by Vi Lily
When I reach over and nab an onion ring, his eyes fly back to me. We both start eating again while he watches me. I’m sure it’s because he’s worried that I’m going to choke again. I want to tell him that I’m capable of eating and that onion ring thing was just a fluke, but I like that he’s not being so shy with me now.
Once we finish and drop our dirty dishes into the chute that Toru shows me, he grabs my bags and we head back out into the maze of halls. I’m pretty sure I can find my way back to my apartment by using the walls. I hope so anyway.
I look up at the big guy and smile when I see his eyes are on me. He’s gone from super shy to super attentive in no time flat.
“Well, I guess this is where you and I part ways,” I sigh. He doesn’t say anything, so I motion toward the direction I have to go. I think.
“My place is that way.” He still doesn’t say anything and doesn’t make any move to hand me my bags.
I huff out a little breath of frustration, then I put my hands on his t-shirt and give it a tug. He obliges me by bending down until our eyes are just a few inches apart. I lean forward and kiss him on the mouth again.
“Thank you, for everything,” I say as I wrap my arms around his neck and give him a little squeeze. He smells so freaking good... not like cologne or anything, but fresh, clean. It’s a very comforting smell.
His free hand goes to my side and his fingers give me a tiny squeeze. I don’t draw the moment out, but release him and step back.
I look at the bags he’s still holding and that dim lightbulb goes off again. “Oh!” I say as I step forward and jab my hand into the smallest bag. I pull out the box containing my new cellphone and hope that it’s charged.
I get the box open and then turn it on. It’s almost dead at just six percent, but enough to do what I need to.
“What’s your number?” I ask as I go to the contacts, but then frown when I don’t see any way to add someone. That’s weird.
“You have numbers you need,” Toru tells me and points at the phone. I frown up at him, wondering what he means. Does that mean that we’re not allowed to add friends to our phones? Are all the phones preprogrammed with, like, just school numbers? Just teachers?
Gawd, that would suck!
Of course, I’d have Samuel’s number then… I shake my head and go to my contacts. I scroll through and see that I have only a handful of numbers. Yep, Samuel is one of them. Azrael, surprisingly, is in there too, and I have to stop for a second and mentally giggle over the “Angel of Death” having a cell. Gio’s number is there, the bitch from the office, Cass, and Sal too.
And Toru.
This is weird. I mean, it’s like everyone I met today is in my phone, with the exception of Ali. My girls aren’t in there either, which really sucks and hurts for a bit. I look up at Toru then, who’s still watching me.
“Your number is in my phone,” I tell him as I cock my head to the side. “Did you put it in there?” I dismiss that idea immediately; there’s no way he could have without me seeing him doing it.
He looks shocked at my comment and then shakes his head. “No,” he says as he points to the phone in my hand, “phone do it.”
Huh? The phone picks and chooses what numbers it wants me to have? What crazy magic is that?
I give my head a little shake. “Oh well, that’s weird,” I say as I grin at him. “I’m just glad you’re in there.”
I drop the phone and the box back into the little bag and then move to take the rest from him, but he won’t let me have them and declares that he’s “taking me home.”
I’m a little worried about that, because he’s suddenly acting a little stalkerish. I mean, does he want to take me to my apartment? I’m kind of not sure if I want him to know where I live, not until I make sure that he’s not going to turn into some psycho creeper.
What would be worse was if he means that he’s going to take me to his home. For what? Like a pet? Putting me in a cage or under glass on display somewhere? I mean, this guy has been nothing but sweet and attentive, but come on, a girl has to watch out for the weirdos.
But do I have to watch out for weirdos in the afterlife? It kind of seems like I’m surrounded by them, honestly. I mean, Samuel said the school had leprechauns, shifters and other things I’ve never even heard of. And I’m supposed to be a Reaper, for cripes’ sake. Like a badass mofo. I don’t think I should be worrying about weirdo stalkers.
Toru is watching me have my mini mental meltdown. Tabby always said my mind works like a squirrel tossed into a mixed nut orchard, bouncing from one tree to another and never deciding on which one I want.
The big guy seems to be just patiently waiting for me to talk myself out of my tree. I give myself a little shake and then decide to just trust a little and quit being so paranoid.
“Okay then,” I tell him, “it’s this way.” I turn and start down the hall, but I know he’s not following, so I look back.
He’s frowning at me. “Reaper rooms this way,” he says as he points in the opposite direction.
“Oh, no,” I laugh, thankful that he was thinking of taking me to my apartment and not some spooky creeper dungeon or whatever.
“I’ve been assigned to the Fae building,” I shrug. “Guess there wasn’t any room at the Reaper building.” Which I’m sure was a total lie from Cass. I get the idea she really didn’t want me being anywhere near Samuel.
Toru tilts his head. “What floor you on?”
What floor? Now, that’s a good question. I really hadn’t paid much attention. Hell, I don’t even know my room number, come to think of it. But then I remember the note that was on my food earlier.
“I’m room thirty-two,” I tell him and frown when his eyes widen. “What?” I wonder what the heck is wrong with that, like is room thirty-two in the Fae building haunted by some crazed banshee or something? Does a pre-dawn train go by that room every morning? Were dead bodies used for insulation in the walls?
Toru shakes his head in disbelief, then for the first time I see the tiniest of smiles on his face.
“You my neighbor.”
Chapter 10
T ORU WALKED ME to my room and then kissed the top of my head at the door. Well, I’m not sure if he actually kissed me, but he did press his mouth to my head. It was sweet. Totally not stalkerish or creepy. He then placed my bags inside the door and closed the door after pointing out which door was his.
Yep, right next door.
I wonder if Cass thought she’d freak me out by putting me next door to Toru or something. Like I’d be scared of him. She’s an idiot and I’m thinking again about sending her flowers or something to thank her.
I take my bags into my bedroom and think about the evening as I pull out a pair of my new jammies. I like my girly lingerie, but to sleep, I wanna be comfortable, so it’s all about big t-shirts in the summer and fuzzy sleep pants with matching shirts in the winter. Since it’s summer in the afterlife too, I grab a t-shirt I picked out that says “Died to be Wild” — which I thought was freaking hilarious when I saw it — and pull it on.
A huge yawn escapes me then and I move over to the huge bed, faceplanting into its fluffiness. I hope the lack of heavy drapery in the bedroom means that the sun will wake me up, because I have no idea if I have to set an alarm, or even how to set one. I would use my phone, but I’m afraid to mess with it since it’s almost dead and I don’t know how to charge it, since it didn’t come with a charging cord. Hell, come to think of it, I haven’t even seen an electrical outlet in this place.
More questions for Gio in the morning… that’s my last thought as I drift off.
“Piccolina…” a voice is whispering to my subconscious, who is telling it to shut the hell up, we’re sleeping.
“Piccolina, time to get up… Chloe…” I moan, mumble something about leaving me alone, then roll over onto my stomach.
I think I hear something that sounds like a sharp breath sucking through teeth and then I jump when I feel a hand ca
ressing my butt.
“O mio Dio, what I would give to kiss this now. Kiss all of you,” the voice murmurs as the hand runs over to my other cheek, which is also bare, since I’m feeling warm skin on skin. I moan a “hmmmm,” and wiggle a little. This is a very nice dream.
A sharp smack on my ass cheek has me shriek and sit up. I shove all my hair out of my face as I turn to look at who my assailant is. Gio is standing beside my bed, grinning down at me with his arms crossed over his chest.
“What the hell was that?” I say as I shift to the side so I can rub my stinging cheek. I give him a good scowl when he rocks back on his heels, laughing hard.
“You are so very adorable when you wake up. And with your culo bellisimo on display for me,” he sucks in a breath through his teeth again, “I just could not help myself.”
I sneer at him. “So, what? You’re like a masochist or something?”
“Sadist,” Gio corrects. “A masochist likes pain. And no, I’m not a true sadist. But a little pain coupled with pleasure is very… enticing, no?”
My mouth opens to say, “No, it’s not.” But damn, the way Gio’s butterscotch eyes are flashing at me and caressing my body like a lover’s touch… and then my lower bits clench when I remember that it was his hand caressing me just moments ago.
Erotic visions flash across my mind then. I never thought I was a “hanky panky spanky” kind of gal, but I gotta admit that I did have an infatuation with a certain book boyfriend by the name of Christian when I was younger. Too young to be reading such things, for sure. I have the distinct impression that I got caught and punished… not by any yummy young billionaire, dagnabit, but by some other authority figure type that I can’t remember.
He chuckles, like he knows what I’m thinking, then makes a tsking sound. “As much as I would love to explore this —” he waves his hand between us, “—attraction between us, we must get going.”
I shake the cobwebs out of my head, which causes my bed hair to attack my face again. Gio laughs.
“Is there anything you prefer in the morning, piccolina? Caffè? Tea? Hot cocoa?”
“Coffee,” I croak out. I’ve never been a morning person and after getting what feels like five minutes of sleep after spending the evening with Toru, I need as much help as I can get.
“Espresso, preferably. Black, sweet.”
He grins at me again. “I see you like your caffè as you like your men… dark, sweet, and bold, with a bit of a bite.” His grin widens into a leer.
“Like me.”
I roll my eyes at him, even as my body responds to the flirtation. “Actually, my preference is tall, strong, full-bodied and extra sweet with just a hint of boldness.” Of course, my mind is on Toru, but my eyes are devouring Gio and all his golden gorgeousness. It really is unfair for anyone to look so good this early.
“What time is it?” I ask before he continues this flirtation. “And how the hell do I set an alarm, or even find out the time around here? I have a lot of questions, by the way.”
My brain has apparently found some secret energy resource that I wasn’t aware of as it starts firing.
Gio sucks in another breath as I scoot to the edge of the bed. Too late, I realize that my sleep shirt has ridden up over my hips — which explains the hand on my bare ass — and I just flashed him all my girl bits.
My cheeks heat as I jump off the bed and yank the shirt down. Gio turns, but not before I notice the very obvious fact that he likes what he sees.
He reaches out to the nightstand. “Just place your hand on the nightstand and tell it what you want — a reading light, alarm set, clock.” He tilts his head at me with a confused frown.
“You should have learned all this in your orientation, piccolina.”
I smirk. “I didn’t have an orientation,” I tell him, as shock registers on his beautiful face. It’s almost annoying, how attractive he is, after spending so much time with Toru. I wish I could combine the two — Toru’s sweet personality with Gio’s amazing looks.
And I instantly feel petty. Toru is just fine the way he is, I tell myself, dog looks and all.
Of course, that thought makes me cringe.
Gio frowns. “Who was your Reaper?”
“Samuel.” He isn’t acting like he’s going to leave the bedroom anytime soon, so I grab my uniform and the bag that has my lingerie in it and head into the bathroom.
I’m pretty sure Gio snorts and says something like “figures,” but I ignore him as I close the door. I pull on a bra and panties, my skirt, socks, and then my blouse. I debate whether I should tie it up, but I’m really not feeling very rebellious today. Plus, I don’t want to give Gio the wrong impression. Or any impression, really, especially not after that scorching kiss yesterday and his hand on my bare ass this morning.
Gio is gorgeous, not doubt about that, I think as I tuck my properly buttoned blouse into my skirt, but he’s a player. Back in Texas, we would say that he’s naturally horizontal and wilder than a field of snakes. He would be just about Tabby’s speed, but for me I need someone who wants me and likes me. Who wants to be with me for who I am and not for what my body looks like.
I just have to ignore my body that thinks it wants Gio. I’m just a shiny new toy in a toybox of others he’s played with too many times. If I let him play with me, I’ll be at the bottom of that box faster than a scalded cat.
With that thought, I ditch the heels I’d pulled out and go back to the closet to get my ugly shoes. They’re more comfortable for walking anyway.
Once I’m dressed, I grab my cell, tuck it into the pocket of my skirt and head out to find Gio. He’s standing by the door, holding two travel mugs. He hands one to me and I take a sip, moaning at the wonderfulness that is morning coffee.
I stare at him over the rim of my mug as I sip. He’s staring back, an amused gleam in his eye, like we share some secret. Okay, so he’s the only guy who’s ever seen my bare-naked ass — other than the doctor who delivered me I guess — but that doesn’t mean that we’re now lovers. I narrow my eyes.
His eyes move over my uniform and I can tell he’s mentally undressing me. His eyes zero in on my pelvis and I squeak when his hand shoots out, but he just taps my cell.
“Is my number in there?” he asks and I nod. He grins.
“Good.”
I tilt my head. “Why is it in there? I mean, I have numbers in the phone already, but can’t add any others.”
He nods toward the phone. “The phones will choose whose number you should have,” he says. “It is automatic and will add others — and delete — as it sees the need.”
I scrunch up my face, trying to process that. Weird.
“Come along,” he laughs at my expression as he turns toward the door. I wonder then if he can read my mind. Gio is a jackass! I yell in my head, but he doesn’t even flinch as he walks out into the hall.
When my door closes behind me, I hear Toru’s open. He steps out into the hall and looks our way. I give him a big grin. Seeing him first thing in the morning is almost better than coffee.
“Hey, Toru!” I say happily and Gio whirls around to stare down at me. I’m startled by the change in his face. He looks downright scary.
“How do you know him?” he growls, like he’s got some sort of claim on me. Oh, I don’t THINK so!
I puff up to my full height, which ain’t saying much. I start to cross my arms over my chest, but then realize I’m still holding my mug, so I ball my free hand into a fist and prop it on my hip.
“Toru happens to be my friend,” I tell him with a lift of my chin. “We spent the evening together, if you must know. He took me shopping.”
“I told you to stay in your apartment last night, topolina,” he says with a growl as he takes a step closer, probably so I’ll feel intimidated by the way he towers over me. As if! The Italian stallion is about to get his ass corralled by this cowgirl.
I open my mouth to tell him exactly where he can shove his bossiness, but Toru is on the guy
before I get a peep out. His huge arm shoots out, blocking Gio from getting any closer to me, but I notice that he isn’t touching him. Despite his size, I just know that he’s not violent.
“No scare Chloe,” Toru growls at Gio, whose beautiful eyes are narrowed to slits. Gio shoves at his arm, but it doesn’t even budge. And Gio is no gym slacker; he’s got some impressive muscles, but I don’t think even Chuck Norris could push Toru around.
I put my hand on Toru’s forearm. “Hon,” I say, ignoring the growl that comes out of Gio at that endearment. I swear, there sure are a lot of growly and purry people here in the afterlife.
I move to the side so Toru can see me. “He’s not scaring me,” I reassure him with a smile. “He’s fluffy feathers and crowing, but no peck.” That gets me a lip twitch from the big guy, who slowly drops his arm, while I keep contact with it, then slide my hand down, into his. His fingers tighten oh-so-gently around it.
Gio’s eyes take all this in and I swear, if he scowls any deeper, something’s gonna crack. His eyes then find mine. Ooh, he is so pissed that I’m just waiting to see hornets buzzing out of his ears.
Maybe I shouldn’t have made that rooster comment.
His fiery eyes dart over to Toru, then back to me. “He is not someone you want as a friend,” he sneers as he looks at Toru again.
“He is a… problem. A dangerous troublemaker.”
Oh no he did-ent… before I can tell Gio that I’m about to shove his pretty head into the wall, Toru speaks up.
“My number is in Chloe’s phone.” I think those are the most words I’ve heard him string together.
Gio’s eyes widen and he turns his shocked face to me. “Truly?” he asks and I shrug.
“Yep. Got the phone last night and Toru’s number was in it.”
Gio glances at Toru then, his expression less hostile. Makes me wonder about the magic of the phones, cuz this is super weird. It’s like Gio now accepts that Toru is my friend just because of some preprogramming wizardry.
