Devil Mine (Walk Through Shadows Book Two)

Chapter Five

The warmth of her body was seductive. Balthazar tightened his arm around her chest as it sank into his chest. His head dipped forward, and he buried his nose in her hair, taking in the scent of jasmine that clung to the shiny locks. He ignored the whiffs of spicy cologne he recognized. After a minute, she relaxed against him. Under his arm, the rapid pounding of her heart settled and fell into a rhythm closer to normal.

"Em," he murmured.

Her response was a string of muffled words from behind his hand. He pulled it away but didn't release his arm from her chest.

"First, who I do or don't see is none of your damn business. And second, how the hell do you keep getting into my apartment?" Her heart sped up as the words flowed out of her in a rush.

"You should—"

"Why? Because he's probably going to misrepresent himself so he can get in my pants? You'd know all about that, wouldn't you?" She strained against the arm holding her to his chest.

"I was called away unexpectedly."

"How convenient for you," she said. "Did you forget you to use a phone?"

"I wasn't able to call from where I was." He decided not to mention that he'd been trying to protect her identity. She'd find out about that soon enough, now that Crimson had found her.

"You deserve better than what I gave you."

"It wasn't like I was expecting a proposal or anything but to have you just disappear—" She took a breath and turned her head to look over her shoulder. "Is everything okay?"

His lips twisted with a frown. "Things are still unsettled but I didn't want to stay away any longer."

"Why?"

"I was worried about you. As it turns out, I had reason to be."

"You mean Crimson?" She shook her head. "My boss made me dance for him. That's all," she said. There was no point in trying to explain what had happened earlier. She didn't understand it herself.

He shifted his weight and tightened his arm. "He was looking for you."

"Why would he be looking for me?"

"Because of me." He let go of her with that whispered statement.

She spun around to face him. "I'm going to need more than that."

"It's better if you don't know the specifics." She snorted softly. He moved closer, crowding her against the door, drawn forward by the memory of her lips under his.

"How is it better?"

"It's safer." His hands reached for the sides of her head while he lowered his. "He's dangerous. Please trust me."

"I barely know you," she whispered. His lips brushed hers gently. "How am I supposed to trust you?" Their lips met and cut off whatever else she might have said. She let him kiss her, even swayed toward him for a moment, then her hands connected with his chest. They slid upward slowly and pushed him away. He lifted his head with a heavy sigh. "You should go."

He stepped back. "Em—"

"You took off for weeks without so much as a text and then, when you come back, you break into my apartment again to tell me to stay away from another guy." She threw her hands up. "But you won't tell me why. I'm just supposed to trust you. How can I do that when, for all I know, you're the bad guy?" Her head tilted as she stared at him. There was nothing in his eyes that hinted at what he was thinking, no nervous ticking muscles along his sculpted jaw.