Page 88 of King of Omen

Hope rose in me. ‘You think he’d mind?’

‘Nah, plus I think he’s got the hots for you.’

‘I wouldn’t want to lead him on -’

She laughed. ‘I understand, but he’s cool; I’ll ask him.’

She must have placed her device down as Linda gave a muffled shout, followed by an even more indistinct conversation.

After a minute, she was back. ‘He says he’ll do it. Just text me what you need and the address.’

I let out a sigh of relief. ‘Thank you. I’ll message you the info right now.’

With my mind already scrolling through the stacks of study materials room in my apartment, I typed out a list of the essential books I needed.

While I waited for Tony to arrive, I rearranged and rescheduled my Queen Clean clientele appointments, then rummaged in Lorenzo’s kitchen for food.

I ate a cheese sandwich, with a fresh salad and coffee.

I tidied up, wiping down surfaces and placing dishes away.

I even found one of Lorenzo’s sweaters in the living room thrown on a sofa.

Pushing my face into it, I breathed his essence in long and deep, pervaded by his musk-like scent that clung to the fibres, a mix of his cologne and unique, masculine aroma.

Longing and desire washed over me.

Damn this man, he was growing on me.

Just then, the front gate’s bell went off.

I went to the door, where Tony’s visage loitered on the security panel screen.

I buzzed him into the property and opened the front door, greeting him with a smile.

‘Tony, thank you so much for helping me out. You have no idea how much this means to me.’

On a whim, I hugged him; our awkward kiss was well behind us.

‘No worries, beautiful,’ he rumbled, disentangling himself from me. ‘Linda begged and made 1001 promises, so I figured I’d help her a bit,’ Tony replied, flashing a warm smile.

While sometimes a rogue, I sensed a measure of goodness in him.

He held out a shopping bag, which I assumed contained my precious finance books.

‘How is she?’

‘Grumpy, under the weather, coughing and spluttering through the apartment,’ he added, waggling his eyebrows. ‘I couldn’t wait to get away.’

I laughed, appreciating his lightheartedness. ‘I love your optimism. Come in for a coffee?’

His eyes lit up, and I regretted my words, not wanting to send the wrong message.

Still, I had to show my appreciation in some form.

‘Sure,’ he said.

I stepped aside to let him in, my eyes darting to the street, hoping we were safe.

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