Page 31 of A Sip of Sin

Hollen paused, turning toward the sound of Adair’s shout. His friend was standing at the far end of the hall, his face flushed red and his chest rising and falling fast. “You came.”

Hollen glanced at the floor, his own heartrate picking up. “Of course. You’re my best friend…” He trailed off. “I’m sorry—”

Adair threw his arms around him, the smell of sweet cologne and sweat enveloping him. “Thank you so much.”

He felt sogood,the warmth of his skin enough to soothe the terror that had been haunting him for weeks. Hollen hugged him tight, pressing his face into Adair’s shoulder. George hummed beneath Hollen’s skin, sinking into the embrace as tears rolled over Hollen’s cheeks.

Chapter Fourteen

Hollen

“This is weird.” Hollen kept his voice low as he slipped into the kitchen, his new white shirt still surprisingly stainless after many round trips to the dining room. “How do I pretend that I don’t know what they are?”

The other servers didn’t seem to mind, their expressions almost empty as they moved back and forth like clockwork. Even an occasional correction from the chef didn’t seem to affect them, their lips seemingly sealed as they worked.

It was like working with a bunch of ghosts.

Still beat the customers, though.

He dropped the silver pan he’d been carrying into a nearby sink that was brimming with soapy water. There was another fresh tray already waiting for him on the counter, piled with delicate pastries adorned with peaches.

“I avoid looking at their mouths as much as possible,” said the chef, grinning as Hollen looked at him with wide eyes. “Sorry… Couldn’t help but overhear.” He held out his flour-covered hand, clasping Hollen’s and shaking it firmly. “Sean. Nice to officially meet you.”

“Hollen.” He stared at the powder left behind from the handshake, dipping his hand into the blistering water to wash it clean. He’d seen Sean that first night, but he’d never introduced himself, too busy with acting the fool.

“Cute. Sounds Christmassy.” Sean dove his fingers back into the dough he was kneading. There was flour on almost every part of him except his sleeves, including a smudge on his cheek. Sweat was beading on his forehead, his biceps bulging with each turn. It was mighty distracting, if Hollen were being honest.

“It kind of is,” said Hollen, leaning against the closest wall and letting the coolness soak into him. It was hot in the restaurant, almost warmer than he remembered Munro’s room being.

Hollen smiled. “I was born on boxing day, so I just missed it.” His feet were aching, along with his hands from carrying so many heavy trays back and forth.

The quiet lady in the kitchen who seemed only to plate and pour continued to work, her hair completely in place without a hint of tiredness about her. As soon as one filled tray disappeared, she began to work meticulously on the next, never seeming to miss any details in her silence.

It had to be getting close to midnight, and sleep was pulling at him in the worst way. Apparently, vampires had no issue with going out in the sun, so he had no clue why they wanted to be out so late, or why they wanted to eat pastries at all. From what he’d seen, there was no blood in any of the recipes.

“Is this your first time working with vampires?” asked Sean, patting the dough until it was in a rounded ball, before tossing it onto a large metal tray with a few others. “Most of my family are blood suckers, so I had an in.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Ten years ago, I would have done anything to open my own bakery, but it wasn’t in the cards.”

“Yeah.” Hollen curled his toes in his tight black shoes. They were a size too small, but it was all he’d been able to find thatwould match his ensemble. “I’ve had some pretty weird jobs, but nothing like this.”

“Munro’s pretty cool, and he’s not like some of this group. He’ll back off if you ask him to, unlike Rhys. That guy’s just an ass.” Sean nudged his shoulder, pointing to a scar on his neck that was barely noticeable. “Happened my second day. You stay away from Rhys if you don’t want to match.”

Hollen felt the blood drain from his face, and he had to lean heavily on the counter wall. He’d been so very close to matching that his head ached.

“Don’t worry about that, though,” said Sean. “You must be used to it from your own family. They vamps? Or something else?” He grabbed some plastic wrap, covering the tray before sliding it along the back counter where there were three trays like it already resting.

“Not really,” said Hollen, scratching the back of his head. “A few months ago, I didn’t even know vampires existed.” He touched his neck in the same place Munro had kissed so gently the day before. The skin was sensitive, sending goosebumps all down his arms and to his toes.

He dropped his hand. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to get hard just thinking about it. He doubted that would fly.

“Shit.” Sean paused, looking him up and down. “Are you a shifter then? Some of the old packs are pretty out there on traditions. You don’t give off many weird vibes, though.”

“Um, nope.” Hollen looked over his shoulder. The lady wasn’t ready with the next tray yet, and the coast was clear otherwise. He wasn’t sure if she could even hear him. “I’m kind of possessed by a demon.”

Sean’s eyes went wide.

“He’s a really nice guy.” Hollen held out his hand. “He’s saved my butt a few times. But yeah, he talks a lot. He told me aboutvampires and all that.”But I’ll have to ask him about shifters sometime.

“Huh.” Sean grabbed another hunk of dough out of the large mixing bowl, throwing it on the floured work surface. “I didn’t know that was a thing. Growing up with vamps, I never believed in God much, so I guess I didn’t think demons were around.”

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