Page 10 of While She Sleeps (The Hunter and The Thief #1)

CHAPTER NINE

ORION

T he light hits her perfectly, illuminating her soft, dark hair and high cheekbones.

But it also highlights something else. Her sadness.

I don’t know how I missed it before, but she seems sadder than usual, like just breathing is hard for her tonight.

“Orion,” I tell her honestly. It’s rare I have to tell someone my name, because most people know it, regardless of which persona I’m wearing.

Her eyes snap up and stare right at me, and my breath stutters in my chest as our eyes clash. She has no idea she’s staring right into my goddamn soul right now when she thinks she’s just looking into the darkness.

She shifts in her seat, tucking one of her legs beneath her to get more comfortable.

I’ve been close to Ember a handful of times, but this is the most time we’ve ever spent together while she’s conscious, and I find myself entranced by every soft sound she makes, every shift of her body, every breath she takes.

“Why are we sitting in the dark?” she asks. “If you’re not going to ask me to do anything, and we’re just going to sit here talking, surely we could have more than a few dim lights on.”

I chuckle and brush my fingers over the stubble on my chin. I’ve been growing it longer recently, and I’ve often wondered if Ember will like it. “Don’t you find it calming?”

“No.” She shakes her head, and her short hair falls against her shoulders. The dress she’s wearing is something straight out of my dreams, showing off her creamy flesh in a way her clothes don’t normally. “It’s a bit unsettling, if I’m honest.”

“You don’t like the dark?”

She’s silent for a beat, as if considering how honest she wants to be with a perfect stranger. “There’s too much unknown in the dark. You never know what, or who, is lurking just around the corner.”

“You say that like you have experience.”

“I do,” she whispers. “Too much.”

Silence falls over us, but it’s not as uncomfortable as it probably should be. Two strangers sitting in a dark room together in the middle of a strip club. Yeah, this should probably be way more awkward.

Ember’s eyes fall closed, and she takes a deep breath, settling further into the chair she’s curled up in. How long can I keep her in here before Lucas comes looking for her?

I asked him to have everyone on his payroll here tonight so I could plant the cameras and trackers in her apartment, but it never occurred to me he would put her to work like this. But I can’t show my hand too early, which means I can’t say shit about him putting her in this position.

“If you’re not a dancer and you don’t normally work here, why did your boss have you in the VIP area tonight?”

She shrugs, her eyes snapping open to search the darkness once more. “Your guess is as good as mine. Lucas is…he’s kind of a moron, but he never does anything without a reason. I’m sure I’ll find out soon enough what angle he’s working having me here.”

“What do you normally do for work?”

A smirk tips up her lips, and I can’t help but wonder if she’s forgotten that while she can’t see me, I have a perfect view of her. “I acquire things.”

I chuckle softly, too quiet for her to hear from the other side of the room. That’s the most eloquent way I’ve ever heard someone admit they’re a thief. “What kinds of things? I might be able to use your services.”

She shakes her head. “I don’t think so.” But she doesn’t bother answering my question. I suppose a good thief knows when to keep their mouth shut, especially when locked in a room with someone they don’t know.

“What do you do for work, Orion?”

My name on her lips steals a groan from my throat, and I reach down, palming my aching cock.

He’s been patient these past months, watching from afar, having nothing but my hand to keep him company.

But he’s getting impatient, the same way I am, and having her this close is making it hard to keep my distance.

“I’m an entrepreneur,” I tell her. Technically, not a lie, or at least not any more than her description of what she does for a living.

She sits up straighter, her shoulders pulling back. “What kind of businesses do you work with?”

“A little bit of this, a little bit of that,” I reply vaguely.

A laugh escapes her throat, but she doesn’t question me further, and for that I’m grateful. Giving her my name was risky enough, but my patience is beginning to falter.

I need to move up the timeline.

I need to make her mine because I don’t know how much longer I can remain a ghost in her life.