Adam didn’t bribe the bouncers to get us into a VIP box when we arrived, which is odd considering he prefers not to mingle with the crowd. He’s been acting strange all evening, subtly digging for information about Dante as I grab a drink, setting the glass down once it’s empty. When my breathing stabilizes, I take Aaron back to the dance floor.
“I’ve not had this much fun in a long time,” I say after twenty minutes when my legs are too weak to dance.
“My pleasure. Go back to Allie. I’ll get you a drink.”
Adam’s alone at the table, drinking his Budweiser, eyes on the crowd of dancing bodies.
“Where’s Allie?” I ask.
“Toilet. We need to get going.”
“We just got here!”
“We’ve been here for an hour, Layla. Allie’s not feeling well, so I’m taking her home.” He looks around as if checking for eavesdroppers. “I want to trust you, Layla. If I let you stay here, will you promise you won’t flee to Delta?”
He’s thinking about leaving me here without a nanny?
What happened to his principles?
I nod before he thinks the idea through. “I promise.”
The unwanted date turned into a pleasant night. It’s still early, and I don’t want to go home yet, hoping I can take Aaron dancing again once I regain feeling in my legs. He’s kind, handsome, heterosexual, and his company soothes my cluttered mind. What more do I need?
The answer flashes before my eyes, but I lock Dante in a small, dark room in my subconscious, bolt the door and throw away the key. That should keep him from poisoning my thoughts.
Adam gets up, and thanks to his six-foot-eight height, he looks over hundreds of heads, searching for his girlfriend. “If anything happens, you callme. Onlyme, Layla.”
“Nothing will happen. Dante hasn’t contacted me in two weeks. I doubt he’ll suddenly start looking for me all over the city. Relax.”
He shoots me a skeptical look and, without another word, turns around, disappearing into the crowd.
CHAPTER NINE
Layla
Alarge, colorful drawing of a human brain hangs in Aaron’s living room. He brought me here after someone accidentally spilled red wine over his shirt at the club. He seemed harmless, so I agreed when he said he had a bottle of wine and asked if we could continue the evening at his house. We hailed a cab, and now I stand in his living room, looking at the framed brain, wonderingwhy.
“Do you want to be a neurosurgeon, or have you lost a bet, and someone made you hang this here?”
He emerges from the kitchen with two glasses of wine, now in a plain white t-shirt that shows off his muscular arms Allie told me so much about.
“You don’t see art in this?”
I chuckle, elbowing his ribs playfully when he smiles. “Why is it here?”
“That’s all my ex left. She hung weird things all over the house. This one might be the weirdest, but I like it.” He sits on the couch while I continue my journey of discovery.
You can learn a lot about a person by seeing what they surround themselves with.
Dante’s house is full of quirky treasures that highlight his character. The Shelby parked in his living room, the shelf full of CDs, a well-stocked bar, and a dark color scheme. It fits his profession and personality.
Aaron is an athlete. The walls are decorated with medals and trophies, but other than that, the room is bland, almost empty. White walls, gray furniture. It looks as if he just moved in. I round the couch to sit, but Aaron grips my hand, dragging me onto his lap. Surprised by his forwardness, I cock an eyebrow, but he’s not looking. Eyes closed, he inches closer to me, grasping the flesh of my hips so hard borders on painful. If he had tried that two weeks ago, I wouldn’t object, but tonight my mind screamsno!
Dante breaks the door of his mini prison, pacing all over my thoughts with an enraged look twisting his handsome face, reminding me how I felt when he kissed me for the first time... dizzy, almost drunk on endorphins; trembling like an uncoiled spring, my body and mind ruled by his presence. By the raw, irresistible hunger of his lips devouring mine.
There’s none of that now. No excitement; no anticipation. I’m embarrassed, annoyed, and a little scared.
I dart away before Aaron’s lips touch mine, my hand on his chest, keeping him at a distance. “I’m sorry, but no.”