Page 28 of The Devil and the Dancer
“Shut up.” He walked in the store. “We’re talking about Gavin after I look at this. Don’t think you’ve avoided the conversation.”
They walked from shop to shop, with Arthur picking out a few different bolts of fabric and placing an order for a job he had the next month. Her mind circled around what Arthur had said earlier.
…your hot boss who’s in love with you.
Gavin wasn’t in love with her. She was human. He was a vampire. She knew it happened. After all, Beatrice had started out human—okay,everyvampire had started out human. But Gavin wasn’t settled like Ben’s aunt and uncle. Beatrice and Giovanni were professor types. Gavin had clubs and bars. He relocated every few years. He moved in glamorous, powerful circles. Chloe hardly thought he was looking for a human to drag along with him.
The man could literally fly.
So what? Maybe heisin love with you.
Her internal voices really needed to get their shit together. One day they were telling her a relationship with Gavin was never going to work. The next day they were imagining fairy-tale endings.
Do you love him?
Nope. No, no, no, no, no.Chloe shook her head as Arthur held up a purple-and-orange print. Loving Gavin was… so damn complicated she didn’t even want to think about it.
“You don’t like it?” Arthur asked. “I want to make you a skirt with this. You have an orange top this exact color that would be amazing. Just a little A-line…” He shook the fabric. “Nothing?”
“Uh…” She’d been answering her internal voices, not Arthur. “I’m not really into purple lately.”
“Shut up, you look amazing in purple.” He put the fabric back. “Fine. Be difficult.”
They shopped for another hour before Arthur found another print he insisted on buying for her. “I’m going to make you a quilted jacket and you’re going to love it.”
“Okay.” She hooked her arm in his. “How did you know things were right with Drew?”
Arthur looked at her from the corner of his eye. “Are we finally talking about you and the sexy Scot?”
She shook his arm. “Just tell me how you knew.”
He frowned. “It sounds super unromantic, but I felt very easy with him—notthateasy—get your mind out of the gutter.” He tilted his head. “Though I was that kind of easy too. But there was no drama, you know? It’s the kind of relationship my parents have, to be all traditional and shit, so it feels right. Welikeeach other. We have fun. He’s my favorite person. I love you, but if he wasn’t working today, I would have taken him shopping.”
“That’s so awesome.”
Arthur raised a finger. “Not that things are never hard. They totally are sometimes. But the drama doesn’t come fromus, if that makes sense. The drama comes from the rest of this shitty world and we have to deal with it.” He shook her arm in his. “Like a team. An amazing, sexy, impeccably dressed team.”
Chloe smiled. “Yeah. I get that.”
“You and Gavin work together that way. I’ve seen it. Youliterallywork together and you do it well. That says a lot. Add all that fucking chemistry in.” He purred. “I’m serious about the way that man looks at you. He looks like he wants to eat you up.”
Chloe laughed. “You have no idea.”
“Stop!” Arthur put his hand to his forehead and pretended to swoon. “You’re killing me holding back details.”
“You’ll live.” Chloe leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked. Arthur was only a few inches taller than she was, and he had a great shoulder. “I love you, Arthur. Thank you for not dropping me when I was a shitty friend.”
“I would never.”
They walked in silence for another block, making their way back to Penn Station with bags slung on their arms. “You know, I gave Paulo shit the other day, but Drew and Iarekind of boring and I love it that way. It may not sound sexy, but I don’t see you wanting a lot of friction either.”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “I think I’ve had my share for a lifetime.”
He wiggled his shoulder. “Unless it’s thegoodkind of friction. If you know what I mean.”
She smiled. “I know what you mean.”
“Yeah, Ibetyou do.”
