My Most Precious Human novel Chapter 57

I could have sworn that the barista kept his eyes on me the entire time he was preparing our coffees. There was something in the way he acted. It was a predator-like behavior. He observed his prey - me. I decided to look the other way before that filled with panic spark, growing inside me, would take over my entire mind. As long as I could see Patrick standing right outside, my breathing rate slowly returned to normal.

"Oh, here comes our coffee!" Colleen sang, seeing Jimmy carrying our two cups.

He put them on the table, barely sparing a glance at Colleen. For some unknown reason, it seemed like I got most of his attention. There was something dangerous in the way Jimmy looked at me. His eyes were filled with a savage spark, just like the one, I saw in those golden pupils of the barista. I tried to avoid meeting Jimmy's devouring gaze, yet the sole awareness of his presence was enough to send chills down my spine. The thing I found even more uncomfortable was the intense smell of his cologne, which literally made me breathless while he was inches away from my face. I could only relax when Jimmy finally put the cup of coffee next to me and moved away.

"Taste the coffee," Colleen demanded, moving my cup closer to my edge of the table.

I forced myself to smile at her while trying to shake off Jimmy's overwhelming scent. Colleen's gaze intensified, roaming between my eyes and the cup. I guessed that she wouldn't give up until I tasted that damn coffee. I lifted the cup and took a tiny sip.

"It's good… Really good," I responded, without really tasting it, but I felt obligated to tell her something immediately.

"It is, isn't it?" She grinned, then used her hand to fan the coffee's aroma towards me, "The smell is fabulous, right?"

I smiled awkwardly, but the truth was that I'd rather smell coffee than that awful cologne. At times like this, I regretted training my senses with Ezra. I used to do it so I could differentiate humans from werewolves. Most of the shifters could never entirely get rid of their fur's scent even when they were in their human form, especially men. The way I scented it was as if those guys radiated a strong smell of musk-like fragrance combined with wet wood and something earthy. The smell became more intense with the wolves' growing excitement or anger. Unfortunately, Jimmy's cologne almost killed my smelling sense. I bet that at that moment I couldn't smell a wet dog even if it stood one foot away from me. Of course, my taste buds couldn't stay unaffected. I inhaled my flat-white, pretending that I was a coffee expert before my senses could recover from the state of shock.

"Drink some more," Colleen encouraged me while taking a sip from her cup

I joined her as soon as Jimmy's fragrance dissipated in the air. I drank a few gulps of the hot liquid but suddenly realized that once I did, she put her cup down and observed me. Her lips formed a mischievous smirk while her eyes became wider.

"You live away from your family, don't you?" she asked, all of a sudden.

I put the cup down and looked into her eyes, surprised.

"W-why do you ask about my family?" I voiced out hesitantly.

"Just curious." She shrugged as if it was a normal, random question.

"I don't have a family." I clenched my teeth, looking out the window to see Patrick.

"Oh, really?" She smirked.

"Yes," I confirmed, looking into her eyes.

Her expression changed as something darker filled her pupils. A smile on her face became colder and her gaze much more intense and uncomfortable.

"Do I have something on my face?" I laughed nervously.

"You have beautiful eyes, Lilith." I couldn't tell if Colleen's comment was a compliment or a mocking remark.

With her last word, a soft, sneering chuckle left the barista's throat. I turned my head towards him, and he looked at me with a wicked grin.

"Malik seems to share my opinion." Colleen snickered, winking at the barista.

"What can I say?" He leaned against the bar, locking his eyes on me, "She's every wolf's type."

I jumped up from my seat and ran towards the door.