“Fuck,” I sighed, dropping the phone on my bed.

A knock came at my door. My eyes slipped to the vault. Quickly, I locked up the gold again. As long as it stayed closed behind those steel walls it didn’t bother Dullahan.

Dullahan, I sighed in my mind. After our little rendezvous at my apartment, I liked the man far too much for someone who wouldn’t even fuck me. He had the power to peel me open and either lift me up or crush me and it was too terrifying for me to handle. I was pushing him away, hoping to put a metaphorical steel wall between us.

I’d never had a man so swiftly find my weak spots and smooth them over. He wanted to protect me. He wanted to tell me it was okay to be me in all my flawed glory. He even told me it was okay to go mad, that I’ll be fine, that everything would be fine with him. His eyes bored promises into me.

He had no right to make me start falling for him—to cup my face in his large hand and tell me he’d never let anyone hurt me.

The knock came again

“Coming,” I said in annoyance, pulling the door open. I was completely unsurprised by who stood there. Tall, dark, and handsome—eyes nefariously glowing gold.

“Lacey,” Puca purred, his eyes half-lidded, his cheeks already flushed at the sight of me. He drank in the sight of my nipples pressed against the dark green silk of the robe cinched tight at my waist.

“I really like living together officially. I can finally tell you how much I approve of your clothing choices. Was hard to do when you thought I was a cat.” He pulled out his phone as he walked inside without permission. I saw him searching for my exact silk robe in his size. After clicking buy he sat on my bed.

“You’ve been avoiding me. All of us.” His gold eyes dragged over every inch of me. He saw things no one else noticed—took note of the tiniest of freckles and cataloged them in his mind. There was something powerful about knowing someone saw every single part of me and desired it all, wanted it all…even if too much.

“No, actually. I haven’t avoided Lorcan, he’s been avoiding me,” I corrected, dropping my robe so I stood nude in front of him. I liked his perusal even if I was still punishing him for trying to eat me. Plus, I liked teasing him, another small punishment for his devious attempts to wear my skin.

A smile stretched over his face as he leaned back on the bed. He looked sinful in his luxurious three-piece suit and well-polished shoes. He knew I liked his expensive wardrobe and wore it around like it was tempting lingerie. Even now he ran his fingers down his tie before leaning forward on his knees and rubbing his hands together like a villain. I saw through the action for what it was. He was showing off new gold cufflinks he must have had delivered.