Love Immortal

Chapter Seven

Chapter 7

Lauren kicked the hem of her dark jeans so they covered the tongues of her black trainers and then tugged on the sleeves of her plum long sleeve kimono-style top. She smoothed the thin material over her breasts, allowing a modest amount of cleavage to show. It was cold in her top but she wanted to look good. She wanted Julian’s attention.

She combed her fingers through her red hair, twisting the ends so they flicked up and out.

She only wished that she could straighten out her nerves as easily.

Julian had left when she’d been dressing. He’d told her to pass the day away with Kuga, Leo and Piper if she couldn’t sleep, and to come to Duke’s office the next night. Piper had kindly gone out and bought her some beauty products and other necessities. She’d used all of them to make herself look more presentable and as pretty as she could manage. It had taken a while, giving her time to see the night fall and to think about why Julian would want her to go to Duke’s office. Now she stood outside it, trying to get her feelings into order and still wondering what awaited her on the other side.

Only one way to find out.

She opened the dark wooden door and stepped inside. The first thing she noticed was Astra talking to Julian. He stood to her right near the bookcases, with his hand resting on the hilt of his katana where it hung at his side, hidden beneath his coat. Astra glanced over at her and then smiled at Julian with bright red lips, touching his shoulder as she did so. She moved closer to him, a sway in her hips that Lauren didn’t like. It caused the slit up the side of Astra’s long black dress to open and reveal her thigh. Her smile widened and she ran her fingers through her glossy black hair, pushing it out of her face. A flicker of jealousy flared into life inside Lauren when Astra’s fingers slid slowly and sensually over the black material of Julian’s coat and she laughed, high and very feminine, about something.

“You’re looking better.” Duke came out from behind his large mahogany desk and crossed the room to Lauren. “Are you feeling better?”

Lauren threw a furtive glance Julian’s way and saw that Astra was now smiling right into his eyes.

“I was,” she muttered and turned her back on Astra.

Duke frowned. It didn’t suit him. It made his face dark and vicious, and gave him a menacing look when combined with his backdrop of the huge gun collection mounted on the dark red wall behind him. Lauren smiled, hoping to alleviate whatever was bothering him. She touched his arm.

“I’m fine.” Her hand slid down his arm. His gaze followed it intently. She was about to withdraw it when his hand came forwards so they touched. She went to take her hand back but he caught hold of it and turned it palm upwards. His fingertips grazed the lines on her hand, tickling her. “Are you going to tell me my future?”

He laughed—a rich deep sound that made her smile and made his intense brown eyes sparkle. While Astra’s laugh had been forced, Duke’s one had been real, like Kuga and Leo’s. It seemed all the male Ghosts enjoyed a good laugh. Lauren didn’t have the energy to laugh with her heart. She could only manage one as fake as Astra’s.

“I don’t tell fortunes.” Duke’s thumb brushed hers again, a caress that was both sensual and alarming. She stared wide-eyed at him, not knowing what to do. Julian wasn’t watching, and so what if he was? He probably wouldn’t do anything about Duke’s over-attentiveness. She probably meant nothing to him. Her life was a mere blip in his and when she died, another would come along to take her place. “But I could try… for you.”

“That’s fine.” Lauren extricated her hand from his. “I was just joking anyway.”

Duke swept the pad of his thumb over his fingers. Lauren stared at the roses on his palm.