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Hugo fell forward, catching himself against the wall with his right hand. He was inches from Alice’s face, his arm cutting off her escape route.

A shiver ran down to the base of her spine as the internal flame reignited. Alice squirmed in the tight place betweenthe corner and Hugo’s outstretched arm. Her eyes flared. She relished him pinning her against the wall.

Not now!

This was definitely a different side of Hugo—a side she hadn’t seen before, but had only heard about in his stories. His aggressive hockey style played out in a hallway battle with vampires. She would have to explore this later when they got home.

She scrunched her eyes as she glared at him. Her smiled faded into pouty disapproval. “How could you think of such a thing at a time like this?”

“I thought you were?—”

“Exactly,” she cut him off. “I know what you were thinking. Shame on you. Get your hormones and pheromones in check. We have a job to do.”

She smiled and winked at him as she ducked under his arm to move past him. She pulled up the hem of her tail coat, so he had to stare at the curves of her hips in the tight leather pants as she ascended the steps.

Hugo chuckled and followed. “Foreplay, indeed.”

Alice glanced back at him with a smirk.

They approached an open spare bedroom door. Hugo hurried past Alice as they stepped into the room. It was barren. No furniture, boxes, decor, or knickknacks. Only a rug covered the center of the room.

“What were they doing in here?” he asked.

“We probably don’t want to know.”

“Let’s check the other bedroom.”

They closed in on the master bedroom. Alice checked with Hugo. His eyes focused on the antique brass knob.

“Are you ready for this?” Alice asked.

“Not my room. Not my house,” Hugo said. “Open it.”

Alice snapped her fingers, and the door flew open. Hugo rushed in withAlice following behind.

“They’re not here,” Hugo said. He kicked over a foot stool. “They’re not here.”

Alice’s heart sank. They were alone in the bedroom. The bed untouched. The furniture in its proper place. Crimson curtains were drawn over the windows, heavy and thick enough to block out the sunlight. Hugo approached and pulled them back. The windows were boarded up so no light could enter.

The bed was meticulously made and flawless. Each fold of the sheets and covers was immaculate. The black and red pillows sat in their proper place. Alice approached the side of the bed. She jerked back the bedcover and sheets, spilling the pillows on to the floor.

“I thought we didn’t have time for that?” Hugo joked.

Alice glared at him and didn’t respond. He gulped and backed away.

“I thought about returning the favor and trashing her place,” Alice said as she pulled the covers completely off the bed. “But I thought of something better. I want to send her a message.” She removed two playing cards from her pocket.

“The Queen and King of Spades,” Alice said as she placed them on the bed. “I want her to know we were here. In her room. Touching her bed. I want her to question what we did in here.”

Hugo strode across the room. Alice recognized the look in Hugo’s eyes. It moved beyond flirtatious. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him.

She gasped. He gazed into her emerald green eyes. She melted in his icy blues as his hands traveled down the small of her back. Alice was enthralled by his heightened pheromones, drawing and pulling her closer to him.

“Why let them guess?” he whispered into her ear. “My heart is burning . . . yearning for you right now. Let’s remove all doubt.”

His words dripped over her like sweet ambrosia, tickling her senses. She wanted him too, but not here. Not in this defiled place he once called home. No. It would have to wait.

“What has gotten into you?” Alice said.