Page 69 of His Haunted Desire

“Even your nipples are needy for me.

“That was… a fitting goodbye.” I take a step away. “I’ll never forget that.”

He sinks his hands into my hips. I love it when he does that. It plays into our dynamic. He takes me as if he owns me. Which he doesn’t, but the fantasy is hot.

“Every time I touch myself,” he snarls, leaning down for a kiss, “I’m going to think of that. Your thick ass bouncing against me. Your tight, hot pussy squeezing my cock. Your red cheeks as you get closer to an explosion. Your juices soaking my cock. I’ll never think of anything else again.”

I want to kiss him so badly, but I know where it will lead. I turn my face away, resulting in him kissing me on the cheek instead.

“Goodbye, Aurora,” he says.

“Goodbye,” I whisper.

He steps away and looks around the room. “You really are the most talented woman I’ve ever met.”

With that, he leaves the shop. I wrap my arms around myself, wincing when I hear the front door shut.

Suddenly, it’s like my regular self rushes back in. The responsibility. The drama. Fear of the future.

I didn’t realize how effective Raiden was at taking that all away. Now he’s gone, and it couldn’t be clearer.

I stand in front of the triple mirror, adjusting my sex mussed hair.

“Give it a few days,” I tell my reflection. “You’ll forget all about him.”

I don’t know if I’m more frightened of being wrong or right.

Forgetting him means going on with my life, but I’m not sure I want to continue as before.

How am I supposed to date another man after being with Raiden? No one else will compare. No one?—

The bell rings, reminding me of my responsibility.

CHAPTER 26

RAIDEN

“Unfortunately, because no one saw the crime, we currently don’t have any firm leads,” Detective Nina Drake says. She’s a no-nonsense woman with her black hair tied up in a tight bun, wearing a stiff pantsuit.

“It’s been two weeks,” Grandma snaps. “You must havesomething.”

“We’re fairly certain that Roger Grayson wasn’t the intended target. From everything we’ve learned so far, no one at that party would have a reason to want him dead.”

“Whereas I’ve got a target on my back,” I mutter grimly. “Is that the shape of it?”

I’ve been in a sour mood ever since walking out of Needle & Muse. Everything seems blander, colder, crueler. Life seems less… hell, just less. There was a spark of excitement and an undercurrent ofwhat ifwhen I was with Aurora.

“You’ve mentioned your cousin, Julian Blackwell, and an ex-business associate, Victor Dane.”

“Yes,” I say. “Though I still find it difficult to believe Julian would do this. But the guard claimed his attacker was wearing a wolf mask, something Julian often wore at the Retreat. Victor and I had words at the Retreat too.”

“It seems flimsy,” Detective Drake says, frowning at me.

It takes me a moment to realize what her presumptuous look means. “Ah, here we go,” I mutter.

Grandma tilts her head. “Am I missing something?”

“Detective Drake, instead of doing her damn job, is now imagining some scheme whereIkilled Mr. Grayson, a man I didn’t even know, using the fact we were wearing the same mask as cover. It’s the perfect crime.” My tone is laced with heavy sarcasm.