Page 86 of Bitten By the Basilisk

Silas had turned his face away, his mouth open wide so he could retract his fangs, which not only folded up but appeared to melt into his gums.

When he looked back at her, he was still breathing heavily, but his smile was one of satisfaction. “Thanks for dessert.”

She gave a helpless laugh. “You’re welcome. You okay to drive home?” She flicked a glance at his massive erection. “I’m worried you won’t be able to steer with that in the way.”

He chuckled. “That’s what the seatbelt is for.”

She was still giggling when he leaned down to wrap his arm around her back and pull her into a kiss. It was just lips, but she faintly tasted herself. He gently turned them around, swapping their positions, before lifting his head.

“Good night, kitten,” he said in a close, low voice. “Sweet dreams.”

Dejection squeezed her throat. She had spent so much time with him today, and yet she missed him already. “You, too. See you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” he agreed.

He was gone a moment later, his footsteps fading as they descended the stairs.

Alice locked the door, walked three steps into the apartment, then sank into a tired squat, her arms hanging over her knees, her head resting on top.

No man, human or otherwise, had ever shown her such care and devotion as Silas had over the past couple of days. He texted her when they weren’t together, and anticipated her needs. He unabashedly expressed his interest in her, and he was kind to her mom.

Human men sometimes only pretended to like her, but her ability told her Silas truly enjoyed spending time with her. He even seemed to enjoy it when she was a little mean to him.

To say she also liked spending time with him was a massive understatement. The hours flew by when they were together. Her cheeks sometimes hurt from all the smiling she did.

But did that mean he was the One? Could he be?

“What do I do?” she moaned in dismay.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Alice

Alice had the most intense sex dream of her life that night and woke up the next morning so charged that she came within seconds of teasing her clit. Once she recovered, she took a shower that was on the cold side.

Her mom had come back tipsy after some celebratory drinks with her fellow cast and crew, and ended up sleeping in. So Alice made her own simple breakfast, and once her mom began to stir, she prepared a mug of hot water for softening some umeboshi—Mom’s favorite hangover cure.

Silas texted her as she was placing the pickled plums on the table, next to the purple kraken stuffy. He would be picking her up in an hour and advised her not to wear any loose-fitting clothes. Already wearing dusky-blue jeans, she swapped her flared-sleeve cable-knit sweater for a cropped cream-colored tee and planned on wearing her suede jacket.

Mom adored the stuffy. While she chewed on the umeboshi, Alice updated her on her previous evening, although she held back what had happened in the photo booth…and against the front door of the apartment.

Her mom then happily announced that The Undrowned Pirate was going from two showings a night to three for the rest of its weeklong run, as all the tickets were quickly selling out. She also had a handful of facial appointments that day, so they decided to play by ear any sort of dinner plans in between showings.

Alice assumed Silas would arrive on his motorcycle, but when she went down to the parking lot an hour later, he was standing next to his Bentley. Beneath his peacoat, he wore a brown V-neck sweater, a short chain around his neck with a curved gold bar, and black jeans.

“No motorcycle today?” she asked as he pulled open the passenger-side door.

He gave her an answer as cryptic as his smile. “We may need to transport something delicate.”

With an intrigued hum, she moved to get into his car, only for Silas to encircle her waist in one of his long arms and pull her against him.

The kiss he laid on her didn’t involve tongue, but it was far from chaste, his smooth lips drawing upon hers until her core ignited. Her heart was thumping by the time he lifted his head, his eyes full of desire as he tucked his lower lip into his mouth to suck it clean.

“Sleep well?” he purred, releasing her.

She cleared her throat to give herself an extra second to recover, barely managing to shove aside any remembered glimpses of her dream. “Yeah, all things considered. You?”

“I managed it after some…aromatherapy and a bit of self-care.”