“You’re moaning an awful lot in there,” Maria yelled from the hall. A few moments later, my door opened, and she peaked her head in—the wide grin on her face immediately disappearing. “Oh, you’re in here alone.”

I sat up and pulled the blankets over my bare chest. “Maria! You can’t just walk in. What if Trevon was over?”

She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and twirled a mascara stick in her hand. “I knew he wasn’t here. He came over an hour ago to see you, but you were sleeping.”

“Then why’d you think someone was here?”

“I thought maybe Eros paid you a visit this morning.” She shrugged like Eros being in my room with me while I had a boyfriend was nothing, then she walked to my mirror and continued to apply her make-up.

Heat crawled up my cheeks. Oh, Eros was here last night—just not the way that she thought. But if she found out I was having hot dreams about Eros, she’d make a huge deal out of it and probably would even tell him.

Her blue eyes widened in the mirror. “Oh my gosh. He did, didn’t he?”

“No, no, no. Maria, he didn’t.”

She turned on her heel. “Then why are you blushing?”

“I’m not blushing!” I was definitely blushing.

“Yes, you are!”

“Maria!”

“Did you have a wet dream about him?”

“MARIA!”

“You did!” She squealed and hopped onto the bed with me, grabbing my wrist. “Tell me how good he was! I have wet dreams about Javier and Zane all the time and let me tell you, girl, they drive me crazy, especially Javier! He’s so good with his—”

I tugged on the t-shirt I had on last night before bed and rolled out of bed. “I don’t have time to talk about this right now. I have to get ready for work.” And I really didn’t want to know what Javier did to her, especially after the movie last night.

Dr. U stood in front of the wall-length windows in her office and sifted through some papers. The sunlight was reflecting off of her glasses. “Morning Dani.” She took a sip from her Ollie’s coffee mug and quickly glanced at me. “You look refreshed.”

I had rushed to put myself together this morning—wanting to get out of the house before Maria had the chance to ask me question after question about Eros.

She placed her coffee on her desk and leaned against it. “I suspect you figured out your dilemma with Trevon?”

“Oh, um, yeah.” Sure.

She raised a sharp brown brow and nodded to the couch. “What happened?”

My fingers brushed against the plush cushion, and I sat down. “Nothing.” It was bad to think this, but, after last night, I didn’t want her to talk any sort of sense into me.

She tilted her head and smiled softly, waiting for me. I sat there in the awkward silence, kicking my feet back and forth, and gazed out of the window. God, this woman would not let this go. “He wanted me to go to this stupid party he was throwing at his bar, and we got into a fight.”

“Have you talked to him since?”

“Yes.”

“What did he say?”

I didn’t want to tell her because she had always liked Trevon. We matched on so many levels. It was absolute love, she had said. Rare these days.

I gazed out the window. Bright beams of sunlight were shining through a pocket of plush white clouds. It reminded me of the time Mom took me to the park for my birthday. When we were lying on the ground, grass tickling my arms and legs, she pointed up at the sky and told me stories of angels rising up to Heaven. That morning, we watched the crepuscular rays for hours. That was the last morning I saw her alive.

I grasped her pendant and took a deep breath. Whenever I saw those rays, I knew she was with me.

“He said that he’d work on himself for me,” I said.

Dr. U gazed out the window and paused for a moment. “When you’ve had arguments, before has he followed through with his promises?”

“Yes.”

“And your relationship improved, didn’t it?”

My heart clenched. “Yes.”

“So, what’s bothering you?” she asked. When I didn’t answer, she leaned closer to me and placed a hand on my knee. “Dani, you know I won’t judge you for your answer. I’ll just provide you with as much help and guidance as I can.” Her voice was soft, yet I knew she’d push me toward Trevon, toward a heavenly good.

I parted my lips and took a shaky breath. “I… I…”

Moving around the desk, she sat next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “I want you to make the best decision for yourself, and I know that you have loved Trevon for years. From what you tell me, your relationship is strong. I don’t want you to lose something like that for a lustful fling.”

She paused for a moment, and I saw Mom in her eyes.

And I knew one thing: I couldn’t disappoint Mom.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 15

OceanofPDF.com

Dani

I stepped into the Elysium Taproom and immediately wanted to step right back out. The room was buzzing with people who had just gotten off of work, dressed in suits and sipping on beer. Couples sat across from each other in the maroon booths, smiling and laughing and I wished that I had never gotten myself into this mess with Trevon.

Kasey and Maria were telling me to break up with him. Dr. U and Mom were telling me not to. And Eros… I didn’t know what he was telling me to do or what he really wanted. Hell, I didn’t know what I wanted.

All I knew for sure was that I needed a drink. Something—anything—to give me the courage to talk to Trevon, but I just didn’t want it to be spiked again. Trevon would get angry, and this whole vicious cycle would repeat.

I walked to the bar, searching for a place to sit and hoping that Trevon was still in his office and not on the main floor. My mouth was far too dry to talk to him right now.

Eros leaned against the bar top with a drink in his hand, talking to Zane. His back was turned toward me, and his sleeves were pulled all the way up his forearms, giving me a clear view of all his dark tattoos. I sucked in a breath. Well, this was what I got. Try to avoid Trevon, run into Eros.

Zane nodded his head in my direction, and Eros looked my way. His dark hair was tousled, strands falling onto his forehead. Sultry green eyes looking so much softer than they did last night in my room. “What’s a sexy little thing like you doing here on a weeknight?” he asked, smirking.

“I’m here to see Trevon.”

His soft features faded.

“I haven’t seen him,” Zane said.

Eros sipped his drink, knuckles white. “He’s probably in the back.”

“Probably,” I said, drawing my fingers along the strap of my purse.

His gaze flickered from the offices to me to Zane. When I didn’t move, he raised a brow. “I thought you were here to see him?”

“I am, but I have time.” To talk to you.

Eros leaned closer, gaze wandering down my body and lingering on my hips, brow arched. “I bet you do.”

Zane placed his beer down on the counter. “I’m gonna head out. It was nice seeing you again, Dani.”

Eros placed his glass on the bar. “Do a favor for me and take Javier on your way out. I don’t want to deal with him tonight.” Eros gazed back over at me, taking me in.

“Javier came with you?” I asked. I expected him to be doing Maria somewhere in the apartment.

“Yeah, he’s probably drunk off his ass in the bathroom,” Zane said, rolling his eyes and heading toward the back.

Eros brushed his finger against my blazer, dangerously close to my abdomen, and pulled me closer to him. “Sit down, Dani. Have a drink with me.” He lifted two fingers to the bartender, asking for two shots, then turned back to me.

I sat on the stool, knees touching his. “You remember what happened the last time I had a drink at this place, don’t you?”