I waited for him to say something to take my mind off of this, but he just wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest. I inhaled his cinnamon aroma and relaxed in his arms. They were so warm.

We laid like that for hours. My fingers digging into his bare back, me holding him closer than I ever held Trevon, clutching him like he was the only thing I had ever wanted. I didn’t know how much I needed this.

“I’m going to make this right for you,” he said.

When I woke up the next morning, I swore I could smell Eros on the bed sheets. It felt as if he had been there with me the whole night, but that was an even stupider thought than the idea of me giving Trevon a second chance.

After Kasey dropped me off at home, I stood in the elevator with my phone pressed to my ear. “I’m so sorry again, Dr. U., but I… I won’t be able to come in today.”

“Is everything okay, Dani? You never call off,” she said, worry clear in her voice.

“Yes.” It was. At least, I was feeling a bit better than yesterday.

She paused for a long moment. “Dani, it’s not good to deny your feelings. Don’t let them build up. Remember how that unfolded in the past for you.”

“I know,” I said softly, stepping out of the elevator. Denying Mom’s murder made me so hateful of everything until Trevon. Now I had to deal with Trevon and his cheating.

“Take as much time as you need,” she said. “And promise me you’ll talk to someone about this, even if it’s not me.”

“I promise.”

I hung up the phone and walked down the hall. Trevon was the only good in my life after I lost Mom and now he was gone too—willingly. What did I have left? Who did I have left to talk to about this? Kasey. Maria, maybe.

Everything was eerily quiet as I pushed my key into my apartment door, lost in my thoughts. Then, suddenly, I heard yelling from next door. I was going to ignore it until I heard Javier’s voice.

“I can’t fucking believe you!” Eros said.

“Come on. You know how I live, Eros,” Javier said. I gripped the doorknob, fingers turning white.

“I told you to stay away from her!”

“You told me not to fuck her, and I didn’t.” Javier’s voice was laced with annoyance.

“So, you fuck her boyfriend instead?” Eros paused. “I can’t believe that I actually fell for this shit. I should’ve known. You’re just like your father.”

Javier chuckled. I could only imagine he had the same sinister look on his face that he gave me when I caught him with Trevon. “You should be used to it by now.”

“This is why I left.”

“Who are you kidding, Eros? You were banished! You didn’t leave. Mother didn’t want a son like you. She never did.”

Silence.

“Why didn’t you tell me that she’s—” Javier started, but I heard sudden footsteps and saw the door swing open, so I slipped into my apartment and shut the door behind me. That didn’t sound good.

I inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of eggs and bacon, and closed my eyes. Eros and Javier were half-brothers? Where did their mother banish him from—and, on second thought, who even used that word anymore? Why did Eros warn Javier to stay away from me?

The last question interested me more than the others. Maybe I was hoping that it was because he possibly liked me too. After last night’s dream, I was starting to think anything was possible.

He probably told Javier that so he could be the one to fuck me. He had made that clear from the moment that he met me that that was what he wanted.

The bacon on the skillet was sizzling in a heap of grease. Maria hurried out of the hallway, running a hand through her hair, phone pressed to her ear. “I don’t know where she is. She didn’t come home last night, and I’m so worried about her, Zane. And this breakfast is burning and—” She looked at me with wide teary eyes and clicked off the phone without saying goodbye. She rushed over to me and pulled me into a hug. “Dani! Where have you been?”

“At a friend’s place,” I said, awkwardly patting her on the back.

She wiped a tear from her cheek, trying not to mess up her mascara. “I was so worried about you. I heard what happened. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“You are?”

“Yes,” I said. “I think so.”

Honestly, I was still hurting, but I felt so much better. Last night, my world felt like it was shattering. I didn’t think I’d ever spend another day without disgusting wet tears rolling down my cheeks and puffy red eyes.

“Are you okay?” I asked. “You and Javier—”

She frowned. “Javier is an asshole who likes to lead people on, apparently. What we had was nothing compared to you and Trevon.”

I gazed over at the burning bacon. “Has Trevon come over?”

“No.” She turned off the stove and placed the bacon on a glass plate. “But Eros did.”

Eros came looking for me?

“You should go see him. He seemed worried.”

“I will,” I said. “Later.”

All I wanted to do now was sink into my sheets, fall asleep, and dream of Eros. I knew that the Eros in my dreams wasn’t the same as the Eros in real life, but dream-Eros had comforted me last night. And I hoped that it would happen again.

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 18

OceanofPDF.com

Dani

After work, I drove myself to Kasey’s house and knocked on her door. I hadn’t seen her or Trevon or even Eros in a few days, and I wanted someone to talk to. There was no answer. I was about to turn away when a shirtless guy opened the door.

His thick brown hair stuck up in all different directions, and he furrowed his dark brows at me. “Hello?”

“Hi, is—uh—Kasey here?”

Who was this guy? He couldn’t be her boyfriend; she just introduced me to Mycah a couple days ago. Maybe it was her brother?

He smiled, leaned against the doorframe, and crossed his arms. There was a small scar in the center of his chest. “You must be Dani. Kasey talks a lot about you.”

“Oh, um… good. What’s your name?” I asked awkwardly.

“I’m Aarav, Kasey’s boyfriend.”

My eyes widened. Oh, he was her lover. Had she broken up with Mycah already?

Kasey walked behind Aarav, tying a black silk robe around her small waist. “Dani! Come in.” She slapped Aarav lightly on the chest. “Hun, go put on a shirt. You’re making her uncomfortable.”

Aarav jogged to the bedroom, and I walked into the apartment. Heart racing. Maybe Kasey was cheating on Mycah. She hadn’t told me they broke up. I thought she would have. Would I be able to look at her the same if she was, especially after what Trevon did?

“What’s on your mind?” She puckered her red lips and curled her arm around mine, dragging me to the kitchen.

“Aarav is your boyfriend?”

“Yep.”

“When did you break up with Mycah?”

“I didn’t. We’re still dating.”

My eyes widened. “Oh.” Wow. Okay. Out of everyone, I didn’t think Kasey would ever cheat. She was so angry when she found out that Trevon was cheating on me.

I gnawed on the inside of my cheek. Maybe I should tell Mycah. I would’ve wanted someone to tell me that Trevon was cheating. It would have saved me from blindly believing that he was still in love with me.

Kasey giggled at my expression, her nose scrunching. “Dani, I’m in a relationship with both of them.”

Yeah, that was clear.

“No, no, no. I mean they both know about each other. We’re in a polyamorous relationship.”

Oh.

“Really?” I asked, curiously.

She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth, brows furrowed. “You don’t think that’s weird, do you?”

“No, of course not.”

I had never met anyone in that kind of relationship before. And while it was different, it wasn’t weird. It was intriguing more than anything. Two partners to care about. Two partners who cared about her.