Resurrected King - Kaye Blue Page 0,12

wanted to see you,” I said, my voice deepening.

I shouldn’t have been going down this road, my words far too revealing, but Adora just brushed them off with a wave of her hand.

“Sure, I’ll bet—”

“Adora!”

She was cut off by a man who burst into the bakery.

I took him in quickly, mid-forties, a few inches shorter than me at an even six feet, low-cut hair, skin a deeper brown than Adora’s, and I couldn’t help but notice he didn’t seem sleep deprived at all.

Howard, the owner of the bakery.

The first sight of him set me on edge, but I pushed the feeling back and observed.

Adora frowned but covered quickly and set her face in a neutral expression before she stood and turned to face him.

My gaze snagged on her full hips and round ass, but I managed to pull it away and slipped a hundred dollar bill under Adora’s plate. Then, I turned my attention back to her and that fucker Howard.

“Howard.”

“You know we’re about to get hit with lunch rush and you’re sitting here running your mouth when we have work to do,” he chided.

I couldn’t see Adora’s face, but I heard the scorn in her voice.

“You mean I have work to do.”

“Semantics. Get going,” he responded.

She didn’t say anything else and instead turned to face me, an apologetic smile on her lips.

I stood too, ignoring Howard, even though I felt fires of anger rising in the background at the way he had spoken to her.

“Mikhail, it was nice to see you, but please don’t feel obliged to check on me. I’m fine. You take care,” she said before turning slightly toward the door, my cue that this conversation was over.

I wanted to fight her on that, tell her I wasn’t checking up on her because of anything but my desire to. And I wanted to throttle Howard, though I knew that was jealously talking.

But I couldn’t say any of those things, couldn’t pull her into my arms like I so desperately wanted to.

So instead, I nodded. “Take care, Adora.”

She gave me the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen as I walked toward the door, which I loved and hated because while beautiful, her smile was a dismissal, and I bristled at the thought of her sending me away, especially at the word of Howard.

Still, as much as I hated it, I’d already revealed too much by coming here and couldn’t risk more. So as much as it sucked, retreat was my only option.

I left the bakery without looking at her again, but even the abruptness of my departure couldn’t entirely dampen my mood. Those minutes with her just being were the best I’d had in years.

I’d given up on anything like pleasure, let alone joy, years ago, and had told myself I didn’t need it for so long I was almost convinced. But Adora tossed that all away.

I didn’t know anything about her, not really, but I knew that when I looked into her eyes, saw her smile, heard her sweet voice, I felt alive.

It scared the shit out of me.

Adora

I’d watched him walk out of the bakery but didn’t let my gaze linger.

I already felt like a live wire. I could remember how his lips had felt against mine in the car.

Remembered his gaze had felt as he sat in the bakery, his brown eyes seeming to bore into me, leaving me exposed and actually enjoying the feeling, something that wasn’t like me at all.

I was happy, friendly, but I didn’t let many people see beyond that. Under his gaze, though, I knew that he could, and to my surprise, that didn’t scare me.

No, what scared me was how much I wanted to let him, let him see the parts of me I tried to hide from even myself.

Which was why Mikhail was so dangerous.

I’d sensed that before, had thought it was because of his stature or the quiet intensity that seemed to pulsate around him. Thought it was because of what he did for a living.

Because I wanted him so badly.

But no.

All of those things were true, but none got at why he was so dangerous to me.

He was dangerous to me because I wanted to let him in, not just to my body but my soul, the parts of me I swore I’d never let anyone else see.

It scared the shit out of me.

Howard snapped his fingers, making me jump.

“Get your head out of the clouds, Adora. You’ve got work to do.”

I glared at Howard, not