Page 16 of Hellhounds Never Lie

ChapterSix

ASH

I couldn't believe I’d actually asked a stranger back to my place…

And that Dillon had actually said yes…

Or that this was actually happening.

The only people I’d invited into this apartment were my mom, my brother Birch, and my best friend Jeremy. No one else. Ever.

But I found him on the side of the road and apparently some part of me decided he was mine.

As I slid the key into the lock on my apartment door with one hand, I tried to surreptitiously wipe my other sweaty hand on my T-shirt. I wished the sweat was from feeling too hot, but it wasn’t. This sweat was entirely from nerves.

Every part of me had rebelled at the idea of dropping Dillon off at a motel when we’d left the police station. As awkward as it was to admit, I hadn't wanted to let him out of my sight. I didn't understand my reaction to him, but I was following my instincts on this, even if they'd betrayed me in the past.

With it being so late, the apartment building was quiet. My neighbors were probably all in bed by now, and usually I would be too. It was easier to find distractions in the daylight, so I often got up early. That meant I didn’t stay up late. But, tonight, I wasn’t eager to go to sleep. Suddenly, I was happy I didn’t have to work tomorrow, which was an unusual feeling too. I could thank my hellhound guest for that.

Dillon followed me inside without comment. I turned the lock on the doorhandle but didn’t bother with the deadbolt. That seemed overkill… like I was trying to lock him in or something. He dropped his duffle bag inside the door, then silently prowled after me as I showed him the place. The tour lasted all of five seconds. My one-bedroom apartment was on the petite side.

"So," I said.

My gaze darted around the living room, skittered over Dillon, who seemed larger than life in my tiny home, then flitted to the dark TV screen on the wall before going back to Dillon. Now what? A new wave of nerves rushed through me, making my hands tremble.

I knew what I wanted, but was it too soon? Did Dillon even want me too?

I swear I never used to be this awkward, but it’d been a long time since I’d invited an attractive man into my home. This awkwardness was yet another unwanted gift from my psychopathic ex. I rubbed my chest, tracing those too familiar scars under the layers of my clothes. I jerked my hand away. Nope. Didn’t want to think about that tonight.

"So," Dillon echoed.

"You thirsty? Hungry? Did you get enough to replenish your magic? Does beef jerky work for hellhounds? I know it works for wolves, but you aren’t a wolf. Well, I mean I guess it must because that’s what Van gave you, and as a hellhound he’d know. But, if it wasn’t enough, I could make you something. Anything. I mean I don’t eat at home a lot—or ever, really—but I try to keep the basics, just in case. Spaghetti maybe? Or tacos? Canned soup? I swear I can cook. You might not think that by what I just listed, but I work as a cook at one of the local restaurants. People seem to like what I make well enough, I think." Damn it, I was rambling again. I clamped my mouth shut.

“It was the spice more than the beef that helped me with my magic. And, no, I’m not hungry.”

“Interesting. Spicy foods are good for me too or something cooked over a fire. Either of those things. But if it is both, my magic…” I swallowed down what I was going to say, because my magic didn’t really do anything these days. I could eat all the fire roasted meals in the world, and I’d still never feel as good as I used to. “As a kid, I went through a phase where I insisted only marshmallows toasted on a bonfire worked for me. My mom is an air mage, so she didn’t know any better and let me get away with it.”

“So, you need to eat,” he concluded from my rambling.

I waved away his concern. “No. I’m good. The jerky was fine to replenish what I spent. Seriously.”

I wiped my palms on my jeans again before I realized what I was doing. Damn it. I was a big ball of fidget. There was no way Dillon hadn’t picked up on how anxious I was. Although it wasn't like a hellhound wouldn't know by my scent alone that I was seventy percent nervous, and thirty percent turned on. Shifters definitely had the advantage there. If I were a shifter, would I scent arousal on him too? I would give anything right now to know what he was thinking.

"Uh… want to watch something on TV? I have a lot of channels. Like not just cable, but apps too. Like so many apps." I didn’t like being at home, but on those rare occasions I was stuck here, I usually had the TV on to fill the silence.

The big man shook his head, not even glancing toward the TV. "Thank you for this.”

Although he spoke quietly, his deep, rumbly voice amped up my arousal. It was weird how my whole body was hyper aware of the guy. His voice made my scalp tingle and my toes curl. Was that weird? Probably. Like, how could a tingling scalp be a good thing? But I wasn’t sure I cared right now. Not with the sexy hellhound looking at me like he was ready to strip me and lick me all over. But, holy Magic, my damn dick had been hard for hours now, ever since I’d met him, and the deep seductive tone of his voice had just made it so much worse.

Dillon's mouth twitched. Had he scented my spike in arousal? Did it happen that fast? Apparently so. Well then, wasn’t that awkward? I swallowed hard.

"I know I should have insisted on staying at a motel, but I was happy you offered," Dillon said.

"It’s all good." I forced myself to look at Dillon, whose gaze was bright with his beast's internal hell fire. Why was that so freaking sexy? Ever since we’d walked into my place, his eyes had been covered in flames. His dark brown eyes were pretty too, but with the flames? Holy magic. That just did something to me.

"Good." Dillon stepped closer. His body heat warmed me, and he wasn’t even touching me. His body temperature must run unusually hot. It felt delicious. How weird would it be if I just latched onto him like a parasite and sucked up his heat? "I'm a hellhound. I like truth, so I'm going to lay it all out there.” He paused for a moment, giving me the chance to protest if I didn’t want to hear what he was about to say. I kept my mouth shut. My heart raced with anticipation. “I'm attracted to you, Ash. And I think you're attracted to me too."

I gulped but managed to nod. Dillon stepped closer again until I had to tilt my head back to keep looking into his fiery eyes. I’d known from the very beginning the hellhound was a big guy, but now, standing so close together, our size difference was even more obvious. He had to have at least six or eight inches on me. And, fuck, it was perfect. I’d always been drawn to the large muscular types, and Dillon was a mountain of a man. It didn’t hurt that he was hot as fuck with those firm lips that looked like they’d give the best kisses in the world. And don’t even get me started on his chiseled jawline. He was absolutely, one hundred percent my type.