later, I shook my head. That might be overdramatic. No matter how annoying and dangerous he was, Baron didn’t have the thick skin of the African buffalo.
And judging from the bright, sexy smile he pasted on his too-handsome face and the amused spark in his amber eyes, I bet he knew I was checking him out through the peephole.
He thought I’d open the door for that devilish smile?
I couldn’t ignore him though. He’d just keep knocking, or worse, go around back and trespass on my property again. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my erratic heartbeat, and opened the door a few inches.
“What now?” I snapped, refusing to be enchanted, or worse, ensnared by his looks.
“I like your sharp tone,” Baron said, still smiling. “It’s refreshing.”
“Don’t tell me you came to borrow eggs or sugar,” I sneered. Manners were important to my parents, but I had no intention of wasting good manners on this prick. “I have limited resources, dude, and my siblings are my priority.”
His tanned face scrunched with confusion. He must have spent a lot of time under the sun. He looked like he played tennis a lot, too, if Fae ever played sports like humans.
“I do not need eggs or sugar. I don’t even like them,” he said. Then horror filled his eyes. “I’d never take food out of the mouths of the young. I’d be more than happy to put down those scumbags who do. We protect our young.”
I snorted. “So you’re a nobleman now? When did that happen?”
“I don’t blame your suspicion toward me,” he said with another bright smile intended to disarm me. “I am sorry for our misunderstanding earlier.”
There was no misunderstanding. He’d planned to murder me if he deemed me a dark one, but I couldn’t call him out on it since I didn’t want him to know I could understand his native language.
Worse, he’d almost compelled me to suck his cock. Rowan had seemed like less of an asshole, but even he had showed interest in watching. I clenched my jaw. If Baron’s power had worked on me and I had knelt to give him a blowjob, my siblings would have all seen that.
“My beautiful, fierce maiden,” Baron said, not flinching from the anger rolling off me. “I said we’d meet again and I kept my promise. And I apologize once more for being rude to you. Allow me to make it up to you.”
He offered a bundle of fresh red roses with morning dews still on the tender petals. I blinked at the unexpected gift, and his smile turned smug.
“I’m full of surprises,” he said.
“Not in the positive way you think,” I said, hating how he sounded pleased with himself. I suspected he’d used this stunt to charm many other women. “I’m not your type, and I don’t accept things from strangers.”
“But I’m not a stranger anymore,” he protested. “You know my name and I know yours, Lady Evie.”
My gaze swept over the roses again. They were double the size of ordinary roses. And I’d never seen any rose as splendid as these.
“Where did you get them?” I frowned at him. “The nearest shop is five miles away.”
He flashed me another striking smile, as if he would never run out of them. Yet I had to admit, though I hadn’t caved in to his supernatural charm, I wasn’t completely out of the woods. In his presence, my heart still raced and my lungs couldn’t get enough air.
Even my lips parted involuntarily as I stared into the depth of his amber eyes where heat pooled inside. His smoldering gaze dipped to my mouth.
I flushed at the sudden intensity and electric vibration between us. I could feel his body heat radiating to me like the warmest summer sunlight. Maybe there was a reason he’d insisted on being called the Summer King.
But I wouldn’t allow this stupid sexual tension to keep rising or I might just die of asphyxiation. And then what would become of my siblings?
I cleared my throat and glared at him more to remind him where he should look—not at my mouth.
His sensual lips tugged up in amusement, not embarrassed at all that I’d caught his indecent intention, and then I found I was staring at his lips. I cleared my throat again and tore my gaze up to stare at his long brows.
“I’m impressed that you noticed the difference between the immortal roses and the mortal counterparts, Evie,” he said.
I squinted. “Immortal roses? Why have I never