Chapter 309

Emmeline narrowed her eyes, fighting the warmth creeping into her cheeks and the strange flutter in her chest that had nothing to do with fear. “I locked everything myself. Triple-checked it, actually. Every door, every window.”

Zavian leaned forward with his elbows finding their place on the polished wood as if they belonged there.

The movement brought a whiff of his cologne - something expensive and subtle with notes of cedar and something darker she couldn’t quite place. “You were lost in your own little world,” he murmured. “Wearing that charming expression of concentration, completely oblivious to everything around you.” His finger traced an idle pattern on the bar top, drawing her eyes to his elegant yet strong hands, with a signet ring glinting on his right hand. “I simply couldn’t resist the opportunity to... drop in.”

Emmeline huffed. “Well, congratulations. You’ve officially startled me out of my skin.”

“You don’t look very happy to see me,” Zavian