Page 11 of A Hint of Delirium

“Aren’t you an adult?” He frowned and took a step back, scrutinizing my face.

I rolled my eyes. “Of course I am! I’m twenty-five!”

“Then what’s the problem?” He laughed.

“Ugh! Have you ever met a Hispanic mother?” I shoved the towels back in his arms, making him stagger back. “She willnotbe okay with this. I could be fifty years old, living in my own house and she still wouldn’t be okay with it. You’re a—” I waved up and down at his body. “A man!”

“That’sthe problem?” He chuckled as if my words were absolutely ridiculous. Maybe they were. But Hispanic moms were crazy, and I wasn’t going to mess around. “Go get settled in. I’ll handle your mother.”

I frowned. “I don’t think you understand—”

“Trust me,” he purred. “I can be very persuasive, Vi. Relax. The bedroom is the second door on your right, and there’s a bathroom right beside it.”

I bit my lip and nodded. If he was going to try to sweet-talk my mother, I’d know soon enough whether it worked if I started getting a bunch of angry texts from her. Turning from me, he started walking down the hall. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to get cleaned up,” he said, dusting the debris off his shirt. “Then I’m going to pay a visit to your mother and check some things out. I won’t be gone long.”

I wanted to beg him to stay and not leave me alone in this strange warehouse apartment, but my pride wouldn’t let me speak the words. If I’d just kept my mouth shut about those stupid leaves, I wouldn’t be wrapped up in this mess and I’d still have a job.

Ansel placed the towels back in my arms and walked away while I stood there dumbfounded, wondering how I was going to get myself out of this predicament. Whatever problems those fae dudes had, I didn’t want any part of it.

The instant I heard the shower running, I snapped out of my daze. I had to get the hell out of there.

* * *

While Ansel wasin the shower, I rifled through his entire apartment trying to find something – anything – out of the ordinary. Some clue that would tell me something about him I didn’t already know. Unfortunately, everything in his apartment was just so …human. I cursed the fact that he was in the bathroom, certain the medicine cabinet was where therealsecrets were hidden.

The shower cut off and I bolted out of his bedroom and into the kitchen, leaning against the counter and pretending to scroll through apps on my phone.

I heard the bathroom door open, then heard Ansel walk down the hall and pause. I kept my eyes glued to my phone, ignoring him. He walked closer, and his bare toes broke into my lowered gaze. I peered up at him, my mind momentarily going blank when I realized he was wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Glistening water droplets rolled down his chest and his hair was wet and combed out of his face. My eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets.

“Oh my gosh, go put some clothes on!” I shrieked and covered my eyes.

He stepped even closer, obviously not understanding the definition of personal space. “What were you doing?”

I scoffed, my cheeks flaming. “What? What do you mean?”

He smirked, fully aware of his effect on me. “You look really guilty right now, Vi. You’re not a very good liar.”

I pressed my lips together to keep from speaking, knowing I would give myself away if I did. Instead, I shrugged with forced nonchalance and glanced back down at my phone.

He chuckled and leaned impossibly closer, making me go rigid as his wet, bare abs brushed against me. I caught a whiff of his shower gel … was that eucalyptus? Droplets of water rolled down his earlobe and hung there for one precious second before falling and landing on my shirt. I watched the orb as it fell, my heart racing.

“I hope you find whatever you’re looking for,” he whispered in my ear with a grin. With that, he walked away with a swagger in his step.

Once he was inside his bedroom and the door closed, I released a deep sigh, finally able to breathe.

Good Lord … why was I hot all of a sudden?

* * *

After getting dressed,he breezed out of the apartment with a promise he’d be back soon. He’d been gone an hour and I was already bored out of my mind. I killed time by watching a movie in his bedroom. The space was well maintained for a guy, and oddly human for a fae. An acoustic guitar sat in a corner by the window. I wondered if Ansel played or if it was just a prop for the ladies who undoubtedly threw themselves at him on a daily basis.

Shaking my head from those thoughts, I glanced at the clock and figured sufficient time had passed that if I left, I wouldn’t get caught. At least I hoped I wouldn’t get caught, either by Ansel or by the meathead he called Cael, the one he claimed would be out searching for me.

I tiptoed out of his bedroom and grabbed my purse from the sofa. Everything was eerily quiet and I hurried through the apartment, my heart beating a mile a minute. I darted to the door, then unlocked and unchained it. But when I tried to turn the knob, it didn’t move. I yanked on the doorknob, but it was immovable.

“Ugh!” I screamed and continued to pull and twist it, but no matter what I did, that sucker wouldn’t budge. Nothing. I was stuck. Thinking I might be able to shimmy out the window or onto a fire escape, I walked over to the tall windows in the living room and looked out, taking a gulp as I realized how high I was. The thought of jumping was officially no longer an option.

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