Oh dear. I’d probably fucked it up before I’d even arrived.
“Cass, gotta go. I’ll call you later.” I yanked the headphones from my ears, stowing them in my pocket.
My date’s head snapped around, clearly having heard me. I ran the last few metres, skidding to a stop in front of him.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
What was Cupid doing?
I’d been expecting someone more along the lines of my ex, Gareth. A few inches taller than me, built but not overly muscled. Stubble all over his face because he couldn’t bebothered to shave. I was also expecting maybe another vampire. Someone who matched me in terms of power.
This man was none of those things.
He towered over me, topping out at at least six foot three. His form was lean but rugged. Sharp cheekbones free of even a single hair sat atop the most beautiful mouth I’d ever seen in my life. His plump scarlet lips were justbeggingme to kiss them. Maybe suck on them a little.
And don’t even get me started on the long lines of his pale neck. My eyes lingered on one of his carotid arteries, my fangs descending against my will.
He was also no vampire. No, he was a fucking water mage, and a powerful one at that. I could smell it on him.
Why was that such a turn-on?
Cupid hadn’t given us any information about the other, just a notification of a time and place to meet. Now I kind of wish I’d had a heads up so I could stop the torrent of words that was about to erupt.
Scratch that. Even a picture wouldn’t have done him justice. There was no stopping this now.
“Hi! I’m Ash. God, I’m so sorry I’m late. I put on my green shirt, but then I managed to get toothpaste down it. Then I changed into this one, but my trousers didn’t match so I had to change those too. At least my shoes go with everything. My friend Cassie got them for me for Christmas. She’s such an angel. Well, technically, she’s a witch, but you know what I mean. Do you celebrate Christmas?”
My date’s face didn’t move except for his eyes. They swept down me slowly, taking in the way I was bouncing on my toes, my hands swinging at my sides. Then they slowly came back up to rest on my face.
I waited another beat, but he remained silent. “You are Lochlan, right?”
His chin dipped the tiniest inch. “Aye.”
A Scottish accent.Kill me now. There was no way I was going to hold it together in front of this perfect specimen.
Lochlan stepped to the side, opening the door and silently gesturing for me to step through.
My heart sank at his lack of responses. Trust me to fuck it up before the date had even started.
You’d think that would be enough to stop me talking. Instead, my brain decided to fill the quiet. “I couldn’t believe my luck when the notification came through to meet here instead of a bar. Bars are so impersonal, ya know? Besides, I love doing escape rooms. Especially if the puzzles are more complicated than the usual lock and key ones. My favourite types are ones where you move an object, and a secret door opens. It’s like I’m living in a spy novel. I’d make a great spy! I can be really sneaky when I need to be. Like a mouse.”
Lochlan didn’t respond, just continued studying me in the same inscrutable manner as before.
Fortunately any awkwardness was broken by the games master who’d apparently overheard my word vomit. “Ah! I see you’re not new to escape rooms.”
I inwardly slapped myself on the cheeks.Pull it together, Ash.I turned my attention to the games master who was smiling widely, the light catching on her nose stud. “Oh, I love your hair.”
“Thanks,” she beamed at me, fluffing her hands through the pale pink streaks. “It’s not as pink as yours though. How do you get it that colour?”
“I have a really talented hairdresser.”
Actually I had a witch called Cassie who, amongst other things, had a knack for creating otherworldly hair dyes. It even sparkled.
Our host turned to my silent date. “Have you done an escape room before?”
To my surprise, Lochlan returned her smile, speaking warmly. It was like he was a whole different person. “No, I haven’t actually. I wasn’t sure if this was gonna be my cup of tea, but I’ll give anything a go once.”
Yep. That was definitely a beautiful Scottish burr he had going on. I surreptitiously rearranged myself so he didn’t see the effect his voice was having on me.