Page 38 of Raziel

“So five months from now…” Her smile was small. Sharp. “That’s our expiration date.”

She stood and sauntered over to me, hips rolling slow, like she’d practiced the walk just to ruin men like me. Her skin glowed in the morning light.

“Gimme a hug before you go.”

I didn’t move. Because something akin to fear held me in place. What did she mean, expiration date? I wanted to reach up and rub the spot across my heart that suddenly ached.

She stepped right into my space anyway, arms sliding around my waist. She smelled like last night—like heat, skin, and sex. She pressed her mouth to the center of my chest, right over my heart, and lingered there a second too long before pulling away.

Then she turned, completely unfazed, and walked into the bathroom, her bare back disappearing behind the door like she hadn’t just dropped a bomb and walked away from the wreckage.

I stood there, rooted in place, wondering how the hell she could say something like that so easily. She was the one who’d chased me in the beginning. The one who clung like she didn’t want to let go. Now she was acting like this was nothing. Was she really okay with me marrying another woman? Or had I pushed her away so much she didn’t care what happened next?

I didn’t know what I was feeling.

Her words shouldn’t have meant anything. We weren’t anything.

But the way she said it—That’s our expiration date—it echoed.

I hated how much they bothered me.

More than they should’ve.

Because five months wasn’t a long time.

But suddenly it felt even shorter.

Chapter twelve- Raziel

Alessia was waiting at the door like the perfect wife she wanted to be.

She rushed me, wrapping her arms tight around my neck, pressing her body to mine like she thought I might vanish if she let go. Her grip was needy, too tight—I felt like she was trying to crawl inside me.

“I thought something happened to you,” she whispered.

I didn’t hug her back. Just let her cling.

She pulled away, blinking fast, smoothing her robe like she could wipe away the neediness. “You said you were with Priest. Can I call him? Just to hear it from him?”

The corners of my mouth stayed put, my jaw easing into a calm I didn’t feel. I handed her my phone. The one without the pictures and messages from Maya. “Go ahead.”

She put it on speaker. Priest answered immediately.

“Yeah?”

“Priest, hi. Sorry to bother you…” Her tone full of sugar and nerves. “Raziel said he was with you last night?”

“He was.” Flat. Unimpressed. “We were at the warehouse going over the Tampa run. Phones were off.”

“Oh… okay. That makes sense. Thanks—I was just really worried.”

“You good now?” Priest asked.

“Yes! Actually…” A bright pivot. “I’m hosting a little dinner next week. Just close friends. You and your wife should come. I’d love to get to know everyone Raziel works with.”

My jaw locked.

“Sure,” Priest said. “Text me the time.”