Page 56 of Sharing Shadow Secrets (High Five Novella #6)

I ’ve been standing for hours—posing, smirking, working the vampire bit for every single photo. Taylor and I never discussed a break, but I could really use one. The line hasn’t let up once. I’ve easily taken a hundred photos at this point.

Out of the crowd, I spot her pink wig. “Taylor!” I call out.

She weaves through the people toward me, but her expression … There’s something off in her eyes—nervousness maybe? Her energy feels entirely different from earlier.

“You good?” I ask.

“Yeah,” she says, but it’s unconvincing. Her voice is too light, hesitant.

I squint at her for a moment before asking, “Can I take a water break?”

“Oh—of course. Sorry.” She tucks a pink strand behind her ear and glances at the line.

I tilt my head, wanting to know what’s going on. “Join me?”

She nods. “The vampire will be back in five,” she announces, moving down the line. When she turns back to me, her smile is … off.

We head toward the hall. I turn the office door. Locked.

“Oh. Um, want me to get you water from the bar?” she asks, and I hear the nervousness in her tone. “You can chill here.”

Then the unmistakable sound of a woman’s moan comes through the door. Our eyes go wide. My brows lift. Taylor’s hand covers her mouth. We don’t say a word—silently agreeing to get the hell out of there. She giggles as we walk toward the bar, and I nudge my shoulder into hers.

“You weren’t the only one with that idea tonight,” I whisper.

Taylor stammers. “How do you know that?”

“I’m good at reading a room.”

She flashes me a tight-lipped smile and flags down the redhead bartender. “Two waters, please.”

I study her as we wait. “Okay,” I say slowly. “What’s going on with you?”

“Nothing.”

“But you’re being weird.” I poke her side. “Spill.”

She laughs and covers her face with both hands. “I’ll tell you when I’m no longer your boss.”

I tap her phone on the bar. “You’ll tell me in thirty minutes?” The event ends at midnight, but I’m technically off at eleven.

Her cheeks flush, and she looks away. Why doesn’t she want to tell me until I’m no longer working?

“Ah …” I chuckle devilishly. “Are you waiting to sexually harass me until I’m no longer an employee?”

“Maybe,” she says in too cute of a tone, but still isn’t making eye contact.

“It isn’t harassment if I want it. And I do.”

The bartender drops two waters in front of us, and Taylor flinches. It makes me laugh. She’s adorably rattled.

She looks up at me then, her eyes wide and unsure. “I have a wild…” Her voice trails off as she looks down.

I tilt her chin up with my fingers. “What do you want?”

“After this … do you want …” She pauses, and her cheeks flush the reddest I’ve seen them all night. I tilt my head, maybe understanding where this is going.

“In the office wasn’t enough for you?”

She shrugs while giggling nervously.

“What do you want, Taylor?” I ask in a commanding tone.

She flicks her finger, and I bend down. She cups her hand over her mouth and whispers into my ear, “Would you be interested in coming back with us?”

I lean back, smirking. “So formal.”

“I panicked,” she says, shaking her head. “I didn’t know how to say it.”

“I’m getting mixed signals,” I tease. “Your boyfriend told me hands off earlier.”

She hums. “Looks like he changed his mind.”

“You two would be fun.” I raise a brow. “So, how do you see this going?” I ask, playing with the ends of her wig. The nervous look that follows is too cute. She’s a good girl who wants to be bad. That’s fun.

“I want to be God’s favorite.”

“You want to be a pillow princess?”

I drag my eyes down her slowly, taking in the wig, the short nurse dress, her thighs. “Where’s the afterparty?”

“Brandon’s.”

I tap my fingers on my lips, pretending to think, even though I already know my answer. “I’m down.”