62 Ground FloorÂ
“There’s no word on Dan yet?” I asked.Â
“Whoa! Since when are we speaking his name?”Â
“Since now?”Â
Tori released a sharp exhale. “He’s a jerk, and I swear to God I’ll kick his ass for what heÂ
did.”Â
“I know. I’m not exactly feeling this either, but there’s this feeling that something’sÂ
wrong.”Â
“You mean how he knew what happened to Noel Voss?”Â
“Dan must have seen something he shouldn’t. Got mixed up in some affair. Now that I think about it, the last time we talked, he sounded spooked.”Â
“Or he skipped town. It’s not like he has anyone who worries about him.”Â
I didn’t even wanna bring up that bitch Piper, they clearly ended their affair, and she obviously wanted nothing to do with him anymore.Â
“Sleep on this, Cat. He’s not worth your worry or mine. He lost that privilege when he broke your heart and had the audacity to rub it in your face, accusing you of being unfaithful.”Â
Everything she said was true, and I get it. I blame my concern on the fact that we were once close friends. I just hope he’s not dead in a ditch somewhere.Â
“So how are you?”Â
I looked at my hand, now free of the cast, doing a little open and close with my fingers, but it was still sore. “Getting better, still a little bit useless though.”Â
“At least your hand can finally breathe now. Gotta hand it to Midnight General for getting you back on your feet as soon as possible.”Â
“Yes!” I said in a rasp.Â
“What are you doing? Don’t tell me you’re on top of Ares, giving him a ride.”Â
“Jesus, Tori!”Â
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62 Ground FloorÂ
She chuckled. “Seriously, what are you doing?”Â
“I have turned this room upside down, but I can’t find it!”Â
I took the phone off my ear and put her on loudspeaker.Â
“Find what?”Â
“My bunny teddy. I have searched for it since I came back, but I can’t find it.”Â
“You still have that thing?”Â
“Yes, I still have that thing!” I snapped.Â
“We won that stuff at our college carnival. Maybe the poor teddy ran for freedom.” She laughed. “You always hug that thing like your life depended on it. It’s about time.”Â
“Tori!”Â
“Sorry…” But she didn’t halt her laugh.Â
“Why didn’t these bags go missing too…?” I glanced at the unopened shopping bags. They were sent ahead so none of them suffered the accident.Â
“It has to be somewhere around there, chill.”Â
But it wasn’t!Â
“So how’s husband or contract husband? We should have a code name for him so that we can gossip all we want.”Â
I rolled my eyes.Â
“Uh–oh, your silence speaks volumes.”Â
My cheeks turned red.Â
“More silence means girl wanna grab that-”Â
“Okay! Let’s talk later.” I ended the call and collapsed on the bed.Â
Loki came to me.Â
“DoÂ
you know where it is?” I asked, and he did a stretch. “Of course you don’t.”Â
I sit up. There was only one person I could ask. Ever since I was discharged from the hospital, everything was back to factory settings. I barely saw him these days, and I spent most of my time caged in this penthouse.Â
15:01Â
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62 Ground FloorÂ
I grabbed my phone and texted him. I kept typing and untyping until I gave up.Â
Me: HiÂ
After minutes of mulling what to send, I ended up with Hi. I groaned, tapping my headÂ
on the phone. I really need to work on my nonexistent texting skills.Â
The sudden chime made my heartbeat zoom.Â
Devil Husband: Awake?Â
A bright smile curled on my lips as my fingers worked.Â
Me: Yes.Â
Devil Husband: Come to the garage. Ground floor.Â
The garage? I thought he wasn’t home.Â
Me: I’ll think about it.Â
I looked at Loki. “Wanna go see daddy?”Â
Okay… that does not sound right. Dear Brain, please don’t let me ever say and spare me the thought of digging and burying myself in the floor.Â
that again,Â
I neared the mirror to check my appearance. “No no no…” I mumbled, rushing to the bathroom to freshen up.Â
I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and combed my hair. I wore comfy pajama pants and a cami. I thought about wearing a bra, but I dismissed the idea.Â
My babies need to breathe.Â
With one last look as I adjusted my glasses, I scooped Loki in my arms and stepped out of my room, quick in my steps as I descended the stairs.Â
When I got to the elevator, I pressed GF, trying to calm my nerves flapping out of place.Â
It was a few minutes before the doors opened with a soft ding. I walked the corridor illuminated by the recessed floor lights, all the way to the stairs.Â
I descended them, and what came in view almost knocked the air out of me. Ares has cars, and I don’t mean cars… cars. This was like a collection worthy to be in a museum or something, because how on earth can he have so many?Â
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62 Ground FloorÂ
It was spotless, floors like a mirror, reflecting the recessed ceiling lights. Cars on a pedestal and turntable, like I was in a showroom.Â
I let Loki loose, and he scurried to the house in the corner to pounce, all set up for him. I smiled at the thought that Ares made a spot just for him.Â
My eyes roamed the vast space, taking in this luxury like it was something I would only see once. Hearing soft clicks, I found Ares close to a car with the hood open.Â
My legs moved before I could think. I swallowed thickly as I took in his broad back, and when he rested his hand on the metal and leaned forward as if to check something, I was blessed with the view of how his jeans hung low on his waist.Â
I sank my teeth into my bottom lip, enjoying this view as much as I could. However, the next second, I froze when Ares threw a look over his shoulder, his icy blues pinning me where I was, but what got me in a messy puddle was the quiet yet feral desire in his eyes that mirrored mine.Â
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