Page 25

His gaze raked over me in a way that made my skin prickle with unwanted awareness. For a split second, his eyes flashed with unmistakable interest before darkening to something closer to rage. The whiplash of his expressions sent my heart racing—and not in a good way. My fingers curled into my palms, fighting the urge to wrap my arms protectively around myself. It's been less than a week since Xavier's betrayal, since I clawed my way out of my own grave. I'm not ready for any man's attention, especially not from someone who looks at me like he wants to devour me one moment and destroy me the next.

"Are you alright, sir?" Thea asked, her voice honey-sweet with concern. "You seem off today."

"I'm fine," he snapped.

"Are you sure?" I can't help asking. "Because you've checked on me four times in two hours, and each time you look progressively more ill."

Thea stifled what sounded suspiciously like a giggle. "He does seem rather invested in your progress."

"I'm right here," Lust growled.

"And yet somehow still not actually helping," I muttered, then immediately regretted my loose tongue when his eyes narrowed. "Sorry, I just...for someone running a matchmaking agency, you don't seem very?—"

"Very what?" The temperature in the room dropped several degrees.

"Into it?" I gestured at the mess of inadequate paperwork. "I mean, are you even really Lust? Because I've got to say, this whole setup seems..."

"Seems what?" His voice was dangerously soft now.

"Like someone's idea of cosmic irony," Thea finished for me, and I shot her a grateful look. When I glanced back at her, the strange shimmer was gone, leaving me wondering if I imagined it. "I mean, no offense sir, but you have to admit it; you're not exactly the poster child for romantic connections."

He opened his mouth, closed it, then seemed to deflate slightly.

"The mixer idea," he said instead of addressing our points. "Where would you even hold something like that? Most venues aren't exactly equipped for our...unique clientele."

I straightened in my chair, recognizing the olive branch for what it is.

"Give me a day to research options? There has to be somewhere in town that caters to a more diverse crowd."

"And by diverse, you mean supernatural," Thea clarified, her lips twitching.

"Exactly. Somewhere private enough for security, but public enough to feel casual." I tapped my fingers against the desk. "Let me make some calls."

Lust studied me for a long moment, that same conflicting mix of emotions crossing his face before he managed to school his features into neutrality.

"Fine,” he said. “One day. But if this goes wrong..."

"It won't," I assured him, even as my stomach churned at the thought of organizing any kind of romantic event. The irony of helping others find love when my own love life had been so horrific wasn’t lost on me.

He nodded curtly and turned to leave, but paused in the doorway.

"And Juniper?"

The false name still took me a moment to register. "Yes?"

"Try not to completely upend our entire business model before lunch?" There was a hint of dry humor beneath the strain in his voice.

I felt my cheeks heat. "No promises."

The moment he was gone—practically running, from the sound of his footsteps—Thea turned to me with raised eyebrows.

"Okay, seriously. Is anyone going to address the elephant in the room?" She asked.

"You mean how the supposed embodiment of desire looks at me like he both wants to kiss me and kill me?" I asked.

"While simultaneously appearing physically ill whenever he's near you," she added. "I've worked here for three years, and I've never seen him act like this."

"Maybe he's not really Lust," I suggested, only half joking. "Maybe he's just some poor schmuck who got stuck with the job."