“Chef Daaé too.”
The pressure behind my breastbone increased tenfold. “You rented Chef Daaé?”
“For an hour,” he clarified. “He promised that was enough to teach us how to make our own bonbons.”
Squealing, I did a little dance that Ambrose joined in to mock me, but I didn’t care one whit.
“I can’t believe you did this for me.” I flung my arms around Midas. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“I did good?”
“Better than good.” I pulled back enough to brush my lips over his. “I’m a very lucky girl.”
“Let me know if that ever changes.” He kissed me back gently. “I want to make you happy.”
“Same.” I pressed my cheek against his. “This couple stuff is terrifying, right?”
“Yes,” he exhaled, warm breath on my throat. “But I like it.”
“Me too.” Pushing off him to stand, I dusted crumbs off my palms. “What should I wear?”
“We’ll be in the kitchen, so comfort over style.”
“I like that you think I have style.”
“We have about forty-five minutes.” He checked his phone. “Can you be ready by then?”
Cramming the final croissant in my mouth, I tucked one mocha into the bend of my right arm then claimed the second with my left hand. Throwing a leg over the windowsill, I mumbled around my food, “Yeth.”
“I’ll clean up out here and meet you in the living room.”
Straddling the wall, hands and mouth full, I nodded to him, dropping crumbs down my shirt.
A caffeinated skip in my step, I rushed into our bedroom and set my mochas on the new dresser, careful to center them on the delivery receipt rather than the gorgeous wood finish. While I pulled on a tight pair of skinny jeans and a cute blouse from the modest wardrobe I bought from Target to replace the clothes I lost in the fire, I stole gulps until I polished off both drinks.
“You look amazing,” Midas said from the doorway. “God, you’re beautiful.”
The compliment struck me with the force of a blow, knocking the wind out of me, and I staggered a bit.
Midas had chosen to keep his sight. He saw through my glamour, past Hadley, straight to Amelie. And he still loved me, a woman whose truth lay somewhere in between who I was born as and who I was becoming.
“You’re just saying that because I’m wearing clothes that don’t have holes or bleach spots for a change.” I slid on sandals and turned to dig a hair tie from my purse. “The contrast is confusing you. That’s all.”
Warm palms gripped my hips to hold me still, and calloused fingers spread heat across my stomach where Midas linked his hands at my navel. He ducked his head, burying his nose in my hair, and breathed me in deep.
“I don’t care what you wear.” His lips brushed the side of my throat. “As long as you’re mine.”
The urge to correct him—I was my own person, thank you muchly—faded when his teeth found my skin.
“I love the way you taste,” he whispered in my ear, his voice husky and body hard against mine.
Dizzy from the potent words as much as the tender caresses, I asked, “Are you trying to seduce me?”
“Yes.”
No hesitation. No indecision. No qualifiers.
Gulp.
“Oh,” I said sexily, you know, if I were a frog croaking its mating call.
Hands sliding back to my hips, he turned me toward him. “Are you okay with this?”
The date, the seduction, or the chocolate, I don’t know which he meant, and I didn’t care.
Head bobbing, palms sweaty, I forced my mouth to work. “Yes.”
“Ready?” He took my hand, but my brain had gone numb. “We don’t want to be late.”
The heat in his gaze caused my stomach to quiver and tingles to spread through my fingertips.
“Let’s do it—this.” I bit my lip. “Do this.” I tried again. “Let’s go make bonbons.”
As Midas led me from the loft into the elevator, I got the impression my earlier wish to get into his pants was about to be granted. I was as stunned as Aladdin must have when the genie popped out of the lamp he had been rubbing.
Midas was seducing me.
And he was off to a damn fine start.
Two
Outside the air-conditioned bliss of the Faraday, the night fell on the right side of lukewarm. Midas and I skipped the Swyft fare and walked the five blocks to Choco-Loco with our fingers meshed and our arms swinging like we were two teens out with our first crushes.
The city hummed around us, alive with traffic and voices and music, and I relaxed into the rare chance to spend time with him outside our jobs.
“Do you smell that?”
A few steps later, I sneezed into my elbow. “Smoke.”
With the night off, we didn’t have to rush into action, but it still made me twitchy.
“Call Bishop.” Midas, who knew me too well, slowed his pace. “You’ll feel better if you report it.”
From there, Bishop could locate the origin and call the proper authorities.
“We’re on a date.” I already had the phone in my hand. “He would call if…”
An urgent flash lit up my display, and I groaned, letting my head fall back on my neck.
“It’s okay.” Midas released me. “Answer it.”
The number was as familiar as my reflection. “What’s up, Bish?”
“We got problems.”
“I was about to call you anyway.” I watched the blaze lighten the sky. “There’s a fire—”
“Uh, yeah.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t think you and lover boy are having that date night.”
Fear spiked in my heart. “What’s burning?”
“Choco-Loco.”
Standing beside me, Midas had no trouble following the conversation. “Daaé?”
There wasn’t much gwyllgi ears didn’t hear, which made cohabitation awkward to the extreme at times.
“We were meeting Chef Daaé.” I started walking again. “Do you know if he was there? Or if he got out?”
“An anonymous tipster called in the fire,” Bishop explained. “They didn’t give details.”
“We’re almost there.” I picked up the pace. “I can see the flames.”
“Daaé’s cell is going straight to voicemail,” Midas reported. “No one
