Page 34 of While She Sleeps (The Hunter and The Thief #1)

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

EMBER

H e’s not lying.

That much I’m absolutely sure of.

And that should probably scare the hell out of me.

“There’s nothing I won’t do to keep you safe, even when that means you’re unhappy with me.”

The words filter through my mind as I stare into his dark eyes, wading through demons that rival even my own. But we’re not at a point where I can question him about them, and we likely won’t ever be.

Because falling for Orion Henderson will be my downfall, and I have no intention of going down like that.

But I may not have a choice.

Without taking his eyes off mine, he waves for the closest waiter. “We’ll take the check.”

I swallow thickly and nibble at my bottom lip. I should be running for the hills, so why does it feel like I’m just going to wind up running straight into his arms?

Vibrations in my lap drag my attention from the man that makes the rest of the world disappear, and I only hesitate for a second before pulling my phone from my bag.

Lucas’s name lights up the screen, and I send the call straight to voicemail. There’s no way I’m dealing with his shit tonight, not when he’s been nothing but a pain in the ass ever since he gave me my assignment to find the Hunter.

If he wants it done on his timeline, maybe he should do it himself.

A few seconds pass before a text comes in, and I sigh. Of course the man couldn’t just accept that I don’t want to speak to him right now.

Lucas: Don’t forget to get payment from your little boyfriend for this little date you’re on.

Ember: What the fuck are you talking about?

Lucas: Moving your dates from the club elsewhere isn’t going to save moneybags any cash. I expect payment in full before the end of the evening.

Ember: You’re certifiable. I’m not a prostitute, and I’d appreciate you stop treating me like one.

Lucas: If I tell you to fuck him, that’s exactly what you’ll do, right up until the last dollar of your debt is paid.

I throw my phone back in my purse as hot tears threaten to fall against my cheeks. He’s always been a fucking asshole, but recently he’s taken it to an entirely different level.

“Ember?” Orion’s worried voice drags my attention to him, and I blink away the tears before he can see them.

“Hmm?”

“Are you okay?” He nods toward my purse, where I hid my phone away.

“Of course.” I swallow around the lie, even knowing he’s going to see right through it. Orion seems to be so in tune with me and my emotions that I doubt I’ll ever be able to get much past him, but that goes both ways.

It’s actually probably why we’re a good match. Our unique ability to read others would make it hard to keep anything from each other. It’s too bad this thing can never go any further.

Not when my life isn’t my own.

Not while I have my debt to Lucas hanging around my neck like a noose.

The high of my earlier orgasm is long gone, and all that remains is a sense of dread I can’t escape.

“You know, Little Flame…” Orion drags a finger up the inside of my thigh, and my breath stutters in my chest. “I don’t like when you lie to me.”

I press my eyes closed for a moment, allowing my emotions to clear and my usual mask to slip into place.

Except it doesn’t. Not like it usually does.

Not with the practiced ease I’ve grown accustomed to.

Something about Orion makes me vulnerable, which isn’t something I can afford to be right now. Maybe ever.

“It’s just Lucas being an asshole,” I tell him a partial truth in the hope of placating him. It’s not like the information will come as a surprise to him. He knows my boss, and he knows what a total fucking cunt he can be.

He nods his understanding but doesn’t remove his hand from the sensitive flesh of my inner thigh. Just a few inches higher, and he would feel how wet I am for him, even as conflicting emotions war inside me. My body responds to him, even when my mind is a mess of contradictions.

“Is he a danger to you?” he asks, his voice low and deadly.

I drag my bottom lip between my teeth as I consider my answer.

Technically, Lucas is the biggest danger in my life.

He controls me in ways Orion likely could never understand, and he will for years to come.

But in a lot of ways, he’s also my security blanket.

No one is likely to fuck with me while I’m under his protection, while I’m valuable to him. “Not at the moment.”

“But he could be?”

I nod slowly. “He could.”

Orion watches me for long seconds, likely trying to see through the holes in my story, because there are a lot of them. But I’m too good at what I do for him to do that.

“Let’s go.”

He shoves himself to his feet and pulls his jacket from the back of his chair before shrugging it on.

His attention turns to me, still in my seat, staring at him, and he hits me with a panty-melting smirk.

I truly didn’t think that was a thing until right this second, and I’m not disappointed to find out I was wrong all my life.

“You coming?” He raises a cocky brow.

I nod and follow his lead without replying. I’m too overwhelmed right now, and the whiplash of emotions whirling around inside me is a recipe for disaster for someone prone to panic attacks.

Orion drops more than enough money to cover our meals, drinks, and the tip on the table, and I stare at it for long seconds. I knew this was going to be an expensive meal, but fuck, that’s close to a grand.

Before I can think too much about it, he slips an arm around my waist and guides me toward the entrance.

I’m shocked there was a place this nice walking distance from my apartment, but then again, LA is full of surprises.

Without missing a beat, Orion surveys the street for danger and turns in the direction of my building, placing himself between me and the road.

In fact, now I think about it, he’s done that every time we’ve walked anywhere together.

My brows tug together as I look up at the man everyone’s desperate to know, but few seem to.

The way he checked the street, how alert he was during dinner, and the tension that never fully dropped from his shoulders paint a picture that’s very different to the one I read about on the internet, and I find myself wondering who is Orion Henderson?

Because he may be a billionaire entrepreneur now, but there’s a darkness in him that I recognize all too well.