Page 21 of House of Kallan
His beautiful brown eyes, his styled black hair, the crisp lines of his beard. His heavenly skin almost glowed. He wore a suit in an almost careless way. I couldn’t stop staring. Even as I tried to find words, there were none. None at all.
Minutes ticked by. Years. Hours. Days. But I was lost in him. His hands remained on my arms, firm but soft. And he looked back at me with the same intensity that I was staring at him. Itwas like coming home after an endless time away. At the same time, it was also like,where have you been?
I could feel a connection form, snapping into existence and then locking into place the moment our eyes met. Now it grew. Enwrapping us like ribbons, pulling us closer and closer.
Whoever this man was, I’d been waiting for him my entire life.
“Finally!”
I was startled by the loud voice and turned my head—refusing to remove myself from his touch—to find who it belonged to.
Another man I didn’t recognize, but the same connection that sprang to life with the man in front of me, suddenly exploded and expanded to wrap around this man. He was dressed more casually in brown pants and a blue t-shirt. His hair was blond and messier. The scruff on his face was a shadow that continued down his neck. His eyes were the lightest, prettiest blue I’d ever seen.
He was smiling as he approached, his gaze never leaving mine.
“Hi,” he said. “I’ve been looking for you for ages.”
My heart raced at his words. Chills broke out over my body. I’ve heard his voice before.
He looked at the man still holding me and rolled his eyes. “This is Hadrian. I’m Tobiael, but it’s kind of a mouthful so most people call me Toby.”
Licking my lips, I looked between the two of them. “I’m Tatum,” I said.
Toby elbowed Hadrian. “I told you she was real.”
Hadrian blinked at me and then looked at Toby with a frown. His fingers flexed on my arms, but he didn’t let me go. I might have fallen to the ground if he did.
Toby sighed. “Seems I have to do everything around here,” he muttered, but his smile didn’t leave his face. “Will you come to dinner tonight, Tatum?”
Words didn’t form as my heart raced and my stomach flipped. Seconds ticked by and eventually I nodded. “Yes.”
He beamed at me and once more looked between the two of us. Sighing dramatically, he reached into Hadrian’s pocket as he grumbled. Opening the screen, he offered me the phone and turned big blue eyes on me. “Can we have your number? We’ll text you our address.”
It took me another moment to gather myself before I nodded and reached for the phone. Hadrian released one of my arms, the one closest to Toby, but kept his hand still securely around my other. I wondered if he was using it to anchor himself too. It was definitely what kept me from floating away.
I tapped in my phone number and then handed it back to Toby. He grinned at me. “Thank you. Are you available tonight? I should have led with that.”
Was I? I looked around as if not recognizing where I was. “Uh,” I said, sounding very sophisticated and all. “Yes. I’m out at six.”
“Local time, I presume,” Toby said.
I nodded.
Toby grinned. “Sounds good. We’ll see you after.”
I nodded again, unsure what else to do. I felt a little silly right now.
Toby looked at Hadrian with a smug smile. “Are you ready?”
Hadrian took a deep breath and nodded. He turned his dark eyes on me, and my heart nearly stopped. “See you tonight,” he said.
His voice. Ugh. It made my insides turn molten. “Yes,” I said. My voice coming out all breathy.
Reluctantly, he let go of my arm and stepped away. There was a moment where the three of us looked at each other before the two men turned down the hall. Toby waved excitedly. As they got a little further, Toby said, “I’ve never seen you speechless. It’s kinda hot.”
“Hush,” Hadrian said.
“No, I mean it. Also, I demand praise right now.I told youI hadn’t made her up!”
