Page 20 of Undeniable

“You know Giovanni?” I ask.

He nods. “I know of him.”

I give him a suspicious look as I take a step away from him. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Daniel’s eyes squint slightly and his mouth opens before he shakes his head. “Nothing, forget it. You ready to go? Becca and Todd already took off.”

“Oh, sure. To Becca’s apartment, right?” I ask carefully.

He gives me a shy smile and chuckles. “Yeah. I got the message, just friend.”

I laugh nervously as we make our way out of the club. We catch a ride quickly and are in front of Becca’s apartment building before we know it. As soon as we pull up, Daniel insists on getting out of the car and getting my door. I appreciate the chivalry, so I smile and thank him as I step out.

We walk up to the main entrance as he shoves his hands into his pocket nervously. I had a good time but now things are just feeling awkward. I wish he would just go home instead of doing this weird first-date-not-a-date thing.

He opens his mouth to say something when my phone buzzes several times in my clutch. I grab it out quickly to make sure it isn’t Becca. It definitely isn’t Becca though.

Giovanni: Tell him to go home.

Giovanni: Don’t you dare invite him inside.

Giovanni: Push me, Tasha. I dare you.

His words send an excited thrill running through my chest as I glance around quickly but notice that there are no other cars parked on the street except for a few Honda Accords and a Prius. Can he see me? Did he follow me home? I can’t tell if that is creepy or sweet. If it was anyone else, it would most definitely be creepy.

“Everything okay?” Daniel asks.

I look over to him and nod. “Yeah, sorry. I got an early morning tomorrow. Thanks for a fun night.”

He nods. “Yeah, maybe we can get together sometime, just us.”

I smile tightly. “Yeah, maybe. Have a good night.”

Before he can say anything else I slip past him through the doors and pull out my phone, hitting call.

“Yes?” That deliciously low voice rumbles.

“Are you following me?” I urgently whisper.

“Just making sure you got home safely,” he says far too casually for us to be discussing potential stalker behaviors.

“Why?”

There is a slight pause before he sighs roughly. “No idea.”

I nod as I hit the elevator button for Becca’s floor. “You know, for a moment there, I thought that you were going to kiss me at the club,” I admit.

“So did I.”

My heart drops and my breathing stalls at his admission. I guess I assumed he was going to deny it or out right avoid the topic like the day at his house several weeks ago. Before I can say anything in response, he speaks again.

“Sweet dreams Tasha.”

With that, the line goes dead. I am left stumbling into the elevator with my brows furrowed as I stare at the phone, as if trying to figure out if that really just happened. I will definitely be having dreams tonight, no promises that there will be anything sweet about them though.

Chapter Nine

Tasha