed her front directly into his, and the strangest sensation hit her torso.

In surprise, she lifted her free hand to his chest. Warm solid muscle pressed against her. There was also a steady heartbeat. "You're not dead?"

He shot her a cocky grin. "You have no idea how alive I am." His voice wrapped around her and echoed in her head. He gave a pointed look to an area low on his body.

Anna followed his gaze and found herself staring at his crotch. She pushed away from him. He bumped back against the door.

"Seriously?" she asked. He couldn't seem to stop grinning at her shocked reaction.

This time she pushed him away from the door. He must have allowed himself to be moved, because she knew that there was no way he would've budged if he didn't want to.

She crossed into her apartment and laid her bag on the loveseat. There was no room for a sofa, so the loveseat was the largest piece of seating. Nicolas remained in the doorway.

"What?" she asked when she noticed he was staring at her.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Anna couldn't stop her smug smirk from forming. "Really? You need to be invited in?"

He just shrugged.

"Um, I don't really know if I want you to have an open invitation," she said honestly to him after her smirk faded.

He didn't seem too offended. "Then come with me back to my place." He said the words casually, but she doubted how casual they actually were. She didn't want to be in a small enclosed space with him at all.

But that didn't mean they were completely out of options. "Coffee! Let's do coffee."

His face filled with disgust. "That's the worst idea I've ever heard."

"No. In fact, it's a great idea. It will be much harder for you to intimidate me when we are surrounded by people."

"You think I'm trying to intimidate you?"

Anna walked closer to the doorway, feeling very happy there was at least one thing about him she could control. "I have no idea what you're trying to do to me. But intimidation is definitely something I always seem to feel around you. So I'd really appreciate you agreeing to meet me somewhere public."

He looked down at her. "Are you always this honest with men?"

She was surprised at the question. "I never liked lying."

Charles's whole life had been a lie. His smiles, his laughs, his friends had all been one big lie cultivated to make the world believe he was something other than a monster.