Page 363 of The First Taste
I purse my lips, rubbing a spot between my eyebrows. Letting out a huge sigh, I pour myself a cup of coffee.
“Hey.”
I practically jump out of my skin, sloshing the hot coffee over the rim of my mug. Turning around, I see Hades stride into the room, already dressed in the same style of black suit, black pants, and a black shirt. He’s eschewed wearing a tie this morning but otherwise, he’s a perfect, handsome robot.
I scowl at him and the corners of his lips lift just slightly. His version of a smile.
“Jumpy, jumpy. Careful, lass.”
I glare at him, taking a too-hot sip of my coffee. Without asking, he pours himself a cup from the pot I’ve made.
He takes a sip and then eyes his mug critically. “Ye call this coffee, do ye? I’ve had stronger milk tea.”
“If you don’t like it, you should get up earlier and make your own pot of coffee,” I snap.
Hades feeds me the faintest smirk. “And what has got ye in such a temper?”
My iPad chimes. I look over at it, biting my lip, my breath seizing. Hades didn’t explicitly forbid me from contacting anyone… but at the same time, I know that it’s probably not exactly welcome, either.
I don’t really want to hear him shouting me down for emailing Lawrence. So, I wrinkle my nose and set my cup down, ignoring the chime.
Hades squints at the iPad. “It seems that Apple wants ye to know something, lass. What do ye think it is?”
“Oh…” It feels strange to lie to Hades. “I don’t know. I haven’t really set it up right yet. It chimes and buzzes all the time and I’m not really sure why.”
His gaze flits to me, studying my face. He sips his coffee as casually as you would please. But his eyes are calculating.
If only I could keep the flush from my cheeks.
“Ye wouldn’t be trying to contact the authorities, would ye? Because I can assure ye that would be a very poorly thought out idea.”
I look up, drawing a breath. “No. I understand our deal all too well, Hades.”
His green eyes seem to see right through me, illuminating all my dark, hidden depths.
“Mm,” he says at last, a frown tugging his mouth down. “Well then, lass. I have someone for ye to meet. He has ink and contact paper. But I would rather ye see it first-hand rather than just trust it. He’s charging exorbitant prices, but ye never know with men like him.”
I nod slowly, sipping more coffee. “When?”
He glances at his wristwatch. “Now is as good a time as any. We can stop for some real coffee on the way. Plus, it’s too early for crowds.”
I stretch my neck to the side, pulling a face. I don’t particularly want to leave the relative safety of the villa. But at least leaving will give me a reason to tidy away the iPad and its’ chiming.
“Okay. Give me a minute to get dressed.”
Picking up my iPad, I head into the bedroom that Hades had set up for me. Tossing the device onto the bed, I stretch again and head into the villa’s walk-in closet.
Like the island mansion, this villa has a closet of beautiful, expensive clothes already curated for me. I’m not sure who was in charge of the wardrobe choices… but they have sleek dresses in solitary colors, trendy black jumpsuits, cashmere sweaters, and even ballet flats and stiletto heels in just my size.
Pulling on a long white silk dress and a pair of plain black flats, I pull my hair up into an elegant pile on the back of my head and pin it into place. The scoop neck of the dress suggests that I should wear some jewelry, perhaps. But whoever picked my clothes out apparently did not think to buy anything decorative.
Wrinkling my nose a little, I sigh and flounce out of the bedroom. Hades is frowning at his nails rather impatiently near the front door. When he hears me approaching, he straightens. His expression tightens when he sees me, his eyes traveling from my face down to my chest, his nostrils flaring slightly.
My neck gently flushes as I feel his eyes roaming my body. I clench my right fist, a flare of exquisite awareness shuddering across my bare skin.
“Ready?” I ask. My voice is too high and my tone too bright.
He clears his throat and I notice the way his big hands clench into fists. “Aye.”
