But Eros didn’t even want to be here. That’s why he was probably avoiding me these past few days and didn't want any kind of relationship right now. I shook my head. This was a huge mistake. I shouldn’t have come. “Just… drinking some sangria.”

The bartender gave him his drink. He rested a forearm on the bar and gave me a light smile. “You only drink when you’re nervous about something.” He sat on the stool next to me, and all I could remember was sitting at Trevon’s bar with him, our knees grazing against each other, him taking in every inch of me, his breath on my face. “Did Kasey send you here on a date?” he asked.

I pressed my lips together and stood. “Uhm, yes.” I grabbed my coat from the back of the stool. “But I was just doing it to make her happy, not because I actually wanted to go out on a date.” My palms were sweating; I could feel my heart pounding in my chest.

This was the only guy that I wanted to go on a date with but having him sit next to me with that sultry look in his eye terrified me. So, I continued to fumble with the zipper of my coat, hands shaking.

I didn’t know why I was letting this rush right by me. This was what I wanted. He was what I wanted. He just didn’t want to be here. It wasn’t the right time. This—

He grabbed my wrist, stopping me. “You’re not going to have a drink with me?”

When I gazed up at him in this dim light, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. “Eros…” I said. There was no point in lying. “I heard your conversation with Kasey. We don’t have to do this. I don’t mind.”

“I want to have a drink with you. I just didn’t want to date another one of Kasey’s friends.”

“I am one of her friends.”

“Yeah, but…” He gazed down at his drink, lips softening into a smile. “You’re you.” His fingers grazed against my palm and curled around it. “Now, unzip your coat, sit back down, and have a drink with me.”

When I sat, he tapped his finger with his ring against his glass. “I’m sorry about Trevon.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. You don’t deserve to be treated like that.”

“I know.”

He gave me a boyish smile. His lips were set in a soft curve, and there was a lightness in his eyes. “Good.” He grabbed my hand on top of the bar. “Zane and I kicked Javier out.”

“You didn’t need to do that. It was Trevon’s decision to cheat on me, not Javier’s.”

Eros’s jaw clenched for a split second, like he knew something that I didn’t. “It doesn’t matter. He’s not coming back.”

I didn’t want to talk about Trevon or Javier. This wasn’t the time or place to wallow in misery over him. I was on a date with Eros. A rush of heat warmed my body at the thought, and my cheeks tingled.

“Thinking about me in those horns again?” He placed his elbow on the bar top and leaned closer to me, finger curling around my hair.

My face flushed. “Oh, God.” I couldn’t believe that I told him about that. Liquor really did give me the courage to tell my deepest, darkest secrets. “I-no. I wasn’t.” But I was now.

Eros smirked and brushed his thumb against my cheek. “You know, I never got that kiss.” His breath smelt like a mix of cinnamon and apple.

“What kiss?” I smiled, my gaze flickering to his lips. Of course, I remembered that night in the kitchen when he was so close, when our lips were hovering next to each other, when he told me that all he wanted was to kiss me. “I never said that I wanted you to kiss me.”

He raised his brows and pulled his hand away, leaning back in his seat. “Dani, I really don’t think you want to tease me.”

I tilted my head, feeling confident in myself for the first time tonight. “I’m not trying to tease you.”

His eyes darkened. “If you want to play this little game, then I’ll play it with you. But just know that you’re not going to win.” He grasped my chin in his hand, thumb brushing against my lips. “You won’t be able to resist me.”

When he leaned back in his seat, he crossed his arms over his chest, making his biceps bulge. I already knew that I wouldn’t be able to resist him, but it’d be fun to try. Maybe I’d even get him to break before I did.

The thought of it excited me, and this was the first thing that I was looking forward to in the past week.

A game with Eros.

Who’d succumb to the other first?

OceanofPDF.com

CHAPTER 19

OceanofPDF.com

Dani

After our date, Eros stood next to me in the elevator, leaning against a shiny—almost shimmering—silver wall and stared at me. His eyes were dark, hooded, and oh-so-sultry. This was going to be harder than I thought. I didn’t know how the hell I was going to win this, but I knew damn well that I was going to try. And, if I didn’t, what would be the worst that could happen? We have sex and I do, in fact, have a heart attack.

I shifted from foot to foot, feeling the warmth pool between my legs, and hoped that the doors to our floor would finally open. “So, how do you know Kasey?”

“She’s my sister.”

My eyes widened. “Your sister?” Why didn’t she tell me? God, I’d been telling her everything about Eros. And by everything, I meant everything. From the first day that I met him to the bar incident. She knew every single intimate detail.

“That would explain a lot,” I said.

He chuckled, his shirt tightening against his chest when he did. “Are we that much alike?”

“Yes.” They both seemed… turned on—all the time.

The doors to the elevator opened, and I stepped out as quickly as possible. It was getting hot in there. Eros walked me to my door, hand dangerously close to mine. “I had a good time,” he said, posting a hand against the door frame, the muscles in his arm flexing.

My eyes fell upon his lips for a moment. “Me too.”

Keep your cool, Dani. Remember: You will not break first.

He smirked, leaned down, and grazed his nose against mine. “We’ll have to do it again sometime,” he mumbled to me.

His lips were so close to mine. So damn close. His breath was sending me into a daze, the way it did the first time I met him. I didn’t even know how he was doing it. All I knew was that I wanted more. More of him. More of this.

I’d been craving the feeling of his lips against mine since the day I met him. And I had the chance to close the distance. I stood on my toes, bringing my lips closer to his—waiting for him to close the distance. My fingers traveled up his torso.

“I thought you didn’t want me to kiss you.” He smirked against my neck.

Don’t do it, Dani.

I stopped myself from falling into his little trance and mirrored his smirk. “I don’t.”

He trailed his nose down my jaw, and I suppressed the urge to shiver at his touch. He brushed his lips against my ear. “You do, Dani,” he said. I dug my fingernails into his chest. “But if you want to break me, you’re going to have to try harder than this.”

Then, he stepped away from me with that stupid smirk on his face like he had total control of me. And, for a moment, I swore he did.

I took a deep breath and smoothed out my jacket. I needed to find a way to get under his skin. I needed to find his weakness. But, most importantly, I needed to step up my game. It was time to show him that he wasn’t the only one who could play. And I knew just the way to get the upper hand.

As soon as Dr. U let me off of work, I hurried to Kasey’s apartment—determined to get all of my answers. She hopped onto her couch and curled into Aarav’s arm. “How was the date?”

I raised a brow and threw a pillow at her. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were setting me up with Eros?”

“So…” She smirked. “Last night was good?”

“That’s not the point!” The point was that, even after our date, my mind was buzzing with thoughts of him. I couldn’t get him out of my head. Every time I closed my eyes, I felt his fingers brushing against my cheek, down my hips, up the insides of my thighs. And it was getting awfully tempting to just crumble beneath his fingers.