Page 171 of Mayhem and Minnie

“Let’s make dinner,” she whispers as she leans back. Fuck. I’ve never in my life heard more erotic words than that.

I’m frozen on the spot, unable to find my words. But as she turns to go downstairs, I reach out and pluck a fallen strand of hair from her sweater.

She doesn’t notice it, to my great relief.

But once the smell of food infiltrates my nose, I forget about everything else.

I should have asked her about her injuries—well, nonexistent injuries. But how can I ruin this dynamic when she smiles at me and hands me my bowl of food?

And I, like the poor peasant that I am, take it with both arms, worship dripping from my gaze.

A while later, my stomach thanks me. My brain, however, keeps berating me for becoming a mindless fool around her.

Alas, I don’t think there’s any cure for that.

23

As I get ready to leave for the meeting with the elusive SarahJ, Minnie almost knowingly awaits me in the hallway. Arms crossed across her chest, she looks at me suspiciously.

Her strand of hair, nestled inside a small vial in my pocket, bores a hole through my clothes as she studies me from head to toe.

“Where are you going?” she demands to know.

“Out. I have business to take care of,” I answer glibly as I pass by her.

I barely take a step before she jumps in front of me, her brows drawn together in a frown.

“You never go out, Marlowe,” she notes. “So where are you going?”

Damn it. Of course she knows my patterns by now and the fact that I rarely go out.

“I have some business to attend to. You may not believe it, but I still work daily.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“I didn’t ask you to believe me. I just stated the facts.”

She narrows her eyes at me.

“I’m coming with you,” she says after a moment.

“No. You’ll do no such thing. This meeting is with men. A lot of men. I will not have them become obsessed with you. I happen to be recovering from grave injuries, as you recall. I cannot be out there fighting legions of men,” I tell her matter-of-factly.

“I’ll wait in the car.”

“The answer is no, Minnie. I will not be long. You can clean the downstairs bathroom while I’m away.”

I move to leave again, but once more, she stops me.

“That’s it? You’re leaving just like that?” she asks in disbelief. “No more questions about my witchery? Or those creatures you think you saw? Don’t tell me you came to your senses?” She raises a brow.

“Of course I came to my senses. Yesterday was a mere lapse in judgment, and I trust you will forgive me given my incapacitated state?” I smile.

I can tell she wants to pick a fight by the way her upper lip twitches in annoyance. She didn’t think I’d give up so easily on my claims, and although she’ll never admit what happened at the accident site to my face, she’s not above using the topic to stop me from leaving.

Ah, my little heathen. She has no idea how much it pleases me to see her so rattled by my departure. Unfortunately, I do have to go. Otherwise, I would have baited her further with this jealousy she has going on.

It’s a big turn-on, what can I say.

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