Page 7 of Romancing His Heart

“No, Seth. I mean it. You’re not going in there again. He needs his rest, and since I’m taking care of him, the answer is no.”

“Dammit, Sloane. I don’t have time for this. If he wakes up, I need to be there to figure out what we’re dealing with.”

“I found him, and he’s in my apartment. That makes him my responsibility. Emory checks on him four times a day, and she said to let him rest. So, until he wakes on his own, you’re shit out of luck.”

I hear the telltale sound of Seth’s growl, but that only makes my mystery woman laugh.

“Listen, mister, I have dealt with every kind of man for my books. Your scary, growly façade isn’t going to work on me.”

“Façade?” Seth bellows, and I chuckle. Whoever this spitfire is, she isn’t backing down.

“Yes, faç-aaade,” she draws out. “Does your girlfriend know you’re here creeping around a man that’s been passed out for a week?”

“What … how? What the fuck are you talking about?”

Holy shit!Does he have a girlfriend now?I’ve known Seth since the academy, so I know he generally keeps his home life private.But a girlfriend?That’s news to me.

“I don’t have a girlfriend, Sloane,” he grumbles.

“A stripper friend, maybe?”

What the fuck?

“Sloane, I need to see Loki.”

“I’ve got it. You’re a dad. You have a little girl. All the glitter makes sense now,” she says happily.

I can’t hear Seth’s reply, but I know she just knocked the wind out of him.

“Oh, relax, Seth. I watch people. I read people. I study them for my books. You’re not hiding anything from me with your perpetual grumpy face.”

I try to stand and put an end to his misery, but moving sends a jolt of pain throughout my body. I’m not nineteen anymore, that’s for sure. I’ve been protective of Seth since the day I found him beyond the courtyard at the academy. Vic had gotten a jump on him, and he never stood a chance. Preying on the weak is a trigger for me, and when I found them, I made sure Vic never forgot me. He hasn’t looked Seth’s way since.

“Listen, I-I mean, you can’t tell anyone, okay? I’ve worked hard to get to where I am, but there are people out there, in my world, who would love to take me down a notch by using my personal life against me.”

“You mean Loki?” she seethes. The anger in her voice gets my attention. Whoever she is, I like that she’s protective of Seth, even if she appears to annoy him.

“What? No. Jesus, Loki has always been in my corner. He’s why I’m here now. But there are others …”

“What the hell, Seth? What decade are we living in? You mean to tell me someone would penalize you for being a single father?”

“Not while Loki was in charge, but now …”

Wait a minute. What is he talking about? I am still in charge, aren’t I?

“Seth,” I call gruffly, “get in here.”

I hear a scuffle in the hall, and I’m curious who the guard is, but right now, I need to know why the fuck he said I’m not in charge. As the door opens, I see a shock of red hair first. When she glances up at me, my lungs collapse. There is a nagging sense in the back of my mind that I should know her, but my memory remains blank.

That’s when I realize I can’t remember a small chunk of time. Without taking my eyes off of Red, I bark orders at Seth.

“What do you meanwhenI was in charge? Why wouldn’t I be in charge?”

Shit, did Red say I’ve been out for a week?

“Loki, I-I think we should call Ash in for this, too.”

Finally, dragging my eyes off the bubbly ball of energy crossing the room to sit in the rocking chair, I look at Seth for the first time. He seems worried and nervous.