Page 120 of Illusory

I didn’t think I could feel any worse than I already felt, but I’d somehow managed to sink to a brand-new low as I stood in the living room with all of their eyes on me, feeling like the man-eating pariah that I was.

Served me right for not staying locked inside my room where I belonged.

I stepped back, fully intent on hauling my ass right back up there when Dominic sprang up from the armchair and distracted me, seizing my attention as my greedy eyes watched him stalk over to the bar.

“Why don’t you have a seat, angel,” he suggested calmly, his focus on the two glasses before him as he filled them both up with something dark and strong looking. “You look like you can use a drink.”

I really could use a drink, but I was pretty sure I didn’t deserve a consolation prize from him.

Still, my feet remained glued in place, my body and soul aching to be in his presence for just a few moments longer.Despite the ever-present guilt and sadness, the anxiety and skin-crawling unease I’d been drowning in all day had already eased just being near them again.

Somehow, all the bad always seemed to disappear when I was near them.

He picked up both glasses and then turned to face me, his gaze locking onto mine and staying there. I knew it was wrong of me to take the small moment of reprieve, but I just couldn’t bring myself to walk away then.

Then again, hadn’t I decided that I was going to try a different tactic with them? That I needed to ease them into the breakup? Maybe this was the best thing for all of us right now.

Warmth spread through my chest, breathing life into my heart again and making it beat erratically as Dominic slowly prowled to the spot I was rooted in and extended one of the glasses to me.

“Thank you,” I murmured, my chin quaking from the kind gesture I didn’t feel I deserved and the burden of trying to keep my tears at bay. I hated that I was in a permanent state of being constantly on the cusp of crying. Of course, Iwouldn’tcry. Mostly because I knew that if I did, one of them would surely comfort me, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to stop myself from letting them.

His dark eyes stayed fixed on mine as he took a sip of his drink and studied me, as though trying to gauge where I was at mentally or emotionally. Possibly both. Something tugged in my chest as he brought the glass down and then smiled at me. An open, bright smile that made my knees smart.

“You don’t have to keep hiding in your room, angel,” he said and then lowered his voice a decibel. “We’re all friends here. I’m sure we can be more than civilized, can’t we?”

I quirked my brow at him.Civilized friendswasn’t exactly the terms I’d use to describe us.

“I promise we won’tbite,” he added with a purposeful wink.

Just hearing the word made my skin break out in tingles and my fingers tremble with the need to reach out andtouchhim, to fall into his arms and demand that he mark every inch of my body with his mouth and teeth. To throw me down on the floor and just—shit.

God, what the hell was wrong with me?

Maybe being around them like this wasn’t the smartest idea. At least not just yet. The wounds were still too new. Too painful and in need of mending.

“I should go,” I said quietly, my eyes still latched onto his as though I couldn’t figure out how to look away.

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

I’d rather I didn’t too.

The smallest, sexiest smirk I’d ever seen coiled his lips, and for a second, I wondered if I’d said the thought out loud. Before I could figure it out, my feet were moving again, and to my surprise, they were taking me over to the couch instead of leaving the room as I’d intended to.

Maybe I’d just stay for a few minutes. Just to finish my drink. Then I’d leave. No harm, no foul.

I mean, really, what could one measly drink hurt anyway?

39. PARTY FAVORS

Squeezing the glass tumbler in my hand, I brought it up to my lips and took a sip of my drink as Dominic sauntered over to the spot beside me on the couch, making my pulse ratchet up even higher than it was already racing while Gabriel moved to take the seat in the armchair that Dominic had been sitting in before.

Musical chairs. How fun.

At least it would’ve beenfunif it weren’t for the way my body viciously turned against me the moment Dominic stretched his arm along the back of the sofa behind me, his eyes still drinking me up like he wanted to have me right then and there on the couch.

He hadn’t even laid a finger on me and already my mind was clouding over with all sorts of dangerous things like doubt and bad excuses and burgeoning desire.

“This is nice, isn’t it, angel?”

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