Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shit.

There was a slight pep in her step as she got off the elevator and headed toward his office. To say she was head over heels and completely and utterly obsessed with the man she was going to see would be an understatement.

Stop it. He’s with Chloe now.

She stopped in her tracks, the pep in her step suddenly vanishing.

Lucca was with Chloe now, and though she was in love with the dark demon, he didn’t look at her the way he looked at his scarred beauty. In fact, he never had, and she doubted he had ever even seen the way she looked at him.

They’re perfect for each other ’cause … With a longing sigh, she quietly admitted to the universe what she hadn’t been able to before, “They’re soulmates.”

Since finding out Lucca and Chloe were officially a “thing,” she hadn’t been able to look at Lucca the same, knowing she wasn’t meant for him. Now, all she could hope for was to find a man who was made for her, a man who could make her forget all about Lucca, a man who could make her forget about the boogieman.

Pft. Yeah, good freaking luck with that.

Resuming her steps toward his office, the excitement gone, she told herself she would now and always at least enjoy the opportunity of being in his presence … and the view.

Others might fear being called into the boogieman’s office for the first time, but not her. It only enticed her. The dark, dangerous part of him was what drew her in more and more each day.

Seeing that his office door was open, she stepped right up to the doorway with a bright smile. “Hey, Lucca, you wanted to see …” Her voice trailed off when she noticed he was already talking to someone. “Sorry, I didn’t notice you were …” Her voice trailed off once more, but this time, it was because her breath had been taken away by the unknown man sitting in front of Lucca as he turned his head toward her.

Holy shit, he’s hot.

Her eyes couldn’t move from his dark orbs. They were black yet seemed like a light shone from behind them, turning them into a strange shade of dark gray. Drifting her eyes lower, she noticed a tattoo under his left eye, high on his cheek, consisting of four little dots that formed a diamond. When she slowly drifted her eyes farther down, she saw that his neck was completely covered in obscure tats as well. He was unlike anyone she had ever seen, too used to the well-groomed men who made up the Caruso mafia family. One thing was for sure. He sure as hell isn’t a Caruso.

Lucca’s dark voice echoed through the room with a hint of a smile in his words. “I’ll be with you in a moment.”

She hadn’t even realized she was holding her breath until she backed out of the doorway and turned around, walking to a seat outside the door.

Licking her now very dry lips, she couldn’t help turning her head back toward the door, hoping for a glimpse of the unknown man. She could hear Lucca’s muffled voice as he talked to the man who sat there without expression.

He had dark brown hair that was cut close to the skin on the sides, with longer hair that was pushed back on top, and a short, scruffy beard to match his bad boy aura.

Oh God, stop looking at him.

She quickly snapped her head forward, knowing he was nothing but bad news for her. No way in hell would her family let her get within a five-foot radius of him. Hell, her brother was probably on his way here right now—she swore he had a radar that told him every time she looked at an attractive man. She didn’t blame him. The ones she was attracted to were all mostly psychopaths.

She couldn’t help turning her head to look at him again, seeing that his tattoos got lost under his dingy dark clothing, only to reappear to completely cover his hands.

Yep, he’s a psychopath. The pain this man must have endured to cover the little bit of skin she could see made him one.

Clenching her hands together, she closed her eyes tightly and began to pray. Please, Lord, help me not fall into the Devil’s trap.

“What are you doing?” Lucca’s voice broke her feverous praying.

“I was …” She quickly stood up to face the gorgeous demon, only to look behind him to see the tatted man picking up a gold ring off Lucca’s desk.

As he started to slide it into his pocket, his dark gray eyes turned to see her cholate ones watching him. Finally, an expression passed his face, but it wasn’t the oh-shit-you-caught-me one you would think he would give her. Instead, as he finished sliding it into his pocket, it was like his dark eyes dared her to tell on him.

Looking back at Lucca, she opened her mouth, shocking herself at what came out of it next. “N-nothing. I wasn’t doing anything.”

Going back to his desk, Lucca nodded to the thief. “I’ll see you later, Angel.”

Angel? Jeez, she was in trouble with a man like him who had a name like that.

If he hadn’t just stolen something from Lucca fucking Caruso, she might have taken it as a good sign that he wasn’t a trap from Satan himself. But since he did have the big-ass balls to steal from the boogieman, it was a sign from God telling her to stay very fucking far away from him, reminding her that Lucifer had been a fallen angel before becoming the king of Hell.

God, protect me from this man, she prayed as he slowly walked toward her like a beautiful, dark angel, his eyes piercing through to her soul.

Her breath caught in her throat again when he lifted his hand, putting a long, tatted finger to his lips, the quietest “Shh” passing them only for her to hear.

Fuck, I’m doomed. No amount of praying was going to save her. God sure as hell wasn’t saving her from the fallen angel before her, or from herself.

She turned her head, following him with her eyes as he passed her before disappearing.

She couldn’t help feeling a strange sensation, like a piece of herself left with him, and a piece of him stayed with her. As if when he passed her and slightly grazed her arm, he took a piece of her aura, while she took a piece of his. It had taken her breath away and brought it back in a huge wave. Now she was unable to catch it.

Lucca’s brow rose, his same dark voice with a smile echoing once more through the dim room, asking, “Adalyn?”