Page 43 of The Vampire's Mate

And with one more kiss, he was out the door.

I pulled out my phone, continuing the song James took with him. I only got a few dishes in before I heard the sound of James’s office door. I didn’t get the usual chill that came with James entering a room, so it had to be Shiloh. Sure enough, they stood in the doorway with their coat slung over one arm. When our eyes met, their cheeks brightened.

“Enjoy the show?” I asked.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” they stammered, dropping their gaze to the floor.

I turned off the water and dried my hands, then leaned against the sink. “Shiloh, look at me.”

Brown eyes met mine. They continued to fidget with their fingers.

“Did James and I make you uncomfortable?”

Shi rolled their bottom lip between their teeth before shaking their head. “No,” they finally said. “It’s my fault. I should have walked away the second I realized what was happening.”

“We shouldn’t have been having sex at work.”

“I get it. The thrill of getting caught…” Shi trailed off, and I waited for them to continue. “I read a lot,” they blurted.

At that moment, I swore it would be my personal mission to find out exactlywhatShi Baby had been reading. It sure as hell wasn’tDracula, but it sounded like something I needed to get my hands on. “You’re sure you’re okay?”

“I am. But I think the next time I forget something, I’ll wait until my next shift to get it.”

I indicated the coat in their hands, then turned back to the dishes. “You needed that tonight. It’s going to get cold.”

They didn’t respond immediately. I returned to my Luke Combs and cleaning, but I didn’t hear them leave. Instead, “Do you want help?”

“You’re off the clock, Shi. Get some rest, you’ve earned it. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Ryder,” they said, so softly I barely heard it over the running water.

I finished the cleaning quick enough, locked up and drove home. It wasn’t until I pulled myself out of the shower that the post-orgasm exhaustion set in. I fished my phone from my jacket pocket, let James know I was home, and collapsed into bed.

The chime from my phone came with a low battery notification. I fumbled around next to my bed, hoping like hell that I remembered to bring one of my chargers back from the living room. I let out a sigh of relief when I found it, all but throwing my phone onto the nightstand. I turned away, falling into a deep sleep.

Maybe a littletoodeep.

When I finally peeled my eyes open, I felt like I’d slept my way into another dimension. Though oddly enough, it seemed I awoke before my alarm. Thinking nothing of it, I trudged out of bed. I lost myself in my habitual morning routine: showering, feeding Carlos and letting him outside, and making myself something to eat. There was something comforting about it, though the morning seemed strangely quiet. I was almost finished cooking when I noted the time on the stove, and it stopped me in my tracks.

Fuck.

I hustled to my bedroom and yanked my phone off the charger.

The screen remained black.

“The fuck?” I bent down to pick the charger off the floor. When I straightened, the charger came with me—too easily. I followed the cord right to the frayed end. Upon further inspection, I saw tiny teeth marks in the plastic surrounding the wires. I reached behind my nightstand, unplugging the other half of the chewed-through charger.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. I raced to the living room to retrieve my spare, cursing my furry roommate the entire way. Once my phone was plugged in—and actually charging—I went back to my room to change into jeans, willing the stupid phone to turn on as fast as possible. I was already an hour late to the bar. I was shoving food in my mouth and arguing with Carlos about getting inside when incessant pinging from the living room let me know my phone was up and running. I gave the dog a few more minutes of freedom while I rushed into the room to call Liz’s, hoping like hell Shiloh would forgive me. They were the one to answer the phone.

“Finally,” they muttered. “Jesus Hector Christ, where are you? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m so sorry, Shi—the dog ate my charger.”

“Aren’t we a little old for that excuse?”

“Ha-ha,” I deadpanned. “I’ll be in as soon as I feed him to the sharks. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s no problem. You might want to call James though. He’s been losing his mind.”

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