Chapter 192 Chapter 192
“I’m so sorry about this,” she repeated nervously. “Of course I will pay for the damage.”
He watched her over the rim of his glasses, green eyes focused on her face. “No, it’s okay,” he answered. Valerie couldn’t tell whether he was angry or not since neither his expression nor his voice revealed any emotion. She sensed a strange kind of magic lingering around this man, but she couldn’t pinpoint whether he was a demon, a mage, or something else entirely. It confused her since she had become fairly good at identifying supernatural creatures.
“Then at least let me buy you a new coffee,” she said, feeling bad about the matter. It didn’t happen every day that she ruined someone else’s clothes. The stain on his shirt didn’t look like it could be removed at all…
He hesitated for a tad before he agreed. “Alright,” he said and followed her to the next coffee shop that was just around the corner inside the mall. It wasn’t crowded at all since it was getting late, so Valerie was able to buy a new coffee for him within a few minutes.
When she left the shop, she handed it to him, and he accepted it, gazing at her with a hint of interest in his green eyes. “What’s your name, by the way?”
“I’m Valerie,” she said, smiling sheepishly.
“You seem like an interesting woman,” he muttered to himself, so quiet she barely heard him. Then he raised his voice and said, “My name is Jimmy. Thank you for the coffee.”
“You’re welcome,” she smiled. “Have a good evening.”
“You too,” he replied and walked off, looking like he was in a hurry. She glanced after him, stunned and confused by this random encounter. Only after a few moments, she shook off her astonishment and headed back to the restaurant. Thorne was already waiting for her, furrowing his brows when she returned.
“Valerie, where have you been? I was worried when you took so long,” he said.
“Sorry… I literally ran into someone,” she explained embarrassedly.
He snorted, rolling his eyes. “Typical Valerie, always a magnet for trouble. Better not tell Maxwell about this.”
“Wasn’t planning on it,” she laughed. “He wouldn’t let me hear the end of it. He always calls me clumsy, and it gets annoying after a while.”
—
Valerie’s birthday rolled around faster than expected. She had been busy with work and preparations for the party, so she had lost track of time. Before she knew it, it was Friday.
She had been giddy ever since she woke up in the morning. Maxwell had been a surprising gentleman today, making breakfast for her, and afterward, she had met her human friends for lunch in town.
Late in the afternoon, she began to get ready for the party with the demons. Now she would get the chance to wear the pretty dress she had bought while she had been shopping with Esther the other day. Valerie had been looking forward to this, and she was curious about Maxwell’s reaction when he saw it. She had barricaded herself in her bedroom while she got ready, not letting him in. He had been sulky about her decision at first and stormed off into the living room to play PS4 while he waited.
Valerie sat in front of her vanity mirror and put on her makeup. She chose natural colors that complemented her skin tone, adding a rosy tinge to her lips and sparkly silver eye shadow to emphasize her eyes. When she was done with that, she combed her long black hair until it was shiny, putting a cute flower hair clip in it. The dress she wore ended above her knees and was light pink, decorated with little butterflies near the décolleté. The sleeves ended at her elbows and were decorated with shiny silver embroidery. When she glanced at herself in the mirror, she smiled. This outfit was the exact opposite of what she had worn during the Halloween party.
She grabbed her purse and left her bedroom. “Maxwell, I’m ready. We can leave,” she called towards the living room, and soon enough, he came to join her. When she laid eyes on him, she paused, stunned by his looks. He normally didn’t put too much effort into his outfits—he didn’t need to since he looked gorgeous either way—but tonight, he had changed his habit. He wore a tight black dress-shirt with the top buttons open so she could get a good glimpse of his chest. The black choker around his neck drew her attention, as did the leather pants he wore. Her heart palpitated in her chest, and a rush of excitement shot through her veins when he smirked sinfully.
“What a surprise,” he commented. “You look very pretty, love.”
Her cheeks flushed when he cupped her jaw with his hand, leaning in. The scent of his after-shave enveloped her along with the smell of ash and fire that always lingered on him. His eyes were no longer blue as he gazed at her, drank her in. When his other hand sneakily wandered to the back of her dress, where the zipper was, her breath hitched. He pulled her in abruptly, and she collided with his chest while he embraced her.
Lips hovering near her ear, he whispered, “I would love to unwrap you right now.”
She had to catch her breath before she could answer him, the desire that she sensed from him making her delirious. “It’s not your birthday, though.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he countered smugly. “Your wounds are all healed, so nothing’s stopping us.”
“I will miss my own birthday party,” she whispered. She wanted to touch him, to kiss him, but she held herself back. Her hands shook as she folded them in front of her stomach.
“Right, that would be a shame,” he sighed, knowing how much she had looked forward to it. Still, he didn’t give in so easily, and since he always got what he wanted, it was only a matter of time… Breathing a kiss on her neck, just below her ear, he felt her shivering.
“I will unwrap you later tonight,” he decided, and when she didn’t protest, his smirk widened.