I think of the way we curled together and my blood boils in my veins.
Yael asks me about House of Sass and I try to keep up with the conversation, but Aaric is staring at me.
“I’m interested in working with you,” I say. “I respect the fact that you need to get…well, a little…” I give him a look. “To reach your creative nirvana.”
He laughs. “I like this girl!” he tells Jensen, and Jensen says, “I like her too.”
“Jensen, really.” I shoot him a look, then decide I’ve been here long enough.
I don’t want to be rude to Christos, so I approach his group to say my goodbye, aware of him watching every step I take in his direction.
“I’m leaving.”
“I’ll take you home.”
I start saying no. It’s raining. We’ll be getting wet.
“We can talk business,” he says. His lips curving.
And I say, yes.
“I ended it before last weekend.”
We’re riding in the back of his car, toward his place. I hold my breath at his words.
“Before we were even in the socials section. She hasn’t spread the word out, thinking it’s salvageable,” he adds.
“Why. Why did you break up?”
“Because you changed everything.”
“We can’t…I’ve been misleading you. It’s not possible. We’re in business.”
“You want me.”
“I…”
His eyes twinkle. “It’s okay. I want you too.”
“It’s not easy for me. I don’t know why.”
He narrows his eyes as he looks at me. “It started making sense to me, that you feel safer if I’m unavailable. You won’t have any expectations and I won’t have any of you. But see…that’s not the way I envisioned you and I would go.”
“There is no you and I. We’ve had some close calls but—”
“There’s always been a you and I. Except only you and I know it. Only you and I know all the touches that never happened. All the kisses we never took. All the damned dances I didn’t dance with you.”
I look away, unable to fully grasp what this all means.
We end up heading to his place, and all the time I’m telling myself I can have him. He’s available, and he’s looking at me like…like he’s still interested.
“You son of a bitch! You lied to me,” I finally say when we arrive and sit down in his living room, the truth of everything hitting me.
“I let you believe what you wanted.”
“For how fucking long?”
“Two weeks. I would’ve told you sooner if I didn’t have the eerie suspicion that you like the idea of me being taken, that you feel safer around me believing I’m not making a move on you.” His eyes sparkle devilishly.
I’m shocked and already fired up by the first sentence. “Two weeks! I’ve been driving myself up the wall trying not to…”
He laughs and touches my ear. I feel tickles all over me.
“You think too much, and do too little,” he rasps.
“You do too much and think too little of the consequences.”
“What are you afraid of?”
“You. Everything blowing up in my face.”
“That’s not happening. But I want you blowing up in my face. Would you let me taste you, Bryn? Huh? If we went for it, would you let me finally taste you?”
“Christos.”
“I’ve never met a woman whose scent made me want to devour her like yours does. You confuse me, Bryn. You make me want to protect you and at the same time you make me want to break you. I want you to stop thinking and just fucking feel me. Feel this.”
He catches me by the back of his neck and puts his thumb on my mouth when we hear the doorbell.
His phone starts ringing, but he doesn’t pick up.
A minute later, a familiar blonde arrives. Christos doesn’t look up from me, his hand still on the back of my neck. “We’re busy here,” he says.
“Oh,” Miranda says.
Seeing her here makes me panic horribly, as if I’ve been caught doing something wrong. “No, I was leaving.” I stand and gather my things.
Aaric is on his feet. “Why?” he asks me.
I point at her, obviously. “You’ve got company.”
“That’s right. You.” He nods even as I turn around. “Bryn. Stay. Hey, stay.” He grabs my shoulders and turns me to face him.
“She said she was leaving,” Miranda says defensively behind my back.
“Thanks, Miranda,” he says flatly, not looking at her, only looking at me with what seems like panic in his eyes.
“Okay, I’m leaving, enjoy her, Christos, while she lasts,” Miranda says coolly.
I hear her footsteps recede, but not even then does Aaric release his grip on my shoulders.
“Why are you leaving?” he demands, his brows low.
“She was here.”
“I’m with you. We were having a good time. Why do you suppose I’d rather spend time with her than with you?” He seems vexed, his eyebrows low over his eyes, his eyes shining menacingly.
“I…”
“Why don’t you hang out with me? Why always business?” He slides one of his hands up from my shoulder to slide it under the fall of my hair.
“Because we’d do well not to confuse things.”
“Confuse the shit out of them.”
“She’s your girlfriend!”
He arches a brow.
“Your ex!”