Mystical Seduction

“What are you doing out here?”

Faith recognized his voice immediately. His crisp no-nonsense tone had the power to turn her legs to water. She breathed in deeply and tossed the trash bag into the Dumpster before turning around to face Horace.

Heck, she’d been waiting for this all night, some uninterrupted time with him. Getting her wish shouldn’t make her heart hammer in her throat, should it?

“Since I was still around at closing,” she said, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. “I thought I might as well pitch in, help out.”

“You shouldn’t be in the alleyway at this time of night. It’s not safe.” He took a step toward her. His midnight blue gaze pressed down on her. “You’re not safe.”

It took considerable willpower to stand her ground and keep a sarcastic tug on her lips. She didn’t want to admit that she’d stayed and helped Tim clean up with the hopes of catching a moment alone with Horace. A moment, exactly like this, where anything could happen. Nor did she want him to know that she had already lost her nerve. The predatory way he was looking at her made her entire body feel all quivery.

“I’m-I’m not safe… From you?” she asked. Her voice cracked.

“Yes, from me.” He took another step closer.

What had she been thinking? She knew nothing about the illusive Horace West. No one did. Not really. She’d heard he didn’t date, but that couldn’t be right.

“Perhaps I enjoy living on the edge,” she said, surprising herself with the flirty lilt in her voice.