Page 24 of Dark Elf's Good Girl

I get back to cleaning the windows as quickly as I can in case he decides to come back. I lied when I said I had a lot more to do. I'm nearly done.

It seems Talara thinks humans are essentially worthless. She gives me half the amount of tasks that I could actually accomplish in a day and I’ve made no comment on it.

I’m almost done when I feel the presence of somebody else in the room. Immediately I stiffen, but my body isn’t screaming danger the way it normally does.

Slowly, I turn and see why. I don’t find creepy yellow eyes watching my backside. Instead, I find comforting golden ones seeking my gaze.

It’s Calix’s brother.

It would be a lie to say that he had crossed my mind. Truthfully, I’ve been curious about him.

And it seems he’s been curious about me.

It’s not uncommon for Aiken to show up in the rooms that I’m cleaning. Unlike his mother, who critiques me or his brother who tries to corner me, he just seems interested in my presence.

I’ve never experienced anything like it with a dark elf before. And what's more is he doesn’t try to touch me. In fact, I don’t think his eyes leave my face, taking advantage of the skimpy outfit that his brother forces me into.

Does he not find me attractive?

I’m surprised that that’s the question that pops into my head when I lock eyes with him. Why would I want him to? He’s a dark elf.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt.” His voice is deep and smooth. It’s comforting and feels like you’re being wrapped in a blanket when he talks to you.

It floods my body with a heat that I shouldn’t feel for my master's brother.

“I’m almost done.” Why am I breathless?

“Care for some company until you are?” He takes one step closer, and instead of recoiling like I would if it was Calix, I nod. I’m curious to see what he’ll do.

After my invitation, Aiken perches on the arm of the chair next to him. He makes no effort to come any closer.

I shouldn’t want him to.

But it’s hard to shut down these desires when we’re alone. Rarely do I even get that.

I don’t even want to push away the feelings he stirs up in me. It’s not anything that I’ve experienced before. Normally I want dark elves nowhere near me. But when Aiken looks at me, I don’t feel the same roiling disgust that I do when his brother does.

Maybe it’s because he saved me from a fate that I don’t wanna think about the first time we met. I might be equating him to something that he’s not.

But when he cocks an eyebrow and a dangerously handsome grin breaks out across his lips, it’s hard to think that I could be wrong.

He doesn’t want me, I try to remind myself. There’s no heat in his gaze. His eyes don’t wander. He might just be as bored as I am.

Or provoking his brother.

Oddly, I’m okay with either since it gets me alone with him. He is the only one in this house that puts me at ease.

Honestly, I feel more comfortable with him than I have with almost anybody, even when I worked at the club.

“Something wrong?”

There’s a sparkle in his eye, as he teases me, the lights, my body up. Why am I so reactive to him?

I shake my head, biting on my lower lip. Spinning around, I start working on the windows again. Even though I don’t really want to finish up. I might redo some of my chores just to stay here with him.

But then I hear the furniture shift and footsteps walk up behind me. Chills break out across my body and not for the same reason they do around Calix.

My body is heightened as he comes closer and I tilt my head back as he comes to a stop, leaving a respectable amount of space between our bodies.