Page 97 of Indulge
He checks his watch. “Yeah. It’s five somewhere.”
We head out into Inferno, the heat of bodies and bass wrapping around us. Women half-naked, men circling like wolves. We grab a booth; a waitress comes right over.
“Whiskey?” she asks.
“Am I Irish?” I grin.
She winks and walks away with an extra sway in her step.
Drago leans back. “You could have any woman in here, Rowan. Why Bella?”
“Because she isn’t just a fuck,” I admit. “She makes me laugh, makes my damn heart skip a beat. She gets me. It’s weird—the pull. Even from a distance. I’m a puppet, and she’s my master.”
The waitress slides our drinks over. I hand her a fifty.
Drago nods slowly. “Yeah. I get that. You can obsess from afar.”
My brow lifts. “Oh yeah? Who you stalking, Dragon?”
“No one,” he says too quickly. “Just… I felt that once. A long time ago. That kind of pull never goes away.”
I blow out a breath and take a swallow of my whiskey.
“Even knowing she slept with Reggie last night doesn’t stop me wanting her.”
He studies me. “No?”
I shake my head. “Sex is sex. God, with her though…” I trail off, unable to say the rest.
“So what—you both date her and let her pick?”
“I don’t know.” My chest tightens. “But I can’t give up.”
My phone buzzes again.
Bella: Can we talk?
Bella: I’m not giving up on you either.
My heart kicks hard. She knows exactly what she’s saying.
“The battle ain’t lost,” I tell Drago, raising my glass.
Me: Good girl. You at home?
Instant reply.
Bella: I’m in the office. Trying to figure out what the hell Decadence and Inferno mean in relation to your finances. Wanna help?
Me: You asking me over to help you with maths?
I can practically see the blush creeping up her neck.
Bella: Maybe. Or I just want to be near you.
I drain my glass and stand.
“Sorry, Dragon. Gotta go. Important meeting.”
