Darkest Sins (Perfectly Imperfect #9)

The dais is several inches high, and when I climb up, my eyes survey the mass of clubgoers. Scouring. Where is he? Two weeks might have passed, but the feeling of his hand clutching mine is still very much imprinted on my mind. His breath in my hair. The way his stubble tickled my face when I pressed my cheek to his. The need to see him again, to feel his body pressed against me, is all I’ve been thinking about for days.Where is he?

A gentle caress down my exposed back, and then warm breath across the nape of my neck. “Looking for someone, tiger cub?”

I smile and close my eyes, savoring his light touch. “Not anymore.”

“I like the dress.” Husky words whispered right next to my ear. Then, another stroke of his fingers from the base of my neck all the way down to my waist. “I had to resort to stealing again.”

“I’m glad.”

His palm glides over my hip bone to my stomach, pulling me closer, plastering my back to his front.

“I hoped you’d come visit me sooner,” I whisper.

“I dropped by twice.”

“I haven’t seen you.”

“I know.” His other hand wraps around mine, threading our fingers together. “I can’t allow myself to come to you too often.”

“Why?”

“Because I wouldn’t be able to leave.”

Slowly, I turn around and meet his heart-stopping eyes. My heels and the raised platform are giving me quite a boost in height, but the top of my head still barely reaches his nose.

“Maybe I don’t want you to keep leaving.” I touch his lower lip.

“Light and darkness don’t mix, tiger cub. They cancel each other out.” He dips his head and kisses the tip of my finger. “And I would never dare to shroud your flame.”

I grab a handful of his shirt, scrunching it in a tight grip as if that would hold him here. With me. I want more. More thanthese stolen moments. My body yearns to be close to his, the same way my mind yearns to know more about him. Why won’t he tell me his name? Where does he go when he leaves? What does he do? Why does he keep pulling away? I’m afraid to ask. And afraid of the answers.

He reminds me of a stray kitten who was brought into the clinic last week, barely alive after obviously being seriously tortured. It scratched and bit anyone who came close to him, even when it was just to give the poor thing some food. One evening, while I was alone at the clinic, I left the cage door open and went about to do my nightly tasks. Nothing happened. I repeated my actions for three days, always with the same result at the end of the night. The kitten remained at the back of his enclosure. On the fourth day, the little rascal finally left his cage, jumped onto the counter, and just watched me work. The next day, he allowed me to feed him.

I have a feeling I’m in a similar situation with my stranger. There’s something awful hiding in his past. In his present, as well, more than likely. I have my suspicions about what it might be. He won’t hurt me if I push too much, of that I’m certain. He would just . . . disappear.

But if I leave the door open, leaving him to take that step . . .

“I wouldn’t mind sharing your darkness. You just need to let me in.” I lean on his chest and inhale his scent. “I’ve never been afraid of the dark, demon, because sooner or later, daylight always follows.”

“Not always, my beautiful shining star.” He drops a kiss on the top of my head. “Your friends are coming.”

I stare into his depths as he steps away. “Don’t go.”

“I won’t. Not until you’re safely home.”

Another step. Then, two more until he disappears into the crowd.

“Nera!” Dania grabs my arm. “We thought something happened to you! What are you doing here?”

“Who was the guy you were talking to?” Jaya throws in.

“No one,” I whisper. “Just the darkness.”

The phone in my pocket starts vibrating again. It’s the fourth time in the past ten minutes. I ignore it and keep my eyes glued on my cub while she stands with her friends around a tall table on the other side of the club. The goddamned caller is being persistent, so cursing the dickhead under my breath, I pull out the phone and bring it up to my ear.

“Your target is still alive,” Captain Kruger bellows through the line. “Explain.”

“The contract stated that there’s a six-day window.”