CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
He snapped his fingers. “Finn’s bedroom. He’s closer in size to me than Cassander is.”
I watched as he bent and gathered the costume into his arms…and then ran faster than I could fully observe—away from me.
“Um…” I waved my hands in the air in disbelief. “I still need to pay for the delivery!”
“Be there in a second,” Theron shouted, out of sight.
I peered heavenward. “How is this my life now?”
No one answered this time.
With nothing else to do, I finished walking down the hallways to the kitchen. I apologized, “I’m so sorry. It’ll just be another minute.”
The girl popped her bubble gum and shrugged, not even looking up from scrolling on her silver bracelet. Her hip leaned against the longest kitchen counter in here, and her hair was piled high into a ponytail. “I get paid by the hour. It’s fine.”
“That’s nice of your employer.”
I went to find plates. They were in the fourth cabinet I opened. The dishes were made of fine material, even finer than those my parents owned. And they were the most striking crimson color.
Finn truly had a fetish for the color of blood.
I set them on the counter and turned around, my mouth opening for polite conversation while she waited.
But I stopped solid.
Theron was behind her, only an inch separating them. His head cocked and his eyes cast downward, examining every inch of her short stature, from the top of her ponytail down to the sparkling black boots she wore. My eyes widened, my breath caught in my throat, as he bent at the waist and sniffed the top of her head.
His eyes closed and his nostrils flared.
At least he was dressed. In casual, sexy clothes.
And the girl didn’t even notice him—at all.
She just popped another bubble of pink bubble gum and continued to stare, entranced, at her silver bracelet.
The Ancient’s eyes popped open…
The dark color was even darker, his eyes dilated. His bronze cheeks were flushed with arousal, and his lips were parted as if he had been kissed senseless.
My eyes widened. Oh…
With my attention snapping to the girl, I asked in a hurry, “May I ask how old you are?”
“Seventeen. I’ll be eighteen soon.” She shrugged again, with more scrolling on her bracelet.
Like a bucket of ice water had slammed into his face, Theron’s head snapped back. It appeared like it physically pained him to move away from her, his features scrunching and his legs stiff and jerking as he walked backward on silent feet.
Once he was ten steps back, he closed his eyes again, and his breathing became heavy. His fingers wiggled by his sides. He even shook out his legs as if they were cramping on him. With another deep, soothing breath, he opened his eyes, and his gaze was clear.
He stared right at me and dipped his head.
I dipped mine back. You’re welcome.
Then he strode forward, the black shoes on his feet clipping on the tile. “I’m finally here. I’m sorry it took so long.”
The girl’s head snapped up, and he stopped beside her.
She tilted her head far back to peer up into his face, her ponytail hanging down her back. The bubble she had been blowing popped like an eruption…
Right toward Theron’s face.
He let it hit him. I know he did.
The Ancient now had little pieces of pink gum plastered to his bronze features and a few pieces at the edges of his honeyed color hair. He reached up a hand as the girl froze, and leaned toward her, bringing his body just a little closer to grab napkins on the counter behind where she rested. Instead of wiping his own face off first, he handed her the napkin, and commented softly, “There’s more on you than me.”
The poor girl didn’t even move, bubble gum stuck all around her mouth in a lopsided circle. She blinked slowly, and sputtered, “Uh… I… You… S-sorry.”
One side of Theron’s lips curled up. “It’s okay. Take the napkin. There’s more behind you too.”
She spun so fast to place her back to him that she jammed her shoulder into his chest. And she didn’t even notice as she clutched at napkins and hurried to wipe the bubble gum off her face. Her cheeks turned the most brilliant red I have ever seen in my entire life, her gaze aimed right at the pizza boxes on the counter.
On the other hand, Theron was calm and collected as he eyed the back of her head while he picked off pieces of gum from his cheeks. His nose. It was everywhere.
I cleared my throat. “How much do we owe you?”
She grabbed the small, iridescent receipt and shoved it in my direction, merely holding it out in the air.
If she wanted me to help her, I already had.
Once this girl turned eighteen, Lord help her.
Theron plucked the receipt from her hand. He placed his silver bracelet against it, stating, “Authorize payment: Theron King approved. Tip amount: two hundred units.”
The girl’s back stiffened at the impressive tip he had just given her—for pizza delivery. She shoved the dirty napkins into her pockets, and ever so slowly, turned back around. She sucked in a large lungful of air and then peered up into Theron’s face once more.
Without a tremor in her voice, she mumbled, “Thanks. That’s respectable of you.”
And yet…she said it as if she didn’t mean it.
Theron gazed at her curiously.
I stepped forward, grabbed the receipt from his hand, and gave it back to her. “Thank you. Do you need me to walk you out?”
“No, I’m fine.”
I was a little doubtful because Finn’s house was enormous, but I nodded and didn’t question her. “Have a wonderful day.”
“Yeah, you too.”
She practically sprinted out of the kitchen.
Theron watched her until he couldn’t see her any longer, and then he tilted his head…listening to her run away.
I muttered, “Let me know if she gets lost.”