As I look at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I find myself asking a question I've never had to ask before: How much cleavage is appropriate for a dinner meeting the friends of your demon-slash-bodyguard-slash-kinda-boyfriend?

I'm wearing a bright pink maxi dress with a deep v that ends just above my belly button.

"How conservative are these people we're going to dinner with?" I ask, poking my head out of the bathroom. Kieran is buttoning his shirt—a long-sleeve burgundy dress shirt with a velvet-like texture. It cascades over the contours of his sculpted chest like it's made of liquid.

Damn.

"Do you seriously think I have conservative friends?" he asks, turning to look at me with a raised brow.

"So this isn't too much cleavage?" Before I can fully step out into the room, he replies.

"Nope."

"What? You didn't even see it before you answered."

"Don't need to," he says, his gaze settling on my chest. "There's no such thing as too much cleavage."

"So you won't care if your friends check me out?" I tease.

He laughs and shakes his head.

"First off, they're a couple. Ava you already met, and Zane, who I can pretty much guarantee will have zero interest in your body."

Is that an insult?

I rest a hand on my hip.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He wraps his arms around my waist and smirks.

"It means he's totally fucking whipped—completely obsessed with his wife. The guy only has eyes for one girl."

"Oh... that's kind of sweet really. What's the second thing?"

"Second thing?" His eyes fall to my lips, clearly distracted.

"Yeah you said 'first off...'"

"Oh yeah. Second—they can look if they want, that doesn't bother me. You're stunning; of course they're gonna look."

"So you're not concerned with people checking me out?"

"You're a stripper, Babe. If I were insecure about people looking at your body, we'd have a pretty big issue."

"So you don't have a problem with me dancing?"

He laughs and rests his forehead against mine.

"As long as you're not giving the kind of dances you gave me last night."

I giggle and shake my head.

"No, that was a little more full-contact than usual."

"I don't care who gets to see you naked—that's just business. And you're damn good at it. Watching you up there was incredible."

"If you don't get jealous, then what was with you and Omar the other night? And that guy at the bar for that matter?"

"Yeah well..." He shrugs and steps away, adjusting his shirt. "That was a new feeling for me. Some things... I guess, yeah, I want them for myself."

"What things?"

"You're gorgeous. People have eyes. People are going to look, people are going to want to touch you... you handle all that. It doesn't bother me that someone else wants to touch you, it bothers me when I think that you might want them to."

He sits down on the side of the bed and begins slipping his shoes on, then continues.

"And I fucking hate when someone else makes you laugh. I want to tear their fucking guts out and wrap 'em around their neck." He pulls the laces on his shoe extra tight.

He stands up and walks back over to me, then grabs me by the hips and tugs me to him..

"Only you get to make me laugh, huh?" I say with a giggle.

He nips at my bottom lip and smirks.

"That naughty little giggle, Red? That's mine."

Our lips meet and I press my chest into his. He hums contently then breaks our kiss.

"You like the dress then, huh?" I ask.

"I love it." He steps back and gives me a once-over. "I can't decide if I want to tear it off you or wear it myself."

I laugh and playfully push his chest.

"Thanks, but it would be awkward if we both showed up in the same dress."

"Good point."

"So, if he lives in Port Charlotte, why haven't I met the famous Zane before?" I ask, leaving the bathroom door open as I return to fix my makeup.

"Well, he and Ava eloped not too long ago and then they were on their honeymoon for a little while. And I haven't seen much of either of them—pretty sure they've just been humping like rabbits."

"Definitely TMI."

"Plus, I may have been a little worried you would be drooling over him at first."

"Is he super hot or something?" I ask.

"He's pretty much exactly the kind of guy you said you were into—tough guy, tattoos, rough around the edges. I didn't know you were lying, though, you little trickster."

I laugh as I brush on my setting powder.

"And he's a Siren," he adds.

"A Siren? What does that mean?"

"It means he's an Immortal, born to be insanely attractive. Not gonna lie, he's pretty hot."

"Well, we better get going then," I tease. "A guy so hot that Kieran is intimidated? This I've gotta see!"

*****

We arrive at a restaurant called Table, twenty-some stories up a high-rise in the center of downtown. It's lit with dozens of Edison bulbs hanging as individual pendants from the ceiling. The bar is built around a thick oak tree covered in red and orange leaves and strung top-to-bottom with fairy lights. The ultimate effect is this gorgeous candle-lit forest vibe.

This place must be really expensive.

"Hey! You're here!" a female voice calls. I recognize Ava, the purple-haired girl from the hospital, as she walks up and gives Kieran a hug. She's wearing a tight-fitting red bandage dress and her hair is clipped up in the back. "Hi Sam! Nice to see you again!"

She gives me a welcoming hug.

"Same to you," I say.

"Where's Z?" Kieran asks.

"Zane is upstairs handling something but will be here in a sec. He said he'd meet us. Our table's over here."

She leads us to a cozy table in the back with a view of the city. We all sit and I take in the impressive ambiance.

"So what's Zane handling?" Kieran asks, his brow furrowed.

"We uh... he um... the shower broke." Her cheeks flush and she chews her lower lip. "It was spraying water everywhere. It's fine, he's handling it."

Kieran laughs and Ava gives him a stern look. I feel like I'm missing the joke, but I shrug it off.

"So you guys live upstairs?" I ask.

"Yeah, Zane owns the restaurant and the apartment upstairs too."

"Oh wow. I didn't realize."

"The food is really good here. You'll love it."

"So you're... you're not... like them, right?" I ask. The second I ask it, I realize what a strange question it is when said aloud. Kieran chuckles at my side. "I mean... you and I are just... regular people?"

"Human, yeah," she says, rescuing me from further embarrassment. "Although I guess technically I'm immortal now but, like... 99% human, yes."

"Okay, cool, thank you. I'm sorry, I don't really know how to talk about this stuff with other people. Kieran is one of the only non-human people I know."

"Speaking of which, was he able to help you with your problem? With your ex?"

Kieran's jaw ticks and his expression falls.

"Mostly, yeah. We're um... still working out some things."

"He's still alive," Kieran says, a bit of a growl to his voice. "I'm working on fixing that."

Ava's brows raise and her eyes widen at his comment.

"Oh," she says, her eyes moving between me and Kieran. "Well good luck, I guess?"

"So what do you do, Ava?" I ask, changing the subject in a way that's not particularly artful.

"I'm a web designer."

"Oh that's awesome. Do you do the programming bits or just the design part?"

"Both, actually," she says.

"You're creative and brainy? I'm so jealous. I've never been gifted in either department."

"Oh come on, you're a dancer, aren't you? That's definitely creative! Plus you've gotta be a good athlete for that stuff. Talk about not being gifted—that's me and athleticism. I'm the least coordinated person ever. I would love to be able to do even a tiny fraction of what you do."

"There are classes for pole dancing if you ever wanted to learn."

"Yeah, if you're trying to send Zane to an early grave," Kieran jokes.

"You're both really underestimating my lack of coordination," Ava says with a laugh.

She smiles and her light grey eyes catch the light. They're stunning—I didn't even know eyes could be that color. Something catches her attention behind us, so I follow her gaze. It's a tall, muscular man with loose dark curls, tan skin, light stubble that gives him a sexy bad-boy look. He's wearing black dress pants and a tight black shirt with its long sleeves rolled up a few notches.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," he says in a smooth English accent. "Hello, love, you must be Sam."

Wow, Kieran was not kidding. This man is next-level hot.

He extends a hand and I shake his.

I'm overwhelmed—but by what, I'm not sure. The gorgeous man sitting down across from us? His gorgeous wife beside him? The fancy restaurant with a literal tree in the middle of it?

I fan my neck slightly, feeling somewhat overheated.

"We heard about your shower incident," Kieran says with a laugh.

"You told them?" Zane asks Ava with a wide-eyed expression.

She says something and the three of them laugh, but I'm losing track of the conversation. My chest feels strange and everything seems to assault my senses. The once dim lights seem suddenly several levels too bright, each a pinprick burning into my eyes. The music and the crowd noises mix into a sea of cacophony, ringing in my ears. My heart pounds and my stomach churns. It's all too much.

I pinch my eyes shut and rub my temple.

Muffled voices seem to call my name and I reluctantly force my eyes back open. Kieran is now in front of me, his face twisted in concern.

"Hey, Red, look at me. What's going on?"

"Sorry just... not feeling well all of a sudden."

Ava says something to me, but I only catch the tail end of it.

"...okay? What are you feeling?"

I feel like I'm going to cry... or scream... maybe both. Ava holds my hand for a moment and I just stare at her hand on mine, my vision blurring at the edges. Suddenly, the contact breaks, and Zane is holding my wrist.

"What are you doing? No! Get off me!" I shout. I'm not even sure why I'm reacting so strongly, but I can't think straight.

"Everything is alright, love," he says. "Calm down."

I tug my hand away.

"Just what I need, a random dude I don't know telling me to calm down." I stand up from my seat, but all three of them look at me like my hair is on fire. "What?"

Shit. That was rude. I don't know what's wrong with me.

"Come here, Red," Kieran says. He takes my hand and leads me out onto the terrace. The cool air feels good on my skin, and I suck in an unsteady breath. I fold over, resting my hands on my knees. He rubs my back with his palm. "Talk to me, Doll. What's happening?"

I start sobbing—full-on sobbing. I don't know what is wrong with me, but I can't stop.

"I don't know. I don't know what's going on."

"Can you answer a question honestly for me?" he asks.

"Yeah."

The request is odd to me. Have I ever lied to him before?

"Zane just told you to calm down, but you didn't. Well, I told you he's a Siren and Sirens can influence your mind when they touch you. Kind of like hypnotism."

"Yeah, well it clearly didn't work on me."

"That's kind of my point."

"What? I don't understand. What's your question?"

"Sam..." His eyes seem to search mine for answers. "Are you human?"

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