Bargain With the Beast by April Andrews

swallowed the sudden lump in his throat.
    “ If you wish to leave,”
the Beast added, and his voice was soft now, “you may.”
    “ You’re letting me go?”
Tobias asked.
    The Beast tilted his head, as if
gauging the effect of his words. “I promised, did I
not?”
    “ You said you would
consider it,” Tobias said, and then cursed himself inwardly,
because why was he trying to argue against the very thing he
wanted? Only, that was last night, and today he was so fucking
confused. He didn’t even know what he wanted now. He imagined his
cliff-top apartment. Imagined how it would feel to be back there.
To pretend this had never happened…
    “ If you pleased me,” the
Beast added, interrupting Tobias’ frantic thoughts. “And you did.
Far more than I expected.”
    “ So it’s as simple as
that?”
    The Beast nodded and then he stood up,
pushing his chair back as he did so. “Yes, Tobias.”
    Tobias should have stood too. He
should have been thrilled that the Beast was keeping his promise.
Hell, he should have been running from the room. Only something
kept him in place. He reached up, almost absently, and rubbed the
spot where the Beast had sunk his teeth in. It tingled
oddly.
    “ I don’t understand any of
this.”
    “ No,” the Beast said. “But
you will. Give it a little time.”
    Time . That word again. What did it mean, Tobias wondered? What
did any of it mean? That this was just a quick fuck? A one-night
stand? A brief encounter in his life? The Beast nothing more than a
fleeting presence? Tobias hated that thought, because he was not
the sort of man who had quick flings. Sure, he had in the past but
they had never sat right with him, and he had always regretted them
after the fact. He always wanted more than that. He wanted someone
to come home to. Someone to watch his true crime shows with.
Someone to jog alongside of him first thing in the
morning.
    In short, he wanted what he would
never be able to have with this man.
    “ And you’re not worried
that I’m going to tell anyone about this place?” he asked
slowly.
    Their eyes met, the Beast smiled, and
Tobias melted a little inside. “We both know you aren’t going to
speak to anyone,” he said. “You aren’t even sure what you would
say.”
    “ Sometimes…”
    “ What?”
    Tobias shook his head. “It’s like
you’re reading my mind.”
    “ Not quite.”
    Silence held between them for a
moment. Their eyes stayed locked together, and it occurred to
Tobias that the Beast’s eyes were something that were going to stay
with him long after he left this place. He doubted he would ever
see a pair that color again.
    “ Tobias,” the Beast
sighed. “If you only knew how you have complicated things…” He
shook his head. “It is time for you to leave.”
    Tobias stood up. His legs felt almost
leaden and his heart pounded. Once again that spot on his neck
tingled. “I don’t even know the way out.”
    “ I will ask one of my men
to accompany you.”
    “ So I’m okay to wander
around now?” he asked.
    The Beast sighed. “No one will hurt
you. Not now.”
    “ You’re sure about
that?”
    “ Positive.”
    The door opened then, almost like
there had been someone outside waiting for this moment. Almost like
they knew it was going to happen right now. And of course, like
everyone else, they were yellow-eyed and tawny haired.
    “ And so here we are,” the
Beast said, and he walked around the table and stood directly in
front of Tobias.
    Tobias had absolutely no idea what to
say. He had never been in a situation even close to this. He didn’t
know what the right thing was, or how he was supposed to act. In
the end, because he was such a riot of feelings, such a mess, he
simply nodded at the Beast. “I guess so.” And then, because what
else was he supposed to do? Tobias held out his hand.
“Goodbye.”
    The Beast sighed again. “It’s never
goodbye, Tobias.”
    Tobias paused, the weird leaden
feeling melting slightly. “What