Page 61 of One Last Wish

“He came back to the club?” She frowned. “When?”

“He never left, apparently.”

“Bullshit! I saw himleavewith Ned and Daisy.” I’d been too busy making out with Charlie at that point to notice. “Darce must have been watching you! What happened when you got back here?” I was blushing. “Fuck! Did you...did something happen withDarce?”

“We kissed and fumbled around a little.”

“What doesfumblingaround mean?” she squealed, excited. “I needdetails!”

“He went down on me against the back ofthatdoor.” I bit my lip as Evelyn stared blankly at me, and squeezed my legs together at the memory of Darce between them.

“Holy. Fucking. Shit!Finally!”

“I messaged him today and didn’t get a reply, though. Don’t get too excited,” I scoffed. It didn’t stop her clapping her hands and rushing to the fridge to pour us both a glass of white wine. I wasn’t allowed to go back to bed until I’d told her everything that had happened in great detail.

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ISLEPT THROUGH THEnight without any dreams for once. My body must have been too exhausted to make any up.

While showering in the morning, my mind was reeling about the message I’d sent to Darce yesterday. He hadn’t replied, which meant it had probably annoyed him. His mood could go either way when I saw him later.

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THEO WAS WAITING OUTSIDEBookends, rubbing his hands together as I approached work. The air smelt like it might snow today. I’d been lost listening to my music and arrived sooner than I realised.

“Hey, Alora!” Theo beamed, overly excited. “How was the rest of your night on Saturday? Darce told me he walked you home. I honestly thought you would have gone back with that guy on the dance floor, but Darce assured me that you were probably trying to make me jealous.” I don’t know what I was more irate about: the fact Darce had messagedTheobut notme, or the fact that he had fed Theo a load of bullshit!

“Theo, I wasdrunk. Don’t listen to everything Darce says. He doesn't know me as well as he thinks he does. It’s only been a little over amonth!” Sighing, I began to put the door code in.

“Are you sure about that?” Darce’s voice from behind made me jump, making me put the wrong code on the door.

“Jackass!” I seethed.

“Don’t listen to her, Theo. Alora knows how well I know her.”

“Can you goone minutewithout infuriating me, Darce?” I challenged, putting the right code in this time. Darce leaned in, closing the distance between us. He produced a key and unlocked the door. “When did Malcolm makeyoua key holder?”

“Friday. He gave meallthe codes, too,” he breathed, looking down at my lips. “You love it when I infuriate you, by the way.”

“Don’t make me punch you.” Darce chuckled and walked off to turn the lights on.

“We’re still okay for our date on Thursday, right?” Theo interrupted whatever was going on between Darce and me.

“Oh...I...” My eyes searched for Darce. I had no idea what was going on right now.

“Of course she is, Theo,” I heard Darce call from behind a bookshelf. “Alora can’t wait, can you?” He appeared from around the shelf, giving me a smug smile. What was this asshole playing at?

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THE BOOKSTORE WAS REALLYbusy. It was just over a week until Christmas and everyone was getting their last minute gifts. With the store being busy, it meant I didn’t get a chance to talk to Darce about what had happened on Saturday night yet.

“Which series would you suggest for my teenage daughter?” a middle-aged female customer asked me while I’d gone upstairs in search of Darce. “The Dark NexusorSalvation?”

“Well,Salvationis an epic fantasy with all kinds of magic. You’ve got witches, wizards, fae, other magical creatures and humans.The Dark Nexusis a vampire coven love story. It gets a little dark,” I muttered, noticing Darce at the end of the aisle, stacking some new books onto the shelves. “Do you know what your daughter would prefer more?”

“Probably the epic fantasy, but she does have a thing for vampires.”

“How about you get a gift receipt for them both, and I’ll give you my staff discount code so you save thirty percent?” I was being nice in order to get rid of the woman.

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