Sin & Chocolate (Demigod of San Francisco 1)

“Just look for trespassers, okay?”

“Okay. Should I call the cops?”

I stopped at the door and just stared at him for a moment. This was clearly one of those times he’d forgotten he was dead. “No, Frank. That’s okay. Just let me know, all right?”

“Of course. I’d be happy to.”

“And hey, can you ask around and see if anyone wants to watch the neighborhood as a whole? I want to keep tabs on these guys.”

“Well, the president of the neighborhood watch fell off his ladder last week. From what I’ve heard, he landed on his back, right up near his neck. He’s in the hospital…”

No, he wasn’t, he was in the cemetery on the other side of town.

“Then it would be a good idea to organize everyone in case the thieves hear what happened and try to take advantage of the situation.” I unlocked the door.

“Yeah…” Frank nodded slowly. “That’s a good point. Okay.” He straightened his shoulders. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks, Frank.”

“Oh my God, Mordie, you look terrible.” Daisy rushed to the door and put her shoulder under Mordecai’s other arm. “Are you okay? What did they say?”

I held my breath as we got him to the couch. When I returned to shut the door, Frank was standing on my walkway, facing the street with his hands on his hips.

“They verified my illness,” Mordecai said, burying himself in blankets.

“All that, and all they did was tell you what you already know?” Daisy’s voice burned with anger. “You could’ve stayed home for that.”

I ducked into my bedroom really quickly and grabbed the blanket Kieran had bought. Returning it wouldn’t do a damn thing to get him off my case. We might as well use it.

“They did tests on how much it’s progressed, but I have to wait for the results. Not that it will do any good. I told them it wouldn’t matter—” He frowned when I stretched out the blanket. “What are you doing?”

“Wait…” Daisy scanned my clothing, lingering on the office-supply seamstress job and then my hair. “What the hell happened to you, and where are your clothes?”

“I don’t want this.” Mordecai tried to ward off the blanket. “Take that back to him, Alexis. Just because—”

I held up my hand to stop them both, before launching into what had happened to me at the magical government building.

“So you see?” I finished. “This blanket has nothing to do with anything. I doubt he’d even let me return it, let alone back off if I did. He’s got that file to hang over my head now.”

Daisy’s eyes narrowed. She took the blanket and threw it on top of Mordecai. “He stripped you down?”

“I was freezing and my clothes were wet. I had to get out of that shirt.” I turned quickly for the kitchen.

“Yes…” Footsteps thudded against the floor. “But he stripped off your shirt?”

“It happened so fast that—”

“What about your pants?”

My face burned as I filled a glass with water. I didn’t answer.

“Alexis, what did you do?” She stopped at the entrance to the kitchen. “He’s the enemy, remember? A crush is one thing, because the man is seriously hot, but—”

It was definitely role-reversal day. First Mordecai, and now this.

“I kissed him. That was it.” I gulped down my water. “It’s not like I meant to. It just happened.”

“Was that really it?” Daisy asked with a cocked hip, suspicion and anger clear on her face.

“Yes,” I lied. Even if I wanted to spill all, they were too young for the nitty-gritty. And I certainly didn’t want to spill all. “Then I shoved him away because I remembered about my phone and Mordecai.”

“Then you remembered about Mordecai?” Daisy accused. “After making out with the enemy?”

“If that water hadn’t been magically treated, it would’ve had ice on it. That’s how cold it was. I couldn’t get my thoughts straight.”

“So you’re a class five,” Mordecai said softly, thankfully not wanting to dwell on my terrible decision-making. “Do you think that’s why he’s interested in you?”

A wave of heat washed over me.

This would probably be the new normal. Every time I thought of that whack-job Demigod, I’d remember his searing touch, paired with the light, teasing kiss that boiled my blood. Even now, my breath sped up and my heart rate increased.

“Or is it the mutt thing?” Mordecai asked.

A knock sounded at the door.

I pointed at him. “That was a real knock?” Sometimes I had to ask to be sure. When Frank had enough energy, he used it to affect the physical world.

After Mordecai nodded, I motioned for Daisy to get into the kitchen and padded softly to the door.

“What about the bat?” Daisy whispered.

I ignored her as I wrapped my fingers around the knob. How many people could it be? Only three possibilities came to mind: my stalker, his minions, or a salesman who wouldn’t last ten minutes trying to sell me something. Much like Mountebank Iams and his Nurse Ratched, salesmen tended not to find my witty personality in any way charming.

I swung the door open, revealing the large man with the huge arms and sharp cheekbones that would break a fist.

Two canvas grocery bags hung from his right hand, one with something leafy sticking out.

“I’m Jack,” he said. “I’m here to make that roast.”

“Holy Moses,” Daisy said from behind me, peeking around at Jack. “He’s a big guy. Seriously, should I get the bat?”

Jack flashed straight white teeth, the smile making his dark eyes glitter. “You’d need more than a bat to take me on.”

“Well, it’s a start,” Daisy said.

He hefted the bags. “Can I come in? Mordecai needs some fuel.”

“Fuel, as in food?” Daisy shouldered me out of the way and pushed the door wider. “Because I’m starving.” This was an incredible change of pace, even for her. But then, food had a way of changing minds. “You’re one of the Demigod’s guys, right? You look vaguely familiar from the other night.”

Jack ducked in and had a glance around. If he was unimpressed, he didn’t show it. It was nice of him.

“I’m one of his Six, yes. I’ll be hanging around the yard for a while. Keeping the beasties away.” He motioned toward the kitchen, and I nodded to his silent request to enter.

“Oh, good. So if that mobster comes here to try and shut Lexi up, we’ve got some backup.” Daisy nodded at me as Jack set up shop on the counter. She glanced at his muscular back before fanning her face and dropping her voice to a whisper. “He seems nice and he’s super hot. Ditch the Demigod for him.”

“What mobster is this?” Jack asked, glancing back. A good-natured smile adorned his bronzed face. Daisy was right—he was handsome. All of the guys I’d seen around Kieran were. They had nothing on him, though. Except when it came to manners and personal boundaries.

“Nothing,” I said, walking to his side. “Just some criminal from the freak show the other night. One of the ghosts asked for a parting favor. I need to make an anonymous call, is all.”

“You should really just do the letter,” Daisy muttered.

I looked over the ingredients as he was unpacking. Organic, fresh produce, two packages of butter, heavy cream, a hunk of meat… “I should say no and turn you away. I want nothing to do with Kieran.”

“Say no and turn me away after you eat. After what you went through in the assessment today, you deserve it.” He pushed over some carrots. “I hear you know how to work with vegetables.”

He was so easygoing and relaxed that it was hard to remain uptight and standoffish. I huffed out a laugh as Daisy sat at the table.

“We all do, yeah. But we’re not used to the carrots being this firm.” I delegated the carrots to Daisy along with a peeler. “I’d offer you some wine, but—”

“Here.” He bent down to the canvas bag and extracted a bottle. “I got you.”

I definitely wouldn’t be saying no now…

“This isn’t going to change my mind about working for your boss, just so you know.” I took the wine and found my out-of-use wine opener.

“I’m just trying to get a couple kids a good meal. But since you brought it up, he’s a good boss. A fair boss. He pays well, and he looks out for his own. He pulled me out of a rough spot. He’s a man that a guy—or gal—can respect.”

“I bet he didn’t stalk you, though,” Daisy muttered. “And force you to get an assessment out of the blue. And steal your clothes…”

Jack’s brow furrowed and he glanced at my getup, reminding me I hadn’t changed yet. “I did have to take an assessment—we all did; Kieran likes to know exactly what he’s working with—but yes, I got to keep my clothes. Then again, I didn’t go for a swim.”

“That’s because you didn’t get chased across an obstacle course like a gazelle running from a lion,” I replied.